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2/11/2002 9:00 am ET
Mets Spring Training Preview
New-look offense will be fine, but can the rotation stay healthy?
By Kevin T. Czerwinski
MLB.com
Mets at a glance
Mets preview on MLB Radio
Mets first baseman Mo Vaughn
Mets second baseman Roberto Alomar
As frustrating a season as 2001 was for the Mets, one area of the team about which manager Bobby Valentine had little to worry was starting pitching. New York's rotation, while lacking what many would consider a bona fide ace, was tremendous for much of last year.
Limited run support, however, left New York's starting staff with little wiggle room. Still, Al Leiter and Co. responded by leading the National League and tying Seattle for the Major League lead with 14 shutouts. They were third in the National League in low-run games [shutouts, one-run and two-run games] with 52, trailing only Arizona [57] and St. Louis [62]. The Mets' team ERA was 4.07, good enough for fifth in the National League.
That was then. General manager Steve Phillips went out this winter and significantly upgraded an offense that finished last in the National League in runs, RBIs and slugging percentage and next to last in home runs. Pushing runs across the plate shouldn't be a problem this season.
Now, however, a different question comes into play regarding the rotation. Will the New York starting staff stay healthy enough to match last season's production? With Pedro Astacio and Jeff D'Amico on board, the Mets have the ability to be dominant. Yet, both come with a history of injuries, leaving New York with the potential for some rotation problems.
Astacio is expected to fall into the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind Leiter. He's coming off a season in which he missed the final two months with a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder. Astacio opted for rest and rehab rather than surgery and set about proving that he could still pitch during this winter's Dominican League season.
He impressed the Mets enough to earn an incentive-laden contract. Astacio will make $5 million this season with a vested option for 2003. If he pitches 180 innings, the option for next season, worth $11 million, would kick in. He could also earn $5 million this year in performance bonuses.
Phillips speaks about the risk and reward factor with Astacio. The same conversation can be had about D'Amico, who was out for most of last season with a nerve problem in his upper arm. D'Amico's presence in the rotation, if he's healthy, is a major addition. He was Milwaukee's first-round pick in the 1993 First-Year Player Draft but has been on the disabled list every season since for a variety of ailments.
There were bone chips in his elbow in '94, tendinitis in '95, '97 and '00, a torn labrum in '98 and '99. In between, he's posted a 29-24 career mark, including 2000 when he went 12-7 with a 2.66 ERA in 23 starts. Yet, D'Amico, Phillips and Milwaukee general manager Dean Taylor all insist he is healthy. Taylor, however, preferred to have the more durable but less consistent Glendon Rusch in his rotation rather than take another chance on D'Amico, shipping the potential-laden right-hander to the Mets last month in the Jeromy Burnitz deal.
So where does all this leave Valentine as he pencils in his expected starting rotation? He has Leiter in the top spot followed by Astacio, San Francisco import Shawn Estes, D'Amico and Steve Trachsel. If either Astacio or D'Amico go down with an injury, Bruce Chen can fill in. But what if both go down?
Phillips doesn't like to deal in hypothetical situations and Valentine is unflappable in the face of adversity. But will either be comfortable if Dicky Gonzalez or Chen have to assume full-time starting roles? Gonzalez did a nice job as a replacement starter last year, but didn't show enough to indicate he was anything more than a five-inning pitcher. Chen went 3-2 in 11 starts for New York, posting a 4.68 ERA. But if Phillips were comfortable with the prospect of either Gonzalez or Chen being an integral part of the staff, he wouldn't have gone out and acquired Astacio and D'Amico in the first place.
Leiter is a year closer to retiring than his prime and Trachsel has a shaky history at best. It all leaves the Mets with the potential for a mixed bag of a starting rotation when the season begins.
New York's offense will certainly be formidable. The potential for scoring six or seven runs a game is certainly great with the likes of Roberto Alomar, Mike Piazza, Mo Vaughn and Burnitz dotting the middle of the lineup. But if Phillips' risk and reward plan for the starting staff ends up providing more risks that rewards, where will that leave the Mets?
Shea StadiumMinor LeaguesHistoryCommunity OutreachKidsFan ForumFantasySpring Training
News
2/11/2002 9:00 am ET
Mets Spring Training Preview
New-look offense will be fine, but can the rotation stay healthy?
By Kevin T. Czerwinski
MLB.com
Mets at a glance
Mets preview on MLB Radio
Mets first baseman Mo Vaughn
Mets second baseman Roberto Alomar
As frustrating a season as 2001 was for the Mets, one area of the team about which manager Bobby Valentine had little to worry was starting pitching. New York's rotation, while lacking what many would consider a bona fide ace, was tremendous for much of last year.
Limited run support, however, left New York's starting staff with little wiggle room. Still, Al Leiter and Co. responded by leading the National League and tying Seattle for the Major League lead with 14 shutouts. They were third in the National League in low-run games [shutouts, one-run and two-run games] with 52, trailing only Arizona [57] and St. Louis [62]. The Mets' team ERA was 4.07, good enough for fifth in the National League.
That was then. General manager Steve Phillips went out this winter and significantly upgraded an offense that finished last in the National League in runs, RBIs and slugging percentage and next to last in home runs. Pushing runs across the plate shouldn't be a problem this season.
Now, however, a different question comes into play regarding the rotation. Will the New York starting staff stay healthy enough to match last season's production? With Pedro Astacio and Jeff D'Amico on board, the Mets have the ability to be dominant. Yet, both come with a history of injuries, leaving New York with the potential for some rotation problems.
Astacio is expected to fall into the No. 2 spot in the rotation behind Leiter. He's coming off a season in which he missed the final two months with a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder. Astacio opted for rest and rehab rather than surgery and set about proving that he could still pitch during this winter's Dominican League season.
He impressed the Mets enough to earn an incentive-laden contract. Astacio will make $5 million this season with a vested option for 2003. If he pitches 180 innings, the option for next season, worth $11 million, would kick in. He could also earn $5 million this year in performance bonuses.
Phillips speaks about the risk and reward factor with Astacio. The same conversation can be had about D'Amico, who was out for most of last season with a nerve problem in his upper arm. D'Amico's presence in the rotation, if he's healthy, is a major addition. He was Milwaukee's first-round pick in the 1993 First-Year Player Draft but has been on the disabled list every season since for a variety of ailments.
There were bone chips in his elbow in '94, tendinitis in '95, '97 and '00, a torn labrum in '98 and '99. In between, he's posted a 29-24 career mark, including 2000 when he went 12-7 with a 2.66 ERA in 23 starts. Yet, D'Amico, Phillips and Milwaukee general manager Dean Taylor all insist he is healthy. Taylor, however, preferred to have the more durable but less consistent Glendon Rusch in his rotation rather than take another chance on D'Amico, shipping the potential-laden right-hander to the Mets last month in the Jeromy Burnitz deal.
So where does all this leave Valentine as he pencils in his expected starting rotation? He has Leiter in the top spot followed by Astacio, San Francisco import Shawn Estes, D'Amico and Steve Trachsel. If either Astacio or D'Amico go down with an injury, Bruce Chen can fill in. But what if both go down?
Phillips doesn't like to deal in hypothetical situations and Valentine is unflappable in the face of adversity. But will either be comfortable if Dicky Gonzalez or Chen have to assume full-time starting roles? Gonzalez did a nice job as a replacement starter last year, but didn't show enough to indicate he was anything more than a five-inning pitcher. Chen went 3-2 in 11 starts for New York, posting a 4.68 ERA. But if Phillips were comfortable with the prospect of either Gonzalez or Chen being an integral part of the staff, he wouldn't have gone out and acquired Astacio and D'Amico in the first place.
Leiter is a year closer to retiring than his prime and Trachsel has a shaky history at best. It all leaves the Mets with the potential for a mixed bag of a starting rotation when the season begins.
New York's offense will certainly be formidable. The potential for scoring six or seven runs a game is certainly great with the likes of Roberto Alomar, Mike Piazza, Mo Vaughn and Burnitz dotting the middle of the lineup. But if Phillips' risk and reward plan for the starting staff ends up providing more risks that rewards, where will that leave the Mets?
