Three weeks into the 2009 MLB season, the New York Mets and their bullpen are proving why they will be playing baseball come October — something they have failed to do the previous two years thanks to their faulty relievers.

Although the Mets hold a mediocre 6-9 record and are currently five games behind the first-place Marlins, the Mets bullpen has been stellar so far this season. At the moment, the relievers rank first in the majors in earned run average. They have also given up the fewest number of runs and earned runs, and rank first in the league with the fewest walks surrendered. As if all of this were not impressive enough, the bullpen is in the top ten in strikeouts and is one of just six teams in the majors to be perfect in save opportunities.

When compared with other statistical categories of equal importance from last season, these numbers are absolutely mind-boggling. The Mets finished the 2008 season with the second most blown saves in all of baseball with 29, placed in the top ten in most home runs allowed and as a result, finished in the top ten for most losses by the bullpen. Furthermore, their strikeouts per nine innings ranked in the lower tier of the league, as did the walks and hits to innings pitched ratio, more commonly known as WHIP.

Aside from these statistics, the main reason why the Mets bullpen has thrived this season unlike in past years is because of the offseason acquisitions of Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz. The Mets now have two potential closers in these gentlemen, so even if K-Rod is unable to pitch, they should feel confident in Putz being able to get the job done. In addition, the Mets have Bobby Parnell and Sean Green, who have looked very solid so far this season, so they should add to the strength of the bullpen. Finally, getting rid of specific pitchers such as Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis was certainly a step in the right direction for the Mets bullpen, as any Mets fan, including myself, would agree.

Relating to the new set of relievers, one of the real tests this season has come in Cincinnati, where the Mets were up two runs in the bottom of the ninth. The Reds loaded the bases against K-Rod with one out and were a hit away from tying the game, but in typical K-Rod fashion, he preserved the game and the win. I was very excited because I feel if former Mets closer Billy Wagner was pitching, the Mets would have lost the game.

Instead, K-Rod showed his true capabilities and closed the door, giving Mets fans hope this season that if the Mets do miss the playoffs, it will not be because of the bullpen.

It is still early in the season, but the numbers posted by the bullpen are a very good sign for Mets fans. The way they have performed so far makes me really optimistic, but being a Mets fan, I fully expect that optimism to disappear within the next couple of months.