Familia buying in to committee plan
PORT ST. LUCIE — Jeurys Familia is all aboard the Mickey Callaway Bullpen Train.
The Mets manager said he is going to mix and match this season, using different relievers to close. That could include bringing in Familia in a high-leverage situation, potentially in the seventh or eighth inning, and then finishing the game with another reliever.
That is what Callaway did in Cleveland as pitching coach.
“He came from Cleveland and that worked,’’ Familia said Thursday at the Mets training complex at First Data Field. “For me, I always say, ‘He’s the manager, and I am going to do my job when I get the ball and try to win the game and enjoy the game.’ ’’
When asked about getting the call in the seventh, eighth or ninth inning, Familia said, “It doesn’t matter to me. I’m just trying to win the game.
“I talked to Mickey in the offseason, he called everybody to try to be on the same page and I think not every manager does that. That’s a good start. This year I am going to try to attack the hitter more and get ahead in the count.’’
The 2017 season was a rough one for Familia, with a 15-game suspension at the start for violating MLB’s domestic-violence policy and in May undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot. He had only six saves after saving 51 games in 2016. Familia said this season is a fresh start. “This year I am training hard,” he said. “My body feels good, and my arm, after having that surgery, feels good. I know what I can do this year. I bought a house in Miami and I trained Monday through Friday and then for Christmas I spent some time in the [Dominican Republic] with my family.
“For me this is a special group, if we have those [starters] healthy, I think we can win the whole thing.’’
As for Jacob deGrom’s shorthair look, Familia laughed and said, “It doesn’t matter to me if he has long hair or short hair, he’s got good stuff. He knows how to fight when he is pitching.’’
➤ Zack Wheeler won his arbitration case against the Mets and will be paid $1.9 million, a raise from the $800,00 he made in 2017, instead of the Mets’ number of $1.5 million. Wheeler was 3-7 in 17 starts with a 5.21 ERA, his first major league action since 2014. … Yoenis Cespedes showed up at the complex Thursday and spent some time in the clubhouse. … Matt Harvey arrived and worked out, throwing a short bullpen session and running in the outfield with the other starting pitchers. … Jeff Wilpon and Sandy Alderson made the trip here Wednesday night, following the Todd Frazier press conference.