The Mets bullpen has been in constant transition, pretty much since early March when the Mets lost Josh Edgin to Tommy John Surgery, and Vic Black was shutdown with weakness resulting from a herniated disc in his neck.
But the transition has afforded opportunities for some unexpected arms to shine over the early part of the season.
One player who has capitalized on his opportunity is Erik Goeddel. On Saturday, he turned in two more spotless innings, allowing three hits and striking out one.
He’s not an overpowering guy by any means, but he started to work his way onto the club’s radar a year ago in spring training. He’s a guy the team has always liked, as he has typically always had command of his entire arsenal throughout his professional career. Now he’s begun incorporating a split fingered fastball into his repertoire, which can be particularly effective against left-handed pitching.
“We’re going to start using [Goeddel] in a little bit higher-leverage situations because we think he’s a guy who can get a strikeout when you need it,” Terry Collins said after Saturday night’s win over the Brewers.
Goeddel has not allowed a run in 13 appearances so far this season, has struct out 9.5 batters per nine innings, and has only allowed one of his seven inherited runners to score.
He’s certainly earned it. The amazing part about his journey is, he might not even be in the big leagues if Jenrry Mejia had stayed both healthy and clean this season. Now, an argument could easily be made for Goeddel to be a primary weapon in the eighth inning.
Indeed, baseball is a funny game.
Just Mets 