The injury-riddled Mets are over-working their bullpen more than any other MLB team
The Mets lead the league in appearances on zero days' rest
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1 min read
The New York Mets have little to boast about right now. They entered the weekend second in the National League East, but their 16-17 record says that ranking is indicative of a weak division rather than of strong play. Injuries, off-the-field controversies, second guesses -- though undesirable, these are the metrics the Mets are among the league's best at accumulating.
But there is another category the Mets are dominating -- and it's not bad so much as risky: pitching their relievers on zero days' rest.
Through Thursday, the Mets had thrown relievers in back-to-back games on 45 occasions. The second-place Milwaukee Brewers had thrown relievers in consecutive games 30 times. No other team has more than 25 such appearances, and 21 teams have yet to reach the 20s. The Mets aren't just leading the league -- they're outpacing it in a significant way.
Don't confuse the Mets' dominance as a product of an isolated usage pattern, either. Left-handed specialist Jerry Blevins is expected to work often, but his nine appearances on zero days' rest are the most in the majors. Addison Reed is tied for the second-most in baseball, having thrown in back-to-back games eight times. Meanwhile, Fernando Salas has done so seven times, Hansel Robles six times, and second lefty and injured closer Jeurys Familia five times.
For perspective, consider that the Mets have six pitchers who have made at least five back-to-back appearances -- the rest of the league has tasked 21 pitchers with that workload. Additionally, consider that Blevins has appeared on no rest more times himself than the entire Cincinnati Reds bullpen has -- collectively, they've pitched on eight occasions without a day off.
Why have the Mets been so aggressive with their reliever usage? Presumably due to a disappointing rotation that has seen one pitcher (Jacob deGrom) averaged more than six innings per pop. It's worth noting the Mets were near the top of the majors in this category in 2016 as well, but not during their pennant-winning 2015. Terry Collins' strategy seems more about surviving than reshaping thoughts on modern bullpen usage.
There's no telling what kind of effect this workload will have on the Mets' bullpen as the season burns on -- heaven knows the Mets don't need more injuries or underperformance. All the same, it appears the Mets are going to become a case study.
