Jun 20
Jenrry Mejia has been optioned to AA and will make his first start of the season on Wednesday. No one has yet been called up to replace Mejia on the roster.
In 26.2 innings pitched this season, Mejia has an ERA of 3.38 and a WHIP of 1.65 with 16 strikeouts.
MLBTradeRumors
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38 comments
dirtysanchez
6/20/2010-4:50pm at 4:50 pm (UTC -4)
FINALLY!!!
Its interesting how the Mets eventually do everything the fans/blogs suggested they do(gmj,ollie,maine,carter,jesus,jacobs)…just usually much later. This was looooong overdue and lets hope he can be stretched out fast but im pretty sure he wont be ready until at least september
rustyjr
6/20/2010-4:55pm at 4:55 pm (UTC -4)
Who takes his place ? Sean green ?
stickguy
6/20/2010-4:56pm at 4:56 pm (UTC -4)
notmaine.
parnell or acosta?
rustyjr
6/20/2010-4:58pm at 4:58 pm (UTC -4)
Just say no to acosta
asod75
6/20/2010-5:09pm at 5:09 pm (UTC -4)
I’d rather have Parnell. A quick glance at his AAA numbers doesn’t tell the entire story. He’s getting a ton of groundballs (two for every flyout or thereabouts) while still averaging a strikeout per inning. The main problem I have with this pen is the fact there are certain guys who never get used. Nieve went from being Everyday Nieve to MIA Nieve. Same with Valdes. Mejia and Iggy also rarely worked, meaning the lion’s share has gone to Feliciano, K-Rod and Dessens. A lot has to do with the great starting pitching of late, but some has to deal with Jerry’s mishandling of the pen/lack of confidence in some of the guys.
oleosmirf
6/20/2010-5:12pm at 5:12 pm (UTC -4)
well when your SP have gone 7 innings + every start, and the game is still close…you arent going to risk the game in order to keep your below average RP sharp.
asod75
6/20/2010-5:20pm at 5:20 pm (UTC -4)
I know, but Jerry has the tendency to bury guys whether things are going well or not.
oleosmirf
6/20/2010-5:31pm at 5:31 pm (UTC -4)
Would you trust anyone but Feliciano or K-Rod if your job was on the line???
njstuckintx
6/20/2010-5:14pm at 5:14 pm (UTC -4)
I’d love to read the thesis paper “My philosophy on the bullpen” by J. Manuel. It has to double as a horror story.
stickguy
6/20/2010-5:22pm at 5:22 pm (UTC -4)
cliff note version:
1) pick a favorite (no rational reason needed). use him every day until his arm falls off, then find another favorite and forget about the other guy.
2) always switch L/R depending on the batter, paying no attention to what the batter or pitcher splits are.
3) use 4 guys in the 7th inning, even in a time game. Games never go extra anyway.
oleosmirf
6/20/2010-5:34pm at 5:34 pm (UTC -4)
its very hard to manage a bullpen when you only have 2 pitchers out of 7 that have had any consistent success on the MLB level.
RIght now he only trusts K-Rod, Feliciano and whichever guy from the list of scrubs is pitching well.
stickguy
6/20/2010-5:19pm at 5:19 pm (UTC -4)
ditto. Basically, if your SPs are doing the job (7 or more almost every game out) you need at most a 5 man pen. 7 guys will never get worked.
So, pretty much your top 3-4 will get all the work. the other 3 will pretty much be forgotten, and used in mop up duty, extra innings, or in case of an early exit.
this is also why they can hide maine or ollie in the pen if needed.
asod75
6/20/2010-5:23pm at 5:23 pm (UTC -4)
But sooner or later, you’re going to need some of those guys. Not going to great starting pitching every night for the rest of the season. I love what Taka and Dickey are bringing, but I just don’t see it happening over the long haul (definitely hope I’m wrong here). Hopefully Iggy and Nieve are turning the corner where they can be useful again. Would be nice to have more options out there….
stickguy
6/20/2010-5:28pm at 5:28 pm (UTC -4)
iggy and neive both looked fine their last time out. Good velocity too. did take a couple of batters to knock the rust off.
oleosmirf
6/20/2010-5:50pm at 5:50 pm (UTC -4)
my question is why are Omar and his staff always wait so long…
asod75
6/20/2010-4:57pm at 4:57 pm (UTC -4)
Finally indeed. They haven’t been using him much anyway, so he needs to be in the minors working as a starter. Not quite sure what having him up really accomplished, but at least he held his own. Wonder if Parnell or Acosta will get the call. Also, for the love of God, can they get rid of Tatis?
oleosmirf
6/20/2010-5:19pm at 5:19 pm (UTC -4)
this move should have been made a month ago but Omar always realizes things way after the rest of the world does…
My guess is Parnell gets the call…
asod75
6/20/2010-5:24pm at 5:24 pm (UTC -4)
I also believe it will be Parnell.
stickguy
6/20/2010-5:24pm at 5:24 pm (UTC -4)
probably.
but with the lack of use recently, they could call up another position player too.
Certainly not going to be Maine though.
oleosmirf
6/20/2010-5:41pm at 5:41 pm (UTC -4)
i cant see them calling up a position player, unless they need a 3rd catcher…
stickguy
6/20/2010-5:25pm at 5:25 pm (UTC -4)
assuming it is parnell, hopefully between him and Iggy, they will be able to find a solid set up man (or even better, 2 of them).
Mr North Jersey
6/20/2010-5:50pm at 5:50 pm (UTC -4)
So I guess Mejia will at least get to see if he has what it takes to be a starter in the bigs.
It seems like the Mets this year more than in years past eventually do the right thing this time admitting that Mejia’s development was being stunted with the lack of use he was getting coming out of the pen and decided it is time to send him down to minors to continue his development as a starter which should have started back in April and only now is finally happening.
If this is as some suggest a ploy to increase his value to trade him I can’t say but if it gets them that much closer to winning a W.S. I am all for it.
In any event if you was a fan of Mejia getting a chance to be a starter than at least now he will at least get that chance. All that we can do now is see what he does with his opportunity.
Let’s hope that in the end all works out for the best.
I applaud the Mets for this decision. Mejia clearly was of little use to them while he was up here.
stickguy
6/20/2010-6:07pm at 6:07 pm (UTC -4)
well, I was never in favor of having him here to start with, but i can see why they did it. I have more of an issue with how jerry did not use him while he was here.
And it is quite likely they have decided he is the guy that will bring them back the high end SP they need (if that is to happen). Will this move help that? I have no idea.
But, keep in mind, Mejia was probably on an inning limit anyway (140? 150?) so, if he was starting all year at AA, he quite possibly could have been shut down by September anyway (like strassburg likely will be).
So, now he has the experience to know what he can do, and more important, what he needs to improve on. And, he can stretch out in AA, work on refining all his pitches, and still potentially be able to help out the Mets in september after rosters expand (probably in the pen, but in a “real” road.
oleosmirf
6/20/2010-6:22pm at 6:22 pm (UTC -4)
I cant blame them for trying it but once Mejia proved he couldn’t be a setup man at this level, he should have been sent down.
I believe he should have been sent down on May 23rd instead of Acosta when Igarashi was activated.
stickguy
6/20/2010-6:33pm at 6:33 pm (UTC -4)
water under the bridge now.
but honestly, I don’t think he ever did prove he couldn’t be a set up man at this level. he never actually tried it!
trs86
6/20/2010-7:56pm at 7:56 pm (UTC -4)
Based on previous reports it was 100 innings. That is why I said that the Mets did nothing wrong as for stunting his SP development because he still has plenty of time to get those innings.
stickguy
6/20/2010-10:14pm at 10:14 pm (UTC -4)
he pitched 95 in the minors last year. Not sure what he added in the winter.
so 100 sounds awful low this year. maybe 125 – 140?
GravediggerHebner
6/20/2010-10:24pm at 10:24 pm (UTC -4)
The 26 2/3 so far this season plus 100 in the minors put him in your suggested range.
If he pitches every 5th game for Bingo starting Weds for the remainder of their season he’ll get 15 starts. Given that the first few of those will be short as he builds up he might not get to 100.
stickguy
6/20/2010-10:41pm at 10:41 pm (UTC -4)
yeah, maybe get up to about 100 by september, then come back to help for the stretch run?
trs86
6/20/2010-10:58pm at 10:58 pm (UTC -4)
Their thoughts were suggested 100 innings and then pitch in winter league.
stickguy
6/20/2010-11:14pm at 11:14 pm (UTC -4)
makes sense if they want to combine it all and get up to the 130-140 range.
with any luck, he will be a legit competitor for a spot in the rotation next year, but I got no problem with another 1/2 year (or whatever it takes) in the minors, and getting called up when he forces the issue.
all this assuming of course that he does not get traded in the next month. I don’t think he will, since I am leaning toward the mets getting a mid rotation starter on a salary dump.
I still want myers. SP or RP. could use either.
trs86
6/20/2010-11:16pm at 11:16 pm (UTC -4)
I still don’t see the Mets being interested in Myers. Sorry buddy. Westbrook I could see.
stickguy
6/20/2010-11:28pm at 11:28 pm (UTC -4)
they gotta stop getting hung up on non-BB related issues. Myers had 1 issue a number of years ago, nothing since. his wife forgave him, so the wilpons should.
Not like the guy is milton bradley.
trs86
6/20/2010-11:38pm at 11:38 pm (UTC -4)
Like I said, just don’t see it.
CaseStreet
6/20/2010-7:28pm at 7:28 pm (UTC -4)
Hallelujah!
GravediggerHebner
6/20/2010-7:50pm at 7:50 pm (UTC -4)
Great news. I will be interested to see if the blogs and media focus more on them doing the right thing or the amount of time it took them to do it.
Kudos to the organization for using their own thought processes despite outside pressures and coming to their own conclusions on when these processes haven’t worked to their satisfaction, then altering them, all while winning more games than they’re losing and winning more games than most any of these outside folks expected they would.
Somewhere in the Mets corporate offices someone is quietly saying “nyah nyah” to all of us bloggers, beat reporters and pundits.
Mr North Jersey
6/20/2010-8:17pm at 8:17 pm (UTC -4)
+1
Mr North Jersey
6/21/2010-11:11am at 11:11 am (UTC -4)
“I will be interested to see if the blogs and media focus more on them doing the right thing or the amount of time it took them to do it.”
Well it looks like Ken Davidoff doesn’t seem to wish to focus that the right thing was done.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ken-davidoff-s-baseball-insider-1.1278117/jenrry-mejia-s-wasted-two-and-a-half-months-1.2040974