Much Love for Nelson Figueroa

[bmfc1]

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/why-nelson-figueroa-is-good/

The first comment is worth noting as it brings us up to date.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Excellent link.

If the Mets try to open the season by farming him out again, I have to think he'll be claimed.

Nelson fills Craig Swan's uniform well.

[Guest attgig]

he did show that he was very capable last year, even with his wife's blog (which is private now) did well whereever he was moved to. i like that attitude and him actually sticking around with the mets through all that. i'd love to see him get a real shot at the #5 spot now that we didn't play 8+ mil to any pitcher...and even if we do sign sheets (or someone else), put him up against ollie, maine, & pelf... i know, they're all golden boys, but still. i think figgy earned himself a real shot.

[metirish]

hdarvick said... No Triple A for Nelson Figueroa. Never again. What are the Mets� plans for him? Well, he�s now pitching in the Dominican Republic Winter League for the Escogido Leones (Lions). He relieved in four games, 9.2 innings, 0.93 ERA. The Lions made the playoffs and lost the first two games. So yesterday (Jan. 20), he started, went 6.2 innings, allowed 1 run, and the Lions won the game. Are the Mets paying attention? I would think so: the Lions manager is Ken Oberkfell, former Mets coach and presently their manager in Buffalo. It�s not a coincidence that Figgy is pitching for Escogido. He�s continuing his superb pitching since mid-August when he took Santana�s spot in the rotation: In 8 starts his ERA was 3.38. Take away one bad start, and in 7 of the 8 games he had a 2.23 ERA. Averaged 6+ innings per start. He was 2-6, but in his 6 losses, the Mets scored a total of 11 runs. Figueroa was the only Mets pitcher to throw a complete game shut out at Citi Field. Had more September strikeouts than any Mets pitcher. By the way, if he had pitched just 3 more innings in Triple A in 2009 (he pitched 112), he would have led the International League in lowest ERA (2.25) and lowest WHIP (1.03). Nelson Figueroa is that good.

good stuff

[batmagadanleadoff]

For those unfamiliar with Nelson Figueroa's story, it's a good one. Figueroa attended Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, which normally churns out basketball players such as Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair.

And Lee Mazzilli. Lee Mazzilli graduated from Lincoln H.S. The writer forgot about Lee Mazzilli.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He's been responsible for 2 of my more pleasant home-field experiences of the last two seasons-- his drizzly hometown-boy-made-good start against the Brewers (with 5-plus no-hit innings!) and last year's closing day CG shutout.

On paper, he's super-serviceable... and dirt-cheap.

Plus, he's smart, and seems like a guy who'd actually be interesting to converse with about non-baseball things. And the chinlessness just adds cult appeal.

For those unfamiliar with Nelson Figueroa's story, it's a good one. Figueroa attended Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, which normally churns out basketball players such as Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair.

And Lee Mazzilli. Lee Mazzilli graduated from Lincoln H.S. The writer forgot about Lee Mazzilli.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Mel F. Brooks.

[Vic Sage]

also, Arthur Miller
...and my 2 older brothers, too. By the time it was my turn for HS, however, we had been redistricted for Lafayette HS, which was a dangerous place to be. So i went to Dewey. But its as good a reason as any for me to root for Figgy... go Figgy! go Railsplitters!

[batmagadanleadoff]

He's been responsible for 2 of my more pleasant home-field experiences of the last two seasons-- his drizzly hometown-boy-made-good start against the Brewers (with 5-plus no-hit innings!) and last year's closing day CG shutout.[/quote:2i79jj5w]

I was there for closing day, 2009. That game was my favorite of all the Mets games I atended last season. I had great seats (about eight rows behind home plate right behing the foul ball nettiing) and from my vantage, Figueora had no-hit stuff that afternoon. In fact, I can't remember immediately the last time I was at a game where the pitcher's stuff was as good as Figgy's.
I'm not saying that Figgy's shutout was the best pitched game I ever saw live, but that I have to give this more thought than the time it's taking me to write this post.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I still have not watched a sporting event, or any non-TiVoed television broadcast, since that last game by Figueroa.

[Guest Edgy DC]

also, Arthur Miller
...and my 2 older brothers, too. By the time it was my turn for HS, however, we had been redistricted for Lafayette HS, which was a dangerous place to be. So i went to Dewey. But its as good a reason as any for me to root for Figgy... go Figgy! go Railsplitters![/quote:6n0cb6nu]
That's a great nickname.

Their original nickname: The Honest Abes.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

He's been responsible for 2 of my more pleasant home-field experiences of the last two seasons-- his drizzly hometown-boy-made-good start against the Brewers (with 5-plus no-hit innings!) and last year's closing day CG shutout.[/quote:jrk0p3lf]

I was there for closing day, 2009. That game was my favorite of all the Mets games I atended last season. I had great seats (about eight rows behind home plate right behing the foul ball nettiing) and from my vantage, Figueora had no-hit stuff that afternoon. In fact, I can't remember immediately the last time I was at a game where the pitcher's stuff was as good as Figgy's.
I'm not saying that Figgy's shutout was the best pitched game I ever saw live, but that I have to give this more thought than the time it's taking me to write this post.[/quote:jrk0p3lf]

It's up there with the win over the Phils in May (Santana shakes off bunt sign and smacks an RBI double, Church home run into the apple well).

That must have been one hell of a game to see from your seats-- junk like Nelson's always looks funkiest from behind the plate and the 1st/3rd base perpendicular view. (I remember some game in 2007 where we had third-baseline seats for Phils-Mets, and Moyer was pitching... you could actually trace the path of his curveball with your eyes before it broke. Bugs Bunny stuff. Hilarious.)