Mets have little reason to fear new Nationals rival Patrick Corbin

The Washington Nationals have added starting pitcher Patrick Corbin to the rotation. Fear not, several New York Mets players have hit him well in the past.

If you’ve been watching the Hot Stove, you may have heard about the Washington Nationals making a splash of their own. The New York Mets’ rival added free agent pitcher Patrick Corbin to an already talented rotation. Snubbing the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies by joining Washington, Corbin will face the Mets plenty in the coming years.

Should the Mets be afraid of this talented southpaw? Well, based on past experience, not at all.

The idea that Corbin can mow through the Mets because of their abundance of lefties is not true. In his 8 at-bats against Corbin, Michael Conforto is 4 for 8 with 3 home runs. There’s owning a pitcher and then there’s owning him and treating him like a rag doll.

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Conforto isn’t the only one who to hit well against Corbin. In his pair of at-bats, Robinson Cano is 1 for 2 with a home run of his own. Yet another lefty, Brandon Nimmo is 2 for 6 versus Corbin.

Even our dearly departed Jose Reyes has hit Corbin well in the past. His .538 batting average in 13 at-bats shows us just how vulnerable Corbin can be.

Oddly, the only guy on the Mets with an abundance of opportunities and a bad history versus Corbin is Juan Lagares. In 16 at-bats, Lagares has only a pair of hits for a .125 batting average. Considering his reputation as a guy who hits lefties well, it’s surprising to see him as one of the few Corbin has handled incredibly well.

In his six big league seasons, Corbin has been an up-and-down player. In three of his seasons, he has posted an ERA below 4.00. Twice he finished above 4.50.

Last year was easily the best performance of Corbin’s career. It’s what landed him a six-year deal worth $140 million. All of the money in the world cannot save him from the inevitable.

When he comes to Citi Field or the Amazins visit him in D.C., I don’t think there’s much reason to be afraid. Although he’s in a new uniform, he’s the same hittable pitcher.

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Hopefully, Conforto and the boys continue to damage his ERA.