The life of a Major League Baseball player has many impressive benefits, with the big two being wealth and fame. Living out a dream that for many of these men started on local fields, backyards, or watching their favorite players on television is the ultimate testament to hard work and dedication to one’s craft.

A major part of a professional baseball player’s career is constant travel, be it from the road games during a Major League season, promotions/demotions to the minor leagues, or relocating via trades and signings.

For journeyman relief pitcher Carlos Torres, being on the move is something he’s well accustomed to.

Torres, 37, moved a lot as a kid, as his father Jose searched for work to support his five children in California. He later attended four different colleges before getting drafted in the 15th-round by the Chicago White Sox in the 2004 MLB June Amateur Draft.

After spending several seasons in the minors for the White Sox and pitching in 13 games with the big club between 2009 and 2010, Torres was on the move yet again. This time, Torres would be playing professional baseball outside of the United States, pitching in Japan for the Yomiuri Giants in 2011.

The right-hander came back to the States for the 2012 season, signing with the Colorado Rockies in December 2011. He appeared in 31 games for the Rockies (a then career high) and recorded more than 3 outs in more than half of his appearances (18).

His tenure with the Rockies lasted just that one season in ’12, as he inked a minor league deal with the New York Mets for the 2013 season. It was with the Mets that Torres would finally find some consistency, appearing in 165 games over three seasons (2013-15), posting a 3.59 ERA with 8.2 strikeouts-per-nine. His best season with the Mets came in 2014, when the then 31-year-old appeared in a career-best 73 games, posting a 3.06 ERA, 11.9 SwStr% and a 46.8 ground ball rate.

Following the Mets’ five-game loss to the Kansas City Royals in the 2015 World Series, Torres was designated for assignment by the club in January. He inked a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves but opted out right before the start of the 2016 regular season due to a clause he had in his contract that allowed him to leave if he would not make the opening day roster.

It wouldn’t take long for Torres to find work, as the Milwaukee Brewers signed the righty to a one-year, major league deal in early April. After posting a 4.68 ERA in 2015 with the Mets, Torres nearly cut that down by two runs in ’16 with the Brewers, posting a career-best 2.73 ERA. Torres also saw his K% increase over three percent from the following season (19.8 to 23.0 percent) and led all Milwaukee pitchers in appearances (72).

With the Brewers in ’16, Torres increased his four-seam fastball usage by nearly 14.0 percent from 2015 (39.4 to 53.2 percent) and saw improvements in his wOBA (.365 to .268), average exit velocity (88.2 to 85.9 m.p.h.), average spin rate (2240 to 2330 rpm) and whiff rate (18.2 to 23.2 percent). Torres saw marked differences in his four-seam fastball against left-handed hitters that year, as he saw his wOBA drop by more than 250 points from ’15 (.531 to .279), hard-hit percentage drop more than 13 percent (40.0 to 26.9) and his whiff rate increase by more than eight percent (13.7 to 21.8).

Comparing pitch location between seasons, Torres certainly pitched more low and inside to lefty hitters in 2016 (left image) than in 2015 (right).

Baseball Savant

Baseball Savant

After pitching another season with Milwaukee in 2017, Torres has since bounced around between six different organizations, appearing in 14 major league games between 2018-19. When asked whether he’s still looking to extend his career, Torres offered an emphatic “of course,” as he wants to pitch in three different decades and feels like he can be an asset for a team since he doesn’t have any pronounced splits.

While working out and gearing up for what Torres hopes would be his 11th year in the majors in 2020, he embarked on a physical test of endurance and stamina, all for a great cause this offseason. In honor of his brother, who joined the Marines when Carlos was in high school, Torres expressed his support for his brother and all the brave men and women in uniform by running for 24-hours straight in an effort to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project, a charity and veterans service organization that offers a variety of programs, services and events for wounded veterans of the military actions following September 11, 2001.

With a goal of raising $100 per mile he ran, Torres exceeded that total by raising $2,500 for his 24-hour run. For someone who has constantly been on the move for his entire life, it’s fitting that Torres would raise attention and money for a great cause in something he’s all too familiar with: being on the move.

I had the chance to correspond with Torres via email, where he discussed playing in Japan, life as a reliever and his time in New York with the Mets.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Torres: To be honest, I didn’t watch much baseball as a child. The Braves were one of the few teams that were televised nationally, so I was able to watch a few of their games, but I was usually playing outside or working.

MMO: At what age did you start primarily pitching?

Torres: I was closing games and DH-ing in college, but I grew up in a different era. I played four sports in high school, so specializing in only one thing wasn’t something I was forced to do until my junior year in college. I remember one guy in my high school who wanted to focus on only pitching and nothing else. We viewed him as an odd duck, and I never remember him going anywhere with it.

Specializing at an early age isn’t practical. Playing different sports and learning different positions helps encourage different aspects of athleticism that would not be learned otherwise, let alone strength and development.

MMO: You attended and pitched for several different colleges before being drafted in the 15th round of the 2004 MLB Draft. Was it difficult being on the move and switching colleges?

Torres: No, I moved a lot as a kid, and I knew that I was going to use baseball as a way to get a college degree. I realized the price for that was moving, and I was more than willing to pay it. Little did I know that playing baseball and being on the move was something I would be doing for most of my adult life.

MMO: You spent a season playing in Japan for Yomiuri (2011). What’s the baseball culture like in Japan? Were there any major differences in terms of preparation, training and style of play from Japan to the U.S.?

Torres: The easiest way to describe it is that in Japan, they view baseball as work, not as a sport to hone your craft. It is actually very much like Mr. Baseball, which is an oddly accurate movie.

One thing I have to mention is that the culture, in general, is different. I was there during the earthquake, tsunami, volcano eruption, and nuclear reactor meltdown and during those devastating tragedies, I never once heard about looting or people taking advantage of the circumstances. It was the exact opposite, and it was amazing to witness all the phenomenal qualities that made up what I saw in Japanese culture.

In terms of baseball, things in Tokyo were drastically different. One of my Japanese teammates threw 235 pitches in his first bullpen of the spring! And that was just in a bullpen session, mind you. The weightlifting program was not very comprehensive, and accommodations on the road were non-existent. Keep in mind this was one team eight years ago, so things could have changed.

The difference in baseball isn’t the work ethic; it was where they applied that standard. It was very common to see people in the batting cages for hours—not like taking their turn, but one individual hitting off the tees for the entirety of the game. Whatever they were told to do, they would do to excess. Overtraining was a very real thing, but that’s how hard they wanted to work at their craft. It was impressive to some degree.

MMO: Throughout your early minor league career, the White Sox utilized you as both a starter and reliever. Did you prefer a role? And at what point in your career were you told that you’d be generally used out of the pen?

Torres: It’s funny because when I started throwing solely out of the bullpen, it was after my first year with the Mets. When I came up with the White Sox, I went from spot starting to just starting because there were not five healthy starters on the 40-man roster and they needed me to start for the rest of the year. The following year, health was not an issue, so I went back into the bullpen.

I’m indifferent to starting or relieving, but it always appears that teams prefer my ability to throw every day versus once every five days. In Colorado, the Rockies used the piggyback system. The piggyback guys were Adam Ottavino, Josh Roenicke and myself. That was in 2012, and we were criticized for it.

It is interesting because now teams are praised for not spending the revenue share money by purchasing a fifth starter and instead of throwing their entire bullpen, yet at that time it was extremely taboo.

MMO: You signed a minor league deal with the Mets in the winter of 2012. In 2013, you saw your walks-per-nine drop from the prior season (4.4 to 1.8) and your ERA drop nearly two full runs (5.26 to 3.44). Were there any mechanical adjustments you made from 2012 to ’13? And what made the Mets an appealing team to sign with?

Torres: Funny, but I played the previous season in Colorado. I was a young pitcher who was still learning to adjust his stuff to the altitude, and a lot of times it was a better option to make sure the curveball stayed down than to just toss one higher and watch it hit the cars in the players’ lot.

The difference was Colorado vs. anywhere else. That was also before they used the current baseball, where now any park is a home run park. I was also with New York when they moved the fences in because there were very few home runs being hit.

The thing that made the Mets the team I signed with appealing was simply that Bobby Parnell and a few other players I had previously played with were on the team, and I looked forward to playing with them again. When you spend almost eight months with someone, it is a perk if you already know them and what they are about.

To this day, I tell people that I don’t leave my daughter for eight months out of the year to come out, collect a paycheck and get my butt whooped. I leave her to win! Knowing Bobby’s dedication to his craft and desire to win assured me I wouldn’t be leaving my daughter to lose. If I had to play a game and my life was on the line, Parnell would be on that team.

Our coaching staff with Ricky Bones and Dan Warthen also worked tirelessly to help me, and I’m very thankful for their instruction, as I’m sure all the players that pitched under them were thankful for their help. That list is long.

MMO: Your 2014 season was one of the best in your career. You were second on the Mets in appearances (73), tossed a career-high in innings (97.0) and were called upon for multiple innings out of the pen. Can you talk a little about your ’14 season and what seemed to really click for you?

Torres: In reality, a lot of factors go into a player’s ERA that doesn’t always have to do with their “stuff.” In this case, it was more of applying the instruction that I’d received over the years. I had coaches that worked endlessly and helped by teaching me to be more professional; I had teammates that played hard and made plays when I needed them, and I was also given more innings and was allowed to pitch more.

In the first two weeks of a season, relievers either have a 0.00 ERA or a 9.00, depending on how many innings they have. If you give them enough work, they will settle where they should be and they can learn how adjustments play moving forward; 97 innings is a good amount of work to counter big innings that relievers sometimes give up.

Sometimes doing things for the team bites you in the butt in terms of numbers. An example is being asked to intentionally walk people on numerous occasions, then being pulled out of the game for the next reliever. Take the current minor league extra-inning rules into account; as of now, the man that is just put on second base is not an earned run. Now if the team happens to successfully bunt the man to third, the home team manager might opt to load the bases. Not many people pay attention to the fact that the two intentional walks are now earned runs for the pitcher of record, not because of anything else but a decision that was made in the best interest of the team.

MMO: You got to witness some of the club’s young, premier pitching talent in Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. Can you talk a little about getting to watch them early in their careers and what you saw from each?

Torres: It’s one of the things I enjoy most about playing baseball. I played with Zack Wheeler in the minor leagues when he was just a thrower with “stuff,” but lacked the consistency needed to be dominant, and he’s now transformed into a pitcher who has signed a $100+ million deal and is going to make a team much better with him on the staff.

Watching deGrom win two Cy Young Awards and seeing the development in Syndergaard and Steven Matz is also something to applaud. That is also a testament to each player’s desire to get better, learn and hone their craft. Sometimes it is learning a new pitch, and sometimes it is mechanical, but that’s what makes it such a pleasure to watch.

One thing you also need to learn to do in sports is separate the player from the man. To watch teammates grow as men is also something I’ve enjoyed over the last 15 years in professional baseball.

MMO: One of your most memorable plays with the Mets was the come-backer off the bat of Jeff Francoeur in the 10th against Philadelphia in 2015. The ball ricocheted off your foot, and to Daniel Murphy at first. You raced to cover first and beat Francoeur. What was going on in your mind at the time of the play? And, not only did you make that play, but you also hit a leadoff single in the 13th and came around to score the go-ahead run!

Torres: I was thinking “GET THE OUT,” just like I always am. I recall another random play when a line drive was hit directly off of my foot. When it popped into the air, I lunged forward, grabbed it out of midair and threw it to first to double the runner off. Since the ball never hit the ground, the runner didn’t have time to tag up.

A lot of time, the instant plays you make come from reflex, not reaction. We do the tedious fielding drills that bore pitchers to death, but when you see the ball fly to the right side, you have programmed the body to cover first so you can react faster than someone who has to think about it. When I realized I had successfully kicked the ball and it was heading to the right side of the field, I simply ran to cover first just like I have been programmed to do.

Very funny side note: If you ever watch that play, Daniel Murphy never looks at first base. He had no clue if I was there or not. He just did what good defenders do, and that was giving you a chance to make a play. Thanks to that reaction, we made that play because if he had looked to find me or see if I was running, Francoeur would have been safe.

Another random side note was that after I got that hit and was subsequently moved to second, there was a chance to advance to third on a ball hit to Francoeur. I remember as I was tagging up and getting ready to run, I stopped a few strides from second because I remembered it was Francoeur and realized I would be thrown out by no less than 30 feet. I was not wrong, and I was immediately thankful for thinking before I cost the team a chance to win.

MMO: I read that you were considered one of the fastest players on the Mets. How much did you incorporate running and or speed workouts into your regimen?

Torres: I’ve always been able to run. And yes, I am fast, but my endurance and ability to change direction is a much greater asset. My ability to plant my foot, change direction and accelerate is more of what people are talking about. Pitchers have many more skills and abilities than they are given credit for—not all pitchers, of course, but most.

MMO: What did you like most about playing in New York?

Torres: In terms of the city itself, I enjoyed the convenience of everything. One of my favorite restaurants is there called Gyu-Kaku. I rode the train every day to and from the field and if you wanted or needed anything, it was only a couple of blocks away.

MMO: Can you talk a little about the work you would put in both on and off the field in order to be ready to make an appearance on any given night?

Torres: About eight years ago, a friend outside of baseball asked me what time I head to the field. He suggested 5:30 or 6 pm for a 7 pm game. I just had to laugh. People don’t realize that we actually play every day. We play so many games in a row that we essentially “practice” before we play the games. We have to throw, work on pitches or mechanics, take batting practice, condition, and, from time to time, work on fielding before the game. And that’s just on field. Before all of that, we have to activate [essentially warm up], get treatment, watch film, have our pitchers’ meeting and get ready for the game.

During the game, you should always look at information you need to see or like to see. For example, if you have a sinker, you might ask for a chart that shows a heat map of how often they hit sinkers with movement similar to yours in the ground. Then you will review those charts on the guys playing that day and in spots you see yourself coming in.

When your role gets close, you will need to activate, loosen up, warm up and then wait for the call to see if you are going in.

MMO: After a down year in 2015, you bounced back with career bests in ERA (2.73), ERA+ (156), H/9 (7.1) & bWAR (2.2) in 2016 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Were there any reasons you could think back on for your big turnaround in ’16?

Torres: There are always things that happen during a season that people either forget or that people don’t know, so just remember that not everything is black and white when it comes to evaluation. There are always things that can be said about a year that are positive or negative and things that make complete sense when you hear it. But sometimes people just don’t care.

So, I’ll throw this out there: In 2015, we went to the World Series. I would take a “down year” every year if it means we go to the World Series every year.

With that being said, I did enjoy throwing to Martin Maldonado, and my teammates did help me out a lot in the success of 2016. The only negative is where we finished in the standings.

MMO: Are you planning on pitching in 2020?

Torres: Of course. I want to pitch in three different decades, and more importantly, my limited use in the last two years has extended the life of my arm. Everyone has always been baffled when they learn my age and associate it with the man they see in front of them. My health, shape and durability speak for themselves, but I’m still looking to win a World Series.

I’m hoping more teams want to win in the future and look to me to help them. Especially with the new rules changes and my ability to get lefties out, I feel like I have a lot to offer.

Follow Carlos Torres on Twitter and Instagram: @CarlosOGTorres

The post MMO Exclusive: Former Reliever, Carlos Torres appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Paul Sewald entered spring training with a chip on his shoulder.

After pitching to a 3.29 ERA in 56 games with the Las Vegas 51s in 2016, Sewald had hoped that his impressive stats in the hitters’ paradise – otherwise known as the Pacific Coast League -would warrant a major league call-up.

The phone never rang for Sewald. Instead, he posted career highs in games (56), innings pitched (65.2) and strikeouts (80) with the 51s.

While the Mets decided against calling up the right-hander out of the University of San Diego, they did include him on the list of non-roster invitees to major league spring training for the second straight year. The then 26-year-old, former tenth-round draft pick, made a strong impression on the club’s brass, pitching in 11 games for 14.1 innings (the most among Mets’ relievers), holding opponents to a .143 batting average with an ERA of 2.51 and a WHIP of 0.84 (5th best among Mets’ pitchers with a minimum of five innings pitched).

As the roster was being trimmed to 25, Sewald was one of the final players cut, reassigned to minor league camp, and eventually found his way back to Las Vegas to open the 2017 season.

The 51s’ season opened on April 6th, an 8-1 defeat to El Paso. Sewald entered in the 8th, working around a leadoff walk to then promptly strike out the side over his next 10 pitches. He was simply picking up where he left off from his impressive spring showing.

Just one day later, after making his season debut, Sewald would finally receive the long-awaited phone call he had hoped to hear in 2016.

You’re heading to the majors.

The Mets were in need of a fresh arm, having relied heavily upon the relief contingent in the first four games of the season, and decided to add an eighth arm to the pen. Sewald made his major league debut on Saturday, April 8th, against the Miami Marlins, just a half-day removed from getting the call-up in El Paso. Three straight singles followed by a bunt groundout allowed two runs to score in just a third of an inning for Sewald in his debut before Terry Collins brought in Jerry Blevins for the final two outs in the eighth inning.

The rookie right-hander admits that it probably would’ve been in his best interest to have gotten a full 24 hours of acclimating himself to the majors before being thrust into action. However, Sewald got redemption against the Marlins in a May 7th game, where he was tasked with giving the Mets depth after starter Adam Wilk served up six runs (five earned) in only 3.2 innings.

Sewald tossed 3.1 innings, allowing a run on four hits, with six strikeouts and no walks, a game he reflects back on with pride.

It was then that Sewald felt a certain level of confidence, having just handled a strong Marlins’ lineup that featured Marcell Ozuna, Christian Yelich and Giancarlo Stanton. Sewald felt more relaxed following that outing, and it showed, as he posted a 1.42 ERA over his next nine outings in the month of May.

With the Mets decimated by injuries and underperformance this season, the front office called up many of Sewald’s teammates from Las Vegas, giving them a good look as to who could be possible contributing fits in 2018 and beyond. Sewald made the most of his opportunity, appearing in 57 games (12th-most among all rookie relievers in 2017) pitching to a 4.55 ERA, though, his 3.74 FIP captured a better picture of his contributions on the year.

His impressive strikeout totals from the minors translated into his rookie season with the team, averaging 9.5 strikeouts-per-nine, all while relying on a low 90s fastball and low 80s slider. Sewald uses deception and an above-average spin rate on his four-seamer to throw off hitters, allowing him added confidence to throw his fastball in any count.

I had the privilege of speaking with Sewald at the end of October, where we discussed his spring success, major league call-up, and his bullpen sessions with Hall of Fame starter Greg Maddux.

MMO: You pitched extremely well in spring training this past season, as you were one of the final cuts of the spring. Did you have any thoughts that you might head north with the Mets to start the season?

Paul: I went into spring training just wanting to show them what I can do, kind of with a chip on my shoulder [for] not getting called up the year before. I didn’t expect anything crazy, but I just wanted to show them that maybe at some point they would try and call me up during the year. Then I had such a good year, and I made it pretty much through the last day [of spring training], and I started to get a little antsy. Thinking, Familia’s suspended, maybe I do have a chance at the Opening Day roster while he’s not going to be around?

Then I got cut, and I’m sitting there trying to figure out when I could get called up now. I’m thinking maybe at best it could be a September call-up type of thing. Then the next thing I know, I’m called up two days into the Triple-A season, and it worked out.

MMO: Can you talk about the moment you found out that you were being called up to the Mets?

Paul: We were in El Paso, and they called me on the bullpen phone and said, “Sewald needs to come down to the dugout,” which I was kind of confused about. Honestly, it was two days into the season; it hadn’t even occurred to me that they would be calling me up right away. I didn’t really get it until I came into the dugout, and [manager] Pedro Lopez told me.

It was incredible, obviously.

MMO: Who did you tell the news to first?

Paul: Fiancé was the first call, parents were the second call and brother was my third call. Then it started to get a little crazy, so I kind of started to wait a little bit. I made sure my agent knew right away, and then it was nuts, that’s for sure!

MMO: April 8th, your major league debut. What stands out from that day and game for you?

Paul: It was loud. Beggars can’t be choosers, I know, but I definitely would’ve liked to have probably been there for 24 hours. I got a night’s sleep, that probably would’ve been better for my first outing. My mind was racing; I was barely in control of anything, so it was crazy.

Looking back, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. One bad outing in your debut is not that big of a deal. The experience was incredible.

MMO: Were there any particular adjustments that you made when you were optioned back to Las Vegas in mid-April?

Paul: No, not really. I got called up so early into the season; I had only pitched once, and I didn’t even feel like I was necessarily in a groove when I got called up. So then I went down for two weeks and got in six or seven games and kind of got to get myself into the middle of the season, which is where you start to get into a rhythm and everything like that.

I felt like I was throwing a ton of strikes, making good pitches, and I got called up at a perfect time, feeling good about how I was throwing.

MMO: I’ve read that you take great interest in the new analytics in baseball. Is that something that’s always fascinated you? Is this something you look to incorporate into your overall game?

Paul: I wouldn’t say always. I would say, like most people that have baseball backgrounds, I was a little skeptical of how exactly you could use it or how it was best to put it into action.

T.J. [Barra] gave me a write-up at the end of last year, and I hadn’t really thought about why maybe I could get away with the fastball when others don’t, other than I have a little bit of deception. Then you look, and your spin rate’s above average, and it kind of gives a little bit of an explanation.

I kind of use it as a confidence booster knowing maybe it’s not 95-96, but my 91-93 is better than a regular 91-93. Give yourself the confidence that you have a plus fastball because you’re not going out there throwing regular 91 mph fastballs. They’re moving a little bit; I have some deception, [and] they have a little bit of spin rate.

It gave me a lot of confidence that way.

MMO: So, T.J. Barra was the first to pass along the spin rate stats to you?

Paul: Yeah, he was the first guy who sent them to the pitching coordinator, Ron Romanick, and he sent it to me. I just looked at it, and I was trying to just match up why I have so much success, other than I’ve always been confident about myself. That gives me a little bit of a reason for it.

It was different. Growing up, I was always not a hard thrower, and I got a lot of ground balls. I got to professional baseball, and I stopped getting ground balls, but I kept pitching well, so I didn’t really know why. I didn’t do anything differently. It’s just one of those things, I guess.

MMO: Those numbers must help solidify your confidence, as it helps you to realize the advantages you hold over other pitchers who don’t have the high spin rate.

Paul: It just gives me a little bit of confidence that I might not have had. Facing major league hitters, just because I get behind in the count, doesn’t mean I can’t throw a fastball, and I have to be scared of these guys. It has to be well executed if I’m behind in the count, but I can throw a fastball, even if they know a fastball’s coming. If I locate it, I’m going to be fine.

It gives me the ability not to be scared at any time when I’m pitching, which is, you don’t want that bad feeling; you just want to go out there and throw quality strikes, and that should be the only thing on your mind.

MMO: You’re a guy that’s had a considerable amount of success pitching in Las Vegas. What are those conditions like for a pitcher? And what are some of the things you look to work on knowing you’re not pitching in a pitcher’s league?

Paul: It is tough; it is tough. A lot of guys are going up there feeling really confident because you’re in very hitter-friendly parks. Your off-speed doesn’t move quite as much; it’s not really that sharp. There are a lot of things going against pitchers. At the same time, maybe your stats aren’t going to be as good as they would be if you were in a pitcher’s league, but it comes down to still throwing good pitches and locating my fastball as the most important things. I had to get people out with my fastball, learn to get people out with my fastball, and I think I can.

You can also take their aggressiveness in that league against them a little bit easier than you can maybe in the major leagues. A lot of guys are going up there swinging, so if you get to two strikes, a lot of the time, you can get an easy strikeout because guys aren’t choking up and trying to put it in play and avoid the strikeout. Most of the time it’s going up there trying to blast one out of the park from the first pitch on. So you can use it against them a little bit.

MMO: You’ve gotten to throw bullpens in front of Hall of Fame starter Greg Maddux. How was that arranged? Can you talk a bit about some of the conversations you shared with him?

Paul: He’s the pitching coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. We go over there and throw our bullpens before the season, and I did so a couple of times before I went to winter ball. It was just me and another kid, and so we got a lot of two-on-one time with Greg, which was pretty incredible. He has so much knowledge, and he just wants to teach, teach and teach.

He had six or seven things in my bullpen, and I was like, ‘Okay, here’s the thing: some of us can only process maybe one or two things at a time. I know you were different than everybody else, but give me one thing to focus on, two things to focus on, because I have to limit my ability to focus on something during a bullpen.’

It was pretty cool. I didn’t throw any sliders because I was just trying to work on fastball/change at the time. He said, “Your changeup is your best off-speed pitch, right?”

I told him, ‘No, I think I maybe throw it five percent of the time.’

And he was like, “What do you mean?”

I said, ‘My slider’s my best pitch for sure. That’s my strikeout pitch; that’s my go-to. I rarely throw a changeup.’

This is before I got to the big leagues, where I had to throw it a little bit more. I was just like no, I really just get people out with a fastball/slider. He had a lot of confidence in it [changeup], and if he thinks it’s good, why don’t I think it’s as good as he does?

He gave me a lot of confidence, and I just need to go out there and try it and use my changeup a little more. Even if I’m not as confident in it, because if he thinks it’s good, then it’s obviously pretty decent.

MMO: Did you start utilizing your change more after that?

Paul: You know, not as much as I should. As much as anyone will tell me, as much as Dan [Warthen] will tell me, as much as my dad will tell me, as much as Greg would say something. I didn’t use it quite as much as I probably should have this year. I’ve been trying to throw it a little bit, but a lot of it is it is my third-best pitch and as a reliever, sometimes you get nervous to get beat with your third-best pitch. Then sometimes I felt like, Why am I trying to work on things when I’m in a major league game? My goal is to get people out.

At the same time, the only way to get confidence in it is to throw it. It’s a catch-22 that I need to get over, and I think that’s something over the off-season I’m going to try and be mentally ready when I come into the season to utilize it as a weapon that maybe I didn’t last year.

MMO: When you look back on the 2017 season, what moment(s) stand out for you personally?

Paul: The most important game was the first week I got called back up. The starter [Adam Wilk] didn’t get out of the fourth inning, and I had to come in against the Marlins. I went 3 1/3, and we were losing by a ton; it wasn’t necessarily a close game. I threw really well, and their lineup is so underrated and ridiculous that if they were a big-market team, everyone would realize how good they are.

I kind of took a step back at the end of the day and looked at it, and I was like, I pitched really well against, I would say, one of the better lineups in baseball. I threw my regular pitches; I didn’t have to be perfect. I threw like Paul Sewald in Triple-A, so I think I can pitch here.

It was the first time that I got a lot of confidence that I was ready and I could pitch in the major leagues. It was really the first time that I got a ton of confidence, and from there I kind of knew that I can pitch here. You just have to make good pitches and go out there and don’t try to be perfect. You’re good enough; just relax.

It kind of gave me the ability to take a breath and not feel pressure about it.

MMO: Were they any specific veterans that took you under their wing in the majors?

Paul: At the time we had a lot of veterans in the beginning of the year. Jerry Blevins and I started to be catch partners, and it was good to get to throw with him and talk with him a ton. Being a bullpen guy that’s had a ton of success in the big leagues, it was good to sit there and just watch him and watch how he does things and how he carries himself and how he gets ready for games. I would love to have a career similar to his; it would be great. Especially since he plays the same position as me, it’s easy for me to kind of watch it.

MMO: Were there any rookie rituals that you had to be a part of during the year?

Paul: Not a ton. We do a couple of fun things like singing and karaoke and stuff like on the bus. You get in so much trouble now with rookie hazing and rookie anything that they really didn’t give me too much trouble. Occasionally, you have to get somebody water because you’re the young guy, but it really isn’t that big of a deal anymore.

I wish we could do a little more of the rookie hazing; I enjoyed it when I was in college. You know freshmen have to do it. Then when you get a little older, you get to tell them to do it, so it’s kind of fun. But at this point, you can’t really do it as much.

MMO: You’re childhood friends with Kris Bryant. Do you both keep in touch during the season and off-season?

Paul: Actually just got done playing golf with him today. We get to see each other quite a few times. Play some golf, occasionally go out to dinner, whatever it is. Last year I went to his wedding; this year he’s going to come to mine. It’s good to see him every once in a while.

His brother and I were on our very first Little League teams together, so I’ve known Kris since he was four. We were in the same Little League, grew up in the same area, and then he followed me to [the University of] San Diego, which was pretty cool.

There are a few really good baseball players from Vegas who are kind of showing everybody that the city has a decent baseball rep, and it’s pretty cool. He and Bryce [Harper] have really put us on the map; it’s fun.

MMO: You got to face him once this year, right?

Paul: I got him to ground out to short. He had something to say about his drive today, so I reminded him that he’s 0-for-1 against me. So if he ever wants to pop off I still have that in my back pocket (laughs).

MMO: With the departures of Terry Collins and Dan Warthen from their respective roles, what did both men mean to you in your first big league season?

Paul: I thought they were both great. I felt like sometimes they got a little bit of a bad rap because with all the injuries we had, it was just difficult for everybody. From the front office to Terry to Dan. When you don’t have your horses on the team, it’s difficult. Everyone watched the games, and everyone knows what happened, but we had a disappointing season, and so I’m disappointed that’s how they went out because they had so much success with us. But I really enjoyed working with both of them.

I love Dan, and I appreciate everything he did for me, kind of easing me into hopefully a long major league career. I felt like he gave me a lot of things to think about, work on, and focus on coming into next spring. Just ultimately getting better every single season as the ultimate goal. He’s given me a lot of confidence that I feel like I can have a substantial major league career.

It was good to work with both of them, and I’m definitely disappointed to see them go. I’m excited for the Mickey Callaway regime, and I’m excited to work with him. Obviously he’s had a ton of success with the Indians pitching staff. Corey Kluber’s stuff is obviously gross, but there are a bunch of guys that have gotten better since they’ve been in the big leagues with him, and I think a lot of guys on our team can too.

MMO: What’s a typical offseason look like for Paul Sewald?

Paul: Going to start to work out to keep the strength that we’re hoping to get. It was a long year, so I realized how important the strength and conditioning aspect is. I’m going to start and get into the gym to make sure my body can handle not just September, but hopefully next year some October baseball. I’ll keep that in mind and going to try and make sure that my body is in peak condition and ready to rock and roll.

When it comes down to pitching, I had a decent season. Could I have pitched better? Yes. So what do I need to do to get better? I need to throw more strikes, and I need to throw more quality strikes. Having a third pitch allows me to get different looks. So my fastball needs to be spotted a little bit better, and, ultimately, if it’s not, then I can come back with a changeup. The slider needs to be toned a little bit to be a little sharper and a little bit better.

Ultimately, it’s nothing crazy; I just need to get a little bit better and make more quality pitches. It’s good that I don’t feel like I have to make a major overhaul; just get a little bit better.

MMO: Can’t thank you enough for the time today, Paul. All the best this off-season.

Paul: Absolutely! Appreciate it, and excited to have an off-season to regroup and looking forward to being out in St. Lucie in February and getting this 2018 season going!

Follow Paul on Twitter, @ItsPaulSewald

The post MMO Exclusive: One-on-One With RHP, Paul Sewald appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

In a season where the New York Mets were faced with insurmountable injuries and underperformance, the time was as good as any for the front office to call up some of their upper-level prospects to better assess those who could be long-term assets, as the club looks to rebound for the 2018 season.

Fans got to witness many major league debuts this season, with top prospects Amed Rosario and Dominic Smith leading the pack. A total of 12 players made their debuts with the Mets this season, the most they’ve had since 1995 (14 debuts).

On June 25th in San Francisco, right-handed reliever Chasen Bradford made his debut with the Mets, coming out of the bullpen in the bottom of the ninth as the Mets looked to sweep the three-game set against the Giants.

Bradford worked around a one-out single and two-out walk to retire the Giants in the 9th, a game that will forever be ingrained in the 28-year-old’s mind.

A 35th-round pick out of the University of Central Florida in 2011, Bradford flourished in the early levels of the minor leagues, posting solid ground ball rates (over 50% except in 2016) with his sinker-slider combo and pitching to sub-3.00 ERAs from 2012-14.

Bradford was optioned back to Triple-A Las Vegas on July 17th, after allowing five earned runs on nine hits over five games pitched. The rookie reliever looked back at old footage from his 2013 season and discovered a mechanical adjustment to be made on his front side. Bradford continued to work on the adjustment in Vegas, hoping to rejoin the big club and showcase what he could provide the Mets.

That opportunity came on August 1st, one day after the Mets dealt reliever Addison Reed to the Boston Red Sox for three hard-throwing, right-handed relievers. Bradford made the most of his second chance in the majors, posting a 0.54 ERA over 12 appearances from August 2nd to August 27th. In 16.2 IP, Bradford allowed just four hits with 14 strikeouts, holding the opposition to a .261 OPS.

Despite two rough outings on August 29th and September 13th, Bradford pitched to a solid 2.93 ERA over 27.2 IP from the time he was recalled to the end of the season, holding hitters to a .206 average with 66 percent strikes thrown.

Overall in the season, Bradford pitched to a 3.74 ERA over 33.2 IP, with a 114 ERA+ and a 55.9 percent ground ball rate.

Bradford’s splits were evident at the end of the season, as he posted a 0.96 WHIP and 3.33 FIP against right-handed hitters as opposed to a 1.63 WHIP and 4.47 FIP against left-handed hitters.

As the team looks to upgrade the back end of the pen this winter, internal candidates such as Bradford will likely be given a strong look this spring. With Sandy Alderson’s stated desire to upgrade the team defensively near the end of the season, Bradford should be given even more consideration given his pronounced ground ball rates.

I had the privilege of corresponding with Bradford via email last week, where we discussed his debut, adjustments he made in Las Vegas and his thoughts on Dan Warthen and Terry Collins.

MMO: What were your initial reactions when you found out you were getting your first big league call-up at the end of June from Las Vegas?

MMO: Talk a little about your memories from your major league debut on June 25th in San Francisco.

Chasen: It was an amazing day. In the bullpen, I was a little wild, and Ricky Bones settled me down. Every one of my family and friends said I looked calm, but I had ten or twenty different things rattling around in my head. But it was a dream come true.

MMO: You pitched parts of four seasons in Las Vegas. How difficult are the conditions for pitchers with the altitude and hitters’ parks?

Chasen: It’s a tough place to pitch for sure. The thing about the altitude and heat is that the ball just doesn’t have the movement that it would have in an environment like Florida or California where there is some moisture that helps the ball move a little more.

MMO: Were there any adjustments you made when you were sent down to Vegas in July before being recalled in August?

Chasen: Yes, when I got sent down, I looked at some video from 2013 and figured something out with my front side that I was lacking in the years after 2013. I just worked on that and got called back up and continued to work on it.

MMO: Growing up, who were some of your favorite players?

Chasen: I grew up a San Diego Padres fan because both of my parents are from San Diego. I still have a lot of family that lives there, so obviously, I grew up a Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman fan. Two San Diego legends.

MMO: To date, what has been your most memorable moment in your career?

Chasen: Obviously, my debut is a big moment in my career. I think my first win in Colorado against a good Rockies team is at the top of the list.

MMO: You finished the season strong: six scoreless innings, no walks and 74 percent of your pitches for strikes. What are some things you’ll look to work on in the offseason? What’s a typical winter like for you in terms of preparation?

Chasen: This offseason is all about working on consistency with all my pitches. There were times where I walked a guy, and I’m usually in the strike zone all the time; some of it had to do with nerves. But other times it had to do with lack of mechanics against a certain hitter. That is a big goal this offseason: to be more consistent in the zone with all my pitches.

A typical offseason for me was working at a golf course or playing winter ball and working out. This year it’s about getting in the gym, getting strong and ready for next season.

MMO: Obviously, you got to join a lot of your Triple-A teammates in New York (Rosario, Smith, McGowan, Sewald, Taijeron, Evans, etc.). Did having those familiar faces in the clubhouse make the transition easier? Who were some of the veterans that helped you acclimate to the majors?

Chasen: It was awesome to see all of those guys get their chance; they all deserved it! I think being in so many spring trainings with the guys who were already on the big league team also helped to come in and be comfortable. Jerry Blevins and Addison Reed were a big help in getting comfortable in the bullpen.

MMO: I know you’re from Las Vegas, and you went home to aid in the relief and donate supplies and such to the first responders after the horrific violence that took place. Can you talk a bit about your efforts and what it means to you to be able to help your hometown?

Chasen: Born and raised here and love this city and the people. I had a few contacts and found out that all they needed at the family assistance center was donuts and coffee for the family and workers down there, so I picked some up and took it down.

The outpouring of goods such as water, food, sleeping bags, toiletries and other goods was so overwhelming that they didn’t need any more, and this was only two days after the horrific act.

[It] really showed how awesome this community is, so all they needed from me was coffee and donuts.

MMO: What were your thoughts on Dan Warthen and Terry Collins? How well did you work with both?

Chasen: Terry and Dan were put in a tough spot with all the injuries that happened this year, and they did all they could to keep the team together. I worked with Dan the most. He helped me a lot, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and what he did for the pitching staff.

With Mickey Callaway coming in to be the new manager, it will be exciting to see what he can do. It’s a shame that Terry and Dan went out on a year like that, but they have had wonderful careers and will do well in whatever roles they find themselves in in the future.

MMO: Speaking of Callaway, any first impressions on your new manager?

Chasen: I don’t really know much about him, but everyone seems to be pretty excited about him being the manager. I look forward to working with him.

MMO: I appreciate your time, Chasen. Have a great offseason.

Follow Chasen on Twitter, @CBbaseball46

The post MMO Exclusive Interview: Chasen Bradford, Right-Handed Reliever appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Since 2016, only four relievers have appeared in more games than the 34-year-old lanky left-hander Jerry Blevins.

His 148 appearances are tied with Pittsburgh Pirates’ left-hander Felipe Rivero, and are behind only Addison Reed, Brad Hand, Bryan Shaw and Hector Neris for tops in the majors.

Jerry Blevins is a workhorse.

Acquired by the Mets back in March 2015 from the Washington Nationals for outfielder Matt den Dekker, Blevins has been a steady presence in the back-end of the Mets’ bullpen the last two seasons. He appeared in back-to-back 70-plus games in 2016-17, reaching a career high in ’17 with 75.

Blevins became just the ninth reliever in Mets history to have back-to-back seasons of at least 70 appearances.

With his heavy workload the last two seasons, it seems like a distant memory when Blevins appeared in just seven games for the Mets in 2015. On April 19, Blevins took a comebacker off the bat of Miami Marlins’ second baseman Dee Gordon to his left forearm. He was removed from the game and was diagnosed with a fractured left forearm.

As Blevins was making progress in his rehab to return for the team’s pennant run, he re-fractured the same bone when he slipped off a curb in early August. His season was officially over with surgery looming, leaving Blevins to watch his teammates work their way to the World Series without him.

When speaking to Blevins about not being able to participate in the World Series with his teammates, it’s evident that he still owns disappointment in not being able to contribute on the field. Especially with three big lefty bats in the Kansas City Royals’ lineup in Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, Blevins languished over the fact that he couldn’t offer his abilities to neuter left-handed hitters in the Fall Classic.

The team signed Blevins to a one-year contract following their World Series defeat. With the injury and surgery behind him, Blevins turned in one of the finest seasons of his career, appearing in 73 games while posting a 2.79 ERA.

In a year where many of the Mets underachieved, landed on the disabled list, or both, Blevins represented consistency in a topsy-turvy ’17 season. He led all Met pitchers in appearances (75), strikeouts-per-nine (12.67), was 2nd in ERA (2.94), and third in swinging strike percentage (12.8 %) among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched.

Blevins is now in a wait-and-see mode, hoping the team decides to pick up his ’18 option ($7 million) to return to a club that he describes has a “chip on their shoulder” coming into next year.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Blevins this past week, where we discussed his major league debut with Oakland in 2007, getting traded to the Mets and his thoughts on Terry Collins and Dan Warthen.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Jerry: Ken Griffey Jr. was my favorite player of all time. Something about that swing, his charisma, being left-handed and watching him swing and throw.

I was a huge fan of Randy Johnson and Greg Maddux. That era of baseball is where I grew up really enjoying the game.

MMO: Did you ever get the chance to face Junior in your career?

Jerry: I did, yeah! I faced him a couple of times.

MMO: And how did you fare against him?

Jerry: The first time I faced him, he was with the White Sox, and I was still with Oakland. I struck him out to end the inning, and I went and sat in the dugout, and I kind of got a little overwhelmed with emotion. I ran up to the clubhouse real quick as my manager said I was done. I went to try and gather my thoughts, and I grabbed my phone, which is a no-no, and I called my older brother, and he’s crying. He’s like, “I can’t believe you did it!”

It was super emotional for me because it’s something that I grew up facing Ken Griffey Jr. a million times in my head. That’s who I always pretended to face because you always want to face the best. And then I got to do it. It was really cool! It was one of those moments in my career that I’ll never forget.

MMO: At what age did you start pitching?

Jerry: I kind of pitched my whole life. I always had a pretty good arm, and being left-handed, everybody always pushes you onto the mound.

I really enjoyed playing first base a lot; I did that all the way through high school. Once I got into college, I never really got a chance to play a position, it was always just pitching.

MMO: I read that you attended the University of Dayton on an academic scholarship, and walked onto the baseball team during an open tryout. Was baseball the career you were looking to get into, and if not, what were you hoping to do as a profession?

Jerry: I mean, baseball was always something that I wanted to do. I came from a really small high school in Northwest Ohio, so I never really got recruited anywhere.

I knew I had the skills; I threw about the same as I do now. I threw like 88-90 mph out of high school, a lot of strikeouts and a lot of walks, just really raw but no exposure. I went to Dayton, my best friend and I, [and] I went there for the school. It’s a good school.

We went, and we had talked about it before we went there, that if we could try out for the baseball team, we both would. One day, we saw that the poster was up in the dorms; it said tryouts this Saturday, show up at 8 AM. We did, and I ended up making it, and my best friend didn’t, and it kind of went on from there.

MMO: In your junior year at Dayton, you started 13 of the 14 games you pitched. Prior to the draft in ’04, were any teams scouting you as a starter, or were clubs preferring you as a reliever early on?

Jerry: There wasn’t any talk whatsoever about any of it, to be honest. The scout that signed me, he’s still doing it and his name is Brian Williams, that was his first-ever player that he got drafted. He was a young, new scout. All the talk was just kind of speculative, and so I never put too much stock into it, coming out of nowhere.

I never really anticipated getting drafted. Once the buzz came around, I was expecting to be drafted in the 40-to-50^th round kind of thing. I only anticipated coming back to school, and so when I got drafted higher, it was kind of a shock to the system. They offered me enough that would’ve paid for my last year of college, and I had to take it.

MMO: What are your memories from your MLB debut back on September 16, 2007, with Oakland?

Jerry: It was a pretty big debut; there was a lot going on. First of all, I remember I had a locker right next to Nick Swisher. I’m from Ohio, he went to Ohio State. He’s a big personality; a big, fun guy so he was so welcoming. He made you feel a part of the team right away.

Being in Oakland, it was a really small clubhouse, so I shared my big league locker with Jack Hannahan. We would have to take turns getting dressed for the game.

I remember on my debut it was my second day in the big leagues and Swisher was hit by a pitch from Vicente Padilla. He charged the mound, and I just remember running out onto the field because I had just gotten traded over about two months prior from the Cubs to the A’s. I knew no one in the big leagues because I had never been in big league camp with these guys.

I remember knowing more guys on their team with the Rangers than I did on our own team. So I just ran over, and I was like, ‘Man, this is crazy. The big leagues’ is nuts!’

Guys throwing punches, and so I grabbed one of my friends I knew on the other side, and I just held on and was like, ‘Don’t punch me and I won’t punch you.’ [Laughs.]

MMO: Wow! That’s some debut when you’re already amped up for your first-ever appearance in the majors, only to be involved in a benches-clearing brawl!

Jerry: Yeah, a lot of action. I wanted to make sure I didn’t hit anybody and get thrown out my first day!

MMO: What were your initial reactions when you learned you were traded in March 2015 to the New York Mets from Washington?

Jerry: It kind of caught me off-guard; it was really late in spring. I knew we had a competitive team in Washington, and I felt like I was a good part of that. I was a little bit surprised that I got traded. There was some speculation going around, but I try not to pay attention to anything. I just try to keep my head down and do my job.

When I got traded over, I knew it was a little bit of shock and that I was excited. The team obviously wanted me here in New York, and it looked like the Nationals didn’t want me anymore. You go from a situation where you’re unwanted to being wanted is kind of nice for your ego as well as for your career.

I knew this team was really young and really talented. I felt like they were a year or two away from competing. Boy, was I ever wrong! That year I ended up getting hurt, but that was the year we went to the World Series.

MMO: Speaking of your injury, that 2015 season was tough for you personally. Fracturing your left forearm in April that year, and then again in a freak accident in August. How tough was it for you to watch your teammates from the sidelines? What did you do to stay motivated and positive throughout that trying time?

Jerry: That was, like you said, a really difficult time for me personally. I was really excited, and it’s always mixed emotions of watching your team do well and make it to the World Series. At the same time, that’s something that you dream about your whole life. You dream about pitching in the World Series. It was rough knowing that you’re not a part of that when your teammates are.

It’s also very heart-wrenching and a gut check. It was mixed emotions of me being pumped for my teammates and really cheering everyone on and being excited, but at the same time, trying to wash away that melancholy of not being a part of it.

Overall, it was a great experience. At the same time, you have a little bit of doubt of you not being there, especially when you see an obvious need of your team that needed what you could bring to the table.

MMO: How and when did the “Hello Jerry” segments begin?

Jerry: I’ve got a pretty decent relationship with the media. I respect what they do, especially in New York. I know what makes a lot of this organization go round has a lot to do with the media, so I respect what these guys do, and a lot of them are there with us every day.

Steve Gelbs is a guy that’s around with SNY all the time, and we were just chatting. I had mentioned to him that I had done some stuff with the A’s on the West Coast, we did some TV stuff with Comcast, and we had some fun doing some segments. So I said, ‘If you ever have any ideas if your producers want to do something.’

Then we kind of came up with the idea of “Hello Jerry”, and it’s kind of evolved from there.

We have fun with it; it’s a little bit difficult to do. I’ve learned that if we lose, it is impossible to ask Twitter for questions for “Hello Jerry” because everyone gets mad at me that I should be focusing on a team loss as opposed to having a little bit of fun on TV. So you live and you learn. You know when to push the right buttons and what not to do.

MMO: You’re very involved on Twitter and social media. How important is that aspect to you in regards to interacting with fans?

Jerry: I enjoy it. It’s a way to show my personality and just kind of be a regular person. I try not to speak about baseball at all on Twitter; I try to avoid most of that. The Player’s Association, our union, came up with a new app called Infield Chatter. It’s just kind of coming into its own. I’ve kind of used that for strictly baseball purposes and learning that new platform, and I try to just only speak baseball there.

But on Twitter, I try to avoid baseball for the most part. I try to avoid politics as much as I can, and I try not to be too polarizing one way or the other. I just want to show that we’re human beings too, show a little bit of my sense of humor, and have fun with it.

MMO: I haven’t heard of Infield Chatter, sounds like a great idea though. You mentioned that it’s fairly new?

Jerry: Yeah, so it’s pretty much this year. You can download the app, and a lot of players are using it and speak about baseball and that stuff. It’s in its infancy, and it’s kind of coming around. It’s another social media platform and basically access to all the players. And like I said earlier, we’re kind of figuring out how to use it properly and what we can do with it. But I avoid baseball for obvious reasons on other platforms, but for here, I’ll be able to speak on it.

MMO: Over the past two seasons, you’ve appeared in 148 games. How do you physically and mentally prepare for each game, knowing there’s a good chance you’ll make an appearance?

Jerry: Especially as I get older, you realize that there are certain things that you have to do, and there are a lot of things that you can’t do anymore that you could do in your early twenties. Like going out and having a couple of drinks and having a night out.[Laughs.] I’ve learned quickly that my body, not only is it not fun for me personally anymore, but my body doesn’t bounce back.

You sacrifice some things; you make sure you get a good night’s sleep, that you’re eating proper meals. But mostly, it’s preparation at the field. Whether it’s how I roll out and I do my stretching and my preparation, a majority is being at the field, and I get to take care of it.

MMO: Obviously, the news came out over the last few weeks that Terry Collins and Dan Warthen won’t be back in their respective roles. Can you talk a little about each, and what they meant for you in your time here in New York?

Jerry: I’m glad Terry’s going to stick around with the Mets; that’s a good fit. Obviously, he’s had success with the organization; I think he had the most games managed as a Mets manager. That’s a big deal. And for him to stick around, I think that’s the right thing to do. I understand the move; business is business. I’m excited to see what type of changes they’re making to try to make the team better personnel-wise.

As far as Dan goes, I had more of a personal relationship with Dan. Obviously, being a pitcher, we interact more often. It’s sad to see him go. I think he was really talented, not just because I’ve been around him and we’ve had a good relationship personally, but because I think he’s really good at what he does. He’s very analytical, but he’s also knowledgeable in the old school, the way he’d prepare me with the scouting reports and that kind of stuff. It was very individualized, where I kind of knew the approach I needed to take for each individual hitter.

I wish them both luck. I hope to see them soon. I’ll miss them next year, depending on where I’m at and where they’re at. But I appreciated what they had done for my career.

MMO: You have an option with the team next year. Are you hoping they pick it up and you’re back with this club? Do you think the team is close to competing again?

Jerry: I absolutely hope they pick it up, I would love to come back to New York. I feel like we have a lot to prove, and I think we’ll play that underdog role a lot better than we do playing the favorites. Everybody kind of needs a chip on their shoulder. We had such a young team in the rotation, and seeing some guys go down, some of our position players getting hurt, overall a little bit of underperformance, it bears on you and you learn and you grow from that.

You become either a better person or a bitter person, and I think I’ve seen a lot of guys become better. I’m excited for next year for the Mets, and I hope to be a part of it.

MMO: I think the pen can be a major strength for you guys, especially with a full season of Jeurys Familia and A.J. Ramos. It would be great if the front office can add one or two more back-end arms though.

Jerry: Yeah, I think we have a lot of really good parts. I think, as you said, need one more solid back-end arm, which is always welcome. I’d like to see them maybe go out and sign [Addison] Reed back, but that’s me personally. I just like having him down there. He’s a friend of mine and my wife and his wife are friends. He’s a great pitcher too, but it should be interesting.

I know there’s a lot of talk of our rotation next year, with the amount of innings they didn’t throw last year, so there’s going to be the possibility of limits. We’re going to need some steady, solid arms in the bullpen next year.

MMO: Building bullpens seem to be the biggest trend in recent years and the specialization of relievers seems to be taking on new heights.

Jerry: The way they’re using the bullpens nowadays, I think a lot of people underestimate what the bullpen does. I think baseball’s coming around to understand that there’s a lot of talent in the bullpen, and that a third time through the lineup for a starter, unless he’s your one-two guy, there’s some middle relievers who can really pitch. So you’re seeing them get more innings more often.

MMO: I’m always curious as to what you guys talk about in the bullpen during the game. Anything that you can share?

Jerry: Oh, we talk about everything! From politics to gun control to religion to silly things like TV and movies.

Kevin McGowan came up in September, and he’s a huge horror film ‘80s buff, and so he and I talked a lot about movies constantly.

In our scouting reports, I don’t know if you saw all the iPads that go into the dugout and in the bullpen, they have these huge iPads, and our people write up our scouting reports and put certain things in there. We made a request to put in riddles, like three riddles every day for us.

The first couple of innings we’re going over the scouting reports and looking at their lineup, but there’s also a couple of riddles that guys are trying to figure out, and we usually give it to the fourth inning, and then we kind of stop thinking about it. We try to exercise our brains too and keep us occupied down there.

MMO: Speaking of movies, I know from following you on Twitter that you’re a big film buff. Do you have a top-3?

Jerry: Oh man, that’s a lot of pressure. Top three? You can’t do that to a guy! I can give you my favorite movie of all time: Shawshank Redemption. I can give you my favorite comedy: Tommy Boy. I guess my favorite movie from last year was Arrival. I really enjoyed it; it was like a unique take on a sci-fi movie. It was really, really good, I saw it a few times.

MMO: What’s a normal offseason like for you?

Jerry: I kind of throw early. After Thanksgiving is when I start playing catch pretty regularly. Then into December, I’ll start to throw a little bit more intense. Then in January, I start throwing bullpens.

I don’t like to take too much time off; I might even start tossing once every couple of days before Thanksgiving. I really, really pick it up right after Thanksgiving. I just don’t like the lag in time, plus playing catch is fun and it’s easy to do so I enjoy that.

MMO: Thank you so much for some time today, Jerry. It was a pleasure speaking with you. I hope to see the team pick up your option for next season!

Jerry: Thanks, Mathew. I’m glad it worked out!

Follow Jerry Blevins on Twitter, @jerryblevins

The post MMO Exclusive Interview: Mets Reliever, Jerry Blevins appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Photo Credit: John Gurzinski

For the last seven years, the New York Mets have had many of their young, talented arms under the tutelage of a former Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP throughout their minor league system.

As many of the rising arms took shape, this two-time, twenty-game winner helped aid in critiquing, defining and preparing their physical and mental makeup for the major leagues.

Frank “Sweet Music” Viola has seen the accession and rise of such talented arms as Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz, Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo and Noah Syndergaard.

Beginning his Mets coaching career in Brooklyn with the Cyclones in 2011, Viola made a quick rise through the system. He spent two seasons (2012-13) with the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats before being named the Triple-A Las Vegas pitching coach in 2014, a position he’s held ever since.

Even with the formidable array of talent that worked with Viola, you won’t find the 57-year-old former lefty ace taking credit for their success. With Viola’s humble nature and calming influence, he’s quick to remind of all the terrific coaching that goes on throughout these prospects’ minor league paths; though, it’s hard to deny the impact his message and teachings have had on these young arms over the years.

Best known as a stalwart of the Minnesota Twins starting rotation, Viola spent eight years with the club, including the 1987 championship season, helping to guide the club to its first World Series title in Minnesota (won in 1924 as the Washington Senators).

Viola made three starts in the ’87 World Series, including the deciding Game 7, where Viola went eight innings of two-run ball, on his way to earning World Series MVP.

Viola was dealt to the Mets prior to the 1989 deadline in a five-for-one package, with the team hoping to add the then-29-year-old to its staff after losing Dwight Gooden for most of the summer months due to a partially torn muscle in his right shoulder.

Viola, the Long Island-native and Mets fan, was back at home in Queens, where he last pitched at the collegiate level for St. John’s University from 1979-81.

His time in New York might be considered bittersweet, filled with several personal accomplishments such as winning 20 games for the second time in his career in ’90 (18th player to record 20-win seasons in both leagues), finishing third in the N.L. Cy Young voting that year, and being named on back-to-back All-Star teams from 1990-91.

Unfortunately, after back-to-back second-place finishes for the Mets in 1989-90, the team started to falter. They were 12 games above .500 at the break in ’91, however, finished a paltry 31-50 in the second half of the season, finishing fifth in the National League East and 20.5 games back of the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates.

Viola signed a free-agent deal with Boston in ’92, pitching parts of three seasons with the Red Sox before having Tommy John surgery in 1994. After making 15 starts from 1994-96, Viola retired, leaving with a lifetime record of 176-150 with a 3.73 ERA over 2,800-plus innings of work.

I had the privilege of speaking with Viola early last week, where we spoke on his successful playing career, time with the Mets in the early nineties and his past seven years as pitching coach in the Mets organization.

MMO: Who were some of your favorite players growing up?

Frank: Growing up on Long Island, it’s funny, my dad was a New York Giants fan. When the Giants moved out to San Francisco, the Mets came into existence, so we became Met fans. His favorites were Mel Ott and Willie Mays.

When the Giants went to San Francisco and the Mets came in, he had to find someone with the Mets, so Tom Seaver came along. When I grew up and started watching the game when I was six-years-old on up, it was Tom Seaver and the Mets.

I wasn’t really a pitcher; I liked hitting. So I guess my first favorite player with the Mets was Cleon Jones.

MMO: When did you start pitching?

Frank: I didn’t start pitching until my junior year in high school. I was a first baseman growing up. I loved playing; I didn’t like to sit at all. Pitching looked like fun, but it just wasn’t something that I wanted to do.

Then, junior year in high school, one of our pitchers got hurt. My coach said, “You’re left-handed, you’re a good athlete. Why don’t you get out there and try it?”

And the rest is history. He must’ve seen something in me.

MMO: I’d be remiss not to mention what’s considered the greatest college baseball game ever played between St. John’s and Yale back in 1981. You against Ron Darling. What are some of your memories from that day?

Frank: I’m 57-years-old now. I’ve been involved with baseball for forty-eight years, and I can honestly say, still to this day, it was the best-pitched game I have ever witnessed. And it wasn’t me; it was Ronnie [Darling].

When you sit there and watch a baseball game, you take it all in. People love high-scoring games; some people like 1-0 pitchers’ duels. We just sat there as a team, as a collective group of thirty guys, watching this guy put on just an amazing show.

The thing was, we were intrigued; we were enthralled, but we also knew that we were playing. We kept our heads in the game. Every inning I walked off it seemed like we were losing, but you looked up at the scoreboard [and] it still said 0-0.

It was just amazing, and I’ve seen some great individual games at the professional level. I was there when David Cone struck out 19 Phillies back in 1991. Just to see the total domination of a lineup that, in college baseball, was pretty special in our St. John’s lineup. To see what he did to us is just something that I was glad to be part of.

I’m glad that people won’t soon forget about it, and we’re talking thirty plus years now.

MMO: When and how did you earn your nickname “Sweet Music”?

Frank: Chris Berman. My first nickname when I broke into baseball, that’s when Chris was really big into the Bert “Be Home” Blyleven, and all of those. My first nickname that he gave to me was “101 Strings” Viola, you know Viola, viola.

Two old ladies in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area, I want to say Minneapolis, called ESPN to talk to Chris. I guess I had pitched one of my rare, really good games, and the headline in the Minneapolis Tribune the following day after the game was, “Viola Plays Sweet Music Again” against somebody. And the ladies said, “My God, ‘Sweet Music’ Viola, what a perfect nickname!”

They called Chris and said, “We’d like to see if you’d be interested to changing his nickname from ‘101 Strings’ to ‘Sweet Music’?” This is before cell phones, mind you. Chris picked up the phone and called me via the Metrodome or wherever I was and goes, “What do you think?” I had the final say, and we decided with “Sweet Music.” That stuck with me ever since.

MMO: From 1984-93, you were tied with Roger Clemens for most wins (163), you had the most game starts (349), innings pitched (2424.2 IP), and were 5^th in fWAR (41.7). Those are some dominating numbers. What do you attribute your success in those years to most?

Frank: First and foremost, in the midst of that, it was the changeup that I found; my newfound changeup. A lot of credit goes to Johnny Podres, who was my pitching coach. Johnny had a history with the Dodgers, and so on and so forth. He actually helped Curt Schilling develop his changeup when he went to the Phillies.

Johnny had a lot to do with that; it really changed my career around and made me the perennial winner that I became for that short period of time. I guess the biggest thing was just I had a great bunch of teammates that made the plays defensively for me; they scored enough runs to make it happen for me.

My family had a lot to do with that. I was situated, I was settled, I was happy. I had a beautiful wife and three great kids, and you put that all together, and success is bound to happen if you work hard enough for it. Fortunately, I was able to do that. I loved doing it, going out to the baseball field every day, and I think that’s why a lot of it played out like it did.

MMO: How would you describe your time with the Mets from 1989-91?

Frank: Fantastic to start and absolutely horrendous to end. And by that, I mean it was great coming back to a team I rooted for as a kid, to be a part of that. I was fortunate as an individual to win 20 games with the Mets, which a lot of kids would just dream about and love to be able to do. The worst part about it was I ended up three and something in the second half of my last year with the club in ‘91. I was absolutely a horror show.

During the two and a half years-three years I was there, we had more talent than anybody in baseball, but we couldn’t win a division. I guess from a personal standpoint it was rewarding early and very frustrating at the end.

It would’ve been nice to be able to continue pitching there, but it was between Doc [Gooden] and myself, and they decided to stay with Doc after the ‘91 season. I also didn’t help myself by pitching as badly as I did at the end of that year because I didn’t have the numbers in front of me.

You talked about WAR and all this other stuff; you have to have numbers behind you, and I just didn’t finish as strong as I would’ve liked, and they made the decision they needed to make.

MMO: You’ve now been with the Mets’ organization for seven years as a pitching coach, as you worked up the ladder to Triple-A Las Vegas. How would you describe your coaching style and pitching philosophy?

Frank: That’s a good question. I guess my coaching philosophy is the same as it was as a player: you want to see these guys get the most out of their ability.

I guess first and foremost you want to make sure the biggest reason that they’re there is to make it to the major leagues. I think the smartest move I ever made getting back into professional baseball as a coach was starting at the lowest level, the New York Penn League, working from Brooklyn on up. Seeing how these kids and what these kids have to go through on a daily basis to get to the big leagues.

A lot of us major leaguers who spent fifteen years in the big leagues take a lot of things for granted. You watch the way baseball has been the last five to ten years; these kids have really got to bust it to have the best opportunity to even have a chance to break into the big leagues. From rookie ball, you have to go to so many different levels and classifications and travels. It is absolutely mind-boggling, and at pretty much no money! It’s mind-boggling to see what they have to go through on a daily basis, the grind they have to go through to succeed. I tip my hat to all of these kids because, as I said, if I didn’t have to go through it myself as a coach and see what they have to go through, I’d probably take a lot of things for granted.

Just as an example: Four years in the Pacific Coast League, you pitch in this Pacific Coast League, and you survive in the Pacific Coast League, you’re going to be successful. Seth Lugo was an example. Last year he got brought up to the big leagues in July of ‘16, and he had a six-plus ERA [with Triple-A]. The funny part was, a six-plus ERA in the Pacific Coast League with everything that it involves with the hitters’ ballparks, the altitude, the travel, to everything else is not as bad as people think if you’re there on an everyday basis. Because if you pound the strike zone, attack the strike zone, and you do what you need to do at the Pacific Coast League level, you’re going to get hit; you’re going to give up runs.

You can’t change the style of pitcher, who you are as a pitcher; otherwise, it’s going to dictate to the big leagues as well. What Seth did in the Pacific Coast League with the six-plus ERA, anybody who watched him pitch there knew that he was going to be successful in New York because he wasn’t afraid to attack the strike zone. He wasn’t afraid to get ahead strike one, he wasn’t afraid to say, “Hey, it’s 3-2; I’m going to throw my best pitch at you right now, hit it as good as you can.”

You get people out at Citi Field, where as in the Pacific Coast League, those balls are hit out of the ballpark. You can’t change the style of pitching. I guess my biggest comment would be, you can’t change the style of pitching from where you’re at. You have to know and pitch to your strengths and stick with that. That’s what’s going to make you successful when you get to the big leagues.

MMO: I was going to ask you about the Pacific Coast League, and the impact it has on developing pitchers. So more or less, you teach your pitcher to keep with their strengths, knowing that even if it’s not successful at that level, not to be deterred because it could/should translate in the majors?

Frank: Absolutely. To follow up on your previous question, too, the biggest thing that I have going for me is that I’ve been at the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. From the high school days to, I mean, I walked away from baseball at the ninth grade. I said, ‘I can’t do this.’

I had just had my first slump. I had never been through something bad, and I walked away. I walked home from school, and my dad tried following me in the car and said, “Get in the car and talk about it.”

I said, ‘Alright.’

[I] cleared my head out, and it took a little bit. But then you realize, Stop feeling sorry for yourself; you’re going to have good days and bad days. You’ve got to keep plugging away.

The biggest thing these kids have to understand is it’s a mental grind. Everybody’s physical tools are there; otherwise, they wouldn’t get to the levels they get to. What makes a great pitcher a great pitcher is that mental part of the game. You asked what my biggest strength is; that’s my biggest strength by far.

I could talk the game with these kids anytime, anywhere, and one thing that I have going for me is that I have that window of opportunity because of what I accomplished as a professional. These kids are going to go home and say, Wait a minute, Frank’s won twenty games, Frank’s a Cy Young Award winner, maybe he does have something that will help me.

I have that few extra minutes that someone else might not have to be able to make my point. The bottom line is if I don’t make my point and make that point to how it’s going to help him, the individual pitcher, not me, then I lose him.

I guess the biggest thing that I have going for me, and, ultimately, if I do get that opportunity as a big-league pitching coach, is I’ve been through everything. We could talk through anything if they’re able to work it out, and I think that’s the biggest strength that I have going for me, and I think that’s what will ultimately help me as far as clicking with these kids from here on forward, as long as I’m coaching.

MMO: Who were the two or three arms that impressed you the most for the 51s this past season?

Frank: This year was a very difficult year, as you know. I mean, thirty games under .500 is frustrating for anybody; you don’t want to lose at any level. But, to answer your question, after the ‘15 season, when we went for it and got to the World Series, we lost a lot of pitching depth. Most of those guys would’ve been at the Double-A or Triple-A level this year; that would’ve made a big, big difference. I think at one time we didn’t have a guy on the 40-man roster on our 13-man pitching staff, at one time during the season!

The most important thing for a coach is to make these kids – and this is a pitching coach, hitting coach, manager, coordinator – as good as they can possibly be. [You want to help them] be able to get up to the big leagues to help the big league club for as long as they can, but [also] just to be able to live out a dream.

To answer your question of the two or three guys that really came through this year that really opened up some eyes in the organization, one was Tyler Pill.

I think that Tyler was never able to break that wall between Double-A and Triple-A. This year, he not only broke through that wall, but he just shattered the wall! He pitched great with us at Triple-A when he got called up. He started at Double-A, got to Triple-A in a hurry, [and] did a great job with us. The Mets needed an arm up there, and he did a great job for the short period of time that they asked for.

Ultimately, he got hurt and had the surgery. But he was the guy, if you were to ask at the beginning of the season, would he have made a difference at the big league level? A lot of people would’ve said, Well, I don’t know. He was the one guy starting wise that really opened up a lot of eyes after everything was said and done.

The three relievers that blossomed this year, [one] was Paul Sewald. We’ve always known how good he was, but when you watch him on an everyday basis, that’s when the kid wins you over. From his work ethic to how he approaches every game to how meticulous he is on the mound; quick worker, strike thrower, does everything you could ask him. If I watched you pitch yesterday, Mathew, and then I don’t come back for three months to watch you again, you’re going to go, he doesn’t impress me; there’s nothing there that impresses me. But when you watch him on an everyday basis, you go, Hey, this kid’s got something; let’s give him an opportunity to see what he can do. He went up there, and he’s had a couple of bad games up there, but he’s a rookie; that’s going to happen.

Chasen Bradford has gotten an opportunity after seven years with this organization. I think everybody was finally in tune with the fact that he’s a sinker-ball pitcher; he will get ground ball after ground ball. He’s not going to be that prototypical 96-mile-per-hour strikeout reliever that baseball looks at today. It took him a while to get his opportunity, but he’s been called up there, and I’ve thought since he’s been up there that he’s done a very credible job.

I guess the one big sleeper for everybody in the organization, maybe not for everybody, but for a lot of them was Kevin McGowan. Kevin was a non-roster invitee in spring training. You looked at him, and his numbers never really spoke anything to you. But then he got to Triple-A and he pitched, and once again, I always throw the word work ethic out there. When I see a kid working hard, trying to do his dry work on the mound, and just trying to make himself better for better’s sake, those are the kids that will always give themselves the best chance possible to succeed.

Kevin worked his butt off this year; he got better as the season went on. August he got called up, and he came up and down a couple of times, but he went up and did a nice, credible job. And that’s what we do; that’s what makes us happy as coaches, giving these kids an opportunity to pitch and put a big-league uniform on and live out a dream.

All four of those kids had an opportunity this year, and they’ve made the most of it. I just hope they continue to get the opportunity going forward.

MMO: You’ve had the chance to coach most of the Mets’ young arms in deGrom, Syndergaard, and Matz. Can you give me a little info on each, and what you saw from them early on?

Frank: It’s not really difficult when you see the talent that they possessed. Some people have just God-given talent; some people have to work their tails off to get to the best of their ability. The three guys you just mentioned, not only did God give them talent and ability, but they gave them, and here I go again with that work ethic. That ‘it’ factor that you just can’t explain, it’s just there. I’ll start with Jacob.

I didn’t have Jacob in the Triple-A level because that’s when I was coming back from my heart surgery, so Tom Signore covered for me there. He really did a terrific job with Jacob at the Triple-A level to get him to the big leagues.

I had Jacob back in Savannah when he first came back off of his Tommy John surgery, and I’ll never forget the conversation with him. He got up there, and he just dominated right from the start. You knew he would; he just needed to be healthy.

He looked at me one day, and he goes, “I’m 23-years-old, Frank, and going nowhere. What should I do? Should I walk away from the game? Should I keep on plugging away?”

He was just questioning himself, his age and everything else.

I looked at him, and I said, ‘Do me a favor. When you get to the big leagues, I ask one thing of you: Leave me a ticket for that first game.’

We had more faith in him than he did at that time, as far as him being a big leaguer. And look what he’s done since! You’ve got to throw age out the window; he just needed to be healthy. He was a shortstop who transitioned to learning how to pitch. It just takes a little time, but look what he’s done since then. He’s a magnificent pitcher and one of the best in the game. Enough said about Jacob.

Steven Matz has always been one of my favorites. He’s a Long Island boy like me. He’s left-handed like me, so we had an attachment right from the beginning.

The biggest thing for Steven, and it’s still to this day, is just the injury woes. If he can stay healthy, being left-handed with the stuff that he possesses, he’s a perennial All-Star in my opinion. That’s the kind of stuff he possesses.

His fastball is devastating, his changeup is outstanding. I’d like to see him stick with one breaking ball. I like to see him throw the breaking ball, the curveball over the cutter, just for the fact that it’s very difficult to throw two tight breaking balls and be successful with both. I think that if he stuck with one pitch and stayed true to that pitch, I think that pitch would have more consistency than what I saw this year. But that’s not here nor there; the kid’s a winner.

The kid’s makeup is off the charts. I think the big thing now is he has to feel and know that he’s healthy, and hopefully with this last surgery, moving that ligament to the other side, he’ll have no problems going forward, and he’s finally going to be the pitcher that everyone expects him to be. If he stays healthy, he’s an All-Star every year.

Noah was probably the most intriguing of all the pitchers you just mentioned because he actually struggled in the minor leagues. And it was funny watching him struggle and seeing his daily emotions as to how to try to work his way out of the struggles.

Everything came pretty easy to him. Everything came pretty easy to all the guys I just mentioned, but you know, it’s how they get through the tough times that really let you see what type of makeup they have, and what kind of future they’re going to have.

Noah’s my favorite one because after I came back from heart surgery in June ’14, Noah was really struggling. He struggled pretty much for the remainder of that year, even when I got there. It was just the fact that he was so gung-ho and so locked into saying, “I have a 98 mph fastball. I’m going to blow it by you any time, and I will be successful with that pitch.”

Once again, I throw the Pacific Coast League at you because the Pacific Coast League has some of the best 4A hitters. You take a young kid who throws 98, they’re not going to be scared of a kid that throws 98 mph fastballs, especially one that didn’t have a lot of movement on it. Granted, Noah’s got one of the best arms in the game, but, at 98 coming at you pretty straight, these guys make adjustments and hit them.

The biggest adjustment for Noah was saying, Dude, you’ve got a changeup, you’ve got a curveball, you got this cutter that Dan Warthen taught you, you’ve got all these pitches that are plus pitches, and you have to understand when you’re behind in the count you have to show those pitches, you have to change things up. Once he understood that and once he went on the mound and started throwing a 2-1 changeup or a first-pitch curveball, all of a sudden now these hitters have these different looks on their faces going, oh my God, he’s starting to figure this out. Watch out! And then he’s taken off from there.

Trust me, this whole conversation, Mathew, I don’t want any of this credit. This is just stuff that we work on as coaches. I mean, you have that from every level up with the coaches he’s had. It’s the kids that take the advice and use it to help them become better.

There are so many coaches in my career that I took and listened to, and as I walked away, I just threw it out the other ear and said, The hell with that! That has nothing to do with me, who I am, what I am.

There’s other vital stuff that you might think is so minute that just the way you say it or how you say it or when you say it just might stick with that kid, and all of a sudden it clicks. Maybe not right then, but a couple of years later. Those are the kids that get it; those are the kids that pick things through. Noah is probably the most thought-worthy person; I mean, he takes everything you say literally. It was finally at the point where I said, ‘Hey, understand what we’re saying, but really take some things that apply to you. You don’t have to listen to everything said and try changing things because of that.’

Once he struggled, and wasn’t called up at the end of the ’14 year, he came back the following year and the four weeks into Triple-A he just killed it. You knew at that point on he got it. He would never forget it, and he was going to go up there and have an unbelievable career. Granted, the injuries will always occur, but I think he’s your bona fide number one, even Jacob. If you can keep those two together, and have a healthy Matz going forward, you have three unbelievable pitchers going forward.

You’re going to have ups and downs, but, I still take those three anytime on my staff and I take my chances.

MMO: With the time you’ve spent in the minors as a pitching coach, is the goal to now make it as one in the majors?

Frank: When I started seven years ago and got back in the game, I wanted to make a difference. I thought at the time the minor leagues, working at the minor league level with the younger kids, would be able to be that fulfillment for me, and it did. I’ve gone along, and I’ve seen the way the game is, where it’s at and how I can help even at the big league level.

Yeah, to answer your question, I’d love to be a big-league coach; [to] bring my expertise and be able to help an organization.

I think that I’ve learned enough at the lower levels, at the lowest of levels on the way up this ladder of Minor League Baseball, which will help me apply anything at a given big league level and make a difference as far as words, thoughts and ideas, and stuff like that.

The big thing is, you have to throw in the analytics and all of that stuff, and it’s been very helpful being down here and seeing TrackMan, how it applies to pitchers, to all of these shifts baseball has been putting on. It’s been very helpful in getting the knowledge because I’m old school. This is all new stuff to me, which is absolutely great to be part of because you can take some of that stuff and really use it to your advantage.

To take all of that and take all my years of being a pitcher and, as I mentioned earlier, the mental part of the game and apply all that, yeah, I’d like to give it a shot and see how it plays out.

Follow Frank Viola on Twitter, @FrankViola16

The post MMO Exclusive: A Chat With Las Vegas 51s’ Pitching Coach, Frank Viola appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The Mets have are off today before heading to Philadelphia for their final series of the season on Friday.

Last night, the Mets defeated the Atlanta Braves 7-1 in their final home game of the season. Robert Gsellman started for the Mets and pitched six innings while only allowing one run and striking out four batters.

On the offensive side, the Mets only recorded seven hits, but Dominic Smith had a big one as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning with a three-run shot. Travis d’Arnaud also recorded three RBIs in the game while Jose Reyes was the only player on the team with a multi-hit game.

Latest Mets News 

It was reported yesterday that the Mets are not likely to retain pitching coach Dan Warthen for next season.

Noah Syndergaard and Jacob deGrom both said that it would be in the Mets best interest to retain Warthen as pitching coach.

Latest NL East News 

Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports that Brian Goodwin is on track to be ready for the NLDS.

Clark Spencer and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald write about the MLB approval of the Miami Marlins sale to Derek Jeter and Bruce Sherman.

David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution talks about Nick Markakis‘ absence from the team.

Matt Gelb of Philly.com explains Jerad Eickhoff‘s approach heading into next season.

In MLB news, Giants pitcher Matt Cain announced that this will be his final season. Cain is infamous among Mets fans for being the man who hit David Wright in the head with a fastball.

Latest on MMO

Logan Barer writes about the groove Josh Smoker has gotten into to finish out the season.

Chris Gaine mentions two candidates that he believes would be poor choices for the Mets next manager.

This Day in Mets History

1966: The Mets turn a triple-play for only the fourth time in history at this point.

1983: Ron Darling earns his first MLB win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

2006: Carlos Beltran hits his 41st homer of the season to tie Todd Hundley‘s franchise record.

2008: The Mets played their final game at Shea Stadium and lose 4-2 to the then Florida Marlins to get eliminated from playoff contention.

Birthdays: Mike DeJean turns 47 and Ronn Reynolds turns 59.

The post Morning Briefing: Mets Finish Strong at Citi as Changes Loom appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

The 2017 New York Mets are 38-45 and sit 11.5 games behind the first-place Washington Nationals in the National League East. This was unexpected going into the season after two straight playoff appearances and a team ready to compete.

However, after a numerous amount of injuries, the Mets had and still have too many holes at important positions.

Regardless of the injuries, hitting has not been the problem. The Mets have scored 399 runs and have hit 126 home runs which ranks 13th and sixth in the majors, respectively. The pitching has been the real problem as the Mets rank 28th with a 4.92 ERA. Looking deeper, a reason for this poor pitching could be the high walk rates among Mets pitchers.

Mets pitchers have issued 310 walks in 2017 which is the fourth highest mark in the majors. The three teams that have given up more walks than the Mets are the Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, and Cincinnati Reds. Ironically enough, the Orioles and Reds are the only teams which have higher ERAs than the Mets. As for the Marlins, they don’t fair that much better as they are ranked 21st with a 4.63 ERA.

It’s not impossible to receive quality pitching while giving up a lot of walks, but it is very difficult to do. If the Mets can stop giving out free passes at alarming rate, it’s realistic to turn around their pitching, and possibly their season. Before doing this, the Mets need to pinpoint where the problem is coming from.

“People that are walking out to the mound are not the same quality that we’ve been used to,” Dan Warthen said according to NorthJersey.com.

Warthen has a point here, but only to an extent. Two of those pitchers he referred to were Noah Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon.

In 2016, Syndergaard only walked 43 batters in 183.2 innings and Colon only walked 32 in 191.2 innings. While the loss of Syndergaard is major, not having Colon doesn’t really matter this year. Colon was recently designated for assignment by the Atlanta Braves after going 2-8 with an 8.14 ERA. That included 20 walks in 63 innings. His walk rate of 2.9 walks per nine innings was his highest since 2009 when he had a 3.0 rate.

What Warthen and the Mets have to realize is that almost every pitcher who was on the team in 2016 has been walking more batters in 2017.

Jacob deGrom, Robert Gsellman, Fernando Salas, Jerry Blevins, Steven Matz, and Josh Smoker all have higher walks per nine rates in 2017 with the Mets than they had in 2016 with the Mets. Before going down with injury, Syndergaard, Matt Harvey, and Jeurys Familia all had worse walk rates this season as well.

Josh Edgin, Addison Reed, and Rafael Montero are the only Mets on the team currently with better rates than 2016 while Seth Lugo has the same rate as last year. In Montero’s case, dropping his walk rate from 7.6 to 5.4 could hardly be considered an accomplishment.

To give a little context, the Mets were tied with the San Francisco Giants for giving up the least number of walks (439) in 2016. How does a team with many of the same pitchers from the year prior, struggle so mightily with giving opposing batters free passes?

“When you don’t have Syndergaard and Colon on the mound, you’re going to walk more,” Warthen said.

It’s hard to use that excuse when so many of the other pitchers on the team have experienced spikes in their walk rates after one season.

“We’ve asked our bullpen to be put in different roles than what they anticipated being in,” Terry Collins said according to NorthJersey.com. “That creates some issues also.”

Similar to Warthen’s excuse, Collins isn’t wrong, but he still isn’t getting to the heart of the problem. Singles, doubles, triples, and home runs aren’t avoidable, but walks are. Collins and Warthen should challenge every one of their pitchers to avoid giving out free passes. They should attack hitters and take their lumps as they come. Fans will be frustrated when pitchers are giving up hits to lose games, but nothing is more frustrating than seeing an opposing team win courtesy of a base on balls.

The post Walks Have Been Key Issue in Mets’ Pitching Staff Struggles appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After a disastrous Mother’s Day weekend for the Mets in Milwaukee, I discuss sending a message to the team by firing pitching coach Dan Warthen. I also ponder if this year’s team is worth investing in from a front office and fan perspective.

Executive editor Michael Mayer of Metsmerized Online and MetsMinors.net talks about depth options for the struggling rotation and bullpen.

If the Mets made a move on Terry Collins and Dan Warthen who could be internal replacements? Michael gives his thoughts. Finally, we hear about some of the early season performers in the minor league system.

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The post Talkin’ Mets: Is it Time to Make a Bold Move? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Throughout spring training the biggest rotation question for the Mets was who would land the fifth spot in the rotation. While it was an open competition, it was expected that Robert Gsellman would snag that spot. Yesterday John Heyman of FanRag Sports confirmed that expectation.

While one rotation question was answered, another was proposed. On Sunday, Sandy Alderson told the media that Steven Matz would miss his next spring training start because of elbow tenderness. Alderson figured it was not serious and had nothing to do with his UCL which was surgically replaced during his 2010 Tommy John Surgery. Even if this isn’t serious, Terry Collins thought it was serious enough that Matz would not make the opening day rotation. The Mets now have to decide who gets the last spot in the rotation: Zack Wheeler or Seth Lugo.

That rotation question came at an interesting time as both Wheeler and Lugo toed the rubber Monday in separate split squad games.

Wheeler pitched against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium with Terry Collins in attendance. He went five innings, giving up no runs, two hits, two walks, while striking out three. Lugo on the other hand pitched against the Washington Nationals at First Data Field. He was clearly outdueled by Wheeler as he gave up eights hits and four runs (three home runs) in 4.1 innings. On the bright side he struck out three batters and walked none.

Decisions like these are never, and should never, be based off one start. Taking a step back, both Wheeler and Lugo have pitched in four spring games (three starts) so far. Wheeler has pitched 12.1 innings and struck out seven. He has a 5.11 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Lugo has pitched 11.1 innings and struck out 10. He has a 5.56 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.

Before the split squad games on Monday, Lugo was clearly having a better spring. Now Wheeler has a slight edge especially when considering his improving health and pitching. However, there is a larger sample beyond this as Lugo also pitched in the World Baseball Classic.

During the WBC, Lugo pitched to a tune of a 4.20 ERA in three starts, giving up seven runs and 11 hits in 15 innings. It must be taken into account that this was no spring training game nor regular season game. He went up against some of the world’s best as he faced the Venezuelan team once and the United States team twice. The start against Venezuela was superb as he shut the team out in 5.1 innings. His first start against the United States was good as he held them to three earned runs in 5.2 innings. His final start in the title game was less impressive as he gave up four runs, four walks, and five hits over four plus-innings. He did strike out seven though.

Lugo clearly has the edge here. What he did in the WBC should pull him ahead of Wheeler.

Seth Lugo Should be the Potential Fifth Starter

While yesterday was not what Terry Collins wanted to see from a potential fifth starter, he would be wise to run with Lugo. Not only should he do this because of spring training or the WBC, but because of Wheeler’s recovery from Tommy John Surgery.

Collins and Dan Warthen have said that Wheeler would be on a strict innings limit this season. The bullpen is not a smart option for Wheeler because Warthen says he doesn’t heal well between outings. The best option would be to let him pitch in extended spring training instead of putting him in the rotation. It wouldn’t make sense to limit him to five innings or less per start. It also wouldn’t make sense to shut him down during the season or the postseason.

Anyway Lugo should be able to handle his own. After all, he did go 5-2 with 45 strikeouts, a 2.67 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP in 17 games (eight starts) and 64 innings in 2016.

Could that have been a fluke? While that is a possibility, Statcast™ followers may tend to disagree. Mike Petriello of MLB.com analyzed his curveball from last year and it was something special. Lugo averaged 3,318 rpm which led the majors by a lot. The next on the list was Garrett Richards whose curveball had an average of 3,100 rpm. The Major League average is 2,386 rpm.

This new Statcast™ statistic has only been around since 2015 and Lugo already owns 104 of the 200 highest-spin curveballs, including the highest-spin curveball ever tracked. That’s only in 64 innings of one season. His curveball spin is like Aroldis Chapman‘s velocity; in a league of its own. While his curve spin isn’t directly indicative of success, it shows an innate talent that separates himself from just another minor leaguer.

Even if Lugo ends up doing poorly for the Mets in April, the team could always move him to the bullpen and then put Wheeler in the rotation. By that time Wheeler will be less restricted and can contribute fully. Even the worst case scenario isn’t that bad.

The Whole Situation Could Still be Avoided

This whole situation is very similar to the elbow discomfort which Zack Wheeler experienced at the beginning of spring training. His discomfort caused him to miss some time, was downplayed by the organization, was hyped up by the media, and was ultimately not serious.

Regardless of whether or not this is truly serious, there is still one big difference in comparison to Wheeler’s case and that is time. Wheeler experienced his discomfort at the beginning of spring training and worked his way back slowly. Matz doesn’t have that time. The Mets could either rush him (which is not happening) or give him whatever amount of time he needs.

However, he may have an extension as the Mets will have a day off after Opening Day. Collins could choose to skip the fifth starter spot to open up the season.

In the end this whole situation could be avoided and hopefully it is. If not the Mets would be wise to give the fifth starter spot to Seth Lugo. If Matz can’t answer the bell who do you think the Mets should turn to?

The post Potential Rotation Decision: Zack Wheeler or Seth Lugo? appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

After what could only be described as an uneven performance, comments by right-hander Matt Harvey as well as pitching coach Dan Warthen had social media ablaze with consternation, strife and untold drama.

On Wednesday afternoon, Harvey allowed two earned  runs in 3 1/3 innings against the Marlins, tossing 67 pitches and reportedly living in the 92-93 mph range while topping out at 95 mph. Harvey gave up five hits, walked one, and struck out three. After three starts his ERA sits at 7.88.

Harvey was unconcerned about his spring performance thus far or the lack of velocity. But it was what he said after the game that raised some eyebrows.

“You can’t look past it,” Harvey said about his velocity. “It’s going to be there or it’s not, and I have to go out and pitch. I think after today, I feel really confident going into my next outing and moving forward.”

“It’s kind of a new surgery for me,’’ Harvey said about his procedure for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. “I’m not looking to throw 100 miles per hour again, or 97 even. My job is to get people out no matter what I’m throwing.’’

Harvey is correct of course, Cooperstown is full of pitchers who couldn’t throw a 98 mph heater. And on that point Harvey remains very optimistic as his primary focus is to get his mechanics and command back to where they once were.

“I think it’s more about being able to slow the game down and stay within my mechanics. Although the outcome wasn’t very good today, for me, the success that I had mechanically today was really exciting,” Harvey told reporters.

Dan Warthen spoke to Marc Carig of Newsday and tried to alleviate some of the concerns about Harvey, but also warned is could be a long while before Harvey regains his strength and velocity.

“He’ll probably have to pitch there for awhile,” Warthen said. “Most history says that somewhere around 10 months out of surgery is when you get your full strength back.”

If you’re looking for a glimmer of hope from Warthen, he has no doubt that Harvey can be effective at 91-93 mph. “I know he can pitch with what he has right now.”

My feelings are that there’s still time for Harvey to get another one or two ticks on his fastball. He probably has three more starts left this spring and a lot can still change. If he can start the season at 93-95 instead of 91-93 this won’t be the problem a lot of people think it is.

Maybe Harvey is right and he may never hit 99 or 100 on the radar gun again, nobody knows what the aftermath of his surgery will be. Which makes his ability to become a better pitcher all the more important. So far everyone is happy with his mechanics, his offspeed pitches, and his attitude.

At some point in their careers all hard-throwing pitchers like Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard will eventually start to lose some of that high octane. The great ones are the guys that learn how to pitch by honing their craft, changing speeds, and improving their ability to locate their pitches.

On the plus side, Harvey was never just a thrower and we’ve seen what a great pitcher he can be. So if he can keep moving in the right direction with his mechanics (I’m 100 percent with Warthen on this), Harvey could definitely be that top of the rotation guy we’ve come to depend on.

I’m betting that by opening day we’ll see a much more stronger and much more confident Matt Harvey… And when Harvey’s confidence is riding high he’s one of the best in the business. Look for that swagger to return.

The post Thoughts On Matt Harvey’s Velocity Concerns appeared first on Metsmerized Online.