Mets Buddy Carlyle.jpg

Buddy Carlyle is having a career year with the Mets at 36.

(Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports)

WASHINGTON -- In February, Buddy Carlyle sent an e-mail to one of the acquaintances he has made in baseball. And in 19 years in the sport, he's made a few.

Carlyle has played for nine organizations in Major League Baseball, and 16 professional teams in the United States. He's played in Las Vegas over the course of four different seasons -- for three different franchises. He's played in Korea and Japan.

In 2005, he spent a year in the Dodgers' organization, pitching at three different levels. There, he made a relationship with Paul DePodesta, then the Dodgers' general manager in his only year at that job.

This winter, with the Mets and most teams already at their spring training complex, Carlyle was still without an invitation to pitch anywhere. He had spent all of 2013 with the Braves' Triple-A team, and at 36, wanted to extend his career at least one more year, but feared an opportunity would not come.

Taking initiative, he sent the e-mail to DePodesta, the Mets' vice president of player development, and received a positive reply. With no guarantees, he signed a minor league deal with the Mets.

So began the latest and, maybe, most unpredictable year of Carlyle's long career. Pitching in the majors for the first time in three years, he has an 1.53 ERA in 26 appearances as a reliever. Brought up when the Mets were short in the bullpen one May weekend in Philadelphia and not expected to stick around, he's posted the best season of his career.

"At this point in my career, I’m kind of on borrowed time," Carlyle said.

"I always looked at the worst thing that could happen to me is they send me home and I have to be with my kids. It’s a win-win."

The success, the longevity with the Mets, all the outs -- they are, in many ways, unexpected. Carlyle began this season without assumptions. He was just hoping to pitch again -- and perhaps for the last time. He intended this season to be his last -- capping a circuitous foray into professional baseball.

He had debuted in the majors at 21 for the Padres -- making it there three years after he was a second round pick by the Reds. After making seven starts, he pitched four more times for San Diego the next year -- running up a 7.08 ERA.

Then began a less linear path. He departed for Japan at 23 for two seasons after the Hanshin Tigers bought his contract, then to the minors, and finally the Dodgers in 2005. Then the Korean Baseball Organization.

In 2007, it seemed as if Carlyle might finally stick. He pitched for the Braves in three consecutive seasons and 87 games. But until he joined the Mets this summer, he made his way into just eight games -- for the Yankees -- in the next four years. On Opening Day, he had just over three years of actual major league service time.

This season has come with a new perspective for Carlyle. He has embraced being an elder statesman.

In spring training, saddled in the minor league camp, he was reminded how young his teammates were and the difficulty of just staying in the sport. They bumped into him with questions. He doled out advice.

The Mets leaned on him to take on a mentoring role. In Port St. Lucie, before camp broke, the organization held a series of rotating training sessions for their minor league players. Carlyle and Dana Eveland hosted their own, lecturing them about preparation and taking inquiries about baseball's marathon grind.

The duty suited Carlyle. He has already undertaken a coaching life.

In the offseason, Carlyle is an assistant girl's basketball coach. His wife, Jessica, is the head coach at Landmark Christian School in Atlanta and Buddy is her deputy and junior varsity coach -- a job he began last winter and plans on resuming after this season.

"That’s all I do," he says. "To those girls I’m just Coach Buddy.”

Jessica Carlyle was a prolific player at Division-II University of Nebraska-Kearny, graduating as the school's all-time second-leading scorer. After a year playing professionally in Amsterdam, she returned stateside.

Now, a couple that has known each other since Buddy Carlyle was 14 takes on another responsibility. As a staff, Buddy Carlyle will play the nice cop and Jessica takes a sterner position.

“We make a pretty good team," he says.

Despite prosperity this year, Carlyle still misses his home outside Atlanta and his family. He misses his team, too -- which he can sometimes see while video-chatting with his wife.

It's why his future is still undecided. He would have been fine with another season in Triple-A, like last year, and then taken on retirement. But now his outlook has changed.

The market for his still spry right arm will likely be more lively than it was a year ago. Jessica wants him to reach 20 seasons in professional baseball and he needs one more to reach that threshold.

Carlyle is unsure if he will try to pitch again. He looks at teammates like Jeurys Familia with awe -- though he has an ERA nearly a run lower with a fastball six miles per hour slower. The end has to come sometime.

Still, he already preached to young pitchers how difficult it is just to reach the majors. And to stay. Finally, Carlyle has found a way.

"Do what you’re supposed to do every day, just be where you’re supposed to be, and do things the right way," he says, reciting his lessons this spring. "It’s a lot easier to stick around. Especially if you need that second, third, or for me, my 15th chance."

Mike Vorkunov may be reached at mvorkunov@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Mike_Vorkunov. Find NJ.com Mets on Facebook.