Bobby ParnellThe 2015 New York Mets are a team with increasing expectations. Many who follow the team predict them to end on the cusp of the playoffs. Those outside the organization say the odds are against them right now but as Han Solo once said “never tell me the odds”.

The fact is that on paper, they can excel, but playoffs berths aren’t earned on paper. It comes down to what the team can do on the field. Can they score? Can they hold a lead? And most importantly, can they close a game out consistently?

This last question is especially important. This offense may have trouble scoring excessively and, therefore, the team will be involved in close games frequently. There will be many games where the team will need the bullpen to lock down the ninth inning. This is where Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell come into play.

In 2013, Parnell held onto his closer role after previous struggles and health concerns. He was dominant, closing out 22 of 26 games successfully while posting a 2.16 ERA. When he went down very early last season, all seemed lost.

Enter Mejia. Though Mejia got off to a slow start in 2014 as he struggled to make the role his own, he settled in nicely. He stepped up to the tune of 28 saves in 31 chances while posting a deceptive 3.65 ERA. In September he finally seemed to click, going seven for seven in save chances with a 1.54 ERA that month.

Despite this success, Bobby Parnell has stated, and manager Terry Collins has indicated, that when he is ready, Parnell will resume his role as closer. That will be a few weeks into the season according to team reports. This is a wonderful and rare problem to have in baseball; two dominant closers.

With that said, however, does Parnell deserve the right to take the job back simply because he lost it to injury? After all, since he went down, Mejia has become a phenom among the fans and media with his antics and his performances. He has embraced the role and the city and they have embraced him back.

Prior to last season, many questioned whether or not Bobby Parnell had what it takes to not only be a closer but be a closer in New York, despite his successes. His intensity and confidence was often called into question.

With the emergence of Mejia, the Mets have that presence they need on the mound in the ninth inning to intimidate the opposition. While Parnell has molded himself into that with the help of a beard and a 100 mph fastball, Mejia possessed that swagger and confidence from the moment he began taking the role.

Mejia showed what he could do with that role when he came into his own. He fought for it last season when, previously, it was practically handed to Parnell. Therein lies the true difference. It may not seem fair to Parnell to take the role away from him simply because he was injured, but it is equally unfair to take it away from Mejia simply because Parnell is back.

Both are experienced holding the eighth inning successfully and both can close exceptionally. They can eventually feed off of each other’s success in their own personal competition, thus fueling the way for a dominant season at the back end of the bullpen.

That would suggest a closer-by-committee resolution that no fan really wants to see, however, in this case, it may not be the worst scenario.

12 comments on “Bobby Parnell expects to close? Not so fast

  • pete

    Parnell is a free agent next season so he wants to be able to go into free agency with the most recorded saves he can muster. Can’t do that pitching as a set up man. That’s being selfish and that’s his right. But the team comes first and if Mejia picks up where he left off in September then the roles should be maintained. Mejia as closer. Parnell as the 8th inning set up man.Why bend over backwards just to appease Parnell? The Mets have a closer in house already and at a much cheaper salary.

  • Eraff

    Not a big Parnell Fan…. his next good 3-5 game run will produce the same response from me as always: “Sell High!!!”.

    Regarding his next contract— if he pitches well in high leverage situations he will get a good deal….and he may see some closer opps in ’15 and the future if he does. His track is determined by his pitching, not some abritrary February “decision” about when he’s going to pitch.

  • Joe F

    This decision has to be based on performance and I don’t think this team has the luxury of taking a chance in May to see where he is at. Parnell should start in low leverage situations to see what his stuff looks like and presuming he is flashing velocity and secondary stuff, there will always be a few days when Jennry is not available because of having pitched a couple of days in a row, so there will be limited opportunities to let Parnell get a few chances, but it would be idiotic to simply hand him the job back without first having looked at performance in the 7th inning. He had not even yet demonstrated he was back from the neck surgery when he went down with TJS, so now you add in the elbow and a very quick TAT for recovery and there have to be serious concerns. I understand that some success can increase his trade value, but he can show that by throwing 100 mph in the 7th inning

  • Chris F

    I think this needed to be articulated. Parnell hasnt tossed a pitch in anger in a year. Relief pitchers are the most transient of all baseball players…Parnell was beginning to find himself, but let not pretend he wanst a widow-maker most of the time he climbs the hill. The idea he is just going to pick up as an elite 9th inning guy simply fails to acknowledge that he as never been an elite closer. Im not all that high on Mejia either, who is sporting a 1.4 and change WHIP. All in all, I read in a number of places about the strength of the pen, and I have to say, its still a whopper of an “if” for me.

    • Rob

      +1

    • Dez

      that WHIP is mostly from early season struggles as a starter and then he had a tough 4-5 game stretch in august I believe in which we did not know he had sports hernia. The injury heeled and in sept. He was great again

      • Brian Joura

        Mejia’s WHIP in September was 1.457

        • Patrick Albanesius

          +1, then +1

  • blastingzone

    First of all good old Collins puting his foot in his mouth again! Lets see if Bobby
    is healthy first before Terry names him the closer and considering Bobby has
    never saved 28 games in one year so far in his career and Jennry has maybe
    it should be Jennry’s job to loose and not just handed back to Bobby because he
    saved 22 games two years ago! Not being ready till may is another big factor so
    imagine if Jennry starts off hot and saves 8 out of 9 in april and may comes does Collins just take Jennry out of the closers role and insert Bobby and how would that effect Famillia and Black who would be pushed back to the 6th and 7th inning’s role as Jennry becomes your set up man. Famillia was one of the best 8th inning set up guys in baseball last year and between Jennry and Famillia I would hate to see the mets mess with that formula!

  • Name

    The more games Parnell closes, the less Mejia will make through arbitration. Same thing for Familia.

    • aj

      u just put it perfectly and thats y parnell will be given the closers role when he comes back

  • Metsense

    In his fifth major league season, 2013, Parnell had just 2/3 of a season as a good closer. Prior to that, in 2012, he garnished seven saves with three coming in the last four games of the season. I don’t think that is enough of a resume for him to be coronated the closer. Parnell has not pitched in over 1 1/2 years clouds the issue further. I question TC’s judgement when he says he will hand the job to Parnell.
    Mejia is not an elite closer either. Mejia does do what a closer is supposed to do, save games, but his peripherals suggest that it should not continue. The Mets have a lot a good arms in the bullpen but I have to agree with Chris F that the bullpen isn’t necessarily a strong spot, especially with Collins managing it.

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