The Mets bullpen is going to be under some pressure early in the season due to the expected suspension of closer Jeurys Familia for domestic violence issues. Nothing is official as of this writing but the suspension could be for 30 games, or even more.
The expectation is that Addison Reed, the set-up pitcher in 2016, will step into the closer role temporarily. That of course will mean that set-up spot in the bullpen will need to be filled. Dominican-born right hander Hansel Robles may well be the man for the job.
The 26 year old has a live arm, Pitchf/x calculates his fastball velocity as 96 mph. His secondary pitch is an 85 mph slider, and on rare occasions he throws a change up. This is the kind of stuff a relief pitcher can be successful with.
Robles has been in the big leagues for two seasons, both with the Mets. In 2015 he pitched 54 innings in 57 games. His ERA was 3.67 and his FIP was 3.91. Not fabulous, but certainly decent.
In 2016, his IP was 72, in 68 games, with an ERA of 3.48 and FIP of 3.56. So these figures show improvement. Not every stat improved for Robles, his walks increased from 18 in 2015 to 36 last season.
Robles is only 26, and relatively inexperienced. He has the benefit of Dan Warthen as pitching coach, a coach with the reputation of being a slider guru. If Warthen can coax a slider with more bite out of Robles, that will make him more dangerous.
There is also the possibility Robles can get more confidence in the change up and add that weapon to his arsenal. Plenty of relief pitchers have just two pitches, but it’s nice to have a third pitch to keep batters off balance.
Robles is listed as 5’11” and 185 pounds, and that’s not exactly the ideal frame for a power type pitcher, but it can be done. Robles has proven to be durable so far in his career with the Mets, and that’s certainly a plus considering all the pitching injuries last year.
Robles is a maturing, still improving young pitcher with a mid 90s fastball. He seems to have a bulldog mentality, always a plus for a reliever. If he can improve his control, he could be stellar set up man for the Mets, and maybe in the future even a potential closer.
He’s something of a mystery. He’s close to being very good. But on the other hand, not that far from being sent down.
Consistency seems to be his main problem. Raw cumulative stats don’t really tell the story.
I question his mental makeup.
I hope he can make the leap.
Conclusion: I like him, feel hopeful.
Very, very curious about Wheeler in the pen this year.
I’ve always felt that he has wipe out stuff…Jim hits the nail on Consistency. Velocity, Location, Execution,,,you name it–He’s all over the place for games on end, then he’s spotless.
Try as we might, the tendency to over-value the things we actually see is too strong to resist.
My indelible images of Robles are from a couple of games I attended; one in which he entered a game a promptly blew a lead that DeGrom had nursed into the 6th inning, in 2015; and the game last year when Colon had to come out after facing one batter, when Robles came in and gave the team five strong innings.
That’s kind of him in a nutshell.
Robles is the type of pitcher that a team needs to show patience with. Has the stuff, the makeup, but sometimes struggles with control. He is exactly the type that if traded by the Mets, us fans would then watch him blossom into a very good closer.
The Mets should just sign Blevins and Salas give more opptys to Robles,and let fly. A BP of Reed, Robles, Blevins, Wheeler, Salas, Smoker will be fine until Famila returns. If the Mets can get a good arm from the Bruce deal, great, but if not, then these guys can hold the fort. The starting lineup is good and the bench is ok with Reyes in a big role. My only concern is catcher, where it looked like d’Arnaud has lost his swing and cannot throw anyone out.
Bad news for a team the does not hold runners on well to begin with. I think Travis gets a half year look. If he fails, he is gone by the trade deadline.
Let’s go Mets ! Nearly one month more till training camp !
It seems like resigning Jerry Blevins would be a no brainer, every time i see him pitch he gives a real good effort
Is it a no-brainer if he wants 3/$19 like Mike Dunn? Or 4/$30.5 like Brett Cecil? The lefty reliever market needs to cool before it makes sense to dive in.
Metphin – I agree with every word.
I like Robles in the pen, but I don’t think he’s ready to step into an 8th inning role. If Blevins or Salas come back, I have more faith in them. If not, I’d hand the keys to Zack Wheeler.
Anything to the Flores to A’s for this Dolittle guy?
That’s an A’s trade all the way: Selling high and buying low.
Uhhhh, it’s exactly the reverse… Flores had the unexpected good year last year while Doolittle was injured often
I have not seen these rumors, but they certainly make sense. SA and the A’s have a relationship; he’s probably done more transactions with the A’s and Padres than all the other MLB teams combined.
He’s already (famously) demonstrated a willingness to trade Wilmer.
Doolittle, if healthy, looks like a great fit for the Mets. He’s a LHP — with excellent splits — and he’s cheap.
I wonder if deal could be expanded to include Bruce, who feels like an Oakland-type player, currently undervalued on the market. A’s would want some help before taking on the entire contract, and they could flip him in July. For the right team in the right situation, I still maintain that Bruce would be an astute addition.
Doolittle and Ryon Healy
for
Flores, Bruce, Gavin Cecchini and $6.5 million
Healy becomes the starter at 3B once Wright goes down while Reyes becomes the super sub. Flores takes over at 3B and Bruce becomes the DH.
I doubt the A’s are willing to trade Healy, though. I think this deal works from a “fairness exchange of talent” POV but I’m not sure the A’s would really want any of these guys.
Robles pitched about 16 more innings between his rookie and sophmore seasons and I believe he was used in tougher situations. He struck out 85 batters in 78 IPs last year but 48 of those were in the first half so maybe he tired out a bit as the season progressed?
Thanks MattyMets.
Robles can be the answer.
[…] of where manager Terry Collins turns for save opportunities, Robles is going to see an increased role no matter what. He has the capability to be a dominating presence out of the Met’s bullpen, […]