Remember how the best NY Mets reliever almost didn’t make the team?

Lockdown, shutdown, tied up with a ribbon so tight it could cut off your circulation, the New York Mets bullpen is getting the job done way more than we’re used to. Despite losing A.J. Minter and, to a much lesser extent, Danny Young to season-ending injuries, things are going well. Arguably their best reliever so far this season has been Huascar Brazoban.

No one has pitched more innings in relief than Brazoban. In 18 appearances, the multi-inning threat has logged 24 and struck out just as many. A holdover from last year’s trade deadline when he wasn’t so impressive during those final weeks to the point where he was sent to the minors, we are in awe at how well he has turned things around for the better.

A 1.2 WAR leads all relief pitchers with a 1.13 ERA only a tad higher than what Reed Garrett has posted. Brazoban’s 0.75 WHIP shows off his ability to avoid traffic on the bases, making him this year’s most reliable reliever of all. Unbelievably, he almost didn’t even make the Mets roster this season.

We may have missed out on a reloaded Huascar Brazoban if one decision was made differently

Dedniel Nunez was the reason why Brazoban was a candidate to go to the minors to begin this season. Last year’s “from out of nowhere” reliever who made us all fall in love was working his way back from an injury in the spring. Doubts about his effectiveness, which seem to be ongoing, had the Mets essentially demoting him to begin the year as an unofficial rehab.

This opened the door for Brazoban to make the team. He still had to overcome one other hurdle. Paul Blackburn was going to enter the bullpen as a long man. Max Kranick had outperformed Brazoban in the spring ever so slightly. Was there much of a need to carry two multi-inning relievers we hadn’t really known about as recently as 365 days ago? Even if the need wasn’t there, the Mets were going to find a way to make it work. Blackburn's injury completely cleared the road for Brazoban to make the club.

May has been especially kind to Brazoban as he pulls away from the pack of other amazing relievers on this roster. A hit batter in his first appearance on the fourth in game one of their doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals is all he has given up. He struck out the next batter.

No hits have been dealt to Brazoban since April 27. He has at least one strikeout in every appearance but one this year. Everything is going his way.

Carlos Mendoza hasn’t been completely reliant on him for more than 3 outs at a time. To have the option is what makes him so incredibly awesome to have around. Who knew all we needed was a little patience? At the end of last year, it felt like a nice try but David Stearns without the results. And to think, he was so close to starting the year off buried in Triple-A.