Willie Randolph, Aaron Heilman and Bullpen Deployment

Many fans thought Willie Randolph should be fired for his performance as Mets manager last September, specifically in his horrid bullpen deployment. But Randolph didn't manage differently in 2007 than he had in his previous two years with the club. And the trend is continuing in 2008.

Wednesday, Randolph called on Aaron Heilman to pitch two innings in a game the Mets lost, 13-1. Now this doesn't sound like much on the surface. But it's the end of the first month of the season and Randolph is driving Heilman into the ground. It was his 16th appearance of the season and the Mets have played only 26 games. Heilman is on pace to pitch in 93 games this year.

If he stays on the 93-game pace, Heilman would become the franchise's all-time leader in appearances in a single season for a pitcher, currently held by Mike Stanton with 83. It would mean Heilman would be the third player under Willie Randolph to crack the team's top-five list in games. Not only would Heilman top the Mets' single season list, he would jump to the fourth most appearances by a pitcher in Major League history.

And relievers who pile up the appearances in one year suffer a drop off the following campaign. Here's how the pitchers with the most games pitched in the 2000s did in both in their big season and the following year:

Name                 Year    G       IP      ERA     Year    G            IP         ERA
Salomon Torres   2006    94      93.3   3.28     2007    56      52.7    5.47
Jim Brower           2004    89      93      3.29       2005    69      60.3    5.37
Steve Kline            2001   89       75      1.80     2002    66      58.3    3.39
Paul Quantrill       2003    89     77.3    1.75        2004    86      95.3    4.72
Scott Eyre              2005    86     68.3     2.63    2006    74      61.3    3.38

The trend is not good. Only Quantrill increased his IP and his ERA took a leap of over three runs. Jon Rauch pitched in 88 games with the Nationals last season and is a pitcher to watch this year.

Bullpen management is a tricky thing. You have to keep your relievers sharp but at the same time not over-use them. And any manager is more likely to give the ball to a reliever who is performing well than one who is struggling. So, how do you keep your top arms from burning out?

Two things jump immediately to mind. First, it's time to get rid of the lefty specialist. Any pitcher who is only good at facing one or two batters per game is not worth carrying on the squad if it results in burnout of the other relievers. The Mets have Billy Wagner, a lefty, as their closer. And they have Pedro Feliciano, a lefty, who also performs well against righties. Why do they need Scott Schoeneweis (SS), a third lefty in the pen? Last season versus righy batters, SS allowed a .316/.390/.574 batting line! The 964 OPS allowed by SS was basically equal to the 962 OPS posted by David Wright. The average righty batter in baseball turned into David Wright versus SS. This is not a player worth keeping on a Major League roster.

Second, a manager needs to be judicious in the use of his top bullpen arms. That Heilman pitched two innings in a 12-run blowout after pitching the day before is inexcusable. Yes, the starter got knocked out early and someone had to pitch. But it shouldn't be the job description of one of your top relievers to take one for the team.

Heilman has been an important reliever for the club the past three seasons. In that time frame, he's thrown 281 innings and has been remarkably consistent, posting ERAs of 3.17, 3.62 and 3.03 in that span. But Randolph has been using him too much and if this pace continues, the Mets are going to need a new late inning man next season.