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3 NY Mets players who had bad spring trainings then had an All-Star season

Spring training can cause a ton of outlier statistics. For example, these three former New York Mets struggled badly in spring before going on to have All-Star campaigns.
ByNoah Wright|
Aug 3, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) gets pulled from the game in the 5th inning against the San Francisco Giants as New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) waits on the manager at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Aug 3, 2014; New York, NY, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Bartolo Colon (40) gets pulled from the game in the 5th inning against the San Francisco Giants as New York Mets third baseman David Wright (5) waits on the manager at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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Spring training can bring out some interesting stats. Players who aren't expected to do well all of a sudden go on a tear, while mainstays struggle at times. With so much variety in terms of level of competition, only about a month of playing time, and players shaking off off-season rust, outlier performances are common. Like all teams, the New York Mets are not strangers to franchise players underperforming before the regular season begins. For example, these three former Mets struggled severely in spring training before going on to be All-Stars that very year.

1) 2016 Bartolo Colon

Bartolo Colon is one of the most memorable players in the New York Mets' history. Big Sexy made a huge impact on both the Mets' and baseball's culture. Colon played three seasons with the Mets from 2014 through 2016, with his third and final season in New York being his best. He made his third and final All-Star Game of his career (and hit a very memorable first home run).

Colon pitched to a 3.43 ERA, 3.99 FIP, and 1.21 WHIP in 191.2 innings of work. A control specialist, the right-hander led the league in walks/9 at 1.5 and had just a 4% BB%, the 4th lowest in all of baseball. His 1.13 HR/9 rate was also slightly better than the league average, but he had a strikeout percentage clocking in at just 16.2%. It was by far the lowest among any pitcher in 2016, with a sub-4.00 ERA.

However, Colon did not look like an All-Star during spring training. He allowed 16 earned runs in just 23.2 innings. While he only walked a single batter and struck out 20, Colon also gave up five home runs. His ERA of 6.08 in spring training 2016 is the eighth-highest single-season mark among any Mets pitcher who threw at least 20 innings, while his HR/9 of 1.93 is the 3rd highest.

Colon's 2016 wasn't an outlier, however. He had a career 5.73 ERA in 161.2 spring training innings (dating back to 2006). That is the 15th highest among any pitcher, with at least 120 innings pitched in spring training. Colon posted an ERA of over 5.00 in every spring training with the Mets.

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