Since the All-Star break, Manny Acosta has been the Mets’ best reliever. Tim Byrdak has a better ERA (1.80 versus 2.19) but Acosta has faced more than twice as many batters (48-22) and has given up three runs overall to Byrdak’s four. No other reliever is close to their ERA.
Acosta’s effective stretch goes back further than the break. In his last 16 games, he has 17 IP, 3 BB and 16 Ks and has posted a 1.59 ERA. In his last 16 games, Pedro Beato has a 4.80 ERA with more walks (10) than strikeouts (8) and Bobby Parnell has a 6.06 ERA in his last 16 appearances.
Still, Terry Collins is hesitant to use Acosta in meaningful game situations. He has a Leverage Index (LI) of 0.44 – the lowest of any pitcher on the staff right now and lower than anyone who has pitched this year for the Mets besides Pat Misch. LI is a measure of how important the situation is that the player appears in. A normal LI is around 1.0 while 10% of all real game situations have a LI of 2.0 or greater. ...
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