Poll: Bullpen by Committee
6 August 2008
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Just the mention of the phrase “bullpen by committee” suggests weakness. It says, we don’t have one individual who is outstanding. Of the five or six relievers we have on staff, none are elite, none are leaders.
You could make an argument using the great “bullpen by committees” of the past like … uh … [long, uncomfortable pause] … there’s … uh, well …
Exactly. There are none. No reference points, no success stories.
But that’s what Jerry Manuel is having to consider. With Billy Wagner on the disabled list for two weeks, followed by another week of rehab appearances, Manuel confessed to WFAN on Tuesday, “We have to develop or someone has to evolve from our bullpen to close games — or, it can be done by committee.”
Gulp.
Committee? What committee? Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez, Scott Schoeneweis, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith and Eddie Kunz?
The Mets must find a way to win with a inconsistent, home run happy, unconfident set up man (Heilman), a reliever who couldn’t get a single out over two appearances and has a fastball at 85-86 (Sanchez), a second-year sidearm guy who’s overworked (Smith), a rookie with one major league appearance (Kunz) and two situation left handers (Feliciano and Schoeneweis)?
Manuel said he will evaluate matchups daily to determine which reliever — or relievers — give him the best chance to win.
That philosophy backfired on Day One.
Prior to Tuesday’s game, Manuel told WFAN, Heilman was “the one guy he felt comfortable with facing a lefthander or righthander in a tough situation.”
As promised, Heilman took the ball with a four-run lead in the ninth inning last night. One-third of an inning later, including two hits, one walk and a three-run home run, Heilman was excused.
The Mets staggered to the finish line, throwing four relievers at the worst hitting team in the National League, to win 6-5.
The “bullpen by committee” strategy is not helping anyone in the Mets bullpen. Manuel must make a decision on who will close until Wagner returns, and stick with it.
New York Daily News coulmnist John Harper wrote, After barely surviving an ugly ninth inning Tuesday night, the manager has every reason to give rookie Eddie Kunz the ball in the ninth inning.
“I’m more apt to use him (Kunz) now, and see how he responds,” Manuel said. “He might be the guy. I might have the guy staring me in the face, and I’m not doing anything about it.”
Let’s find out.
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