Freddy Peralta isn't the only pitcher raising NY Mets coaching questions, decisions

If you haven’t heard of the name Ray Kerr, it probably means you’ve checked out of the MLB postseason. The journeyman reliever has now started two games for the Atlanta Braves in the playoffs and in 6 innings has yet to allow a run. Only 3 hits and 2 walks with a strikeout per inning, Kerr is having one of those out-of-nowhere October runs. Superb in 18.1 regular season innings as well, how much of the credit goes onto former New York Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner?

At 31 with a 5.30 ERA and just 54 innings in the majors prior to this year, Kerr is stabilizing the Braves in their time of need. The rider of the white horse, it’s Hefner who has managed to represent a major change within the Braves pitching staff this year.

Talks of the Mets unable to get from Freddy Peralta what the Tampa Bay Rays have, quite literally from the equine’s mouth, led all Mets-related news. It doesn’t help when we’re already questioning the current coaching staff’s ability while seeing someone who was already here get the most out of his players on a division rival.

How much of a difference has Jeremy Hefner actually had with the Braves?

The Braves gave up significantly fewer runs in 2026 than they did in 2025. Their 734 was a last-straw kind of situation for them in a lost season that wasn’t all that different from the way the Mets began their 2026 season. Finishing two games better at 76-86, it didn’t really matter. Changes needed to be made. The pitching was one of the most significant differences.

From 734 runs allowed to 626, Braves pitching excelled. It wasn’t all Hefner waving a wand. Nonetheless, the overall ability to prevent runs at such an awesome rate is impossible to ignore.

This isn’t a dump on Justin Willard. The Mets gave up only 16 more runs in 2026 than they did in 2025. Several players traded at the deadline did worse than they did with the Mets. David Peterson was the one example of a guy who was much different. He has been a puzzle for much of his career with extreme lows and highs.

A fair critique of the Mets going from 2025 to 2026 was how quickly they changed everything. It’s one thing to change the coaching staff and core players. It’s another to do them both in one swoop. Hefner managed to survive employment longer than most coaches would. Present from 2020-2025, he joined the Mets with a high reputation and despite some bad seasons from the team, never faced too much heat. Players seemed to really like him and based on Peralta’s comments about the Rays pitching coach communicating with him well, sometimes that’s the most important thing.

Kerr’s ongoing Linsanity run certainly feels like it includes some Hefner fairy dust. His regular season, oddly, didn’t include a whole lot of walks or strikeouts which seems to be a must for nearly every Mets pitcher of the David Stearns era. If it’s not questioning who sits in the coach’s seat we do, maybe it’s a thought of whether or not the system is broken that’s worth our time.

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