Palladino: The Return Of Bartolo Colon Means Fun For Mets Fans
By Ernie Palladino
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The Mets' immediate fortunes won't rise or fall on the shoulders of Bartolo Colon.
Re-signing the 42-year-old simply ensures that, no matter what else happens in 2016, it's going to be another fun ride whenever the rotund Citi Field folk hero goes to work.
And that's not a bad thing.
For all that Terry Collins' pitching rotation brings -- Jacob deGrom's dominance, Matt Harvey's competitiveness, Noah Syndergaard's power and Steven Matz's potential -- Colon brings an element of the good, clean entertainment of an old-timey plugger enjoying the heck out of his final days in uniform.
With that comes the ability to at least win more than he loses. He accomplished that last season with a 14-13 record and 4.16 ERA, which will be perfectly acceptable in his role as a fifth starter until Zack Wheeler returns from Tommy John surgery around midseason.
After that, Colon can go to the bullpen where, still smiling, he proved he could pitch effectively in the postseason.
But it's the entertainment factor that appeals equally. For Colon, it's all part of the game.
From the time he steps on the mound, Colon wears the look of a man who has seen it all and learned from it.
The eyes don't have the intensity of Harvey's, but rather the calmness of purpose that the wisdom of experience affords. He no longer has the consistent velocity of Syndergaard, but his command of location allows him to make pitches when he has to.
The body is the most intriguing of all. Fans reveled in seeing someone not so different from themselves -- more beer league than major league in his roundness -- doing the job joyously.
Whether it's getting a runner himself with a behind-the-back throw to first -- as he retired Justin Bour in Miami -- sending his cap flying with a slugger's swing-and-miss or rejoicing after he finally makes contact for a rare RBI hit, he's just a walking good time.
The fact that he wins more than he loses makes it even better.
Of course, nobody keeps anybody these days because they're good guys. Franchises don't shell out $7.25 million for players who can't do the job. So we know the Mets also believe that Colon isn't just a good fellow. He can still bring it, albeit in his own way.
But there are also advantages to that. He can show Harvey that not every bad pitch or subpar outing amounts to life and death. On a staff filled with emotion -- remember Syndergaard challenging Royals players to "meet me 60-feet, six-inches away" after he brushed back Alcides Escobar in the World Series? -- Colon can provide a counter attitude.
It's significant that Colon wants to be here, too. He reportedly took less to come back. And no doubt he'll gladly do any job Collins assigns.
It's good for a franchise to have a different perspective in the locker room.
It's good for the fans to have a guy they can relate to. Because, when all is said and done, Colon isn't that much different from the older fellow they played pickup basketball with at the YMCA.
You know the one. The roundish guy who closed his eyes, let it fly from 30 and yelled "OH-H-H-H-H-H-H-H!" as it hit nothing but net.
Fun.
For all his ability, that's Colon's greatest asset.
