New York Mets 2009 Rundown: Francisco Rodriguez

2008 Stats

76 G, 2-3, 62 SV, 2.24 ERA, 68.3 IP, 77 SO, 1.288 WHIP, .216/.314/.316 vs. Hitters

Ah, yes; K-Rod. While the excitement and hype of the Mets' biggest offseason acquisition is long gone, so are the days of New Yorkers pulling their hair out in the ninth inning every night. It was obvious the Mets needed help for the back end of the bullpen, so what did Omar Minaya do?  He went out and got the single-season saves record holder. 

Of course, with Rodriguez came many speculations as to why his velocity has dropped in the past season or so, and with good cause.  While medical examinations show no signs of injury, some say that his "jerky" arm motion could be leading to wear and tear of the elbow and shoulder.  However, Rodriguez emphatically denies these allegations and insists the reason for his drop in velocity was simply because he was developing a changeup. 

"You guys are going to see it next year.  You guys are going to see that the velocity is going to be there."    

Those are remarks from the man they call K-Rod, himself.  Quite frankly, nobody knows K-Rod like K-Rod does, so perhaps there may be some truth to what he is saying.  Either way, Mets fans all over will be happy just to have him in Queens.  Because of his desire to win, coupled with the acquisition of RHP J.J. Putz, look for a solid season for the back-end of this Mets bullpen in 2009.

2009 Prediction

69 G, 2-1, 57 SV, 2.15 ERA, 62.0 IP, 71 SO, 1.152 WHIP, .206/.304/.306 vs. Hitters  

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