Izzy To Be Setup Man?

Per Anthony DiComo on Mets.com:

Due in large part to reliever Bobby Parnell’s struggles and heavy workload in recent days, Collins said he may call on Jason Isringhausen in an eighth-inning setup situation this week. “I’m not afraid to use Izzy at any time,” Collins said.

Of course, an “eighth-inning setup situation” would refer to the Mets being in position to win a game that late in a contest. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

In any case, though it’s not surprising that Izzy could get the call in a setup situation, such a move would be a blow to Parnell’s already shaky confidence. Or, maybe it would motivate Parnell to take the bull by the horns and pitch more effectively (that’s assuming the young fireballer has a clue as to how he can accomplish such a thing).

Here’s the way I look at it: if Jason Isringhausen can prove capable and effective in an 8th-inning role, the Mets have another valuable trading chip come July.

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
  1. Walnutz15 April 13, 2011 at 10:06 am
    I’m not gonna condemn anyone for rushing to judgment on anything, however – let’s keep in mind….the season’s young.

    Parnell comes with the tag of having “electric stuff” and that he’s picked up a “repertoire” along the way (haven’t seen that at all, but it’s being written about – particularly, a BP piece that hinted toward his slider really coming along).

    “When your fastball has been clocked as high as 102.5 mph, you don’t necessarily need a plus secondary pitch. Much to the chagrin of National League hitters, Bobby Parnell has one, and it is getting better. The Mets closer-in-waiting has been fine-tuning his slider, and the offering may be what takes him from overpowering to almost unhittable.

    The 26-year-old right-hander was already no fun to face in 2010, as he logged an 8.4 K/9 and an even more impressive 4.1 K/BB out of the New York bullpen. Despite an abnormally high .374 BABIP, his ERA was a strong 2.83. He promises to be an even bigger challenge for hitters this year with an improved slider augmenting his heater.”

    http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=13490

    If there’s a year that we’re going to be finding things out, it’s this year.

    Jason Isringhausen: great story, nice efficient outing the other night where he picked up 2 quick outs.

    Let’s see how he bounces back in his next appearance, as we all know the question is going to be: how much can he provide for HOW LONG?

    Let’s not get crazy over a bad bullpen. If it’s not one guy, it’s probably going to be another…..just the way this this has been designed, and we’re seeing it earlier than ever with this club.

    I’m rooting for Izzy, but am not expecting Vintage Isringhausen, either.

    • Joe Janish April 13, 2011 at 10:21 am
      That BP article is funny! It’s as if the author never saw Bobby Parnell pitch, and just wrote it based on the various statistics quoted.

      Though, to be fair, the author probably doesn’t have the opportunity to see Parnell that often:
      “David Laurila is a lifelong Red Sox fan who grew up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and now writes about baseball from his home in Cambridge, Mass.” So I can understand the evaluation if he saw Parnell only a few times — Bobby can look overpowering and unhittable in small sample sizes, if you catch him on good days. But then, so did Victor Zambrano.

      If all a pitcher necessarily needs is a triple-digit fastball, what happened to Jorge Julio, Marcos Carvajal, Joselo Diaz, and Amby Burgos?

      • Nick April 14, 2011 at 1:24 am
        I think Amby is doing life. Bad comparison hahaha
        • Joe Janish April 14, 2011 at 1:30 am
          Nah. In the D.R. a double-murder is only a misdemeanor if you give the judge enough money.
  2. xDanTanna April 13, 2011 at 10:13 am
    The best path to take w/ Izzy might be to just throw him in the 8th inning. He has a closers mentality & just use him until he can’t do it anymore. I think we are probably on borrowed time as far as his arm goes anyways. Get what you can out of it and move on.