For instance, why do nearly all Mets pitchers insist on never throwing inside? Is it Warthen making the call? Is it a lack of an evidence-based (statistical) strategy based on that day’s matchups? If they’re not doing this, why not? And, if Warthen is making the right call each night and the battery is ignoring him, why are they ignoring him?

The point is, I’m not clear on if this is all Warthen’s fault, the pitcher’s fault, the constant mechanical adjustments due to injury, or because of the rotating cast of catchers behind the plate, or some combination of everything. But it’s a problem and it has to be addressed.

Source: MetsBlog

As Neil Young once said – People pick up on what I’m puttin’ down now…

13 comments on “Matt Cerrone on Dan Warthen

  • MattyMets

    That post struck me too. I’ve noted many times that Syndergaard rarely comes inside and until recently Montero behaved as if the inside didn’t exist. Guys like Thor and Familia are so intimidating – they need to use it to their advantage. I’m not saying head hunt or anything crazy, but part of what made guys like Clemens and Pedro so good is that they never let batters get comfortable in the box. They sent a message that home plate was theirs. A low-outside change up is twice as effective when sit up by a high inside fastball.

  • TexasGusCC

    Interesting Mets’ rebuttal to the Daily News article that Warthen wants to come back for one more year. No way a Mets site writes an article like this unless it’s blessed from Front Office. The Viola regime has just been proclaimed.

    • Brian Joura

      I have no idea if the Mets act in this Steinbrenneresque way that you suggest.

      If they do, they need to stop it immediately. Warthen’s contract is up and if they’re not happy with him, they simply don’t renew him and say they think it’s time for a new direction. Warthen’s been here since Rick Peterson was fired – way before Alderson/Collins came aboard – so it’s not like anyone would find that new direction line hard to believe.

      • Jimmy P

        Jake just came out with a very pro-Warthen statement.

        Who knows with these guys.

        So much of the criticism for bullpen management — guys over-used, etc — falls on Collins. But I always think, “Where’s Warthen?”

        I liked Dave Wallace!

        • Brian Joura

          I liked Rick Peterson – guy got 15-win seasons out of John Maine and Oliver Perez. Plus he tried to implement an organization-wide system. Now, we can certainly argue whether the system was good but I like having things done the same way as guys climb the ladder.

          Warthen has always had pitchers in his corner. It’s great that the guys like him and I’m not saying that he hasn’t done good things in his tenure, because he has. Shoot, he has a pitch named after him.

          But my take is that you should always honestly evaluate a guy’s strengths and weaknesses. And three things which management should be evaluating is 1) Who, if anyone, should take the blame for guys getting hurt? 2)Who should take the blame for the pitching game plan? 3) Who should take blame for the bullpen usage?

          I don’t know the answer to any of these questions and my best guess is that multiple people share blame across all three. But if an honest accounting finds one guy responsible for a majority of two or three of these – then that one guy should be gone. And it makes no difference if it’s Sandy Alderson or Terry Collins or Dan Warthen.

          • Jimmy P

            Good points.

            One thing is clear: This organization is run by a lot of very, very old guys on their last legs.

            Fred at the tippy top looks half-dead to me, but maybe I’m just being hopeful. Terry is on the way out. Warthen, too. Sandy is the oldest GM in baseball.

            Organization needs a transfusion. And a DNR order.

            • Chris F

              hahahahahahahah lololololololololololololololol

            • TexasGusCC

              Brutal Jimmy, just amazingly brutal. But, hysterical! Have to agree with Chris there.

    • Chris F

      Where did you read that Gus?

      • TexasGusCC

        Kristie Ackert’s column in the Daily News.

  • Jimmy P

    BTW, this is a question I’d love to hear Ron Darling answer. My sense is that he’d place the ultimate responsibility with the man holding the ball — but maybe i’m projecting.

    That said, a coach and a catcher can be strong influences on approach, in either direction.

  • Eraff

    The Question this year was not Pitch Location, but Pitcher Location… with most on the IR.

    I would expect that lot’s of people want another shot with this squad…most especially their “mother Hen” Pitching Coach with His Pitchers.

  • Metsense

    The Mets have had only two winning seasons in the last nine years. They have secured one Division Championship and the next closest they came were 8 games back. The next best finish is 17 games back. This is not success. This is not even meaningful games in September. The process is not working. Warthen is not the only one that should go. Alderson and his staff should go. Collins and his staff should go. Seven years with such little unstained success is their indictment.
    Hire a new front office and staff to evaluate the situation from a different perspective. It is time to try something different.

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