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4/17/23

Paul Articulates – Otta boy!

The Mets got off to a shaky start this season, underachieving to the HUGE expectations of Mets fans.  After 101 wins but a disappointing playoff run, and then some high finance maneuvering by the front office, the team sent a very strong roster to Miami to start the season.  But after a few weeks, they were hovering around .500, had some injury issues and several players stumbled out of the starting gate.  Even now, with Verlander still on the IL, Diaz and Quintana gone for the season, Carrasco struggling to find his former velocity, and a few hitters fighting with the Mendoza line, all is not well in Metland.

But I’m not here to whine about that – you can find plenty of that on social media or your text feed.  I’m here to talk about a guy who for a second year in a row is giving the Mets quality outings almost every time he climbs the mound.  That would be Adam Ottavino, the Fireman of Flushing. 


Last year, working primarily as a setup man to all-world closer Edwin Diaz, Ottavino posted a 6-3 record with a 2.06 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in the regular season.  He held opponents to a .204 batting average with a four pitch arsenal: sinking fastball, cutter, slider, and change.  The out pitch is his wicked slider that is tough to hit even when you know it is coming because of its tendency to dive down and away from right handed hitters.  

This year he has started out with the same kind of reliable relief outings, but in a very different environment.  Diaz is gone, and Buck Showalter has taken a slightly different approach with the back end of his bullpen.  Instead of using newly acquired David Robertson exclusively as a closer with Ottavino as his set-up man, Buck has gone to a more situational approach.  That means that with a dangerous part of the lineup looming in the eighth, Robertson may pitch there and Ottavino is asked to close.  Other times the traditional set-up / closer relationship is used.  Either way Adam Ottavino has come through.  In seven games (6 innings), he has recorded a 1.50 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.  His slider is just as good this year as last, and he seems to be placing his fastball better to set up the out pitch.  At home he has been a fans’ delight, giving up no earned runs at all in three games.  

The biggest weakness in Adam’s game right now is his ability to hold runners on.  This has always been an issue, but with the new rules limiting both throw-overs and the amount of time a pitcher can hold before throwing a pitch, runners definitely have an advantage.  This is why a statistic like WHIP is so important – if you don’t let runners on base, you don’t have to worry about them stealing.  And that seems to be the winning formula this year, with runners taking advantage of almost all the pitcher/catcher duos out there.  


Adam Ottavino is doing some of the best pitching of his career right now.  He has been in the league since his debut with the Cardinals in 2010 so he has seen his share of action.  But the ERA over the past two years has far surpassed his career total of 3.42.  I think the combination of experience and some very helpful tweaks by the Mets’ pitching coaches have made his deliveries more effective.  And with it comes confidence – that all important ingredient in baseball that separates players of similar skill levels.

So, Mets fans – this team has some work to do but rather than focus on the disappointments, take pride in some of the solid performances and tip your cap to Adam Ottavino.


10 comments:

  1. Otto and David Robertson are the keys to pen success this year.

    Managing this year's pen will truly take an expert, but it will be greatly determined by the amount of innings the starters can eat up.

    Starting with 5 or less innings will put too much strain on a tight pen.

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  2. Unfortunately, the 5 inning start is becoming the norm in baseball, and with our aging staff (how's your back, Max?) we may see a lot of that. Middle relief to get to the Ottavino/Robertson pair is going to be more important than ever. This may be why Buck experimented with Yacabonis yesterday even though it gave many fans anxiety.

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  3. I liked the Yaka move on a day an outsider was needed, but burning a day away from Robertson before the Dodgers series makes no sense to me.

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  4. Ottavino and Robertson were great signings. Some older guys still got it.

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  5. Playing the Contrarian

    I don't see any really big issues here with the Mets bullpen. I think that these NY Mets are in very capable hands with what is here now. Sure, we all would love to see Edwin Diaz back whole and pitching again. But what the Mets do have now whole and pitching from the pen is very good too. And I am fine with that.

    At the Dish

    Maybe Francisco Alvarez was rushed a little too fast. There's a lot more talent inside him. So what about Francisco Alvarez sent down to Syracuse to get it all going again there, and catcher Oscar Campos brought up to get some time in here. Campos is not a homerun power bat like Alvarez, true. But he has hit for a decent batting average before and quite frankly right now, I am absolutely fine with that. He's 26 years old and been in the Mets system, so they know him well.

    Brett Baty is up, thank goodness. I think he'll be awesome and I look forward to watching him up here for a long, long time with the Mets. Mark Vientos had a big weekend in Syracuse, and Ronnie Mauricio is really ready as well, despite only being 21 years old. Some people mature quickly.

    What's the Key to Me Going Forward

    I have no questions with the Mets "Three Amigo Kids" from Syracuse I just mentioned above. But to me, the thing that could be the difference maker between 2022 and this season could actually be the progression of two Syracuse Mets left-handed pitchers. Starter Joey Lucchesi, who is having a solid early campaign down at Syracuse. The other guy I have my eye on is Josh Walker, who is also showing well too down at Syracuse and early on.

    These two left-handed pitchers (to me) could become the difference maker to just how deep into the playoffs these 2023 NY Mets go because we need really good left-handed pitchers added in here.

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  6. Very good thoughts Anonymous.

    I don't think that Alvarez was rushed too fast - I think that fans' expectations rushed too fast. Most eventual stars don't show up and star on the first day. They struggle a little as they get used to the next level of competition. Alvarez will strike out, he will get stolen on, and then he will figure it out and his talent will shine. We just have to let it happen and not get down on him. By the way, he has shown a quick release and a powerful arm in the last few games - bases stolen were on the pitcher and the new rules that confound any battery. He can do it.

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  7. It's a puzzler to me that no one, especially the Mets (with Raley the lone LHRP), has signed Britton.

    Is no one interested, or are his demands/expectations too high?

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  8. Britton missed two seasons with serious injury and is a older pitcher.Probably didn’t look too good in his tryout.

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    Replies
    1. Still, a minor-league deal would be low-cost and low-risk, with potential high upside.

      Maybe he was offered a deal like that by one or more teams, and he turned it down yo wait for a better offer.

      He could always join Murphy and Tejada on the Ducks. 😁

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