Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen was going to retire, until this year

Dan Warthen was all set to retire

Think about it — coming into 2015, the Mets rotation was supposed to be absolutely dominant. It was one of the best rotations in the league. His job here was done. He developed great pitchers, who were ready to take the mound and win games. At that point, they had the skills, they had the tactics, they had the confidence, and they had the pitches. Warthen did his job, and he was set to retire. It all makes sense.

But do you know what doesn’t make sense? The way this season went, with every starter, except for Jacob deGrom (knock on wood) spending time on the disabled list.

And that’s why Warthen is no longer retiring. How can he leave them like this? Almost all of them need to rehab and get back into the swing of things, and he doesn’t feel right leaving them, bluntly saying “But after this year, I want one more year. I don’t want to leave them like this.”

Do you blame him? I don’t.

I know many of you want him gone, as some blame him for the plethora of injuries this rotation has faced. But, let’s remember that Warthen is the one to develop Matt Harvey — who no, is not the same right now by any means, but think back to 2015 when he was on top. And, he developed Noah Syndergaard as well, who injury aside, has been absolutely dominant since his arrival to the majors.

Again, the training staff is an issue, and training the regiment needs to be looked at. But Warthen not wanting to leave these guys when they’ll be making a comeback makes sense, and is good leadership. The guys feel comfortable with him, and they’ve worked with him the most. Harvey, deGrom, and Matz were all drafted by the Mets.

Warthen’s contract is up at the end of this season. Will it be renewed? We don’t know yet, the organization has been quiet about it. According to the Daily News, though, Warthen does have the support of Fred Wilpon, according to a source.

Should Warthen be back as pitching coach? I think he should for another year, to help get these guys back on track, and again, because the guys feel comfortable with him.

"“He has helped me a lot, he’s taught me different grips and approaches,” deGrom said. “Even just this year, working through that period where I just couldn’t get myself mechanically together, he was there working with me and we eventually figured it out.”"

DeGrom also stated that he wishes to continue to work with Warthen.

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It makes sense that Warthen no longer wants to retire. And it shows that he does care about these guys, and wants them to get back out there.