Adalberto Mejia has been credited with the win in each of his last three starts, posting a 1.53 ERA in those outings and lowering his ERA for the season by more than a run in the process.
That would seem to suggest that the hefty lefty, a rookie who turned 24 a little more than two weeks ago, is emerging as a third effective starter in the Minnesota rotation.
On the other hand, he also averaged less than six innings a start and posted a mediocre 7/12 walk/strikeout ratio in that stretch. In 17.2 innings, he allowed 24 baserunners (16 hits, seven walks and one hit batter).
Mejia's gotten better results in the past couple weeks than even Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios, the big two of the Twins rotation. Still, even as one who prefered Mejia for the rotation over the spring training competion for the one open spot, I can't say I see this success as sustainable given the underlying numbers.
He's not truly pitching well enough for a 1.53 ERA. And for the season, he's not truly pitching well enough for a 4.32 ERA, which is his mark after 12 starts. He's not the biggest problem in the rotation, but he's not yet fully convinced me, as Berrios has, that he's part of the solution.
More innings and fewer baserunners, please.
No comments:
Post a Comment