If the Mets have reached a decision about where Jenrry Mejia will begin the season, they haven't been honest with reporters. Omar Minaya said Friday that the team is waiting to decide if Mejia will stay with the big club (to relieve) or go to Double-A Binghamton (to start). As tempting as having Mejia in the Major League bullpen must be to the Mets, the team must send him down with an eye toward his future.
Mejia, who at 20 is perhaps the Mets' top prospect, likely has the stuff to get hitters out when pitching in big-league relief. But middle relievers are a dime a dozen, and closers aren't worth as much as people think. The Mets probably don't want to make Mejia a reliever in the long run, but that doesn't mean they won't overvalue his potential contributions this season. Mejia would be a rookie who has thrown all of 44 innings above Class A ball. Does that mean he won't be a good reliever? Of course not. What it does mean, however, is that he may not be that big an improvement over those in the Mets' bullpen right now, including Ryota Igarashi and Bobby Parnell.
If the Mets choose to have Mejia relieve, they run the risk of hurting his development as a starter. If they are going to put that on the line, the reward needs to be more than a marginal difference in a setup role on a team that isn't good enough for that to be a significant edge in the standings. Right now there is no evidence that Mejia will be more than a small improvement, and the Mets need to act accordingly.
