Jeurys Familia

Mets Season in Review: Jeurys Familia

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Until the conclusion of the regular season, Familia had been one of the best relievers in baseball.

His crowning achievement of 2016 was when he notched his 50th save, against the Marlins on September 28th. Just three days later he became just the 10th New York player with 100 career saves.

Amassing 50 saves in a season is no easy feat as it’s only been done 16 different times.

Was a 50 save season expected?

Jun 30, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) reacts after getting the final out against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Citi Field. The Mets defeated the Cubs 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Coming into the 2016 season, Familia already had one season in the books with 43 Saves, which was tied for the franchise record at the time. After pitching to a stellar 1.85 ERA over a league leading 65 games finished along with 76 total games, it would have been hard to top.

The Mets were hoping that this was something that could be replicated though, and Familia should have been on pace for an ERA around 2 while hovering around 40 saves with a total of 75 to 80 strikeouts.

How he fared in 2016

Jeurys Familia. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

This past season marked the first time since 1994 that a Mets closer lead the league in saves. All in all, Familia’s 51 saves in 56 opportunities were fairly impressive.

Of the six closers with 40 saves, only A.J. Ramos, Mark Melancon, and Zack Britton had better save conversion rates.

At the same time, all three of them have pitched fewer innings than Familia and were less susceptible to fatigue. Familia’s 77.2 innings pitched and 78 games played were the most of any reliever with more than 20 saves.

Aside for saves, was Familia really all that great?

Yes, yes, he was. Throughout the season his ERA had been above 3.00 just a handful of times. While he didn’t finish anywhere near his 1.85 from 2015, his 2.55 is still respectable.

Areas for improvement

Oct 5, 2016; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) reacts during the ninth inning against the San Francisco Giants in the National League wild card playoff baseball game at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Throughout the season and postseason, a number of things went wrong that cost the Mets some games, which can be attributed to both Familia and management.

Familia finished the season with a 3-4 record along with a 1.21 WHIP and 84 strikeouts. One issue that Familia faced was his home-road split. While he was mediocre at home, his away stats have been fantastic. In 2016, when pitching at Citi Field, Familia posted a 2-4 record with a 3.05 ERA and 22 saves in 43 games.

The way he plays in other stadiums is a whole other story. He pitched to a 1.89 away ERA while recording 29 saves in just 35 games. If you want to dissect Familia further, you learn that non save situations are what really kills him.

Familia came into a game 22 times when it wasn’t a save situation. His ERA during those games was a whopping 4.09, opposed to 1.94 when under pressure. During non-save games, his WHIP had been a horrid 1.40.

Familia overall had a tremendous season, which only came crashing down thanks to a poor Wild Card appearance versus the Giants. Even then, the Mets were shutout and Familia was pitching in a non-save situation. Had the Mets been able to score, it might have been a whole other story.

What are some things that Familia might need to work on for 2017? The big issue was his walk rate. He issued 31 walks in 2016 opposed to 19 in 2015. While this isn’t a horrible number, bringing it back down to near where it was in 2015 could result in an even better season for Familia.

What will 2017 be like for Familia?

Nov 1, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the 9th inning in game five of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Right now, Familia’s 2017 season is really the flip of a coin. Any number of things can affect his playing time next season – whether it’s the potential suspension, or poor management. Even if suspended, Familia will come back hopefully at full power and easily regain the job as closer.

We should be able to see at least 50 games out of him, during which he should be able to pull out a 30 save season at minimum, along with a potential ERA and WHIP hovering around 2.2 and 1.1 respectively.