The best insights from the ultimate insiders. Throughout the 1990s, Franco was dominant against the National League. But Benitez improved and became a solid set-up man in 1997 and then the Orioles' closer in 1998. Wagner did not struggle down the stretch this team, compared to 2007, but this was because he ended up tearing a ligament in his elbow that would require major surgery. By 1972, McGraw asserted himself as one of baseball's best closers by having a career season. After arriving on a two-year contract worth $15.5 million before last season, the right-hander appeared in 68 games and pitched to a 3.59 ERA. Francisco Rodriguez had been the team's closer since 2009, but he got traded in July 2011 to the Brewers. That would be Turk Wendell, who was one of the backbones of the Mets' bullpen during his time and probably the most superstitious player to ever wear a Mets uniform. The Mets could certainly use an additional arm in middle relief, but they're better off looking internally for now. He did not became the Mets' full-time closer until 1976, when he went 10-7 with a 2.67 ERA and 19 saves. Outside of that, it was really good.. 1 innings with the Detroit Tigers' Triple-A affiliate last year. He had a 0-0 record and a 4.22 ERA in the 10 major league appearances. With Trevor May on the shelf for the next 8-12 weeks, here are a few options that could help stabilize the Mets' bullpen. Benitez may have been more known for the big home runs he gave up than all the saves he collected within a four-and-a-half year span, but he still holds the Mets' single season saves record and should be considered one of better closers the Mets have had in recent years. For now, there are likely seven relievers who are locks for the Opening Day roster.
Jason Isringhausen is the Mets current closer in his second stint with the team. He even made a very brief reappearance with the Mets for the 2000 spring training but got traded to the Cardinals before the season began. We've received your submission. However, by 2003, fans got more fed up with the late-inning meltdowns, and Benitez got traded right after the All-Star break to the Yankees. He remained with the Phillies until he retired after the 1984 season. He pitched very well in the 1999 postseason and only gave up one run in both series combined. The Braves, though, released him right before the start of the 2011 season. Some have certainly been power pitchers, while others have relied more on control and finesse. In the World Series, Benitez failed to pick up the save in his first opportunity but got a save in the only game the Mets won.
After signing with the White Sox in 1997, he suffered two more shoulder surgeries that forced him to miss the entire 1997 season. 2004-2022 CBS Interactive. In 1998, Franco was 0-8 with a 3.62 ERA and 38 saves, which broke his own team and personal record. In the 1986 NLCS, McDowell was unstoppable. While Franco certainly had a good, long career with the Mets following the trade, Myers would go on to make four All-Star game appearances. The righty notched his first career save on Tuesday, while throwing an 101.9 mph fastball, the fastest pitch by an Oriole in the Statcast era. The 27-year-old had a rough campaign in Triple-A Syracuse in 2021 after a year layoff due to the pandemic, but he has posted an impressive 1.69 ERA across 10.2 innings (seven appearances) at the same level this season. McGraw signed with the Mets in 1964 as an amateur free agent after graduating from college. He also had 77 strikeouts in just 85.2 innings. However, by 1971, McGraw was given the job as the closer, and Taylor became a set-up man. Allen was a good closer during bad years in Mets' history, but he will be most remembered as the player the Mets traded to acquire Hernandez.
He was also the winning pitcher in Games 1 and 3. After moving on to the Angels in 1974, Lockwood joined the Mets in 1975. McGraw did not tell his son he was his father until Tim was 17 years old, but they later developed a close relationship. Another closer the Mets had in a dark period in team history was Neil Allen, who ended up becoming more notable for being traded than he did as a pitcher. He has a chance to stick around in the major leagues if he continues to build off his performance in his season debut. 10, Mets' David Peterson: Strikes out eight in no-decision, Triceps: Expected to be out until at least Jul 25. In 2007, Wagner had another great season by going 2-2 with a 2.63 ERA and 34 saves. Nogosek delivered three hitless innings in long relief in the Mets' 8-3 loss on Wednesday. Myers retired with a 3.19 career ERA and 347 saves, which places him ninth in baseball history and third among left-handed pitchers. Like Wagner, Armando Benitez was a fire-balling reliever the Mets once had. That is the big thing for Miggy because his stuff moves so much.. Although Myers' stay with the Mets was not particularly long, he was a very effective closer in both 1988 and 1989 and is certainly one of the better relievers to have worn a Mets uniform. He went 4-6 with a 2.34 ERA in 1967 and 1-5 with a 2.70 ERA in 1968 before he really emerged as a dominant reliever. Along with Tug McGraw, who he helped develop, Taylor became one of the backbones for the Mets bullpen. Assuming he will not appear in another major league game, Wagner finished his career with a career ERA of 2.31 and 422 saves, which place him fifth all time and second among left-handed pitchers. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. Highest Floor and Highest Upside in Each Round. Nonetheless, he pitched well in the first half of the season and made another trip to the All-Star game. Although Stearns developed into a solid catcher, the Mets would certainly regret trading away McGraw. Wendell spent the rest of 2001 with the Phillies, missed the 2002 season due to an elbow injury and returned to the Phillies in 2003 before signing a minor league contract with the Rockies. As a Met, he was 47-55 with a 3.17 ERA and 85 saves through nine seasons. He is currently a free agent but has not announced his retirement yet. In his first full season in 1982, Orosco finished 4-10 with a 2.72 ERA while being Neil Allen's set-up man. Hunter touched 95 mph several times when he threw in front of scouts last month. In 1993, McGraw was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. He pitched well in the NLDS that year but struggled in the NLCS, as illustrated by his 6.75 ERA in that series. Myers had a great season in his first as a closer by going 7-3 with an excellent 1.72 ERA and 26 saves. The righty holds a 3.08 ERA across nine seasons in his big-league career, but if he cannot get back to throwing in the mid-90's, It's hard to envision a bounce-back with a new team. In 46 appearances, he pitched to a 3.50 ERA. In hard-hit percentage, Diaz ranked in the 99th percentile. As a result, he should be considered one of the best right-handed relievers in Mets history. 6-keys: media/spln/mlb/reg/free/depthcharts_team, Oblique: Expected to be out until at least Aug 25, Mets' Tomas Nido: Tending to forearm injury, Mets' Dominic Smith: Hits IL with ankle sprain, Ankle: Expected to be out until at least Jul 27, Mets' Eduardo Escobar: Swats homer, double in win, Mets' Francisco Lindor: Snags steal No. On July 3, Wagner picked up his 300th career save. He struck out 80 batters in 68.1 innings pitched. In April of 2010, Wagner announced he would retire at the end of the season. In 1986, McDowell was even better, as his team went all the way to the World Series. He then pitched two-thirds of an inning in Game 3 but did not give up any hits or runs. After the arrival of Armando Benitez, Franco converted to a set-up man (and eventually, team captain) for the rest of his Mets years. This means the southpaw could receive a call-up in the near future without any roster maneuvering. Relievers, we cant put extra people on base. He gave up the infamous home run Jeffrey Maier caught in the 1996 ALCS. However, compared to other premier closers at the time, Franco was rather underrated, and his overall numbers usually went unnoticed. Ironically, he was the only Met that year to make the All-Star team. Since then, he has spent time with the Long Island Ducks and Newark Bears, as well as minor league stints in the Astros and Marlins organizations. This made him one of the very few M.I.T. He was also very active with the MLB Players' Union, and he spent some time as the Mets representative. The 26-year-old, whose arsenal features a 99 mph fastball and mid-90's sinker, has thrown 10.1 innings in Triple-A with a 2.61 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and two saves this season. In 1998, after Mike Piazza was acquired, Franco voluntarily gave up his No. McGraw himself later referred to the trade as a "Jack Daniels trade.". Myers was also under contract with the Padres in 1999 and 2000 but did not appear in a game in either year due to injuries. "Messy Jesse" won three games in the NLCS against the Astros, including the final out in Game 7. In 1996, Franco was 4-3 with a 1.83 ERA and 28 saves. He followed that up by going 7-6 with a 2.97 ERA and 18 saves in 1981 and 3-7 with a 3.06 ERA and 19 saves in 1982. Pat's work can also be found at Heavy on Giants and SI/Fan Nation's Yankees' site "Inside the Pinstripes." The Mets have always been known to have some of the best left-handed relievers in baseball history.
In 1970, McGraw went 4-6 with a 3.28 ERA and 10 saves. He also started to really develop a sinker that would become his signature pitch. A look at the inventory: The Mets closer endured a midseason slump in which he blew three straight saves, but overall had a solid year.
In 2000, Benitez had another great season by going 4-4 with a 2.61 ERA and a then-Mets record 41 saves. He stayed with the Pilots from 1970-1973, including when the team moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers.
Franco was on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time in 2011 but because he received less than 5 percent of the vote, he will unfortunately never appear on a regular Hall of Fame ballot ever againunless the Veterans Committee decides to give Franco a second chance down the road. Skip recommended stories carousel and go to main content. He went 0-5 as a starter, though, and missed a month with a strained rib cage before returning as a reliever. That year, he established a then-season record 63 appearances for a pitcher. In addition, Wendell usually wore a necklace that contained the teeth of various animals he hunted down. Taylor ended up spending the 1972 season with the Padres but then retired after that season in order to start a second career as a doctor. This became the rally cry for the Mets as they surged through September and ended up winning the division in surprising fashion. Coming off the injury, in spring training he built up and for me it probably wasnt his best and he will probably tell you that, Hefner said. graduates to have been in professional baseball.
He went on a profanity-laced tirade towards his teammates following a 1-0 loss in May, which did not help the team's clubhouse chemistry at all. McGraw finished his career with a 96-92 record, a 3.14 ERA and 180 saves. McGraw then went 5-6 with a 3.87 ERA and 25 saves in 1973. He became the Reds new closer in 1990 and helped them win the World Series that year. Although the Mets won the 1986 World Series, Myers was left off the postseason roster. There are very few high-risk low-reward veterans remaining, who they could kick the tires on. He averaged 95 mph with his four-seam fastball. Pat is the New York Mets Beat Reporter, Editor and Publisher of Sports Illustrated/Fan Nation's "Inside the Mets" website. Wendell was initially drafted by the Braves in 1988 but got traded to the Cubs in 1991. After the 2007 season, Benitez signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays but only made a handful of major league apperances before getting released.
While he may not have been an actual closer, Turk Wendell was one of the best middle relievers in Mets history and also had one of the most exciting personalities Mets fans have ever seen. Taylor went 1-0 in two appearances in the NLCS and did not give up a single run. He was probably on pace for 85-90 innings those first couple of months, but given all that and what we tried to help him with his pitch mix, I thought he had a great year, Hefner said. However, he only made 13 combined appearances on the major league club between 1993 and 1994. That year, he went 1-3 with a 2.49 ERA and two saves. He appeared in three of the seven games, pitching 4.2 innings and only gave up one hit and two walks. However, Rojas was the one who ended up being a completed bust, and Wendell became the steal of the trade. In 1977, Lockwood went 4-8 with a 3.38 ERA and 20 saves. He then saved two more crucial games in the World Series and the sight of him flinging his glove in the air when the Mets were champions is an image that anyone who saw it will never forget. He then made just four starts in 1967 but struggled with an 0-3 record and a 7.79 ERA. Like Hunter, the Mets would have to clear a spot on the 40-man for Holderman. He was 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA and 21 saves before the trade. Last season, he threw eight scoreless innings for the Mets. Here are a few names the Mets could look to insert into the big-league bullpen to bolster their depth: The Mets re-signed veteran righty Tommy Hunter to a minor league deal on April 26, who could find his way to the major leagues by June if he is healthy. In his rookie season, McGraw went 2-7 with a 3.32 ERA. He became the Blue Jays physician in 1979 and still holds that position today. Thus, he should be considered the greatest relief pitcher the Mets have ever had.
CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: mlb | pageType: depth charts | He then got released during the 1981 spring training and subsequently retired. In his last season in New York in 2004, Franco was 2-7 with a 5.28 ERA. Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more. Luckily, Drew Smith, who hasn't allowed a run in 13 1/3 innings pitched this season (longest streak in MLB), has essentially filled May's late-inning role. This became one of the worst trades in Mets history as Samuel was a complete bust. He established himself as one of baseball's best and most dependable closers. Wendell's 2004 season was injury-plagued, and he shuffled back and forth between the Rockies and the minor leagues. If there's one reliever who really set a standard for the Mets, it would be Tug McGraw, one of the best closers in Mets history and one of the best in the league during his career. While closers may get the most fame among relief pitchers, there is one middle reliever who stood out in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In his absence, the Mets were simply unable to find someone else to successfully close games, and it was one of the biggest reasons as to why they missed the postseason for the second consecutive year. He's also third in team history in saves with 107.
