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Whither Nelly?

Frayed Knot Mar 27 2010 07:13 AM

We were discussing Figueroa somewhere in the last day or two, but I can't remember which 'all-purpose' thread it's buried in. Marty Noble: Figueroa may have secured roster spot -- Veteran righty could be long man in Mets' bullpen Friday's results not-withstanding. As mentioned before, they either have to keep him or risk losing him and I don't think he'll be an easy to slide through waivers as he was in the past. Eddie Colman said on the radio today that Niese is all but certain to be the 5th starter - which, assuming that's true, leaves only a couple of spots left for the Nieve, Figgy, Takahashi, Calero, Green contingent. Nieve would be in the same boat as Figgy options-wise. Not sure if he'd be more or less attractive if dangled out on the waiver wire.

Ashie62 Mar 27 2010 07:49 AM Re: Whither Nelly?

I'm guessing Nieve would be more attractive on the waiver wire based on age and potential

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Mar 27 2010 09:37 AM Re: Whither Nelly?

Odd article. At one point, he essentially blames Warthen for yesterday's blowup: [quote="Marty F*cking Noble"]It could have been attributed to an on-mound change he and pitching coach Dan Warthen thought was good to try at this point. Figueroa moved from the third-base end of the rubber to the first-base end. The change was designed to afford his sinker more movement and make his changeup more effective. It's effect was to diminish the affect of his slider -- Warthen considers it the best on the team -- and cutter.

And do you want backhanded compliments? Do you crave backhanded compliments? Then, fella, you've come to the right place-- there's more of that here than at an alcoholic's funeral!

[quote="Marty"]No matter, one unofficial position must be filled to protect the other pitchers the Mets intend to bring to Citi Field for Opening Day on April 5 -- staff-saver. And the pitcher most likely to serve in that role is Nelson Figueroa, all developments occurring Friday afternoon notwithstanding...

"It would have been fun to stay perfect," Figueroa said. "But I wasn't too high on the zero. I'm not going to get too low on the runs today." And why should he? He know he already had reinforced the general image the Mets' staff has of him -- give him a role, and he'll fill it. Not as well as some and better than others...

Warthen acknowledged Friday no other pitcher left in camp is better suited to handle the "staff-saver" role. And of all the pitchers without a defined role at this point, none is more aware than Figueroa of the need for such a pitcher...

Compliment set-up... and passive-aggressive fake-out. Nice.

Manuel regards Figueroa as a "strike-thrower," no small consideration in camp that emphasized strikes since the outset. So this 12th-man competition is not one to be decided by default. "Not everyone can handle the role," Manuel said weeks ago, speaking generally. "You need a guy with a resilient arm and a willingness to do what the team needs." Figueroa fits those requirements. "I'm willing to fill any role," he said at the drop of a cap...

It's true. According to Fangraphs, Figueroa's third in the league over the last two years in xSE (Weighted Shit Eaten).

His journeyman reputation evidently has not been a compelling factor in the Mets' assessment of what he can provide. His history with them -- a 6-8 record in parts of the past two seasons -- is more than marginally better than the 7-17 record he has produced in five other stops in the big leagues, with the Phillies, Pirates and Brewers. But it's not terrific. If it were, Figueroa wouldn't be in position he's in. And he might be without a position.

Rejected title: "Figueroa is Not That Shitty." (And really-- WTF does that last sentence even mean? That if he were a better pitcher, there wouldn't be a place for him on a major-league roster?)