Hartnett: R.A. Dickey Quietly Returning To Top Form For The Mets
'Hart of the Order'
By Sean Hartnett
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May wasn't kind to New York Mets' starter R.A. Dickey. Coming off a poor stretch where he surrendered 15 earned runs over three starts, he looked a shadow of the player that put up a career-best season in 2010. At the midway point of the month, his ERA soared to a bloated 5.08.
Some Met fans began to wonder if the R.A. Dickey of a year ago was an aberration as he posted a 2.84 ERA with an impressive walk to strikeout ratio of 42/104. His 2010 WHIP was 17th-best in the NL at 1.19. Previously, Dickey's career stats were horrendous as a member of the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners. It wasn't until 2009, when he joined the Minnesota Twins that he actually achieved an ERA under 5.00 and that was coming out of the bullpen to the tune of a 4.62 ERA.
Few could have predicted going into 2010 that Dickey would give the Mets 174.1 innings of reliable work and reach career highs in virtually every statistical category. After all, this was a man who never earned a guaranteed contract in his lifetime and pitched equally inadequate as a starter or coming out of the bullpen. You have to give a lot of credit to the Mets' scouting department for mining this diamond from the rough.
After one poor month in the 2011 calendar, Dickey is now repaying the Mets for the faith they put in him. Going into tonight's match-up against the Detroit Tigers, Dickey has lowered his ERA to a respectable 3.76. His June numbers have been outstanding with an ERA of 2.25 and WHIP of 0.96. By going eight innings and allowing a single run on three occasions in his past four starts, he's given the Mets both length and dependability.
The organization had enough confidence to award Dickey his first guaranteed deal of his career last winter and it's looking like a very smart investment. He was handed a $1M signing bonus this off-season and is earning $2.25M this year before his contract rises to $4.25M in 2012. The Mets hold a club option for 2013 worth $5M but could walk away by paying a buyout of just $300K.
With Dickey, the Mets are getting value for money in their rotation unlike anything in their recent past. Johan Santana's injury woes are obviously well-documented and Met fans don't need to be reminded about Oliver Perez who was bought out for $12M. Bringing up names like Tim Redding, Victor Zambrano and Kaz Ishii bring shivers down the spine of most fans.
In the present, Dickey is leading a Mets' staff without the services of Santana. Previously, Met hopes were tied to their high-earning ace but now there isn't the same pressure for Santana to succeed when he returns. Along with Dickey, Dillon Gee is having a sensational 2011 while Jonathon Niese and Chris Capuano have been very dependable starters.
It wouldn't be surprising if Dickey has another great outing tonight at Comerica Park, the only ballpark that can claim to be as pitcher-friendly as Citi Field. The bumps in his season seem to have passed and Dickey looks set to continue his dominant performances into the second half of 2011.
What do you make of Dickey's impact on the Mets' 2011 season? Sound off below and send your tweets to @HartyLFC.
