One of the New York Mets' strengths over the last couple of weeks has been the bullpen's effectiveness, and one pitcher who has been leading that charge has been reliever Reed Garrett. It's no secret that the Mets have had their fair issues this season with the bullpen blowing leads, and Garrett at one point was part of that core of relievers that was struggling.
However, since Garrett has returned from an elbow injury that landed him on the Injured List, he has been as close to lights out as possible and provided the bullpen with a much-needed boost. Since his return on August 10th, Garrett has only allowed three earned runs over 12 appearances, in which two of those runs came in the same appearance against the Oakland A's on August 15th.
Reed Garrett has been nearly untouchable on the mound for the Mets over the last 30 days
Garrett would then allow another earned run in his next appearance against the Miami Marlins back on August 18th. Since that appearance, Garrett has not allowed an earned run over his last 9 appearances, and he has solidified himself as a reliable late-inning weapon for the Mets as they enter the season's final stretch.
To make Garrett's numbers more impressive, he ranks among some of the top strikeout pitchers in all of baseball currently. When dissecting his strikeout numbers he currently ranks in the 99th percentile when it comes to Whiff % and in the 98th percentile when it comes to his strikeout %. His chase percentage also ranks in the 92nd percentile.
The two pitches that have contributed to Garrett's success have been his split-finger fastball in which batters have a lowly .122 batting average, as well as his sweeper which also has hitters hitting a measly .161 batting average against. It's truly remarkable to see the production they have gotten out of Garrett this season.
If the Mets have any plans of smelling October baseball, they will need their bullpen to continue to pitch at an elite level, with Reed Garrett being a large piece to that puzzle.