The story was trending on Twitter, and plenty of people were sharing posts on Facebook, while Instagram was filled with videos from the unforgettable play. Bartolo Colon delivered plenty of material to baseball fans when he hit the home run off of James Shields on Saturday night. It was the story all of baseball was talking about, and people could not get enough of. Topps Now, which is a new on-demand printing business, sold 8,826 copies of the card in 24 hours. The most ordered card wanted (before Bartolo’s home run) was Jake Arrieta’s no-hitter, and that received 1,808 orders. People love Bartolo’s bat, but we have forgotten what he has accomplished on the mound this year.
The storyline for Colon appeared to be starting for the Mets throughout the first half of the season, and then be replaced by Zack Wheeler. While Wheeler is still recovering from surgery, the Mets have had tremendous starts from Colon. His ERA of 2.82 has been low thanks to quality starts, and getting out of the game earlier when struggling. He has not allowed more than three runs so far, and he has logged four quality starts in six appearances. He has been striking people out, and he has limited the base on balls, which Colon has done awfully well since becoming a Met. So far, Colon may be rewriting what seemed to be his fate this season, and is trying to fight for a position in the starting rotation.
As of a month and a half into the season, the Mets starting rotation has looked dominant, and Matt Harvey has been the member that has struggled during some starts. There does not appear to be a weak link among the five starters, which makes things interesting when Wheeler comes back. Do the Mets sub one of these pitchers out, or do they go with a six-man rotation?
The first option of subbing one of the pitchers out could be of use, as Colon has experience with the playoffs, and he could be used to spot start throughout the remainder of the season. On the other hand, the six-man rotation makes plenty of sense, as the Mets are going to avoid their starting pitchers from getting injured any way they can. Plus, it would keep the arms fresh heading into the playoffs, as all the pitchers pitched more innings than ever before with the Mets playing deep into October.
No matter what happens in the future, Colon has been pitching well enough to keep his spot in the starting rotation. Wheeler’s return is going to come in a couple of months, and the Mets are in no rush to bring back their recovering starter with the pitching staff performing at a high level. When the time comes, it will be interesting to see what the organization decides to do, and what will happen if every starter is healthy down the stretch. Until then, we get the treat of watching Colon pitch, and hit, ever fifth game.
These things have a way of working themselves out. While Colon has been great so far this year, the toll of pitching every fifth day on a soon-to-be-43 year old may start to show itself …. or, one of the other starters may get hurt …. or, they may start skipping some of the younger guys in favor of Colon down the stretch.
I seem to recall that Bartolo got off to a great start last year but then started to decline …. I remember Gary and Ron discussing that he might finally be nearing the end but then he got a second wind and finished strong.
If Colon is still pitching well, I bet they delay Wheeler a bit longer — maybe into mid-July or August 1 and then begin a “skipping” process rather than a 6-man rotation. Frankly, I don’t like the way Harvey performs on extra rest so I would not be in favor of a 6-man rotation.
Again, these things all have a way of working themselves out.
I doubt Colon keeps his spot in the rotation at the expense of Wheeler. Maybe they go to a six-man rotation again, but I think it’s more likely Big Sexy joins Logan Verrett as long-man/spot starters. That’s assuming the Four Horseman round back into form the whole season.
Its impossible to predict such things because of how important injuries become. Sure Bart hit a HR and has had a great week, but, as we saw last year, that success can melt in a hurry. Lets just enjoy it while we have it, and not project beyond what it is worth. If Wheeler is chucking lights out in rehab assignment, he will be on the mound in NY.
Newman writes: >> No matter what happens in the future, Colon has been pitching well enough to keep his spot in the starting rotation. <<
Actually, it's the total opposite of that sentence. It all depends on what happens in the future. This is premature, simply not a worthwhile topic until Wheeler passes a bunch of hurdles and much time passes. Then we can begin to reasonably discuss it.
I like their depth at SP…as well as the quality. There’s almost no such thing as ding free rotation–30 games in, there have already been a few “bumps”.
The planning on this stuff begins and ends with the idea that you can go out to 6/7/8 spots and feel that you have a good possibility of a Major League Starter….that’s the culmination of a very long plan. Wondering about who pitches where and when (upon Wheeler’s Potential Return) requires very little planning. They’re in a strong position to react to virtually any SP Situation.
Oh boy. Seeing Colon through the orange and blue glasses? Well I don’t blame you… we all want to see him and every Met succeed.
But the bottom line is that he has only faced teams in the bottom ten in runs scored: ATL(30), PHI(28), CLE(21), SD(23). And the one exception is CIN (16), and he struggled to a 5.0IP 3ER start.
I know that he will have some easy opponents, but it’s so clear that he is not as talented as the five horseman. Going to a six-man rotation would be detrimental to those guys because come next year, he won’t be there. They have to get ready for when our new slugger is gone.
It’s a good thought, but either time will show Colon to regress or it just won’t make sense to keep him in the rotation.
Yeah it’s still a bit early to worry about the Colon/Wheeler situation, but it’s been a joy to watch Colon succeed regardless of opponent this season. I agree with the sentiment that we’ll most likely not need to worry about it since someone will probably need some time on the DL for something. Still, it’s pretty crazy what he’s done so far this year with what he’s working with.
…especially if Matz has another UCL tear.
Lets hope pitching “elbow soreness” is because of horsing around in the clubhouse.