There are many who seem to be enamored by the arrival of Jason Isringhausen to the New York Mets spring training facilities. Others have no real opinion. To me, it seems like a page right out of the Omar Minaya handbook. Before you judge, hear me out.
One of the very many things people complained about regarding Minaya was his tendency to bring in older players or players who are injury prone. Seldom were Mets fans given anything to look at towards the future. With the arrivals of David Wright and Jose Reyes, Mets fans had hoped to be getting younger instead of older. The opposite held true with baseball war veterans like Carlos Delgado, Moises Alou and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez. It was one thing to have experience on your team. It is another to have players who should have been put out to pasture. Well, at the age of 38, Isringhausen would seem to fit the profile of a player ready to retire. Especially after missing an entire season thanks to TJ surgery.
I am sure that with the serious lack of funds that GM Sandy Alderson was given, he has no choice but to sign a number of pitchers and pray for a lightning in a bottle. This would explain the signings of Chris Young and Chris Capuano who both are coming off injuries. So is Isringhausen. This is why he missed the 2010 season. At his age, how well could he handle a grueling 162-game season after such a surgery even if he is used for three games out of a week?
Are the reports that we are hearing out of camp wonderful to Mets fans? Of course. Who does not like the story of a player drafted by the team, sent away and then brought back home? He also has managed to add in a curveball. Yet, after seeing his numbers as a member of the Mets, one could certainly be hard pressed to see why Mets fans would sincerely be happy. Isringhausen did not find success as a Met with an ERA that went from 2.81 in 1995 to an Oliver Perez-like 7.58 in 1997. His success came with the team he was traded to: the Oakland Athletics where his ERA dropped down to 2.13.
The Mets already have nothing but questions marks already with their pitching. Was it really necessary to bring in one more? Well, it will sell tickets if he leaves camp with the team. There is not a soul alive who does not know how desperate money is needed. Plus, everybody loves a feel good story. Last year that was certainly the case for R.A. Dickey. Maybe we will get that with Isringhausen. Bottom line is no matter what, I think I can speak for every Mets fan when I say I wish him success. Time will tell if he was worth the time.
Based on what you’ve seen/heard from Spring Training and already know about Izzy, would you bring him north?