When you think about the Mets bullpen, Adonis Medina is not the first player you think of as a reliable arm.
Edwin Diaz is in the midst of a historic season as a closer, Adam Ottavino has turned into a solid free agent addition, and Trevor Williams has helped the Mets as both a starter and middle reliever.
But as a group, the Mets bullpen is seen as the potential Achilles heel for a team brimming with talent and star power. Arms like Seth Lugo, Joely Rodriguez, and Trevor May have been unreliable, and new additions like Mychel Givens haven’t panned out yet.
One player who was given a lot of work earlier in the season, but had repeatedly gone through the call-up, call-down charade is rookie Adonis Medina.
Medina was traded to the Mets from the Pittsburgh Pirates shortly after the lockout ended in the offseason and has stepped up whenever the Mets have needed him.
It’s gotten to the point where, even after not pitching for the big league club in over a month, Medina’s eight-pitch inning of work in the Met’s 10-2 win Wednesday afternoon was seen as the norm. And it’s time for Buck Showalter and the Mets front office to trust Medina, and allow him the opportunity to pitch in more high-leverage roles as the season continues.
Mets High Leverage Relievers
When talking about the Mets, the 2022 season doesn’t get much better than seeing Edwin Diaz on the mound. The closer is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career and has become the best closer in all the national league with a 1.39 ERA.
But outside of Diaz, there is a major hole in dependable, and consistent relievers that New York currently employs.
After Diaz, four relievers have recorded saves for the team in 2022. Adam Ottavino has blown all three save opportunities that have been given to him. Trevor May has one save but is coming off an injury that kept him away from baseball for months. Trevor Williams also picked up a save as a long reliever.
Even Seth Lugo has blown three of six save opportunities he was presented with. In one particular outing against the Dodgers back in June, Lugo blew a two-run lead that forced the game into extras.
That same game saw Adonis Medina step up against the heart of the Dodgers order, and pick up his first career save an inning later.
The Mets don’t need to have Medina come in and save games as long as Edwin Diaz is available. But it is also obvious that the Mets have serious questions about the relief pitchers who will get to Diaz in the first place.
Lugo, Rodriguez, and May haven’t been able to show consistency when it comes to being reliable out of the bullpen. Why shouldn’t Medina get a crack at it?
Medina’s splits fit what the Mets need
At the trade deadline, Met fans had been begging for a left-handed reliever who could consistently get left-handers out.
General manager Billy Eppler pivoted a tad and went with Mychal Givens instead. While Met fans may have been frustrated, it’s important to note that Adonis Medina has the actual splits that most fans were clamoring for in a reliever.
Medina’s ERA lowered to an excellent 2.86 in 22 innings of work on the season. Left-handed hitters are also hitting a measly .185 on the season against the rookie. That’s the lowest batting average amongst all top relievers the Mets currently trust outside of Edwin Diaz.
Is Medina’s body of work too small to compare to players like Lugo and Rodriguez who have both pitched over 30 innings? Perhaps.
But is it enough to at least give Medina the chance to be an everyday, high-leverage reliever? I would think so.
Medina is having an underrated season
Adonis Medina’s 2022 campaign has been far better than people realize. Although appearing in 12 games, the rookie has only given up runs in three of those outings.
His one stinker on the season was a five-run game given up to the Rockies in May. Outside of the one contest where he struggled, Medina has been excellent in a pretty extensive body of work.
Tasked with pitching for multiple innings, Medina gave up just one run in five innings of relief work against the Houston Astros in a two-week span and hasn’t given up a run since June 21st.
Medina was trusted to get three huge innings of shutout relief when the Mets won an 8-3 thriller in Cincinnati in July. The rookie was also trusted to hold the Phillies scoreless late when the Mets came from 7-1 down to win in early May.
And of course, the right-hander was trusted to get a three-out save against the heart of the Dodger order in extra innings, clinging to a one-run lead.
Medina rewarded his manager’s trust through all those difficult situations.
It’s time his manager and front office reward him with more chances and more high-leverage situations.
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