Mets Reliever Had Value Despite Roller-Coaster Season

For many prospects, the decision to switch from hitting to pitching — or vice versa - can be the most difficult choice of their careers. It often involves confronting stark visions of success and failure, and that was definiltey the case for New York Mets reliever Austin Warren.

Warren was a light-hitting shortstop with minimal power at a North Carolina community college, which is about as low as you can go when it comes to looking up at a big-league career. He made the switch to pitcher and changed his career arc completely, though, and now he has a chance to be a part of the New York Mets bullpen. 

His situation is still tenuous, however. The 30-year old right-hander got off to a great start early on, and he was one of the few Mets to do so. The journeyman reliever had an ERA of 1.33 during his first 15 appearances, and he looked to have solidified his spot on the team, according to Mojo Hill of MetsMerizedOnline/com. 

But things took a bad turn for Warren in July. He had a pair of disastrous outings early in that month, the first against the Atlanta Braves, then another against the Kansas City Royals. 

There may have been a reason for this, however. Warren was subsequently placed on the injured list with a right forearm strain, and he didn’t make it back until Aug. 19. 

His turnaround was complete when he returned, however. Warren’s ERA was 2.94 over his final 15-1/3 innings, and he threw in seven consecutive scoreless innings as the Mets completely rebuilt their bullpen after the deadline and had a remarkable run of success. 

That makes him a viable candidate for this year’s bullpen, but it’s by no means a lock. The Mets are going to make multiple offseason moves in the pen, and if Warren can stay healthy and continue to have good outings, he’ll stick around. 

Warren isn’t a high-leverage arm, as Hill noted, but he is a secondary option in a good bullpen who can get outs. He’s a journeyman who’s working on his third team, and Warren has even more value if he’s willing to ride the Syracuse shuttle and pitch at Triple-A. 

That’s where things get tricky for Warren. He’s out of minor league options, so he could be DFA’s in a roster crunch, and if that happens he could get other offers. He may or may not be worth a spot on the 40-man roster for the entire season, and that won’t be an easy decision for the Mets to make.