Justin Wilson has a great year out of the New York Mets bullpen. Despite missing a chunk of time with an injury, he was a very underrated member of a Mets bullpen that struggled for a majority of the season. Due to the bullpen’s mediocrity, Wilson moved from a middle reliever to someone who could handle a setup role.
Here's Justin Wilson on his four-out save for the Mets tonight: pic.twitter.com/gLAaHMH0Mz
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 11, 2019
The Mets brought in Wilson on a two-year/$10 million deal last offseason. It was a very solid, under the radar move to bring in a much-needed lefty in the bullpen. Wilson was not your typical “lefty specialist,” he always had very similar splits against lefties and righties.
Rough Start
Wilson started slowly through his first month at a Met. He made ten outings and allowed five runs and four walks in 9.1 innings pitched. He landed on the Injured List on April 16 with left elbow soreness and was rushed back too early. Wilson made one outing and allowed two runs in one inning, which landed him back on the IL with the same injury.
Mets don't send Justin Wilson for a rehab assignment
Justin Wilson pitches poorly in first game in weeks
Mets: pic.twitter.com/tkvIJdkv1H
— Logan Barer (@LBarer32) May 7, 2019
Wilson stayed on the IL until July 2, and the Mets slowly worked him into action. He started off staying in his middle relief role but moved into the late innings as the month went on. Wilson only allowed runs in five of his 35 outings he pitched in during his return. He was dominant with a 1.82 ERA and held batters to a .215 batting average.
Can He Repeat Success in 2020?
Wilson will likely have a different role in 2020 with the addition of Dellin Betances and the expectation of Edwin Diaz/Jeurys Familia to return to form. He will probably be in the middle innings once again but should have the upper hand over Familia and Betances in Spring Training. If Familia and Betances show they are back in All-Star form, they will land the late innings.
This should not be seen as a demotion because Wilson is the only lefty in the bullpen. He will see time against the Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman type hitters the NL East has to offer. The Mets will not have to worry about overusing him as well, which was a problem the had in 2019.
Grades:
Pitching Repertoire: B+, Fastball has great life on it and even got up into the high 90s at some points. His cutter and slider are his money pitches. They were his go-to in big spots.
Control: B, 4.4 BB/9 was on par with the rest of his career. For a pitcher with control issues in the past, it did not affect this year.
Composure: A+, Went in there, and never blinked an eye in big spots.
Intangibles: A+, Probably one of the most unknown contributors on the year. Very low-key personality who goes in there and does his job.
Overall: A, Only thing the Mets could have hoped for was to keep him healthy to pitch more often.