Before we start the main topic of this article today, are there ANY Mets fans who don’t feel that great times lie ahead for the Mets? Unprecedented times. Outstanding times. The right guy finally owns this team. Cares much more about W's than $$$. Our prayers are finally being answered.
It is, to put it into an analogy of these times we live in, as if the Mets organization has had a lingering pandemic, and been in playoff lockdown, but the Cohen vaccine has arrived, is expected to be rapid acting and hugely effective, is being distributed rapidly, and should greatly turn things around for the team from Corona.
Fans are thrilled at this seismic shift. My brother was listening to the Cohen interview yesterday with tears of "Finally!" joy.
A Big Market Team Will Be in Queens in 2021. Halleluia!
Now, on to Chris Flexen:
Last December, the Mets designated Chris Flexen for assignment. Deservedly, given his 3-11, 8.07 ERA Mets MLB record in 68 innings.
But he promptly did a very smart thing:
Rather than attempt to battle on in the minors, he signed for a million smackers (KBO first season forien player maximum) to pitch in Korean Baseball - South Korea, of course. Stay south, young man, stay south.
Had he stayed stateside, he might have been unemployed. Instead, he chose $1 million, and a chance to actually pitch in a virtually full season of COVID-free KBO baseball.
John From Albany on our Macks Mets site has dutifully been tracking his exploits, both in updates and in a recent article. and those exploits have been very strong of late.
In his last 11 regular season outings, he tossed 60 2/3 excellent innings, allowing just 40 hits and 11 walks, with an ERA of 1.93 over that span and 81 Ks. In 3 of those games, he fanned a total of 35 hitters in 20 IP.
He has continued strong pitching in the playoffs there, with 2 outings totaling 13.2 IP and 21 Ks with 2 runs allowed.
He looks like a man against boys there, and he has reclaimed his career, and perhaps a stateside return on 2021 could be in his horizon.
That said, KBO baseball is not equal to its American equivalent, and I am guessing is more like AA ball in the states.
Why do I say that? I'll give two examples, while also noting that not every American player going to the KBO tears the league apart. For instance, ex-Met Drew Gagnon went 11-8, 4.34 there this year...about what he did in AAA.
On to those two examples:
Raul Alcantara is 2-5, 7.19 in his brief big league career. His last minor league season, in AAA in 2018, he had a 5.83 ERA. He went 11-11 in his first season in Korea in 2019. This year in the KBO, he is Twenty Wins and Two Losses, ERA in the mid 2's.
OF Mel Rojas Jr? He hit a stunning .349, with 47 HRs and 135 RBIs in 550 ABs. In 2017, in AAA in 54 games, he hit just .259/.381.406. He also played Korean ball in 2017, as well as 2018 and 2019, and hit .310 in 1,421 at bats over those nearly 3 full seasons, with 85 HRs and 274 RBIs.
CONCLUSION
If Flexen thinks he has refined his stuff to succeed in the majors during his 2020 KBO pitching foray, more power to him. And he is throwing hard.
But he is now a star in Korea. Mel Rojas and Raul Alcantara stayed and are now major stars there. Maybe staying where you can be an adored (and well paid) star, rather coming back stateside to struggle for success in the MLB, might be a really strong consideration.
It will be interesting to see what road he chooses for 2021.
Well wishes for whichever road he chooses.
.
I'll be the first to take the Cohen vaccine. It is said to be 100 wins effective.
ReplyDelete