Jose Valverde Assumes a Familiar Role

Jose Valverde, like most of the Mets acquisitions this past offseason, came in with his fair share of flaws. The 36-year-old always had the ability to be an effective closer. He put together some very solid seasons for the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Houston Astros and most recently posted 84 saves for the Detroit Tigers between 2011 and 2012. However, the wheels fell off last year and Valverde was relegated to the minors after just 20 games with an ERA of 5.59. His subsequent release seemed like the end of his closing career.

And yet, here we are.

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. The 8^th inning role was his to lose in spring training. His pedigree put him head and shoulders above young arms like Jeurys Familia and Gonzalez Germen. Now, Bobby Parnell’s injury has become Valverde’s gain and he has been making the most of his appearances.

In three appearances, Valverde has amassed six strikeouts with just one free pass.  He converted his only save attempt against the Reds, finishing up by retiring the heart of their order. He has also been up to his old ways.

Valverde has a reputation for his histrionics on the mound and they have been on prominent display after each of his outings.  After each successful At this point in the season, I can stomach it. He seems to be the only competent arm in the pen and hell, sometimes it is fun to watch Valverde let loose a little.  

The Mets struggled with allowing the likes of Jordany Valdespin act like a fool, but mostly because he was so inconsistent. Detroit Tiger fans felt the same way about Valverde. When he posted 49 saves with no blown attempts, the fans adored his goofy dances and primal roars. When he started to falter, he was a distraction and a joke. The perception of athletes can change in an instant.

With news of Bobby Parnell’s Tommy John surgery, fantasy baseball owners are adding Valverde en masse and just like the rest of us, are simply waiting for him to implode. It is bound to happen eventually. Those owners will have the luxury of cutting bait, but the Mets might not be in a position to follow suit. The man who started with a minor-league deal has ended up with the closing gig and he’ll most likely keep it the rest of the season. There simply isn’t anyone to challenge him for the role. For better or worse, Valverde is the only real closing option in the organization.

So Mets fans, put on your dancing shoes and get ready for some wild 9^th innings.