How Will He Thrive in Twenty-Five?: Edwin Díaz

[Edgy MD]

It is a distinct flaw, it seems to me that, in the WAR formulations, that all innings are treated the same. Thus relief specialists produce universally low numbers relative to their teammates, no matter what situations they are deployed in. This is also a reality in the ZIPS projections of FWAR. Therefore Mets ninth-inning specialist Edwin Diaz finds his thriving reviewed after third-string catchers, and seventh-starters, and whatever Wyatt Young is.

He is a fascinating guy to look at. Untouchable in 2022. Injured in 2023. Mostly indifferent in 2024, but he sure had a few big moments, as closers are set up to do.

What is next could be fire or ice. Nobody knows better than you do.

[roger_that]

He's one Met I'm kinda down on. His velocity is off, I've been hearing, all spring long. And we can't afford to have a weak bullpen. In a sense, he's the one Met whose success the season rests most on. If he sucks, we're in serious trouble. And he might suck.

[roger_that]

Double post,, sorry.

Is this website taking a very long time for everyone recently? Or just me?

[Cowtipper]

34 saves, yet a 2-8 record, a 3.50 ERA, a K/9 that's down but not terrible (I'm thinking 12.5 K/9) and headaches every outing, but he'll have a lot of vehement supporters here even as he continues to make us shake our heads.

[MFS62]

He will no longer be slam dunk automatic.
But his stull will be good enough for him to be effective.
3-5 2.25 11.9K/IP 31 saves

Later

[batmagadanleadoff]

34 saves, yet a 2-8 record, a 3.50 ERA, a K/9 that's down but not terrible (I'm thinking 12.5 K/9) and headaches every outing, but he'll have a lot of vehement supporters here even as he continues to make us shake our heads.

Is there a reliever that you're not down on? Is every reliever supposed to have a season like Dennis Eckersley's best or Mariano Rivera's best to satisfy you? Relievers give up runs. Just like starters give up runs. Accept it. If you regularly put peak Tom Seaver into the 9th inning of a tied game, he too would, on occasion, give up a run and get tagged with the statistical pitcher's loss.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I don't think "vehement supporters" is the way I'd characterize how this room feels about Diaz. Not to speak for everyone but he scares the shit out of everyone.

[batmagadanleadoff]

It's ridiculous the way relievers are judged. A starter gives up three or four runs and that's tolerable. But when a reliever allows just one run, it's a crisis. It's the reliever's fault. Not the fault of the starter that allowed four runs. Are relievers supposed to clutch up because it's the ninth inning of a tied game? Again with the clutch fairy. Do you know how rare it is for a pitcher to be dominant over an entire season? The team had eight innings to score more runs but it's always the reliever's fault. Because once the reliever enters the ninth inning of a tied game, the sins of the previous eight innings are wiped away and forgotten.

[Edgy MD]

You don't have to suppose. Tom Seaver's ninth-inning ERA is readily available, and it was 2.81, but he'll have a lot of vehement supporters here even as he continues to make us shake our heads.

[roger_that]

he scares the shit out of everyone.

My bowels have been emptied.

[MFS62]

My bowels have been emptied.

TMI

Later

[metsmarathon]

I don't think "vehement supporters" is the way I'd characterize how this room feels about Diaz. Not to speak for everyone but he scares the shit out of everyone.

[Raises hand meekly]

Granted I’m historically soft on players coming back from injury, but jeez. The dude was one year removed from popping his patellar tendon clean off his kneecap, when he throws a hunnert. He uses that leg to explode off the rubber. I can’t even imagine how much force is going through those reunited tendon fibers with each pitch.

I mean, I actually can.

You can’t help but lose a ton of strength with that type of injury. I imagine it took a looooooong time to really trust the repair to the point where you can throw without thinking about it. Probably till just around mid season if I had to guess.

Given another year after, I’m expecting him to be a lot more like the Edwin Diaz we should be expecting, rather than the one we were worried about at the start of the season.

And besides… think of all the big name huge lockdown closers in the postseason last year. clase. Williams. The two biggest names actually. And both coughed it up bigger than Edwin. So whattayagonnado?

Yes Edwin scares the shit out of me. But because I’m worried about his injury and feel personally vested in his recovery as an avatar of my own recovery. If he can be Edwin again, maybe I, a much older, far less professional athlete, can be myself again too.

[Lefty Specialist]

Boy, fire and ice is it.

He'll have 30 saves, but he'll blow 5 or 6 too. I'll be biting my nails every time he takes the mound. And NEVER let him pitch 3 days in a row.

[metirish]

I think he plans on using Timmy Trumpets again , not sure about that