Tim Marchman is the man with the answers…
Nearly all pitchers, when moved to the bullpen, pick up a few miles per hour on their fastballs because they don’t have to pace themselves. For two pitchers whose secondary offering is a changeup, that’s going to have an enormous impact, because the harder the fastball, the more effective the change becomes. Heilman’s change has nothing like Foulke’s movement, but since he went to the pen and returned to the three-quarters arm slot he used in college, Heilman’s fastball has become a very nice pitch, getting as high as 94 on the gun while tailing and sinking. You can’t predict that someone will develop into Keith Foulke, but I think that Heilman has a chance to turn into a consistently dominant reliever.
I think that his future is in the pen, and I think it’s a good future… he throws two very good pitches and does have the extra velocity out of the pen.
Heilman’s resurgence is one of the most pleasant surprises of this season. I remember his early season start against Florida (4ip / 11h / 7er) where his sinkers were so flat. His career at this point seemed completely over as his stuff was comparable to a batting practice pitcher. His comeback against Atlanta proved to be no fluke, and he truly hit his stride once he became a relief pitcher.
Returning him to the rotation as some suggest would be a mistake.
His future is as a Roger McDowell style reliever.
Perhaps he has the stuff to become a closer. He should spend this season acting as a late inning setup guy, along with Royce Ring. If he shows consistent dominance, then the Mets should consider giving him a chance in the closer role.
Most great closers (i.e., Rivera, Percival, and Rodriguez) began by apprenticing as set up guys for great closers (i.e., Wettland, Smith, Percival) for one year before taking on closer duties.
In any case, its great to see Heilman find success with the Mets. Let’s hope he can capitalize on it, and become a key component of championship teams!
Mike I agree 100% - he should be looked at as the potential closer for next year - he should be 7th inning man now - and move to 8th inning set-up by Aug. Although if we trade Looper, make Hernandez the closer (don’t laugh, he might be old but he has been the best pitcher in the pen) and Heilman the set up man.
I like the fact heilman has finally found himself (remember he was a first round draft pick). Did you guys see the last 2 outings by Heilman though? He couldn’t get anyone out. Could you imagine if he was closer and had 2 meltdowns like that? The media would be calling for his head. Maybe we should trade him while his value is high….er then its been?
what about Royce Ring? looks good