Anthony Gruppuso – USATODAY Sports
It’s taken over half the season, but the New York Mets bullpen is finally rounding into shape. After a lot of growing paints and a lot of injuries, the Mets finally have some stability and reliability coming out of their bullpen, which contributed to their improved play leading up to the All-Star break.
Closer Bobby Parnell has been good for the Mets all season. He has embraced the high-pressure role of closer and excelled in it to the point that he has become one of the Mets’ best trade chips as we approach the end of July. The Mets thought that Brandon Lyon would be a reliable setup man, but he failed and was released. However, the ageless LaTroy Hawkins has been far more dependable than the Mets could have hoped for heading into the season.
The Mets bullpen got a big midseason boost from two unexpected sources: David Aardsma and Carlos Torres. Both performed well in triple-A and continued to pitch effectively after the Mets promoted them to the big leagues. Torres is currently taking the spot of the injured Jon Niese in the Mets starting rotation, but when he goes back to the bullpen, he and Aardsma will continue to be versatile and reliable contributors to the Mets bullpen.
From the left side, the Mets have finally settled in with Scott Rice and Josh Edgin. Rice has been overused and struggled with his control at times, but he’s been the go-to guy against tough lefties late in games. Meanwhile, Edgin has been much improved after a demotion to the minors earlier in the season, giving up just two earned runs since being recalled in the middle of June.
The final spot in the Mets’ bullpen has been a bit of a revolving door, but they’ve found six steady and reliable members of their bullpen, which has helped them survive long-term injuries to Scott Atchison and Jeurys Familia, as well as the season-long absences of Frank Francisco and Jenrry Mejia. It may have taken a few months, but the Mets’ bullpen has finally gotten its act together.
Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com. Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google+.
