I was not a huge Bartolo fan when he first came around. Sure he was as good as you could expect a 40-something to be and, for someone his age, he ate a lot of innings and he won a lot of games. But still, Bartolo represented too much of what the Mets have historically tried to do, and that is patch holes with old, past-their-prime players when they should be building a stronger core of youngsters. And perhaps that's a big reason why it took so long for him to grow on me. I've grown cynical about old former stars the Mets pick up. I don't get on their boat easily because I'm too used to being disappointed by them.
In retrospect, Bartolo was very solid his first couple years. He led the team in innings and wins in 2014 and 2015 (tying DeGrom in wins in '15) and was a good veteran presence around the 20-somethings that populated the rest of the starting staff.
But that young-old contrast also made Colon look worse, especially in 2015. They had DeGrom -- WOW! What a name. They had Harvey -- WOW! What a name. They had Syndergaard -- WOW! What a name. They technically had Wheeler, but he was hurt. They had Rafael Montero waiting in the wings, when he still had potential and people had hope for him. And they even had Niese, who was still somewhat young and had the makings of a good #5 if their other young guys worked out. So it was all those highly talented young guys ... and Colon.
And 2014 and 2015 weren't all rosy. He also lost a lot. And his ERA+s those two years were just 84 and 91, respectively. So he pitched worse than the average hurler as a whole. And he gave up a ton of hits and home runs. And he couldn't hit. At all. DeGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler and Niese could work out knocks here and there. Not Colon.
But it was in 2016 that I finally came around on Bartolo. The home run and all the meme-y stuff played a role -- and don't get me wrong, I still watch video of the home run from time-to-time to this day -- but it was more that he actually had an astounding year that really won me over. 15-8, 3.43 ERA for a FORTY-THREE YEAR OLD?? That's incredible. He had a 117 ERA+. He was an All-Star. He looked like the Bartolo of old, the Bartolo that showed glimpses of Hall of Fame potential before he hit a rocky patch in the mid-late 2000s.
Long story short, I liked Bartolo overall. It took me a while to get on board, but I liked him. He was a solid pitcher. He was a character. He brought a flair to the Mets.
He was still pitching in Mexico as recently as 2021, at age 48. At this exact moment, he has 293 wins at all levels; it would be awesome to see him reach 300 professional victories. He already has 3,000 Ks. So if the Mets ever need help in the rotation ...
