On Hisanori Takahashi, Hansel Robles, & the number 47

During Saturday's Mets-Braves spring training game, the Fox Sports broadcast team made an interesting comment regarding the number on Mets reliever Hansel Robles' back.  It likely passed over most viewers as a trivial tidbit regarding the opposition and no cause for additional thought, but as a Mets fan -- and one particularly interested in the aforementioned number -- their comments struck me as worthy of further thought. 
As Robles spun his two innings of one-hit, no-run ball and maintained his 0.00 spring ERA, Chip Caray referred to him as "the man that's worn 47 in New York better than anybody else in team history," to which Joe Simpson replied, "You got that right." 

While I could delve into the history of Mets players who've worn the number 47, that has already been done by Jon Springer and Matthew Silverman in their excellent, interesting book Mets By The Numbers.  Indeed, it would make sense to start as they do with the original Met to wear the number, Jay Hook, or to consider talented, memorable, even historic players like Jesse Orosco and Tom Glavine.  (Again, check out the aforementioned book for an in-depth review of the history of this and all other Mets jersey numbers over the years.)

I, on the other hand, was reminded of a more recent #47, one of my favorite players of the 2010 season: Hisanori Takahashi.  My inner -- perhaps inexplicable -- diehard fan instantly wondered if Robles had proven himself moreso than one of my favorite former Mets.  A deep dive into the stats, courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com, suggests that Robles is indeed poised to be worthy of Caray's statement, though I'm not sure he's quite there yet.  After all, though Robles has appeared in well over twice the number of Mets games than Takahashi has, he has only pitched about ten more innings.  Their Mets ERAs rest at about the same level (Robles: 3.55; Takahashi: 3.61), and their strikeout-to-walk ratios are nearly identical (Robles: 2.70; Takahashi: 2.65).  They have each earned ten wins for the Mets, and Robles has only one more loss (7) than Takahashi (6). 

Where I would argue Takahashi has exceeded Robles is in the former's preparedness to fulfill any role needed.  Throughout the 2010 season, he started twelve games, worked out of the bullpen for the other forty-one, and even became their closer when the role opened up, recording eight saves.  Hisanori Takahashi was ready to attempt any role which the Mets needed him to fill, and for that, I heartily enjoyed rooting for him.

This being established, Caray's comment has also caused me to reconsider Robles' place in the bigger picture.  Again neglecting all but Takahashi for the sake of this focused comparison, Robles has recorded 32 more strikeouts than him as well as fielded his position flawlessly, to name just a couple points on which Robles stands out.  Moreover, his success in the postseason -- highlighted by his tossing two shutout innings in the 2015 World Series -- is a significant distinction.  Perhaps most notable is that Hansel Robles is not only a current Met but also a reliever who will likely be called on a great deal in the 2017 season as the Mets chase another postseason berth.  All indications based on what I've read and seen of his performances are that he will take full advantage of this opportunity to prove himself.

For now, I'm holding on to the memory of a past personal favorite, but I welcome the day (that is hopefully coming soon) when I simply have to admit that Hansel Robles is indeed the superior wearer of number 47. 

SOURCES:
- "Mets @ Braves." MLB.tv. Fox Sports, 25 March 2017. 
- www.baseball-reference.com: Hansel Robles & Hisanori Takahashi
​- Springer, Jon & Matthew Silverman. Mets By The Numbers: A Complete Team History of the Amazin' Mets by Uniform Number. New York: Sports Publishing, 2016.