According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, Jeurys Familia and Greg Burke have made the Opening Day roster. Familia has looked excellent this spring, posting a 2.19 ERA in 11 games. However, his 5.1 BB/9 ratio caused some doubt as to if he would make the team or not. Burke, on the other hand, posted a strong 1.9 BB/9 ratio, but put up a poor 5.14 ERA in 12 appearances. The side-armer inked a minor league deal with the Mets over the winter.
I am extremely excited to see Familia make the roster because of his high potential. A few years ago, we thought that he was going to be a front-line starting pitcher, but the organization has converted him to a reliever, and he has had some success. Obviously his walk rate is discouraging, and something that will need to be worked out by management. Maybe if they give him the "Bobby Parnell" treatment -- having him lose a few miles-per-hour on his fastball in order to gain some more control -- he would become more dominant. Either way, I am curious to see how he does in the, I'm assuming, eighth inning role.
As for Burke, he is definitely a nice, feel-good story, and will get his opportunity to prove himself. A deceiving submarine pitcher could be a nice thing to have for Terry Collins and his bullpen, and I expect to see him come in during crucial points of the games. He didn't really have the best spring, but considering the competition, or lack thereof, there was a good chance that he was going to make the team.
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