The veteran Luis Avilan was the sole lefty specialist in the New York Mets bullpen. After battling injuries throughout the year, he was a key member that helped turn around the Mets bullpen struggles in the second half.
Luis Avilán baja el telón para darnos el triunfo y de esa manera, sellar la barrida de los Marlins. ? #LGM
FINAL: #LosMets 7, Marlins 2
Numeritos ? https://t.co/X4xPSh2tWE pic.twitter.com/WWGWRmsprB— Mets de Nueva York (@LosMets) August 7, 2019
Avilan came in on a one-year deal during the past offseason to round out the Mets bullpen. He struggled through his first month as a Met. Avilan allowed 11 runs in ten innings and opposing hitters were hitting .356 off him. In May, he landed on the Injured List with an elbow injury that would keep him out until the beginning of July.
Rest Well Needed
Avilan came back with a vengeance after his stint on the IL ended. He returned to his usual role, and put together 17 straight scoreless appearances. Most of those were one or two out stints, but he was instrumental in his role. Avilan finished the season strong with a 2.95 ERA in 34 games and overall held lefties to a .102 batting average on the season.
Active pitchers with more Wins than HR allowed (min. 20 Wins):
Clayton Kershaw (157 W, 152 HR)
Aroldis Chapman (30 W, 25 HR)
Blake Treinen (22 W, 20 HR)
Luis Avilán (20 W, 17 HR)
Johnny Venters (20 W, 13 HR)— Jim Passon (@PassonJim) May 25, 2019
It will be interesting to see if Avilan can land a job since the new rules state a pitcher has to face three batters before he can leave the game. Right-handed hitters may have well been Jose Altuve because they hit .373 against him. He will likely get a shot in Spring Training with another team, but if he cannot get righties out, he will not be of use to any organization.
Grades:
Pitching Repertoire: C+, There is not much velocity left on his fastball, but his change-up is his go-to pitch.
Control: B+, For a guy who has to pitch around the strike zone, his control was solid. He only had one outing where he walked multiple batters.
Composure: D, Batters hit .300 with runners in scoring position.
Intangibles: A, Veteran presence was good for the locker room.
Overall: C+, His second half was solid and helped the Mets get back into the race.