Note: Who is the Fifth Starter?
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, speaking to WFAN yesterday, Mets management may meet today to discuss who will be the team’s fifth starter.
Meanwhile, the Brewers released RHP Claudio Vargas yesterday, according the the Journal Sentinel.
In a post to his blog for the New York Post, Joel Sherman says he would not be surprised to see the Mets try and sign Vargas.
Also in the New York Post, Bart Hubbach quotes Minaya as saying he will take a close look at Vargas, who is a ‘good name.’
Vargas, 29, was 11-6 with a 5.09 ERA in 29 games for the Brewers last season, during which he started 23 games.
His ERA has gone up in each of his last three seasons.
…my question is: will vargas make for a better fifth starter than what the Mets have now…i’m not sure he will…he might…but i don’t know that he will…again, he may be better than Nelson Figeuroa, he might not…who knows…he’s far from a sure thing, which will likely be the case with any potential number five starter, including Mike Pelfrey or Orlando Hernandez…like with the rest of these players we keep reading about, i’d welcome vargas to the Mets, assuming he is not guaranteed a roster spot, because he is a decent pitcher with potential…i just don’t want to see the Mets in a position where they committ to vargas, creating other restrictions down the road – mostly because i do not trust this organization when it comes to roster management…
During his interview with WFAN, Heyman had the following to say about Pelfrey, who has allowed 16 runs in 17 innings this spring:
“I would not give him a start…he has just not done it. The scouts are saying he’s throwing 90 to 92, which isn’t him and he’s not locating - even the fastball…The Mets are saying he’s got the stuff, he’s just not using it properly. It might be mental toughness or something like that. The scouts are saying he’s really not locating and he’s not throwing quite as hard and he’s just not looking very good. I would send him back. I think the Mets figure he’s a number one pick and he has the ability and he can be a number five starter on talent alone and a lot of people still think he can be a Kevin Brown type pitcher ultimately.”
In Heyman’s opinion, the Mets should give the job to either Nelson Figueroa or Jon Neise, who allowed two runs and six walks through four innings yesterday against the Braves.
…by the way, thanks to Peter Wade for the quote, who does a great job keeping tabs on the media for MetsBlog…
Meanwhile, In a report for MLB.com, Marty Noble says the Mets will consider Jorge Sosa for the fifth starter job as well.
…i’m sure he is being considered, but i just don’t see this happening…he has not been stretched out enough…i mean, if they want to use him for one start, knowing the bullpen will need to fill in that day, fine…but, right now, he’s not the answer…he’s been preparing for the long-man role, which he is a perfect fit for…
…personally, as i suggested last week, assuming vargas is not in the picture, i, like heyman, would use figueroa as the team’s fifth starter for now, while letting pelfrey get work in Triple-A, and letting el duque get ‘healthy’ back in extended spring training…once el duque shows that he is ‘healthy,’ he can take the stage and entertain us with his wiffle-ball magic show, because he has earned the right to do so…
…in the end, though, we’re talking about the fifth starter, which is always a mish-mosh of rookies and journeymen, all season long, for every team…the Mets are not special just because we cheer for them…in other words, there is no silver bullet here, there is a lack of quality pitching in MLB, we need to accept it and just hope for the best - like more or less every other team in the league…
For more on the fifth starter, check out Joe Janish at Mets Today, who breaks down every candidate, and then some, while listing why each should or shouldn’t be considered.
