Tag Archive for Kyle Farnsworth

Ham and Egbert

June 1, 2014 Met Mysteries 4 comments

61Not clear as of this writing who will be demoted when journeyman lefty Dana Eveland arrives for today’s Mets-Phillies but it may as well be fellow traveler Buddy Carlyle who rescued an incompent Mets team Saturday with a win and 3 vital innings of relief work.

Carlyle wore No. 44, a quick reissue of the jersey Kyle Farnsworth fouled for the club. Eveland is said to be issued No. 61, a jersey last seen on the back of Jack Egbert, who might be the most forgettable Met all of all time.

44These Mets are driving me nuts. We know they don’t possess the most explosive offense in the league, but jeez, the pitching has been borderline great and the bullpen pieces appear to be in place after a lot of tinkering. So why do they struggle? Idiotic baserunning by the likes of Daniel Murphy and easy pop-ups clanking off Chris Young’s glove in the outfield. Philly is a flat-out awful team. It wouldn’t take 14 innings or more to beat them if the Mets could only be counted on to avoid these preventable execution errors. Not sure how Terry is dealing with this, but I’d bench Murph today and act like he won’t go tomorrow until he gets the message.

Let’s Go Mets and stuff.

 

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Saved

May 15, 2014 Uncategorized 4 comments

44It’s harrowing at times, and probably not entirely by design, but hats off to the threadbare Mets for demonstrating how inconsequential the whole notion of the closer role is this year, seeing as they’ve essentially stashed their worst pitchers there since the early injury to Bobby Parnell and are still hanging in there.

And as though to prove it, after Wednesday’s game (and Monday’s so-called “save”) they cashiered closer-of-the-moment Kyle Farnsworth so as to call up their own questionable relief talent (Josh Edgin) and save a few bucks. Who’s next in line? Who cares? It’s clear that without a true standout, and by avoiding the total gascans (or reassigning and or releasing them when appropriate) Whomever Pitches That Night will convert saves at about the same rate as That Other Guy. It’s true the Mets have had an abysmal conversion rate on saves this year (47%) but the leaguewide average isn’t much to look at either (64%) and you figure the process of competition and tinkering — particularly at the dawn of a wave of incoming pitching talent — will improve the performance over time. Right now they could turn to veteran mediocrities like Jose Valverde or Daiskue Matsuzaka — or promising-but-erractic performers like Jeurys Familia or Jennry Mejia. I have confidence that can all get about 64%. It really doesn’t matter.

66At any rate, I’m not losing sleep over the whacking of Kyle Farnsworth, yet another complete disaster to have worn No. 44 for the Mets. Seriously this shirt from Jason Bay to John Buck to Lastings Milledge has belonged almost exclusively to losers and disappointments. Josh Edgin, last time we saw him, was the Mets first and still only No. 66.

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Walk-off

May 13, 2014 Uncategorized One comment

50All pumped up again over the Mets who badly beat a hilariously old and ineffectual Yankee squad last night as word came the club was on the verge of the first wave of player promotions that hopefully improve the performance and outlook of the team. Wednesday’s starter will be Rafael Montero, whom we saw this spring wearing No. 50.

48Similarly, Jacob deGrom wore No. 48 in spring, which has also remained available. Not certain on the corresponding moves yet, although Gonzalez Germen is hitting the disabled list to make room for deGrom. Just guessing now but would be great to cut loose Kyle Farnsworth while we’re still ahead. Unlike many Mets fans I never had a strong opinion of the whole Mejia thing but he looks like he’s having fun here so let’s keep it going.

mejia

 

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To Be Named Later

April 21, 2014 Met Mysteries, Uncategorized 2 comments

Good morning. Quick note to catch up on the rapidly evolving and possibly improving 2014 Mets.

Kyle Farnsworth,  whom I don’t like, has taken over closing duties from Jose Valverde,  whom I don’t trust, but the question remains who’s next once Farnsworth has proven untrustworthy. Seems so far that Gonzalez Germen has the results and Jeurys Familia the stuff but I have this crazy notion of shocking the world behind Dice K-loser. Unless things get really bad we’ll probably learn again this year that who closes doesn’t matter all that much, as long as someone does.

29On the other hand, who plays first base every day does matter,  and I’m relieved to see they finally did something about that. I ran out of patience with Ike Davis a few years ago and long since resigned myself to the fact that he was destined to go cheaply in a trade. There’s some buzz out there that the Player To Be Named is significant;  I’d guess potentially so, given that’s the best way to describe Ike too. So long, Ike.  Like Steve Trachsel you were a pretty good representative of No. 29 but it didn’t end well.

53This morning we get the news that ancient chunky hit machine Bobby Abreu will arrive to take Ike ‘ place as lefthanded pinch hitter. I have to say I like having a “professional hitter” with no dreams of being a starter ever again to be hitting late-inning doubles for me, and Abreu joins what looks to be a pretty solid bench.

Abreu is notable for having worn the oddish No. 53 all those years with the Phillies. I can’t imagine the shelved Jeremy Hefner would mind loaning it to Bobby because I can’t imagine a scenario where their active careers overlap again. Twenty-nine is available too now but, no.

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Meet This Year’s Special Guest Veteran Closer

February 13, 2014 Met Mysteries 4 comments

47The Mets on Wednesday announced Jose Valverde as the second candidate to become this year’s Special Guest Veteran Closer, a role played a year ago by Brandon Lyon and LaTroy Hawkins and the year before by Jason Isringhausen.

Valverde at one time was a heck of a closer for Detroit, but became something of a gasbag by 2012. One of his competitors in Mets camp is the mookish Kyle Farnsworth, himself a former 100-mph freak but more recently the kind of guy teams reach for when they’re unsure of the health of their closer. I guess the Mets sort of qualify.

Farnsworth has been issued No. 44, which is the number I recall him wearing back when he was a phenom with the Cubs. No word yet on Valverde’s digits though he’s most often worn 47. That number currently belongs to Andrew Brown, whose own path to a job this year appears difficult, especially if Josh Satin really learns how to play the outfield.

Purely as a matter of taste I’d prefer the demonstrative Valverde over the combustible Farnsworth but history suggests we stand a pretty good chance of seeing both, or neither. Let’s see how it goes.

 

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