You Make the Call: Manny Acosta

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

He's one of these guys I always forget is a Met. But you know, he's not an especially bad one. what do you think in 2012?

[metirish]

Not only that but I forget that he is only 30 and not 43 or something like I used to think.

IP - 54 - 3.05 ERA - SO - 51 - HITS - 49

a good year for Manny ....hard thrower too

[Benjamin Grimm]

60 games, 3.30 ERA, five saves.

He's on a Schaefer Reliever-of-the-Month streak; if he wins it in April it will be the third consecutive time.

[MFS62]

I don't have to make the call.
He'll be called enough times this year - 62 of them, pitching 71 innings, to the tune of a 3.20 ERA.
Evenyually, someone will realize he's doing better than most of the other closer candidates, and he will finish the year successfully closing 9 of his 10 opportunities.

Later

[Ceetar]

3.2 ERA, 60 IP, 59 Ks, boatload of Holds, 1 wild pitch.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

The HR/9-- 1.15 last year-- seems a little shaky, especially considering that the fence-moving hadn't taken place yet.

Still useful, but I'm thinking more like:

48 G, 49 IP, 3.86 ERA, 47 K/16 BB, 7 HR allowed, 0 saves

[Vic Sage]

40g, 45ip, 3.3 era, but he reverts to career norms by walking too many guys in key situations (5.1bb/9ip in over 500ip in the minors; 4.7bb in over 100ip with Atlanta), losing Collins' trust and falling on the depth chart to lower leverage situations. And wit Rauch, Ramirez and Parnell ahead of him, he never gets a sniff of the 9th inning.

[Edgy MD]

I agree that he never sniffs the ninth, but neither do I think that he'll fall so particularly out of favor. But on second thought, yeah, there'll be some stretches where Collins will seem to have forgotten his name for two or three weeks.

He'll have some stretches where he's as good as anybody in the pen, some where he's as bad.

55 games, 72 IP, 3.21 ERA. Might get traded if he's on an upswing at the deadline and the Met see themselves as sellers. He can be passed off as a Carlos Diaz.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'm thinking our entire bullpen could be fired out of a cannon in July.

Even if not, I think Manny is likely to continue being a slightly better than average reliever who will have to mind his meatballs while continuing to improve his control.

3-3, 3.60, 50 games, 54 innings, 50/23 K/BB, 7 dingers

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Edgy DC wrote: I agree that he never sniffs the ninth, but neither do I think that he'll fall so particularly out of favor. But on second thought, yeah, there'll be some stretches where Collins will seem to have forgotten his name for two or three weeks. He'll have some stretches where he's as good as anybody in the pen, some where he's as bad. 55 games, 72 IP, 3.21 ERA. Might get traded if he's on an upswing at the deadline and the Met see themselves as sellers. He can be passed off as a Carlos Diaz.

That's a lot of innings for the third or fourth guy out of the bullpen door, no? (Or are you pencilling in a lot of short outings for the starters?)

[Edgy MD]

I'm thinking he gets a lot of two-inning mopup jobs, particularly early in the season, whereas a lot of the higher-profile guys will only get to work two-three outs per appearance.

[Edgy MD]

Biggest game of the year and Acosta on for the save.

[metirish]

Edgy DC wrote: Biggest game of the year and Acosta on for the save.

in a must win game?

[Ceetar]

metirish wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Biggest game of the year and Acosta on for the save. in a must win game?

games 163/WC game. Frank Frank blew it in the 9th, Acosta in in the 19th.

[batmagadanleadoff]

I've had it up to here with the way relievers are used what with the closer schmoser and the this guy gets the last inning and I know so two and a half weeks ahead of time no matter who's batting and what's on base so I'm not gonna make any predictions, 'specially about a pitcher who accumulates seasons 40 innings at a time.

[Ceetar]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I've had it up to here with the way relievers are used what with the closer schmoser and the this guy gets the last inning and I know so two and a half weeks ahead of time no matter who's batting and what's on base so I'm not gonna make any predictions, 'specially about a pitcher who accumulates seasons 40 innings at a time.

It's alright, we won't punish you (much) if you guess wrong.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: I've had it up to here with the way relievers are used what with the closer schmoser and the this guy gets the last inning and I know so two and a half weeks ahead of time no matter who's batting and what's on base so I'm not gonna make any predictions, 'specially about a pitcher who accumulates seasons 40 innings at a time.

Well, that's getting into the spirit of the thing!

[Benjamin Grimm]

I do think he'll get a few save chances because I don't expect Francisco to hold down the "closer" job for the entire season, start to finish.

And yes, I also despise this assigned-inning crap. I don't think it will last forever, but it has already gone on for far too long. Eventually some new conventional wisdom about bullpen management will come along. Whether it will be better or worse than what we have now, who can say?

[batmagadanleadoff]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Eventually some new conventional wisdom about bullpen management will come along.

I'm glad to hear that. If there's one thing I learned in life, it's that nothing lasts forever.


Except maybe Ed Kranepool's Met franchise all-time hit record.

[Edgy MD]

Ceetar wrote: metirish wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Biggest game of the year and Acosta on for the save. in a must win game? games 163/WC game. Frank Frank blew it in the 9th, Acosta in in the 19th.

Oh, I mean today. Gorgeous stuff.

[smg58]

3.40 ERA in 65 IP. Not spectacular, but certainly serviceable. And better than two of the Mets' offseason acquisitions.

[Edgy MD]

Acosta pitched a perfect inning and a third yesterday. Struck out three of the four guys he faced, too.