Last offseason, I started writing a series of columns that profiled each member of the Mets bullpen and analyzed their performance in the previous season.
At the conclusion of each article, I would make a determination on whether or not I thought the pitcher should be brought back.
The articles, for the most part, were met with solid reader reception so this year we will continue the tradition.
To kickoff the offseason we will analyze the most criticized member of the 2009 bullpen, Sean Green .
Green, who was acquired in the J.J. Putz trade, was supposed to provide the team with solid middle relief and replace the void left by Joe Smith .
Needless to say, Green wasn’t as spectacular as ownership was presumably hoping he would be.
After getting off to a rough start in April, in which the righty posted an ugly ERA of 8.49, Green seemed to begin to find his groove in June and July posting two straight months of an ERA in the mid-to-low threes.
However, the pitcher regressed in August and his ERA for the month was nearly double its predecessor (5.91). There came a point that many fans, including myself, began to turn green at the very sight of the pitcher (pun intended).
It seemed as if Green was becoming Aaron Heilman 2.0.
After hearing a chorus of boos over and over again, Green recognized a change needed to be made and he tweaked his delivery to more of a side-arm style in an attempt to throw off opposing batters’ timing.
The change proved to be effective, as he had a 2.79 ERA for the month of September, along with two shut-out relief appearances in October.
To be fair the sample size with the new delivery is a rather small one and it isn’t wise to judge a player based on their September performance.
Having appeared in 79 games for the Mets last season, Sean Green’s final line consisted of a 4.52 ERA and a (1-4) record.
While these numbers are certainly far from ideal, keep in mind that they do not stray far away from Green’s past seasons with Seattle. Also, it is important to note that Green only took home a salary of $471,000, which isn’t much more than league minimum.
Final Verdict: Although, I am not a fan of Sean Green, personally, I do believe the Mets should bring back the reliever because he is a low risk option that offers the potential of solid middle relief at a rather affordable rate.
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