OK Omar, Time for Heilman to Go!
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by user Alanschech
Mind you, as a Mets fan, I am pretty darn happy with the first half of the season. Willie is doing a great job, and the team is crusing with a double digit lead. However, there is alway room for improvement. One person that has become a liability is Aaron Heilman. You can see it on the mound, he is pouting like a 3 year old because they won't let him start. You know what, do the best you can at the spot you are given, or get out.
First and foremost, you can see it on his face when he is pitching. Every time you seem him give it up in the late innings, the look on his face is that he doesn't want to be out there. And we know that when a relief pitcher doesn't want to be out there, he is not going to pitch well.
It is backed up statiscally as well. There was a stark change in his statistics once Brian Bannister was injured. If you take a look at his game log on mlb.com it will become obvious. In April, when Brian Bannister was active, he finished the month with a 2.63 ERA. Bannister was injured on April 26th in a start against the San Francisco Giants. Heilman was expecting to crack the rotation once this happened, and when he didn't, it showed in his pitching. His month by month ERAs have been as follows :May 3.38, June 7.43, July to date 4.05. Ever since the little baby Aaron Heilman was not given the opportunity to start, he has not gotten hitters out in the same fashion as he did before. He needs to stop moping and start pitching.
Aaron Heilman is a talented pitcher. When he is pitching well he has a lively arm that can get anyone out. But he is clearly upset that the Mets aren't giving him the opportunity to start and his pitching is showing just that. He needs to understand that he is lucky to be a major leaguer, and should play the role he has been requested. Otherwise, Omar needs to find a new home for Heilman, and soon, because I know that I feel more comfortable with Chad Bradford than with Aaron Heilman.
Date
Sun 07/09/06, 7:06 pm EST
