
Brach leads the bullpen in wins
Do I actually believe Brach wins more games than Seth Lugo this year? I’m a little iffy on that. Lugo is the kind of pitcher who will have many opportunities to earn victories for the 2020 Mets. I need some prediction to make, though. And a logical one for Brach seems to involve wins.
Back in 2016, Brach was a middle reliever for the Orioles and somehow managed to finish the year with 10 wins. It’s not impossible for him to repeat this in 2020. However, I would set the actual total somewhere around six or seven.
Brach can certainly do this. He won five games in 2019 and has another year in his past with seven victories. Some pitchers just tend to get put in a spot to win games. The role I expect Brach to be in this season will set him up well to do so.
I figure Brach will pitch a lot of games with the Mets trailing. In comeback victories, he may be the man on the mound when the Amazins come rumbling back.
Last year’s team had four 4+ winners in relief. Lugo led the way with seven. A year earlier, Robert Gsellman was the bullpen-win-king with six of them.
Wins for relievers are often fluky and don’t always measure a pitcher’s talent. Closers will routinely finish with a bad winning percentage because the majority of the time they factor into the decision is in a blown save.
This isn’t a prediction for Brach that will make anyone jump for joy. Nevertheless, it’s a nice little number for us to possibly watch grow.
Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!
What do you expect out of Brach in 2020?