How many pitchers should the Mets take into the playoffs?

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

On this page I posted a brief history of Mets pitchers in the 1986, 1988, 1999, and 2000 postseasons.

Today's question, though is:

How many pitchers should the Mets carry on their 2006 post-season roster?

[HahnSolo]

The title of the thread is how many they should take. I voted they should go with 10.

However, I believe they'll take 11.
Pedro, Glavine, Duque, Trax, Maine, Oliver, Bradford, Feliciano, Mota or Hernandez, Heilman, Wagner.

As much as I hate to say it because he's been great, the guy I'd take out to get to 10 is Maine. I really don't see what his role will be, b/c if healthy Pedro, Glavine, Duque, and Trax will be the only starters.

And between Mota and Roberto, based on the short tenures at Shea this year, I go with Mota.

[Guest vtmet]

53 Chad Bradford
25 Pedro Feliciano
47 Tom Glavine
48 Aaron Heilman
26 Orlando Hernandez
33 John Maine
59 Guillermo Mota
27 Darren Oliver
29 Steve Trachsel
13 Billy Wagner

Out of the 13 guys currently listed at mets.com for the current roster (it also included Williams, Oliver Perez and Robert Hernandez)...I'd imagine that when Pedro comes back he'd be added to the list that I trimmed down...which would bring them to 11...I think Bradford/Mota/Heilman's performance lately has made RoboCop not necessary for the playoffs...Williams/Perez seem unlikely as well, since WIllie said something along the lines of: the playoffs are not when you experiment with your pitching...too bad Traschel gets a free ride based on his win totals, because IMO he's the weakest pitcher that we have, pitches good when we're losing or tied, but struggles as soon as we get a lead (sitting on the bench during a rally throws off his rythym?)...

[Guest sharpie]

I think Mota and Hernandez are on the roster and that Maine isn't.

[metirish]

You would really drop Maine?, of all the starters he's the only one that is a power pitcher in the sence that the others rely on deception to get guys out,Maine from what I see gets his share of swings and misses...I'd keep him and move him to the pen if you want.

[Guest vtmet]

I think Maine has to make the roster, when Trax or Glavine or El Duque implode, we need Maine ready to step in and be a psydo-starter...

[Guest Edgy DC]

Dress ten, use nine, trust eight.

[HahnSolo]

If he's in that role, then take Oliver off the roster and add Maine. I'd be okay with that. You don't need both of them for the same role.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I don't think you can say there's a right number, especially given the opponents/parks and the DH possibility which'll change and allow roster re-sets between serieses.

I will say there will be some debate, which is expected when there's 25 guys on a roster but the team uses nearly 50 guys during the year.

[Guest vtmet]

I said 11 because that is what I think the Mets will do, although IMO, 10 would be ideal...what I would like to see, would be Trax being removed from the rotation & given the option: either you pitch out of the pen, or you don't make the playoff roster...

[metsmarathon]

i would much rather see us go in with trax and maine in the rotation, and el duque in the pen with oliver if needed.

[Guest Rotblatt]

I went with 11. At this point, I'd start Maine before Trachsel, although I'd still carry Trachs in case we needed an emergency start (say, we ended up using El Duque in an extra inning game, etc.).

S: Petey, Glavine, Hernandez, Maine
R: Wagner, Heilman, Bradford, Feliciano, Robo, Mota, Oliver, Trachsel

By the way, can I just mention that Willie's bullpen useage has been superb this year? It was my biggest gripe with him last year and he really seems to have turned the corner--his use of Bradford & Feliciano are the best examples, I think . . .

[MFS62]

Johnny Dickshot wrote: I don't think you can say there's a right number, especially given the opponents/parks and the DH possibility which'll change and allow roster re-sets between serieses.

JD nailed it.
The team is allowed to modify their roster as they move on to the next series of playoffs.

In the first round, you need 11 pitchers and 14 position players.
That provides the maximum flexibility. (If you pinch hit for a pitcher, you need one to replace him)
Then depending on how many games are necessary to win the first round, you can determine whether ot not you have to add a starter or whether the first round early game starters have had enough days of rest so they can start the second series. Eleven looks good here, too, but a first round reliever may have to be replaced with a starter.

In the World Series, the pitchers don't bat (d'oh), so they can (hopefully)stay in the game longer. And with the requirement for another bat in the lineup, that player may be added to replace one of the pitchers.

That said, I'll go with 11 pitchers for the first round, and Rotblatt's list looks pretty good to me:

] S: Petey, Glavine, Hernandez, Maine/ Traschell R: Wagner, Heilman, Bradford, Feliciano, Robo, Mota, Oliver, Trachsel/ Maine

Later

[Guest cooby]

Nine, four starters, five relievers

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

If the World Series goes seven games, pitchers will bat in three of them.

Other than that, why distinguish between the number of pitchers you'd need in the NLDS and the NLCS? The second series is longer, but you still have your "travel" days to refresh the bullpen.

[metirish]

I love that this year we are able to have this conversation.

>

[Guest Edgy DC]

...in two threads.

[MFS62]

Yancy Street Gang wrote: If the World Series goes seven games, pitchers will bat in three of them. Other than that, why distinguish between the number of pitchers you'd need in the NLDS and the NLCS? The second series is longer, but you still have your "travel" days to refresh the bullpen.

My number stays the same (11), but, based on how long the first series goes, you might want to revise the starter/ reliever mix.

Later

[Guest vtmet]

Mota has faced 20 batters as a Met, striking out 9 of the 20...only allowing 2 of them to reach base, only 1 scored...with the absense of Duaner Sanchez, IMO, he's a given...

on edit, oops, I assumed that I was responding to what someone said in the pitchers' thread...apparently it was in the roster thread...my bad...

[Frayed Knot]

I'm in the midst of reading the David Maraniss book on Clemente - which, not surprisingly, has a whole chapter on the '71 WS seeing as how it was Roberto's shining moment.

Anyway, I was struck by Pitt manager Danny Murtaugh's use of starters -
as he used 6 different ones in the first 6 games
- Dock Ellis (31 starts during the reg season)
- Bob Johnson (27)
- Steve Blass (33)
- Luke Walker (24)
- Nelson Briles (14)
- Bob Moose (18)
before returning to Blass for game 7

[Guest Edgy DC]

Got all September to choose between Robo and Mota.

[MFS62]

Yikes, and they won the World Series with that starting staff?

They must have all had their best years at the same time.

I'm beginning to feel a lot better about the Met chances.

Note: IIRC, Bob Moose pitched well against the Mets

Later

[Frayed Knot]

Not only did that staff win but they beat the vaunted '4 20-game winner' staff of the '71 Orioles: Cuellar, Palmer, McNally & Dobson.
All low scoring games except for game 2

[HahnSolo]

Didn't their "fifth" starter, Briles, pitch a 1-hitter?

[Frayed Knot]

Two Hitter

The whole Oriole team hit barely .200 for the Series

[Gwreck]

Rotblatt wrote: I went with 11. At this point, I'd start Maine before Trachsel, although I'd still carry Trachs in case we needed an emergency start (say, we ended up using El Duque in an extra inning game, etc.). S: Petey, Glavine, Hernandez, Maine R: Wagner, Heilman, Bradford, Feliciano, Robo, Mota, Oliver, Trachsel

This list has 12, not 11.

I think they take 11 in every round, simply because the starters can't be expected to go more than 5-7 innings each game.

My pick would be to take Maine as a starter. Trachsel would be left off the roster. Sad but necessary.

If I wasn't allowed to remove Trachsel, I'd put Maine in the 'pen and leave off R. Hernandez.

[Gwreck]

It's real easy to vote for 8 or 9 but much harder to pick the pitchers. To cooby (who said 9) and the voter for 8 -- who would you pick?

[Guest cooby]

Fair enough question. Remember, I can't watch the games so I can only go by stats.


Starters

Trachsel
Martinez
Glavine
O. Hernandez

Relievers

Wagner
Heilman
R. Hernandez
Feliciano
Bradford

[Gwreck]

Interesting choices. With that set of pitchers, you have to hope that nobody gets shelled or hurt, because there's no Maine or Oliver as a long man.

[metirish]

I'd throw El Duque in the pen and Maine in the rotation.