Wednesday, July 28, 2004
James Baldwin Redux
To the surprise of no one in particular, Scott Erickson has been released, according to WFAN. Erickson had one decent start and then got torched by the Expos, which apparently sealed his fate. Given the way Matt Ginter fell apart as the season progressed, I guess it was worth giving Erickson a shot to see if he could miraculously rebound, but I’m glad the Mets had him on a short leash and hopefully the Mets can find more than just another stopgap to fill the fifth hole.
Pedro Feliciano was called up to take Erickson’s spot on the roster, at least for now. Feliciano hasn’t had a particularly good season at Norfolk, posting a 5.30 ERA in 35.2 innings, striking out twenty-five and walking fifteen. But anyone who can throw the ball with their left hand is worth a shot in this bullpen right now and if he gets a shot to pitch in the place of Mike Stanton or John Franco once in a while, I won’t mind that a bit.
But Feliciano may not last long at the majors, because right now the Mets don’t have anyone to start Saturday’s game against the Braves. There are a few uninspiring options down at Norfolk, but I would like to see the Mets give Aaron Heilman another shot to prove he can make it in the majors. After an awful start, he’s won five of his last six decisions and gotten his ERA down to 4.60. He’s pitched 117.1 innings and struck out ninety-six while walking forty-six. He’s also allowed fifteen home runs, which is definitely the most troubling part of his stat sheet, given how much he struggled with the longball in his major league stint last year. But he has only allowed two homers in his last six starts, after allowing two in five and one-third innings in his first win on June 20. So maybe he’s gotten that under control a little bit as he’s turned his season around. Or maybe he just had a fluky good month. Either way, I think it’s worth trying him out. The Mets don’t have any obviously better options, and probably can’t acquire one without trading someone who’ll be valuable to the team in the coming years. And if Heilman can’t get major league hitters out by now, he might not ever be able to. And whether he succeeds or bombs, giving him a shot has more upside than either James Baldwin or Scott Erickson did.
¶ joe | 5:29 PM |
To the surprise of no one in particular, Scott Erickson has been released, according to WFAN. Erickson had one decent start and then got torched by the Expos, which apparently sealed his fate. Given the way Matt Ginter fell apart as the season progressed, I guess it was worth giving Erickson a shot to see if he could miraculously rebound, but I’m glad the Mets had him on a short leash and hopefully the Mets can find more than just another stopgap to fill the fifth hole.
Pedro Feliciano was called up to take Erickson’s spot on the roster, at least for now. Feliciano hasn’t had a particularly good season at Norfolk, posting a 5.30 ERA in 35.2 innings, striking out twenty-five and walking fifteen. But anyone who can throw the ball with their left hand is worth a shot in this bullpen right now and if he gets a shot to pitch in the place of Mike Stanton or John Franco once in a while, I won’t mind that a bit.
But Feliciano may not last long at the majors, because right now the Mets don’t have anyone to start Saturday’s game against the Braves. There are a few uninspiring options down at Norfolk, but I would like to see the Mets give Aaron Heilman another shot to prove he can make it in the majors. After an awful start, he’s won five of his last six decisions and gotten his ERA down to 4.60. He’s pitched 117.1 innings and struck out ninety-six while walking forty-six. He’s also allowed fifteen home runs, which is definitely the most troubling part of his stat sheet, given how much he struggled with the longball in his major league stint last year. But he has only allowed two homers in his last six starts, after allowing two in five and one-third innings in his first win on June 20. So maybe he’s gotten that under control a little bit as he’s turned his season around. Or maybe he just had a fluky good month. Either way, I think it’s worth trying him out. The Mets don’t have any obviously better options, and probably can’t acquire one without trading someone who’ll be valuable to the team in the coming years. And if Heilman can’t get major league hitters out by now, he might not ever be able to. And whether he succeeds or bombs, giving him a shot has more upside than either James Baldwin or Scott Erickson did.
¶ joe | 5:29 PM |
