A popular New York sports figure made news over the weekend. No, not this guy. This guy.
The MSG network interviewed former Mets great Mike Piazza during halftime at the Knicks game on Saturday. Among the riveting questions:
- What’s your hobby since retiring? A: Golf
- Greatest hitting catcher of all time, if you could say you: A: Me and Johnny Bench
- Chances of you ever becoming a blonde again: A: There’s a chance (*wink*)
- What’s on your iPod?: A: Van Halen
- Prediction for the Giants/49ers game: A: Giants, 21-17 (Wow – he almost nailed it to the point!)
- What hat will you wear if you’re inducted into the Hall of Fame?:A: Mets (*wink again*)
- Who was the most impressive pitcher you ever caught?: A: Greg Maddux and Armando Benitez
Wait. Armando Benitez? Wait, maybe Mike will wink again…that will make it better. Damn! He didn’t wink! But Benitez sucked, didn’t he?
Well, maybe not as much as we remember.
Yes, Benitez absolutely blew big saves (Hello, Game 1 of the 2000 World Series), but he put together some impressive numbers while working out of the Mets bullpen. Besides, the repeated sting of his 98-MPH fastball is probably etched into Piazza’s memory.
The Mets acquired Benitez to act as a setup man for John Franco in 1999. Rumblings began among the media and the fanbase about when, not if, Benitez would succeed Franco as the team’s closer. And the more Armando dominated the eighth inning, the louder that talk became.
When Franco went to the DL that year, Benitez grabbed hold of the closer’s role, and never let go. That year, he saved 22 games, while compiling an average of 14.8 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 1.04 WHIP.
His first full season as closer was the next year, in which he saved 41 games, struck out 12.6 batters per nine innings, and had 1.01 WHIP. It was that year, however, that he blew the Mets’ lead in Game 1 of the World Series – against the Yankees. There is perhaps no worse situation or moment to blow a save in our grand game of baseball. Benitez was never trusted again by Mets fans, and combined with the fact that that was only one of his 3 postseason blown saves (over a mere two-year span), they were justified.
In 2001, saved 43 games and K-ed 11 batters per nine, but his ERA, WHIP, and waistline expanded. He had an impressive 2002 and 2003 for bad teams, even making the All-Star team in ’03. Later that year, he was traded to the Yankees, and the not-so long, slightly strange trip came to an end.
Fans will always rightly remember Armando Benitez for the times he failed in the clutch. But he wasn’t the only Mets pitcher to do so. Billy Wagner was atrocious in the 2006 playoffs. If you’re looking for a goat in the ’06 NLCS, take Wagner and Guillermo Mota, not Carlos Beltran. Francisco Rodriguez never had a postseason opportunity, but he had his share of missteps.
So is was it a stretch for Piazza to call Benitez the most impressive pitcher he ever caught? No. He was the guy behind the plate, in a better position than any of us to judge who was the most impressive. But chances are, Piazza had “best stuff” in mind when he answered the question, and Benitez had an electric fastball.
Does that mean Benitez was the best pitcher in Mets history? No. Did a should-be Hall of Fame catcher call him impressive? Yes. I’ll take his word for it.
15 comments
MetsFan4Decades
1/24/2012-8:11am at 8:11 am (UTC -4)
Benitez…one of my least favorite Met relievers.
You could always tell within a few pitches what kind of outing he was going to have. Many a time I’d watch him when he came in and think ‘uh, oh….here we go’…..
NJstuckinTX
1/24/2012-8:59am at 8:59 am (UTC -4)
Yeah, you hit the nail on the head. He either blew the doors off the batters with a 1-2-3 inning with 2 strike outs, or he just generally blew.
Many of my least favorite Mets resided in the early 90′s, but Benetiz (+ Trachsel) from those 1999-2004-ish years just made me want to puke.
And I’d have to say, one of my least favorite Mets was Juan Samuel. There certainly were other total clowns in the group, but for some reason he just irks me.
fongulalou
1/24/2012-9:23am at 9:23 am (UTC -4)
Jeez, Juan Samuel. What a disaster!…..Another of those points in time where b/c of The Mets, I could remember EXACTLY where I
was when I heard about the Lenny D & Roger for Samuel deal….
AND pretty much what I thought in reaction to it.
Knew THAT ONE wasn’t going to end well!
MetsFan4Decades
1/24/2012-10:14am at 10:14 am (UTC -4)
Agree with both of you. Hated that Dykstra trade at the time.
Had to laugh a couple of years ago though when I read an interview with Dykstra who flat out admitted steroid use. Said he was going to a new team, he needed to prove his worth so that’s when he started using.
fongulalou
1/24/2012-9:19am at 9:19 am (UTC -4)
I’ve always said Benitez had more no sweat saves than any closer the Mets have ever had. Problem is in the handful of most important situations, he couldn’t get the job done. He was however no worse than
Billy Wagner or even Randy Myers in that regard.
Also, great article on Prince Fielders inability to land a big deal in Sundays NY Times. Jeez, would he look great in a Met uni…….Yes,
even a size 6X uni.
Stick
1/24/2012-9:30am at 9:30 am (UTC -4)
He was an interesting case for the “saber” vs. “old timey baseball” debate. What the #s say, and what your memories/impressions, don’t really agree.
For a lot of people (over on MMO, they know who they are!), Wright is the current poster boy for this.
gategem
1/24/2012-12:17pm at 12:17 pm (UTC -4)
“For a lot of people (over on MMO, they know who they are!), Wright is the current poster boy for this.”
While this statement is essentially correct I doubt if too many of them visit this site. But if you were to express this viewpoint at MMO you had better be ready for a nasty battle.
From my point of view you pit the traditionalists that have zero knowledge and total distrust of sabermetrics on one side versus those that believe they understand sabermetics (yet have never taken a mathematics course in their life) that worship sabermetrics and discard any other means of evaluation as the tools of ignorance. I’ve often wondered why not merge the two approaches and use every means of evaluation available?
But the existential question of the day is why change from “stickguy” to “stick.” ‘-)
Paul Festa
1/24/2012-12:22pm at 12:22 pm (UTC -4)
I agree, I’ve always felt both approaches should be used when evaluating a player. By chance, I sat next to Chris Gwynn on a flight to the 2010 winter meetings. He’s currently the VP of player development for the Padres, and he told me he believes in a balance of statistical measurements, and scouting/personal evaluation – seeing what kind of mental makeup the kid has, etc.
stick
1/24/2012-9:14pm at 9:14 pm (UTC -4)
I got lazy typing in the new format?
anyway, I think that almost everyone that likes sabermetrics (including all the people running MLB teams) do use both methods (and anything else that might give them an edge).
Even at a site like amazing avenue, they still recognize the importance of scouting, etc.
the only ones that refuse to see the merits of both sides are the people that think sabermetrics are the devil!
Mr North Jersey
1/24/2012-9:41pm at 9:41 pm (UTC -4)
You should just keep your gravatar and we can call you the person formerly known as stick \.
darknova306
1/25/2012-1:20am at 1:20 am (UTC -4)
Also the people that think RBI is the most important stat to value a hitter by. I laugh really hard every single time I mistakenly go over to MMO and read the comment section and see that nonsense.
Stick
1/24/2012-9:32am at 9:32 am (UTC -4)
Prince is an interesting case. Really curioius to see what happens with him. ST deal someplace? A big name (like the sox or yankees) swooping in for a value buy? Or some dark horse team going for a splash (guess the Nats would fit?)
MetsFan4Decades
1/24/2012-10:16am at 10:16 am (UTC -4)
I don’t much care where Fielder lands as long as it’s not with one of the other teams in the NL east.
AL would be preferable for me…..but I’m reading the Nats look like the favorites. Ugh…..
Mr North Jersey
1/24/2012-12:20pm at 12:20 pm (UTC -4)
Here is the article I believe fongy is referring to.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/sports/baseball/prince-fielder-vast-talent-narrow-options.html
fongulalou
1/26/2012-8:10am at 8:10 am (UTC -4)
Yes….Thank you Sir.