This season at Citi Field, odds are you won’t be hearing trumpets. As Edwin Diaz celebrated his home country of Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic, disaster struck. Diaz sustained a knee injury that will force him to miss the season. The Mets pitching staff had already taken a hit with injuries. However, the season must go on. The person who should get the first crack at filling in for Edwin Diaz is David Robertson.
An Experienced Closer Pitching In Big Markets
This isn’t an ideal situation for the Mets. When they signed him, their plan was to probably have him serve as a seventh-inning reliever or set-up man for Diaz. With Edwin Diaz now out for the year, Robertson will most likely have the first crack at being the closer. David Robertson isn’t a first-time closer. In his career, Robertson has saved 157 games with a 2.89 earned run average, 977 strikeouts, and a FIP of 2.92. He’s also pitched 41 postseason games in his career saving one game and having an ERA of just 2.78. More importantly, Robertson has had success pitching in big markets like New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Due to this experience, the pressure of the Mets fan base won’t affect his performance at all.
He Still Has Gas In The Tank
A year after having Tommy John Surgery, Robertson showed he still could pitch at a high level. Last season, Robertson spent time with both the Chicago Cubs and the Philadelphia Phillies. Between those two teams, he appeared in 58 games saving 20 with an ERA of 2.40 and a FIP of 3.58. Not bad for someone who just came back from surgery and only pitched in 19 games the three previous seasons. However, once he was traded to Philadelphia, Robertson did fade down the stretch. This was probably expected given it had been three years since he pitched in over 50 games. Robertson is going to be 38 this coming April and may hit a wall physically considering his older age. At the same time, he’ll be entering his second full season back from Tommy John surgery and his stamina may increase.
He’ll Be Just Fine Filling In For Edwin Diaz
David Robertson showed that he can still be a productive pitcher last season. I can still see the Mets making a trade at the deadline for a closer for help down the stretch. Losing Edwin Diaz hurts, however, Robertson isn’t a bad band-aid for the problem. He’s proven to be a successful closer in the league and will do just fine filling in this season.
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