MIAMI — The Jose Butto experiment may not be an experiment for much longer. The right-handed swingman is quickly becoming invaluable to the Mets ‘ bullpen. Since being called up to work out of the bullpen on July 1 , the right-hander has yet to allow an earned run.
He’s inherited four runners and stranded them all. The 26-year-old Venezuelan is 3-0 with a save as a reliever, he’s using all of his pitches against right- and left-handed hitters and overall, has made a strong impression on the Mets after five relief appearances (8 2/3 innings). “He’s done a tremendous job,” manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday at LoanDepot Park.
“Yeah, we see him as a starter as well, but you know, the way he’s throwing the baseball out of the bullpen in high leverage-situations, [pitching] multiple innings and the way he’s recovering too says a lot.” The Mets view him as a Swiss Army Knife of sorts, using him in various situations, but for a Swiss Army Knife to work, it can’t be dull. Butto has made a seamless transition, praising veteran relief arms with helping him make the adjustment.
When the Mets made the decision to use Butto out of the bullpen, the key challenge they identified was with his pregame preparation routine. Butto needed adequate time to go through his full stretching routine and to be able to get his arm ready before throwing in the bullpen and going through his warmup pitches on the mound. Starters are typically afforded more time for this.
Relievers do.