Memories of Chris Bassitt

[A Boy Named Seo]

Signed with the Blue Jays today for 3 years and $63M.



Someone here said they couldn't tell Bassitt and Canha apart and after that, I started to confuse them.



God speed, Chris Bassitt!



https://www.baseball-reference.com/req/202209210/images/headshots/c/ca283903_mlbam.jpg>

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

They might not let him in the country if he's as antivaxx as he came off.



also the pitch-clock rule is going to eff with him mercilessly.



But I liked how steady he was given his stupid outbursts and long-delivery times.

[metirish]

I was one of those that couldn't tell them apart, anyway , absolutely miserable to watch pitch most nights

[MFS62]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: also the pitch-clock rule is going to eff with him mercilessly.

They probably measure time in meters in the Rogers Centre.

J/K

Nobody picked Toronto in our FA contest.

Later

Edited December 12, 2022 by Guest

[G-Fafif]

I liked that he figured out how to work with Nido (and Mazeika) on the fly after clearly not being on the same page with them and admitting he should have stepped up in that regard sooner post-lockout, when he built rapport with only light-hitting James McCann.



No pitcher seemed to jump off the mound faster after he believed he'd achieved an inning-ending strikeout, even when the umpire called strike three a ball.



Wasn't as clutch as I built him up to be in my mind, but two blah starts that effectively kicked away the division and guaranteed playoff elimination do not a solid season unmake, or words to that effect.

[Edgy MD]

The Chris Bassitt who publicly owned the responsibility to get on the same page with his catcher was a stand-up guy. I remember that well. He also improved immediately after that.



The Chris Bassitt who publicly declared his intention to lie if ever tests positive for COVID, because his next start is more important than the health of his teammates and their families, was something else. I will remember that guy well also.

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

He was on the hill when I made my pilgrimage to Citi Firld this year. Marlins win that night, but it was great to be at Citi and see him.



I wish him well in Toronto.

[A Boy Named Seo]

Memories of Chris Bassitt quickly turned into a roasting of Chris Bassitt and I'm here for it. He was also a red-ass about the quality (or lack thereof) of the baseballs provided by MLB because, duh, he's a captain red ass.

[TransMonk]

I got the impression all year that his personality didn't really jibe with being in NYC.



On the mound, he was mostly good. But his bad stints were slogs.

[batmagadanleadoff]

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[Fman99]

Was great until he sucked big fat dongus against ATL in September and San Diego in October. So, you know, thanks and stuff, but also, not sad at all that he's pitching elsewhere in 2023.

[Edgy MD]

I would guess that only Mike Hampton ranks ahead of him among one-year Mets starting pitchers.

[Gwreck]

Kevin Appier's 2001 might also have been stronger (albeit for a weaker team overall).

[roger_that]

Are we moving (we = baseball, not Mets or CPF) in the direction of teams having higher turnover of starting pitchers, so that every team will experience 70 or 80% turnover every year or two? When we will be literally able to ID team/years by who the starting pitchers were?



In other words, am I overreacting to the Mets' sudden high turnover rate? Am I glorifying the stability of my youth, when the Mets' starters of Craig/Jackson/Willey/Fisher/Cisco seemed to last forever, but in reality had the same turnover rate of later Mets/ teams? Is this reality or just a fantasy?

[Marshmallowmilkshake]

=roger_that post_id=114676 time=1670940931 user_id=128]
Are we moving (we = baseball, not Mets or CPF) in the direction of teams having higher turnover of starting pitchers, so that every team will experience 70 or 80% turnover every year or two? When we will be literally able to ID team/years by who the starting pitchers were?



In other words, am I overreacting to the Mets' sudden high turnover rate? Am I glorifying the stability of my youth, when the Mets' starters of Craig/Jackson/Willey/Fisher/Cisco seemed to last forever, but in reality had the same turnover rate of later Mets/ teams? Is this reality or just a fantasy?

[Edgy MD]

As long as there's the cost-control mechanisms that keep pitchers more affordable until they get their six years in, teams will have a motivation to keep younger pitchers around for six years.



But now the Mets have, perhaps, less motivation than other teams, and if they can assemble six starters they think are better than Megill and Peterson, they will, cost be damned.

[roger_that]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. if teams, not just the Mets, opt to offer shorter, more lucrative contracts, they're going to have to have a system of one-, two-, and three-year deals rotating so they don't need to fill five SP spots per year, just two or three.



I think the deGrom-style contract is going to fade out, especially if Jake pulls up short in Year One or Year two of this deal.



This is all fueled by logic, and the penalty of a luxury tax--you really can't afford to be burdened by multiple megamillion-dollar deals for players who are no longer producing, or even active. If Texas winds up shelling out 100+ million in 2028 for players no longer on their active roster, it will be a huge hit for them.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Edgy MD wrote: I would guess that only Mike Hampton ranks ahead of him among one-year Mets starting pitchers.

One-year Mets with 25 or more starts:



Mickey Lolich 1976 30 starts, 8-13 192.2 innings, 3.22

Mark Bomback 1980 25 starts, 10-8 162.2 innings, 4.09

Frank Tanana 1993 29 starts, 7-15 183 innings, 4.48

Paul Wilson 1996 26 starts, 5-12 149 innings, 5.38

Orel Hershiser 1999 32 starts, 13-12 179 innings, 4.58

Mike Hampton 2000 33 starts, 15-10 217.2 innings, 3.14

Kevin Appier 2001 33 starts, 11-10 206.2 innings, 3.57

Chris Capuano 2011 31 starts, 11-12 186 innings, 4.55

Chris Bassitt 2022 30 starts, 15-9 181.2 innings, 3.42

[Edgy MD]

Lolich and Ray Burris were the other ones who popped into my head. Burris, it turns out, had appeared in four games the previous season, and Lolich's ERA, while notably low from the perspective of 2022, looks less impressive in the context of the run-scoring environment of the time.

[MFS62]

When I think of Mark Bomback I remember his nickname was "Boom Boom".

But his record wasn't that bad.

He gave up 17 homers in those 162.2 IP.

And his ERA was right in the middle of the ERAs mentioned above.

Sorry, Mark.

We've been treating you unfairly.



Later

[Edgy MD]

I don't think his nickname had a derisive origin, but was just a play on his name. It may have been given a negative connotation retroactively.

[bmfc1]

Was great until he sucked big fat dongus against ATL in September and San Diego in October. So, you know, thanks and stuff, but also, not sad at all that he's pitching elsewhere in 2023.

In comedy, if you have a bad set you "ate a dick on stage". Bassitt ate a big dick in the two biggest games of the season. He also let his former manager psych him out in G3 by having his players step out of the box to throw off his timing. Given how long he takes to throw a pitch, let's see how he does with the pitch clock. "Good luck against the MFYs and go F yourself."

[Benjamin Grimm]

http://leaptoad.com/mets/cards/ChrisBassitt1973.jpg> http://www.leaptoad.com/mets/cards/ChrisBassitt1976.jpg>



Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Month, September 2022. Schaefer Mets Pitcher of the Year, 2022.

[Lefty Specialist]

I think the pitch clock is going to affect him big-time. I'd be more broken up about him leaving if they hadn't already lined up replacements.



His red-assness was annoying, as were those incessant SNY commercials where he swore he was going to Grind Us Down.

[batmagadanleadoff]

=roger_that post_id=114676 time=1670940931 user_id=128]
Are we moving (we = baseball, not Mets or CPF) in the direction of teams having higher turnover of starting pitchers, so that every team will experience 70 or 80% turnover every year or two? When we will be literally able to ID team/years by who the starting pitchers were?



In other words, am I overreacting to the Mets' sudden high turnover rate? Am I glorifying the stability of my youth, when the Mets' starters of Craig/Jackson/Willey/Fisher/Cisco seemed to last forever, but in reality had the same turnover rate of later Mets/ teams? Is this reality or just a fantasy?