4/11/14

Ernest Dove - Bartolo Colon.......Gettin Jiggly With It.

So, was I the only one who saw the quick camera shot in the dugout of Colon briefly doing the Truffle Shuffle?
Well, anyway, bottom line is that Bartolo Colon is having a little fun, and having the game to back it up. As many Mets complained, and still complain, about management not spending enough money this offseason, the one thing you can't argue against is the signing of soon to be 41 year old Colon. Amongst the chaos resulting from the loss of Harvey Day, and in addition to the signings of some new outfielders, and some minor league contracts, the Mets did go out and put it on the line. Management took the risk of signing an aging veteran, still coming off a pretty recent PED suspension, and the rumblings of lower expectations from some critics. However, since stepping on to the mound, Bartolo Colon seemingly begun to do exactly what we have all hoped and expected of him. As some of the other pitchers (especially the bullpen) continue to have early struggles with control, old chubby has gone out there, in 13 innings thus far, and amassed a grand total of 0 walks. To kinda quote a well known football coach, "He is who we though he was". Colon has done exactly what management and staff have hoped he would do at this point. Throw strikes, eat up innings, and keep this offensively challenged team in the games.

 I don't know about you, but I'm certainly the guy is on our team. Niese is just now still getting into shape. Dillon Gee, while still off to a pretty darn good start, also quietly continues to struggle once that mythical 90th pitch is thrown. Zack Wheeler is still 'earning his stripes' and continuing to learn, and Mejia is.... well, I guess also who we thought he was, a fireballer with a wicked breaking pitch, but a tendency to give out walks. In my eyes, Colon has quickly established himself as the ace of this staff. He is not the future of this team. He may not even be on this team by end of summer. However, he is just what the Dr. ordered.

 I, for one, am not giving up on this season. Lagares has continued his hot winter ball play with a nice spring start to the season. Travis d'Arnoud finally has his first hits, to almost quite down the chaos from fans. The starting pitching ERA is pretty solid, and, for better or worse, it's kind of nice to see Terry Collins put out the same consistent lineup night after night. Yes, we may continue to speculate what is to come of this team, even after the first few weeks, to determine what direction they go in this summer. Rafael Montero has been strong in his early AAA starts: 11 innings, 3 ER, 1 walk, 14 Ks. Noah Syndergaard, after a less then stellar second outing, is still, in no way, embarrassing himself out there in he desert, facing AAA level hitting.

 And, speaking of hitting, Cesar Puello, as of Thursday morning, is at .333 BA, with a .400 OBP. And, this post is coming just before Jacob deGrom takes the mound for his second start, after his first start resulted in 6 shutout innings. So, what will come of these prospects, come summer time. I am nowhere near the earshot of any Mets brass, so I can hardly speculate as to what is going to happen. Dice K never made it to the rotation, so his trade value is currently limited. OF Chris Young hasn't been able to get a plate appearance at this point, so the Mets still don't even know what they have in him.

The Mets second best hitter, Daniel Murphy, missed a couple of games to start the season for the birth of his child, and is currently having a bit of a struggle defensively. Curtis Granderson has been underwhelming at this point, and EY Jr., the pride of Terry Collins, has had way too many hitless games to start the year. However, again, what we have seen is solid starting pitching. And that pitching is being heading up by none other then Bartolo Colon. Win or lose, Mets fans only really want competitiveness. And Colon's steady pitching, quality starts, and 6+ innings is giving fans what they want to see.....a chance. I admit, I spend a good part of my days following Macks Mets minor league reports, as I continue to wait impatiently for the arrival of Montero, deGrom and Thor. And since I am not naïve, I understand that they are not coming up, unless they either go into the bullpen, or (please no injuries), would have to take the place of a guy like Colon. But I, for one, will still continue to be thankful. Thankful for the old man. The man who is enjoying himself, enjoying his team, and enjoying the game of baseball.

2 comments:

Reese Kaplan said...

How can you do a piece on Colon and not include his now famous gif highlighting his girth:

http://ppl.ug/Vwi3RqzhDdw/

Hey, keep it up, Bartolo. You might land us our next Wheeler.

Ernest Dove said...

There it is......thats the money shot!!!!
Thank you Reese