Can Heilman be fixed?
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- May
- 15
Another game, another Aaron Heilman meltdown.
I don’t believe he is broken permanently, but it doesn’t look like things will change anytime soon. He has already had his role changed, but with no success.
Maybe he needs innings.
Assuming he is to get fixed on this level, I might give him a spot start. I’ve seen it work before with struggling relievers. Letting him work three or four innings, but give him enough time for his mechanics to slip back into place.
To do this, you know you’ll need to go to the pen, so ideally it would have to be prior to an off-day.
The idea is to give him extended work against quality competition. It is NOT a permanent switch, just a one-time deal.
If you’re thinking that’s sacrificing a game, maybe you’re right. Then again, aren’t they taking the same risk every time he goes out there?
Drastic measures for drastic times, and Heilman is worth the effort.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, May 15th, 2008 at 9:08 am by John Delcos.
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The Mets did the same with Tug McGraw in the early 1970s.. twice in 1973 and four times in 1974. Didn't really work..McGraw had some kind of shoulder problem that was fixed after he was traded to Philadelphia. Smart team doctors M Donald Grant had. But it is worth a shot.
It did work with McGraw in 73 Dan, two July starts and he was lights out in Aug-Sep. It won't happen here. You look at his face on the mound. He needs a new home.
Omar should have traded Heilman when he had the chance. Heilman is worthless now.
That didn't look like a mechanical problem last night.
If you are going to give him a salvation start, I'd suggest doing it on a road trip.
JD,
Heilman should have an option left. He has under five years of baseball service which means that his option years extend into his fourth season, sometime into this season he will accumulate the required 172 games which will put him over five years and out of options. why not send him down to fix his mechanics his confidence can't be any lower so you can't say its a blow to his ego. If he goes down and gets it together with a low ERA we either have a reliever to plug in or he's regained his trade value…
It also gives the team a chance to see what they have in other guys….
I didn't see this game last night but I read a newsday column about willie quoted as saying that the bull pen was depleted and that is why he stuck with Heilman as long as he did. Willie wanted Heilman to go two innings. My question to Willie is, Vargas is pitching a good game. The slightest hiccup and he pulls Vargas out of the game. All this knowing that the bull pen is depleted. Vargas was even quoted as saying that he still could have pitched, he only through 97 pitches. Willie and Peterson got to go, it's time. I've seen enough of Randolph and Peterson. I will be shocked if they lasted the season.
Tom G: Agreed about the decision to take out Vargas if the excuse for keeping Heilman in was that the bullpen was depleted. That game was for Vargas to win or lose himself, not for the bullpen to decide it.
JD: Is Rick Waits still in the organization? If so, Heilman should be sent down to work with him. It helped Bobby Jones, it also helped Trachsel. Heilman has clearly not been the same pitcher since the Molina homer in the NLCS
A few things:
-The Mets have lost more than a few games based on making pitch-count decisions. That's script managing and it stinks.
-My suggestion was made on fixing Heilman on the major league level.
-Heilman might be done in New York, but the Mets probably blew that opportunity. Heilman could be approaching Guillermo Mota-status in New York.
-I don't think The Jacket has the answers on this one.-JD
To be fair, Vargas was inactive before being signed by the Mets. He's coming off 16 innings of minor-league ball over the past six weeks. I'm no supporter of Willie, but you can't fault him for being careful with Vargas last night.
My frustration is not with Heilmann but rather Willie's INSISTENCE to use him (and others) in situations when they've proven unreliable.
Herein lies my entire problem with Randolph.
He has absolutely no feel for his bullpen and continually goes to "wrong" pitchers in the "wrong" spots. Last night is a perfect example. Whether you feel Vargas should have been lifted or not, Heilman was NOT the answer. You don’t go to a struggling pitcher in a close game in a series where you are already down one game.
Which is more important, fixing Heilman or winning the game ?
And by the way, the way to fix Heilman is not to keep throwing him out there in situations where his margin for error is razor thin. You know the kid is a poor 1st half performer and you have plenty of good arms in the bullpen. You don't NEED to goto Heilman there. So why do it?
Willie's logic rarely makes sense to me when it comes to his pitching changes in critical spots. We all talk about how really the Manager has little impact on the overall scope of the game. And as far as lineups, defense and hitting I do think that's fairly true.
But with relief you need to know what you're doing.
You need to have a "feel" for situations. Willie doesn't try to do that. He speaks of "challenging" pitchers to step up in certain situations. Well Willie, this isn’t the instructional league. And, guess what?!?!? We have plenty of good bullpen arms then most teams. So why not use them!? Why not go with the pitcher that has the best chance to succeed rather then the pitcher you want to "challenge"? I'm sorry I don't get it. Maybe someone can explain to me what I'm missing with Willie's management strategy when it comes to pitching.
"Heilman might be done in New York, but the Mets probably blew that opportunity."
The only opportunity the Mets blew was the opportunity to get some value for Heilmann. It would have taken a shrink to tell them he couldn't handle NY any more. I go back to my other post. Denial about last year may work for Willie/Omar but not for apparently, most of last year's squad. I expect this team to totally implode soon. You are now seeing even Wright underperform and even big mouth Wagner gives up runs after every error.
Heilman is not totally devaluated. Any team that needs starting pitching knows that he has been disatisfied with relieving and that he has said that more than quietly over the last two years. The Mets will not get any value for him, but, I would bet there definitely is still interest out there. I think, however, that Heilman has to stop counting the days until he can go elsewhere and start or his increasingly deteriorating quality of pitching is going to be his downfall. Willie has to take off his Heilman rose colored glasses. I would love to think that the idea of a spot start may help him, but, I think it would do more damage to him especially if he does well in that one or two starts. It would add fuel to his argument that he should be starting. The only reason to start him is to showcase him if there are no intentions to put him in that capacity.
It should say "any significant value".
Statistically speaking, Heilman has done his best work with either Lo Duca or Castro behind the plate. His numbers with Schneider are among his worst. Could be a coincidence or it could reflect some kind of disconnect between the two.
All these folks who rave about Schneider's work with the starters, maybe he should come out after 100 catches to match the starters 100 pitches. Castro will be the relief catcher. A new concept invented by the NY Mets.
Easy solution that I've been trying to sell for weeks: Send Heilman to AAA and let him work out his issues there.
I don't think Heilman is fixable as a reliever anymore. He lacks the proper motivation and desire. It's a role he never wanted and probably hates at this point. He needs to get an opportunity to start. Even if he doesn't succeed, he needs to find out for himself whether or not he can do it at this point. They should trade him or send him down to the minors to give him the chance to stretch his arm out.
I think those are the only two options as I can't see him turning it around this year as a reliever.
Oh boy a day game… I can play with all you Metsie on the boss' time…. There's the suit guy…. Hey JK i think your rotten pitcher will pitch better when all you corporate criminals are in the park instead of our hard working peoples and soldiers and sailors and cops who are good enough to die for you Jk but not good enough to go to a metsie game. Don't you agree corporate thief???
Whoa… That was a bit harsh wasn't it??? The DC dope gets mean when he has a hangover…...
Guess I'll watch in peace…..
Why is it harsh?. The elitist JK wants to only allow suits into your new dump. He's the one who thinks that the fighting men and women of this country, the one's keeping him safe, the one's dying for his safety, aren't good enough to go to a Metsie game. DO you agree with him?
A spot start for Heilman might work, but Willie isn't creative enough to do it.
Willie hasn't been one to make many changes. He says Heilman has to work through his struggles and he really doesn't want to acknowledge the fact that the Mets have relievers that can pitch. He keeps giving the ball to Heilman in close games the losses are adding up and they will continue to add up until he learns how to handle the bullpen.
Ah, a spot start with Heilman just messes things up more, I reckon.
Part of his mental issues with the game have pretty clearly always been part of his unrealistic belief that he would help the Mets more as a starter than as the middle-reliever that they need.
Have you noticed how he always seems to do worst out of the pen when the #5 starter role is up in the air and he starts getting twitchy about it being "his time"?
I sure have.
The more he realizes he's never gonna start as a Met, the more that reality is effectively beaten into his head, the less that his desire to start will distract him from his real job.