Bartolo Colon
It was unofficial for quite some time, but it finally happened. Dillon Gee is an ex-Met. I’m still not 100% sure how or why this happened.
Gee’s entire career might be the one positive contribution from Jerry Manuel. Manuel like him, and it gave someone who wasn’t a big prospect a chance. Gee took advantage of his chance. In his first call-up he went 2-2 in five starts with a 2.18 ERA and a 1.212 WHIP.
In 2014, he was named the Opening Day starter. This was in part due to the Mets options at the time. It was also a testament to Gee’s resiliency. Just two years prior, he needed surgery to repair an aneurysm in his throwing shoulder. From 2010 – 2014, Gee would go 40-34 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.288 WHIP. Every so often, he’d threaten to be the first Met to throw a no-hitter. Not bad for a guy who got guys out with locating his pitches. Not bad for a guy who had a sub 90s fastball.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen for Gee this year. It’s a shame because he was a winner on Mets teams that were losing. He deserved a chance to go out a winner. Instead he pitched sporadically, had constantly changing roles without notice, and he suffered a groin strain. They never recall him. They gave his number to someone else. Instead of sticking by him, the Mets designated him for assignment. While the Mets were making a World Series run, Gee was no longer a free agent. He was a class act about it:
Congrats @Mets. So happy fo yall. First offseason I'll actually want to watch baseball. Can't wait!!
— Dillon Gee (@DillonGee35) September 26, 2015
Congrats boys! #NLPennant #WorldSeries2015 @Mets
— Dillon Gee (@DillonGee35) October 22, 2015
Gee is now a member of the Royals organization. The team that just won the World Series with character guys got another one. The Mets will feel his loss. After the Jon Niese–Neil Walker trade, the Mets need a fifth starter. The common response is the Mets should bring back 42 year old Bartolo Colon.
I’d rather have Gee back. He gave the Mets everything he had each and every time he toed the rubber. In many ways, he was never supposed to be a Met and/or a major leaguer. He took that with him to the mound every time. He deserved better than how he was treated in 2015. I hope he gets that better treatment next year with the Royals.
Thank you for your time with the Mets.
Going into last year, the Mets were well noted for their organizational pitching depth. It wasn’t just the pitchers that were in the majors, but it was also the pitchers on the way. The thought process was the Mets could select the pitchers to keep to help the rotation and trade the others for a bat.
Well, the Mets are going into the 2016 season, and their depth isn’t the same as this regime seems comfortable jettisoning this team’s pitching depth. A large part of the reason was the unwillingness and/or inability to spend in the offseason last year. Here is the list of pitchers gone from the Mets organization:
- Greg Peavey
- Randy Fontanez
- Cory Mazzoni
- Brad Wieck
- Casey Meisner
- John Gant
- Robert Whalen
- Michael Fulmer
- Luis Cessa
- Matt Koch
- Miller Diaz
- Dawrin Frias
- Jack Leathersich
- Jon Niese
- Matthew Bowman
This list doesn’t include Logan Verrett, who was selected in last year Rule 5 draft and returned. It also doesn’t include Tyler Clippard, Bartolo Colon, Eric O’Flaherty, Bobby Parnell, and Alex Torres because, at least in theory, they all could return to the Mets next year. In any event, that’s a lot of pitchers gone and/or potentially gone from the 2014 Winter Meetings and the 2015 Winter Meetings.
After losing all these pitchers, the Mets only have two . . . TWO . . . players on their 2016 major league roster resulting from these moves: Addison Reed and Neil Walker. Also, the Mets still need a fifth starter and possibly bullpen help. You would think after losing 15 pitchers in a year, you’d be in a better position.
Now, the important caveat here is not all of these pitchers are of the same caliber. For example, Peavey and Fontanez were selected in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. Also, I did defend the trade that brought in Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson. On the flip side, I did not like the trades which brought in Clippard and Yoenis Cespedes.
I’m not in the crowd that justifies these deals due to the Mets winning the pennant. You win the World Series, you’re untouchable because you did what was necessary. However, the Mets lost all that pitching and still fell short. Think of it another way. Do you think the Tigers would’ve traded winning the AL East for John Smoltz‘ career?
With all that said, the Mets still deserve some credit here. Even though they lost all that pitching, they still have good pitching prospects like Robert Gsellman. I just wish they spent more money last offseason and kept some of those pitchers to give them more options to make deals this winter or this upcoming summer.
Keep in mind that sooner or later losing all this pitching will eventually catch up with them. I’m not looking forward to the day that happens.
Sometimes things are coincidences. You are at the wrong place at the wrong time by happenstance even if no one will believe it. Other times you’re Sandy Alderson, and you actively pursue steroid guys.
Sandy Alderson was the GM of the late 80’s Oakland A’s teams that had been seen as the ground zero for the proliferation of steroid usage (fair or not). For his part, Alderson denied having knowledge of the steroids use. Interestingly enough, his manager, Tony La Russa was well aware. Now, Alderson has not played stupid by acknowledging he suspected some but not all players. He also expressed regret for not taking a bigger stand against PED usage.
For me personally, these words ring hollow. No, I’m not calling him a liar. That’s unfair, and I don’t know him well enough to do that. However, what I will say is that for a GM looking to take a bigger stand against PEDs, he certainly likes adding those player. Here are the know PED users signed by Sandy Alderson during his tenure as the Mets GM:
Is this list appalling? Well, it depends on your point-of-view. Keep in mind this list doesn’t include farm hands that may have been suspended, not does it include the Jenrry Mejia was was suspended TWICE last year for PEDs and was tendered a contract. Overall, Alderson is averaging about one steroid signing a year.
There are two thoughts I have. The first is his ultimate responsibility is to put the best team he can assemble on the field. At times, this may include PED players. The second thought I have is for a guy who supposedly wanted to take a larger role against PED usage, he certainly isn’t helping by signing those players.
I do find it harder to root for the PED guys. It’s part of the reason I’m in the minority when it comes to all this Bartolo Colon love. Ideally, the Mets wouldn’t sign these guys even though I acknowledge players like Byrd have greatly benefitted the Mets.
Apparently, Sandy Alderson doesn’t feel the same way I do.
Put Eric O’Flaherty aside. The last free agent the Mets should be interested in bringing back is Bartolo Colon, and yet here we are:
Mets and Blevins still have mutual interest in reunion; same with Bartolo in swing man role. interest in bringing him back.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) December 6, 2015
Yoenis Cespedes may not be a true CF, but he’s got power, and he’s shown he can thrive in New York. Daniel Murphy may not be the best defender, but he’s versatile. He also comes up big in the big moments. There are roles for these players even if they are not perfect players. What’s Colon’s role?
He’s not the fifth starter. That spot is being presumably held by Jon Niese until Zack Wheeler‘s rehab is complete. Why would the Mets make him the long man? Carlos Torres and Sean Gilmartin are much cheaper alternatives who have succeeded in that role. What’s his role?
Do we really want to see him back with the Mets? Do we trust Terry Collins having him in the bullpen? Collins has already showed an over reliance on him over younger and better relievers. Put that all aside, do we even know if Colon at the age of 43 can manage being a reliever? Is this really the best use of the Mets resources?
It’s time to move away from Colon and sign a player that can fulfill an actual need.
I’ll be completely honest with you. I’ve never understood the Mets fans love of Bartolo Colon. As a Met, he was 29-26 with a 4.13 ERA, and a 1.232 WHIP. His signature moments were he cartoonish at bats. There was a terrific defensive play, but where was the signature pitching performance?
The performances I remember are his two extra inning World Series performances. He got the loss in Game One. He allowed a big hit to put the clinching Game 5 out of reach. I really harbor no ill will towards Colon for these games. Personally, I think he was put in a position to fail both times. Additionally, to blame him is to fail to acknowledge what he was.
Colon is nothing more than a fifth starter, a durable one at that. He took the ball every fifth day. Sometimes he was effective, other times he wasn’t. However, his time has passed as it normally does for 42 year old players. It’s time for Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler.
He wants to pitch next year. He probably wants to catch and surpass Pedro Martinez fir most wins by a Dominican born pitcher. He’s just one away from tying. If he starts, he’ll have his best chance to do it. Also, he’s a starter, not a bullpen arm. There will be a team that wants him to start. Let him go there. He no longer has a place with the Mets.
He did a good job with the Mets. He’ll deserve the applause he will receive when he returns to Citi Field, although I suspect he will get much more than that. I may not understand all the fanfare he receives, but I do understand he did his job well with the Mets.
Good luck at your next stop Colon.
In late August, I began to panic. I thought Terry Collins was cost the Mets either a playoff spot or a series with his in game management. Sometimes it sucks to be right.
He had a terrible World Series. Just terrible. As a wise and independent Keith Law verified, Collins managing really cost the Mets in Games 3 & 4. The full details are here. The quick synopsis is from Game 2 on Collins grossly mismanaged his bullpen. He had the wrong guy in the wrong spots, and then he asked Jeurys Familia to bail the Mets out of an impossible situation.
Now, it should be noted the players on the field win and lose games. Collins didn’t force Daniel Murphy to miss the grounder in Game 4. He didn’t force Lucas Duda to choke on a throw home for the last out when Eric Hosmer was dead to rights. With that said, Collins didn’t put his team in the best position to succeed. His mistakes cost the Mets the series.
I’m not going to regurgitate everything from Games 1 – 4. I’m not going to go into the Game 1 & 2 pitching strategy again. I just want to focus on Game 5 here. This game highlighted every weakness he has as a manager.
The first big decision was in the sixth inning. In actuality, it wasn’t a big decision. It was a no brainer that Collins blew. Yoenis Cespedes fouled a ball off his kneecap and went straight down. He was down for a while. He was limping even when he finally got back up. For some reason, Collins let him hit.
Yes, it was a two strike count. You could anticipate that a cold hitter off the bench, presumably Juan Lagares, would’ve struck out or made an out there against Edison Volquez. Instead Cespedes hit. He was given a pitch to hit, and he popped it up. The Mets are lucky he did because the way he was limping, it would’ve been an automatic double play if the ball was hit in the ground.
We all know the next mistake. He left Matt Harvey in too long. Personally, I would’ve pulled Harvey after right, but admittedly, my heart wanted Harvey out for the ninth. Apparently, Collins had the same issue. He pulled Harvey until Harvey talked his way back into the game. Like the rest of the planet, I thought Harvey had to be removed after he walked Lorenzo Cain.
A double by Eric Hosmer later, and the game was 2-1. Collins then lifted Harvey with one out with the tying run on second with no outs. He again put Familia in a bad spot. Again, the defense blew it. Royals tied the game.
The lady fateful decision is one that had t gotten much discussion. I had no problem with Addison Reed in the 12th, even if he’s the only one that had pitched in every game in this series. My problem was how long he stuck with Reed. Reed has been terrific with bases empty, not so much with runners on base.
Once Jarrod Dyson pinch ran for Salvador Perez, after his leadoff single, you knew Reed was in trouble. There’s holding on a runner and there’s being distracted. Reed was distracted and lost the zone. Predictably with Travis d’Arnaud‘s arm, Dyson stole the base. No one was up at this time.
No one would be ready until two runs were home and the bases were loaded. He brought in Bartolo Colon. Now, while this was happening he never thought to warm up Hansel Robles even though: (1) he would get warm quicker; and (2) he’s been terrific. Colon allowed a bases clearing double to Lorenzo Cain. What was a 3-2 or 4-2 game was now a 7-2 game.
Collins’ inaction in the 12th led to a situation where the Royals had an insurmountable lead. Game 5 and the series was over.
My heart does break for Collins. He’s shown himself to be a good man. He waited his whole life for this moment. He’s been good with the clubhouse. With all that said, he cost the Mets the World Series.
Looking over Hansel Robles‘ second half, he was terrific. He was 2-1 with a 3.16 ERA, 0.894 WHIP, and a 12.1 K/9. He’s only allowed batters to hit .171/.246/.450 against him. He gets both lefties and righties out effectively.
I also loved the quick pitch. He’s chose his spots well. It’s kept batters off balance and I’ll at ease. It’s something that’s crucial in the postseason, especially against a Royals team that other than one at bat has been very comfortable in the World Series.
Terry Collins has sat him in place of Jon Niese and Bartolo Colon. It’s hard to argue there because they have mostly got the job done. You know who hadn’t? Tyler Clippard. Coming into the playoffs, there was no reason to believe he would.
In September, he was dealing with a back injury. Coincidentally, he had a horrendous month. In his September and October regular season appearances, he made 14 appearances with a 6.14 ERA and a 1.295 WHIP. Batters hit .268/.323/.536 against him. Despite all evidence that he couldn’t get the job done, Collins left him as the eighth inning guy and left Robles behind.
This postseason he has a 6.75 ERA with a 1.499 WHIP. He walked two batters in the eighth inning last night sparking the Royals rally and putting the Mets one game away from losing the World Series. Clippard’s performance should be a surprise to no one, and yet he keeps going out there in the highest leverage situations harming the Mets chances.
And yet, the more effective Robles sits and watches.
Coming into this game, neither the Mets nor the Royals had won the first game in the World Series. Last night into this morning, they turned it into an art form.
This is now the longest Game 1 (innings-wise) in #WorldSeries history. #NYMvsKC
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 28, 2015
Ultimately, the game came down to Chris Young and Bartolo Colon. One was as tall as the other one was wide. While Young was mowing down the Mets, Colon was on a tightrope. He finally fell through allowing a sac fly in the 14th. The winning runner was on base after a Wright error and no challenge. The game was just sheer torture. Prior to this, there was an actual baseball game.
The game did not start the way Matt Harvey and the Mets wanted. Yoenis Cespedes misplayed a fly ball out into an Alcides Escobar inside the park homerun. The first in the World Series since a player named Mule Haas in the 1929 World Series.
This would kill most teams, but these Mets have shown themselves to be resilient. Travis d’Arnaud singled in Daniel Murphy in the fourth. Curtis Granderson homered in the fifth. Conforto hit a sac fly scoring Cespedes in the sixth.
Harvey was good tonight. Not great. Not bad. Just good. He pitched six innings allowing five hits, three earned, two walks, and two strikeouts. He was handed a two run lead in the sixth and couldn’t hold it.
After one run scored, he had a chance to get out of it with Mike Moustakas at the plate. Harvey stuck with the offspeed pitches and was seemingly pitching around him to get to Salvador Perez with first base open. A changeup caught too much of the plate, and Moustakas got the RBI single an inning after he made a diving stop to prevent a possible RBI double. From the seventh inning on, it was a battle of the bullpens.
Remember, the biggest advantage the Royals had this series was the bullpen and team defense. Kelvin Herrera was lighting up the radar gun. He had two outs in the eight when Juan Lagares came to the plate. He was in the game as a defensive replacement for Michael Conforto. Mets fans collectively groaned.
Lagares had a terrific at bat fighting off everything Herrera had. He got a single. He then barely stole second, and then this happened:
Actually, no, but it was close.
Wilmer Flores hit a chopper towards Eric Hosmer, who tried to backhand it. It went through him, and the Mets grabbed a 4-3 lead. In a shock to everyone, Jeurys Familia blew the save on a Alex Gordon to homer in the ninth. It was a rare blown save:
Jeurys Familia had converted 21 straight save chances entering day
Last one came day before Mets trade for Cespedes (July 30 vs Padres)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 28, 2015
Jon Niese came on to pitch in the game he was born to pitch in. Niese was born the day the Mets won the World Series. Well, he pitched like he was born for the moment. He went three innings holding the Royals at bay.
As we know it wasn’t enough. After watching it part of me wishes the TV stayed off.
However, the Mets hung in there. They’re resilient, and they have Jacob deGrom tonight. All they need is a split. It’s still on the table. I just hope Collins is better. The Mets generally need to be better.
They will. They just need to show the same resiliency they’ve shown in this game and all year.
The Mets have been waiting 15 years to go back to the World Series. They’ve been waiting 29 years for a World Series title. Many Mets fans haven’t seen or don’t remember 1986. Mets fans aren’t the only ones who have been waiting.
There are players who have played their whole careers without playing in a World Series. The usual example is the late, great Ernie Banks. While none of the current Mets will be joining that group, there are many who have waited a long time to get here:
Bartolo Colon 18 years
Michael Cuddyer 15 years
David Wright 12 years
Tyler Clippard 9 years
Jon Niese 8 years
Daniel Murphy 7 years
It’s a long time to wait. These guys have earned it. They should each be proud of themselves. Twenty-four hours from now, they’ll be playing in their first World Series game.
It’s been a long time, but I can’t wait.
When Steven Matz was first called up it was a phenomenon. He won his first start going 7.2 innings allowing five hits, two earned, three walks, and six strikeouts. He went 3-3 at the plate with a double and four RBIs. The start was so good his grandfather also became a legend:
His second start was equally as impressive. He won that game too going 6.0 innings allowing two hits, none earned, two walks, and eight strikeouts. After that game, he was diagnosed with a torn lat and shut down for three weeks.
He did come back from the lat year making four September starts. In those games, he averaged 5.1 innings with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.455 WHIP. These were not poor numbers, but they certainly weren’t the Matz we all saw in July. He then injured his back. After a good Instructional League start, he was put on the NLDS roster and named the Game 4 starter.
Predictably, his numbers again dipped after a long layoff. He lost what could’ve been the clincher. He threw 85 pitches over five innings allowing six hits, three earned, two walks, and four strikeouts. He was lined up for the clincher in the NLCS. He went 4.2 innings allowing four hits, one earned, two walks, and four strikeouts. Bartolo Colon had to come in and get him out of the jam.
In the postseason, Matz is 0-1 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.448 WHIP. He’s only averaging 5.0 innings. I’ve heard he’s pitched well considering the layoffs. I’ve heard the Mets didn’t catch a popup in the fifth inning in Chicago. You know what these are? Excuses. It covers up the fact that he hasn’t been that good. If the other three starters weren’t as dominant, he would be killing the bullpen.
So who should start in his place? I would argue Colon, which is not something I ever thought I would say. He’s made four appearances. In the first, he induced a double play grounder, but we know what happened next. Since then, he’s pitched 5.1 innings allowing three hits, one earned, one walk, and six strikeouts. In these postseason, he has a 3.38 ERA and a 0.750 WHIP.
I say this even though Colon has been good in the pen and was tattooed by the Blue Jays earlier this year. However, that game was Toronto. I’m hoping the colder weather and a friendlier ballpark would help him in the World Series.
I still think Matz could stay on the roster. It may be helpful to have another lefty in the pen. Additionally, he’s been fine in the beginning of games. Let him come in and air it out; put him in a position to succeed.
I do not think the Mets will make a change. I can understand why. I can still see Matz turning it around. I hope he does because the Mets are going to face a much tougher opponent in the World Series. He’s going to have to return to July form.
He better because the Mets will need him.