Whither Ollie Perez?

Count me among those who think the Mets should ink Ollie Perez to a long-term deal. Yes, there is the old "good Ollie/bad Ollie" stuff to trot out like a worn shoe and debate over until the cows come home.

So why should he stay? The answer is innings.

At the prime age of 27, Ollie Perez is an innings eater, and he is about has now entered the "pitching prime" zone of 27-32.

In 2008 Ollie Perez had the following innings by month stats:

Months

Direct Link

 I Split         G   GS GF  W  L  S CG SHO   IP  
+-+------------+---+---+--+--+--+--+--+---+-----+-
  April/March     6   6  0  2  2  0  0   0  29.0    
   May            5   5  0  2  1  0  0   0  30.2 
   June           6   6  0  2  2  0  0   0  30.2  
   July           5   5  0  1  1  0  0   0  32.2  
   August         6   6  0  2  1  0  0   0  38.1  
   Sept/Oct       6   6  0  1  0  0  0   0  32.2 

For a #3/#4 starter, those are outstanding numbers, and he figures to reliably stay at or above the 200 IP range for the foreseeable future.

Still not convinced? OK, let me throw another stat at you--3.95 road ERA. That figure was 16th best in the NL, and 2nd best among Mets starters, trailing only Johan Santana. Ollie, for all his faults, is a road warrior.

We could go on about how well he pitched in big games, how he fared against our rivals, etc, but the bottom line is the Mets need to make a strong pitch for Ollie and match whatever offer he gets.

The hometown advantage should give the Mets the edge.