It has not been a good week for Terry Collins and his pitching staff.
First, they lost Josh Edgin to Tommy John Surgery. Then, with what seemed like a blink of an eye, Zack Wheeler became victimized by the same fate.
At the same time, more and more uncertainty has grown around Vic Black and his status for Opening Day. He’s dealing with lingering shoulder soreness and weakness and has been shutdown once again, although an MRI taken last week suggests there is no structural damage.
The three injuries have left Terry Collins and the Mets front office scrambling for alternatives, and they have very little time to find an effective solution.
“We’ve been bragging about the back end of our bullpen, and right now it’s down to two,” Collins said, according to the New York Post.
Because they’re now down to two (Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia) in the bullpen, and both Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz being ticketed for the Las Vegas 51s starting rotation to begin the year, Rafael Montero has emerged as an immediate candidate to fill one void on the Mets pitching staff.
Or, multiple voids.
“I think what we’re doing is we have to protect ourselves in case something else happens and we have another starter that we can rely on,” Collins said on Thursday. “That’s why we’re keeping [Montero] stretched out.”
Over the last year, Montero has faced an uncertain path to the big leagues, partly because of a numbers game but also due to his own inconsistencies and inability to throw strikes, something he was known for in the minors. Over his first four starts last May, Montero went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA, walking 11 in 20 innings over that span, throwing only 59 percent of his pitches for strikes.
That performance prompted a demotion back to Triple-A Las Vegas, a place Montero would stay for the next 2 1/2 months.
When Montero was demoted last May, Terry Collins opined Montero became unwilling to throw his change-up which partly contributed to his command and efficiency problems.
“He’s got to use his pitches,” Collins explained last May. “At this level you limit the pitches to hitters, you better locate. Because when those hitters can eliminate one of your pitches for what they look for they can be dangerous.”
As late as last month, Terry Collins wasn’t sure how Montero might fit into his group of pitchers. He had made only one appearance over the first couple of weeks of a Grapefruit League play as Collins was trying to tune the players he knew were on his blueprint.
But with sudden voids and uncertainty in the rotation and both sides of the bullpen, Montero has been given a new chance. And on Thursday, he took advantage of that chance.
On what has been billed as a slow radar gun at Tradition Field, Montero was clocked at 94 mph with his fastball. Most important to Terry Collins was he effectively and consistently mixed his change-up which nicely differentiated his fastball in the low 80s. His 3 2/3 innings of one run, two-hit ball against the Astros in Port St. Lucie were suggestive he was not only healthy, but a guy who is capable of pitching in a variety of roles in the bullpen, and maybe a starter as well, just in case.
Apparently, that’s exactly what Terry Collins was looking for.
Just Mets 