New York Mets: Jeurys Familia Year in Review

Sep 25, 2017; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) pitches against the Atlanta Braves during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

Jeurys Familia was a former All-Star closer for the New York Mets, who the Mets brought in to bolster their bullpen. He returned as a setup man for Edwin Diaz, but the plan did not work out very well. Familia struggled mightily in his Mets return and was stuck in a funk all season.

Familia was dominant through his first four scoreless outings. He hit a wall against the Nationals, and it was all downhill from there. Familia allowed 11 runs in his next ten outings and walked an astounding 11 batters as well. Following his rough stretch, Familia would land on the Injured List in May with a shoulder injury.

Control Issues

Familia pitched decent during his nine outings in May, only allowing four runs and walking three batters. All of those outings came in the second half of May, and in June, it was evident that his shoulder still had issues. During six outings in June, he gave up more runs (11) than batters retired (8) and walked four batters. He ended up returning to the IL with the same injury.

When Familia returned in July, the Mets used him very sparingly. Five of his nine July outings were for one out or less, and it was evident there was very little confidence in him. He allowed three runs in those outings, but still had control issues walking six batters.

Finding His Way Towards the End

Thought the last two months, Familia saw plenty of action pitching in 28 games. Most were in middle relief, instead of high leverage situations, and threw a lot better. The control issues were not as prominent, but he had a 3.67 ERA, and opposing hitters were only hitting .235 against Familia. It gave the Mets hope he will return to All-Star form in 2020.

Familia’s most significant issue was harnessing the power of his sinker. It would move so much that Familia could not control it, which led him to fix his mechanics to get a better handle of his best pitch. His slider had gone flat at some points during the year, but during the last two months, it was moving the same way it used to. Familia has moved away from his splitter, which used to be a money pitch for him. He is in a love/hate relationship with it, but it is good to have a third pitch he can use.

Familia will be coming into Spring Training in excellent shape as reports state he has lost almost 20 pounds in the offseason. Much like Edwin Diaz, Familia did not have a year that correlates with his entire career. Before 2019, he only had one season where his ERA was above 3.50. He should have a good, bounce-back year in 2020.

Grades:

Pitching Repertoire: B+, His sinker has devastating movement and slider is a solid secondary pitch. It would be nice to see him revive his splitter.

Control: F, 6.3 BB/9 is horrible, especially for someone pitching the crucial innings Familia had. He has never been a control artist, but it is a scary jump from 3.5 last season.

Composure: C+, Still held his own in big moments, but the control issues were killer.

Intangibles: B+

Overall: D, If Edwin Diaz did not exist, this would be an F, but it is hard to say which one was worse.