Saturday, May 14, 2005
Surprise of all Surprises
What's the biggest shocker in baseball so far this year?
I guess some of the obvious ones would include Brian Roberts, the White Sox, the Orioles, the Diamondbacks and the Yankees. After watching last night's Mets-Cards game, I'll throw one more into the mix: Roberto Hernandez.
If you had asked me a couple years ago about Roberto Hernandez, I would've said by 2005 he'd make for a decent "Where are They Now?" segment. In a four-year span (2001-04), the one-time stellar closer slipped further and further into late-career mediocrity. His work for the Phillies last season was his nadir:
63 G, 56.2 IP, 66 H, 29 BB, 44 K, 9 HR, 4.76 ERA
At 40 years of age, and with this production slide in the last four years:
ERA: 4.12 -- 4.33 -- 4.35 -- 4.76
OBA: .336 -- .345 -- .385 -- .379
SLG: .390 -- .449 -- .466 -- .473
it clearly appeared as if Hernandez was at the end of the line.
But baseball has a way of playing weird tricks with small sample sizes, and so far for the New York Mets in 2005, Hernandez has been their most valuable reliever. Hernandez' early season success was never more evident than in the crucial 8th inning last night at Shea.
With two on and no outs, and the Mets holding a 2-0 lead, Hernandez was vintage Hernandez, circa 1996.
First, he struck out Jim Edmonds, who was pinch-hitting, on a 3-2 blazer. 1 out.
Then, he induced a ground ball from John Mabry. 2 outs, runners on 2nd and 3rd.
And finally, after an eight-pitch battle that mostly featured fouled off fastballs, David Eckstein grounded back to the mound. Side retired, no runs.
Hernandez practically danced off the field and into the dugout, greeted by a series of high-fives and slaps from teammates.
I had to remind myself again as I watched him pour in mid-90s fastballs, and not only overmatch Edmonds, but outlast Eckstein, this is Roberto Hernandez.
For a bullpen that was an easy target for criticism before the season began, Hernandez has done an incredible job so far.
17 G, 17.1 IP, 10 H, 7 BB, 20 K, .254 OBA, .269 SLG, 1.04 ERA
My temptation is great to shrug this early-season production off, and see "Phooey, it ain't gonna last." I mean, it's easy to say that, right?
But the part of me that appreciates a baseball season's odd twists and turns and bizarre stories, I have to say this is fun to see. And who knows why or if Roberto Hernandez will hit the skids. The Mets can't think about that; they just have to ride this train as far as it will go.
What's the biggest shocker in baseball so far this year?
I guess some of the obvious ones would include Brian Roberts, the White Sox, the Orioles, the Diamondbacks and the Yankees. After watching last night's Mets-Cards game, I'll throw one more into the mix: Roberto Hernandez.
If you had asked me a couple years ago about Roberto Hernandez, I would've said by 2005 he'd make for a decent "Where are They Now?" segment. In a four-year span (2001-04), the one-time stellar closer slipped further and further into late-career mediocrity. His work for the Phillies last season was his nadir:
63 G, 56.2 IP, 66 H, 29 BB, 44 K, 9 HR, 4.76 ERA
At 40 years of age, and with this production slide in the last four years:
ERA: 4.12 -- 4.33 -- 4.35 -- 4.76
OBA: .336 -- .345 -- .385 -- .379
SLG: .390 -- .449 -- .466 -- .473
it clearly appeared as if Hernandez was at the end of the line.
But baseball has a way of playing weird tricks with small sample sizes, and so far for the New York Mets in 2005, Hernandez has been their most valuable reliever. Hernandez' early season success was never more evident than in the crucial 8th inning last night at Shea.
With two on and no outs, and the Mets holding a 2-0 lead, Hernandez was vintage Hernandez, circa 1996.
First, he struck out Jim Edmonds, who was pinch-hitting, on a 3-2 blazer. 1 out.
Then, he induced a ground ball from John Mabry. 2 outs, runners on 2nd and 3rd.
And finally, after an eight-pitch battle that mostly featured fouled off fastballs, David Eckstein grounded back to the mound. Side retired, no runs.
Hernandez practically danced off the field and into the dugout, greeted by a series of high-fives and slaps from teammates.
I had to remind myself again as I watched him pour in mid-90s fastballs, and not only overmatch Edmonds, but outlast Eckstein, this is Roberto Hernandez.
For a bullpen that was an easy target for criticism before the season began, Hernandez has done an incredible job so far.
17 G, 17.1 IP, 10 H, 7 BB, 20 K, .254 OBA, .269 SLG, 1.04 ERA
My temptation is great to shrug this early-season production off, and see "Phooey, it ain't gonna last." I mean, it's easy to say that, right?
But the part of me that appreciates a baseball season's odd twists and turns and bizarre stories, I have to say this is fun to see. And who knows why or if Roberto Hernandez will hit the skids. The Mets can't think about that; they just have to ride this train as far as it will go.
