Subway Series Offers Mets Chance to Show Arms Race
The Mets have told their fans for four plus years to be patient and wait, wait and wait, and so far they have seen very little in return. Instead it has been pretty much the same old same old with regard to the Mets, a team littered with underachieving ball players, and almost no hope in sight.
Yet it appears now that GM Sandy Alderson is ready to listen to those calls for the club to call up its top prospects and play them at the major league level, and not a moment too soon. The Mets bullpen has been a belegured mess for too long; once Bobby Parnell's implosion and injury happened on Opening Day everything other reliever succumbed to incredible mediocrity.
Too many times this year the Mets have watched the likes of Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Valverde blow saves. Too many times the Mets have seen their middle relief falter. The Mets are tied for second in the Majors in blown saves with eight, while ranked 27th in the league in saves with seven.
It is time to make a change, and that means it is time to call up the young arms that have been talked about for months and years and see what they have.
This week's Subway Series has already served up as a preview of coming attractions. Jenrry Mejia was removed from the rotation, where he was pitching pretty well inspite of some poor recent outings and inserted into the bullpen. On Monday night, at Yankee Stadium, Mejia came out to pitch both the seventh and eighth innings and shut down the Yankees as his Mets' teammates completed a miraculous 9-7 comeback victory.
He looked good. He was hitting the strike-zone and missing bats, something most Mets pitchers don't do on a regular basis. Perhaps the Mets have something here that they can use to their advantage.
Mejia's days in the pen might become permanent, as Rafael Montero a prized prospect in the Mets system is to make his first start on Wednesday night against the Yankees, and if all goes well, he will make two starts next week. Montero is only 23, but already is wowing the Mets. He went 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA in Triple-A Las Vegas, a league that is better known for its hitting than pitching. He also owns 41 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. It was his time to be here and now here he is.
Soon, Jeuyrus Familia who was once a projected starter in his own right a few years back, and is in the Mets pen now, could be converted into a closer, or a set-up man if Mejia takes the thrown as the 9th inning man.
Jacob DeGrom, a 25-year old reliever with some nasty stuff and a 2.58 ERA, and the prized Noah Syndergarrd could both be coming up next. This all means that the likes of Valverde, Farnsworth, and even Bartolo Colon could soon find themselves out of a job real soon -- and if you a Mets fan that is exactly what you want.
The Mets need the arms race, they need it now. At 18-19, the Mets have been terrible most times, pretty fun to watch, as they were Monday against the Yankees, other times. By no means would a full fledged call up of their top prospects make this Mets squad contenders, but at the very least would speed up the process toward success and recovery from the darkness in 2015 and beyond.
Yet it appears now that GM Sandy Alderson is ready to listen to those calls for the club to call up its top prospects and play them at the major league level, and not a moment too soon. The Mets bullpen has been a belegured mess for too long; once Bobby Parnell's implosion and injury happened on Opening Day everything other reliever succumbed to incredible mediocrity.
Too many times this year the Mets have watched the likes of Kyle Farnsworth and Jose Valverde blow saves. Too many times the Mets have seen their middle relief falter. The Mets are tied for second in the Majors in blown saves with eight, while ranked 27th in the league in saves with seven.It is time to make a change, and that means it is time to call up the young arms that have been talked about for months and years and see what they have.
This week's Subway Series has already served up as a preview of coming attractions. Jenrry Mejia was removed from the rotation, where he was pitching pretty well inspite of some poor recent outings and inserted into the bullpen. On Monday night, at Yankee Stadium, Mejia came out to pitch both the seventh and eighth innings and shut down the Yankees as his Mets' teammates completed a miraculous 9-7 comeback victory.
He looked good. He was hitting the strike-zone and missing bats, something most Mets pitchers don't do on a regular basis. Perhaps the Mets have something here that they can use to their advantage.
Mejia's days in the pen might become permanent, as Rafael Montero a prized prospect in the Mets system is to make his first start on Wednesday night against the Yankees, and if all goes well, he will make two starts next week. Montero is only 23, but already is wowing the Mets. He went 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA in Triple-A Las Vegas, a league that is better known for its hitting than pitching. He also owns 41 strikeouts in 41.2 innings. It was his time to be here and now here he is.
Soon, Jeuyrus Familia who was once a projected starter in his own right a few years back, and is in the Mets pen now, could be converted into a closer, or a set-up man if Mejia takes the thrown as the 9th inning man.
Jacob DeGrom, a 25-year old reliever with some nasty stuff and a 2.58 ERA, and the prized Noah Syndergarrd could both be coming up next. This all means that the likes of Valverde, Farnsworth, and even Bartolo Colon could soon find themselves out of a job real soon -- and if you a Mets fan that is exactly what you want.
The Mets need the arms race, they need it now. At 18-19, the Mets have been terrible most times, pretty fun to watch, as they were Monday against the Yankees, other times. By no means would a full fledged call up of their top prospects make this Mets squad contenders, but at the very least would speed up the process toward success and recovery from the darkness in 2015 and beyond.
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