Underrated Mets season: Pedro Martinez in 2005

It almost doesn’t seem like Pedro Martinez was a member of the New York Mets for as long as he was. He came over after the 2004 season which is most famous for the end of the Boston Red Sox curse that he was a part of.

While we may recall Martinez coming to the Mets at a more advanced age, he was only 33 when he first suited up for the Mets in 2005. He was nowhere near his elite self from the glory days with the Red Sox or even the spectacular 1997 campaign he had with the Montreal Expos. Nonetheless, Martinez pieced together one of the more underrated seasons in Mets history.

Pedro Martinez had an underrated season for the NY Mets in 2005

Martinez had the kind of numbers in 2005 that one might think would’ve qualified for at least some Cy Young acknowledgment. Yes, he was an All-Star. It was the first of two selections as a member of the Mets. However, this year was much more impressive than the 2006 season.

In his final fully healthy year in the big leagues, Martinez made 31 starts, completed 4 games, and logged a total of 217 innings. The innings matched what he did the year prior with Boston. The big difference was virtually everywhere else aside from the record.

At 15-8 for the Mets, Martinez had virtually the same record from the year prior when he was 16-9 with the Red Sox. However, his ERA went down to 2.82 which might not have been as low as some other seasons of his but was more than acceptable.

Pedro shined in two areas in particular. His 0.94 WHIP led the majors and his 4.43 strikeouts to walk ratio was tops in the National League. The WHIP is one of the best in Mets history yet not nearly enough to be among the six NL pitchers who received Cy Young acknowledgment.

This was the Chris Carpenter Cy Young season when at 21-5 and a 2.83 ERA he took home the trophy. There was plenty of other stiff competition. Dontrelle Willis won 22 games. Roger Clemens had a 7.8 WAR and 1.87 ERA. On a mediocre Mets club barely above .500, it was easier for the voters to miss what he was able to accomplish.

Injuries got in the way of Martinez becoming a truly great Mets pitcher. Things were never the same for him after the 2005 season either. For the next four seasons, fans were lucky to see him at all. Often when they did, he wasn’t nearly the same.