Tim Tebow Could Fill The Holiest of Holies In The Mets' Bullpen

With the uncertainty surrounding the lefty specialist role in the bullpen, the Mets have been considering a number of options.  Tim Byrdak was originally supposed to fill that position for the team.  Oops.  The Hulkamaniac needed surgery to repair a torn meniscus and was lost for the season opener faster than Randy Savage could snap into a Slim Jim.  Garrett Olson was then supposed to be the favorite to replace Thunder Lips.  Instead, he became a human baseball magnet, attracting line drives whenever he stepped onto a mound.  He has since been reassigned to the minors.  Robert Carson?  He was injured as well, plus no one really knew who he was when he wasn’t wearing his “Hi, my name is Robert Carson” nametag.

Remember Daniel Herrera?  He pitched well in his late-season tryout last year after the Mets acquired him for Francisco “Frankie Knuckles” Rodriguez.  But alas, the lilliputian lefty will only be considered for the specialist role as a last resort.

On Monday, Joe Beimel was released by the Texas Rangers.  The soon-to-be 35-year-old had been on the Mets’ radar for many years now, but he did not pitch well for the Pirates last year, finishing the year with a 5.33 ERA.  So who’s left to consider as the first lefty to come out of the bullpen when the situation presents itself?  No divine intervention needed here.  The answer to the Mets’ prayers might be across the Hudson River in New Jersey.

He wore blue and orange in Denver.  Might he do the same as the lefty specialist in Flushing?

Tim Tebow was traded to the New York Jets to be their backup quarterback.  Why should this news be of interest to the Mets?  Because...

• 1) He won’t be doing anything in April, as the Jets are in the middle of their offseason.
• b) He’s a quarterback, meaning he’s experienced using his arm.
• iii) He’s a lefty.

Considering that the Mets are in dire need of a lefty specialist in the bullpen while Byrdak recovers from his injury, why wouldn’t they consider the left-handed Tebow?  After all, he’s going to need to keep his arm in shape so it can be ready for clipboard-holding duties once Jets training camp opens.

As a quarterback, Tebow has been much maligned.  He throws too many incomplete passes.  He tends not to be able to throw passes of more than 30 yards.  He spends too much time running with the ball.  He drinks too much milk on the sidelines.  Yada yada yada.  But as a left-handed reliever?  Now that’s where his future might be.

As a pitcher, Tebow wouldn’t have to hit a moving receiver standing 30 yards away.  All he’d have to do is hit a stationary target (the catcher’s mitt) from a distance of 60 feet, 6 inches.  That’s only 20 yards.

Also, anyone who’s seen Tebow throw a pass knows that his balls tend to move quite a bit once his hand releases them.  (You do know I’m talking about footballs here.  Don’t blaspheme Tebow.)  Although the wobbliness of his balls would tend to be disadvantageous in football, as it’s harder for a receiver to catch a ball that’s not thrown in a perfect spiral, Tebow could work that to his advantage as a relief pitcher.  Pitches with movement would probably cause more swings and misses and could also induce the pitcher’s best friend, the double play grounder.

On the football field, a quarterback could get seriously hurt if he runs around too much.  The next time Tebow cuts left on the gridiron, he might experience a close encounter of the 300-pound lineman kind.  On the pitcher’s mound, however, being mobile can be beneficial.  Johan Santana has always possessed cat-like quickness on the mound.  So did former Met and public school enthusiast Mike Hampton.  To be able to move around quickly on and around the mound is tantamount to having a fifth infielder.  Ground balls up the middle aren’t always destined to go into center field.  A mobile pitcher is also the perfect foil for a batter who has a tendency to drop down bunts.  At the very least, a fast-moving pitcher can also get out of the way of line drives easier than one who doesn’t possess keen reflexes.

At Shea Stadium, fans would always get pumped whenever Billy Wagner came into the game to Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” from 2006 to 2008.  Some fans even paused on the Shake Shack line when J.J. Putz entered a game to AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” in 2009.  Hard rock songs and relief pitchers go together like Bobby Bonilla and earplugs.  So it would seem like a match made in heaven if Tim Tebow would charge in from the bullpen to Stryper’s “To Hell With The Devil”.  Would the Shea Bridge be able to handle all the fans Tebowing in unison as he made his way to the mound?

"Hey, Tim Tebow's coming in from the bullpen!  Cue Stryper.  No, I'm not kidding.  Honestly."

The Mets improved their bullpen during the offseason, adding Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez and Frank Francisco.  But all three pitchers are right-handers.  The only southpaw in the bullpen mix was Tim Byrdak.  Now he more than likely won’t be ready for Opening Day and the Mets are left scrambling for his replacement.

Garrett Olson is back in the minors.  Robert Carson forgot his ID and is not being allowed into the ballpark.  Joe Beimel has cooties.  Daniel Herrera might become Tim Byrdak's replacement by default, but the best option for the interim lefty specialist job might be the guy who knows a thing or two about option plays.

Tim Tebow, left-handed reliever?  Hey, it could be worse.  At least the Mets aren’t thinking of signing Sidd Finch … yet.

A Short Post on Daniel Herrera

Last year, the Mets acquired Daniel Herrera from the Milwaukee Brewers in the Francisco Rodriguez deal.  The diminutive lefty pitched surprisingly well for the Mets after his acquisition, allowing only one run in 16 appearances.  At Citi Field, he allowed no runs in ten relief appearances.

Despite his unexpected success with the Mets, Herrera was placed on waivers in January to make room for backup infielder Ronny Cedeño on the 40-man roster.  Two months later, after not being claimed by another team, Herrera has found his way back to the Mets, trying to compete for a spot in the bullpen.

As of now, the only lefty guaranteed to be a part of the relief corps is Tim Byrdak.  Robert Carson was vying to become the second lefty in the Mets bullpen, but he suffered an abdominal muscle strain last week, making it unlikely for him to break camp when the team comes north in four weeks.

So why not give Daniel Herrera a chance to make the team out of spring training?  We already saw what can happen when a team relies too much on one lefty specialist in the bullpen.  The Mets used Pedro Feliciano ad nauseum from 2008 to 2010.  Then he signed with the Yankees prior to the 2011 season and is currently tied with me in relief appearances for the Bronx Bombers.

Over the past three seasons, Tim Byrdak has not been used as much as Feliciano was.  (Byrdak has made 212 appearances since 2009, while Feliciano appeared in 266 games over his last three seasons in the majors.)  But Byrdak is now 38.  If he's the only lefty in the Mets' bullpen, he may be overused.  Overusage and advanced age don't mix very well.

Daniel Herrera is only 27.  He has only pitched in 131 games in parts of four seasons in the majors.  That's less than half the games Feliciano pitched in during his final three seasons with the Mets.  He is also effective against lefties, allowing only three hits to them after his trade to the Mets.  It appears as if the bullpen will be comprised of Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Ramon Ramirez, Tim Byrdak and Manny Acosta, with two (or three, if the Mets choose to go with 13 pitchers) of the remaining spots to be filled by either Bobby Parnell, D.J. Carrasco, Miguel Batista, Pedro Beato or Herrera.  It should be noted that Herrera is the only southpaw in that final group.

The Mets might have more experience with Parnell, Carrasco, et al., but they really need another lefty in the bullpen after Byrdak.  Byrdak's ERA has gone up in every year since 2009 and over the past two seasons, he has allowed 113 base runners in 76.1 innings.  That's not good enough if he's to be the Mets' sole southpaw.  If the Mets want another option to face lefties, then the man they should turn to is Daniel Herrera.  He's earned his chance.  Now it's time to give him the ball.  Herrera might be small in stature, but given the opportunity, he can play a big role in the Mets bullpen.