A Healthy Duaner Sanchez Holds the Key to Successful 2008 Season for the Mets
But perhaps the most important person to the Mets' 2008 hopes is reliever Duaner Sanchez.
It is odd to think that a set-up man might be the most important man on the roster of a club that is filled with both Cy Young candidates and MVP hopefuls.
Sanchez had a fine year for the Mets in 2006 before he got hurt. He was 5-1 with a 2.60 ERA. Those are nice numbers but they don't show why he's so important to the club's chances this season.
Nicknamed "Dirty" the Mets were 62-39 through July 28th in 2006, the last game Dirty Sanchez pitched in before the infamous taxi cab accident. Sanchez suffered a separated shoulder when the taxi he was riding in was hit by a drunk driver. The injury caused Sanchez to miss the remainder of 2006 and contributed to him sitting out the entire 2007 season.
The righty reliever is such an integral part of the club because along with Aaron Heilman, he gave the Mets two reliable set-up men to get the ball to elite closer Billy Wagner. Having the option to alternate set-up men kept both Heilman and Sanchez healthy and gave the Mets a big edge over all of their rivals.
In 2007, the Mets got off to a great start because rookie reliever Joe Smith was doing a fantastic Duaner Sanchez imitation. Smith did not give up a run in his first 17 outings and through June 2nd he allowed runs in just two of 27 appearances. The Mets were 35-19, in first place and riding high.
But the league adjusted to Smith. He had a 7.36 ERA in June and in July he found himself back in the Minors. Meanwhile, the Mets did not make a move to replace Sanchez/Smith and manager Willie Randolph insisted on using Guillermo Mota in high-leverage situations. And the rest is history. New York finished 53-55 after June 2nd.
The Mets hoped Sanchez would be back in 2007, but he had a screw inserted into a small bone in his right shoulder to repair a hairline fracture on April 10th and did not pitch the entire season.
But now Sanchez is back after 16 months of rehab and is poised to make another big impact for the Mets. He appeared in an intra-squad game on Monday and threw without pain. He used all of his pitches - fastball, change and cutter - and even struck out top prospect Fernando Martinez on three pitches.
Hopefully Santana, Martinez and the rest of the team's starters do a better job of pitching deeper into the game and lessen the load on the Mets' relievers this season. But even if they do not, the subtraction of Mota and the addition of Sanchez should make the bullpen a team strength once again in 2008.
Published by Brian Joura
Freelance writer for hire. References available upon request. View profile
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5 Comments
Post a Commentlooks like duaner is about to come on now. woooo
Randolph has yet to destroy anyone's arm in three seasons at the helm of the Mets. There's a lot to be upset with in his bullpen deployment, but ragging someone's arm is not (yet) on the list.
I expect Pedro to pitch 7 innings plus more times than not this year. He averaged 7 innings in 2005 and went 7+ in 9 of 15 starts in 2006 before hitting the DL. They were extra careful when he returned last year, but he still managed to go 7 innings his last start of the season. With rehab over and a full Spring Training under his belt, I don't think there's any reason to view Pedro as a 5 inning pitcher.
The key will be never pinch hitting for Santana. The guy is capable of 300 innings easily. Keeping the bullpen rested is going to be difficult becuase Randolph learned the art of destroying bullpen arms from Torre. (Think Tom Gordon, Ramiro Mendoza,Tanyon Sturtze and Paul Quantrill).
When Sanchez went down in 2006 I almost cried. He was stellar that year. As you mention, Santana should have no problem pitching 7, 8 or 9 innings. Pedro on the other hand is going to be 5 and out, maybe 6. Sanchez will be key.