The importance of Hansel Robles in the Mets' bullpen

The Mets' bullpen struggles this September have been highlighted by the woes of midseason acquisition Tyler Clippard. With the team having just clinched the NL East, Hansel Robles has played a key role in stabilizing the later innings for the Mets over the past two months.

So far this September, Robles has surrendered two earned runs and only walked two batters over ten innings pitched. In fact, since July 1, Robles has walked nine batters over 33 innings. On the season he has struck out 58 batters in 52 innings, walking just 17. He has allowed seven home runs along the way; his resulting 1.2 homers-per-nine-innings is high, though perhaps not surprising for such an extreme fly ball pitcher.

While opposing teams can complain about Robles’s quick pitches, he has been highly effective for this Mets bullpen over the past three months. Addison Reed has garnered more fanfare for his performance since joining the club, but Robles has been nearly as important.

If Clippard returns to his early Mets form, the performances of Robles and Reed continue into the playoffs, and Jeurys Familia remains the shut-down closer he's been all season, the Mets have a chance to stymie opponents from start to finish. With an effective Robles, Terry Collins has three strong options to turn to late in games before considering an extended appearance for Familia.