Ottavino or Robertson: Who should be the New York Mets’ closer?

When Edwin Diaz went down during the World Baseball Classic, his injury left a gaping hole at closer for the New York Mets. They have two good, solid veterans at the back of their bullpen, but who should be the primary closer when the going gets tough? 

When all-world closer Edwin Diaz inexplicably went down at the cursed World Baseball Classic, Mets fans everywhere cried and moaned in unison: Same old Mets!

It was a truly shocking development, one that led everyone to the same, immediate follow-up question: Who will close for Buck Showalter’s club now?

Two steady options instantly popped to mind: David Robertson (who has 159 career saves) and Adam Ottavino (who has 34). Both were coming off incredibly strong 2022 campaigns: Robertson sported a sterling 2.40 ERA, while Ottavino was somehow even better at 2.06.

This season it’s more of the same: Robertson’s ERA is ridiculously at 0.00, while Ottavino is cruising along at 1.80. This seems like a good problem for the Mets to have, right?

I bring the topic up because, well — often the MLB Playoffs come down to holding leads. I don’t have to tell you what Byung-Hyun Kim did to the collective psyche of Diamondbacks fans. Braves fans will tell you about Jeff Reardon. Ask the Phillies faithful about “Wild Thing” Mitch Williams.

NY Mets: Who should be the full-time closer?

So without Diaz, this decision will ultimately be of paramount importance to Showalter and the entire Mets’ organization. As it stands right now, Robertson has two saves to Ottavino’s one.

When you’re looking at two reliable veterans like this – how exactly does one split hairs? Ottavino (37 years old) had an immaculate 0.98 WHIP last season. Robertson (38 years old) was solid at 1.16.

Ottavino had 79 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings of work. Robertson fanned 81 in 63 2/3.

It’s really like looking in a mirror, isn’t it? These are two of the best and most consistent late-inning relievers in the game, but I could easily make the argument that they are both better setup men than closers. That just makes the whole situation even trickier.

Looking at current velocity — according to FanGraphs — Robertson is averaging 92.9 MPH on his cutter, which he throws 53.5% of the time (his most frequent offering).

As for Ottavino, he’s at 93.0 MPH on his fastball, which he throws 43% of the time (his most frequent). I mean seriously, how in the world do we separate these two guys?

Furthermore, they are totally different stylistically. Robertson is what I would refer to as a ‘traditional pitcher’ – straight over the top with his release, 12-to-6 break with his curveball.

Ottavino is the ‘sinker-slider’ type, dropping down three-quarters just a bit to create devastating cross-break from his patented slider.

Both have been succeeding throughout their Major League careers. This margin is razor thin.

In the end, I think Robertson’s more advanced experience as a closer gives him a very slight edge. Still, either guy could be on the mound when the World Series is on the line.

John Frascella is a published baseball author who has been covering MLB for 19 years. Follow him on Twitter @LegendSports7 for all things MLB, NBA and NFL throughout the year.