Pelfrey relies on the guys behind him because he doesn’t approach the batter with any plan.

And even a guy who relies on the guys behind him should pitch at a faster pace so those guys behind him stay alert and the guys he pitches too don’t have as much time to think about whwere the next pitch is going to be located.

I would say that pretty much shows it didn’t matter who was catchingalthough from the looks of it he was a bit better when Blanco was catching him.

He’s never as a big leaguer had nasty stuff. He just doesn’t.

If you want to say its mental because he’s not SMART enough to pitch with average stuff then yeah I’ll take that. Glavine had average stuff towards the end of his career but he knew how to use it.

Pelfrey’s problem is he isn’t any better than a 4.00-5.00 pitcher. He just isn’t. No catcher, pitching coach or shrink will change that.

Halladay and Lee work fast because they know any pitch they throw can get a hitter out. They don’t have to worry about whether their curve is working for example.

Pelf relies on the guys playing behind him, so he pitches to keep the ball in the park. Halladay and Lee pitch to get you out.

Pelfrey’s starting catcher in 2010
4/09 – Barajas
4/15 – Blanco
4/20 – Blanco
4/25 – Blanco
5/01 – Blanco
5/07 – Barajas
5/12 – Barajas
5/17 – Barajas
5/22 – Barajas
5/27 – Blanco
6/01 – Barajas
6/08 – Barajas
6/13 – Blanco
6/19 – Blanco
6/25 – Thole
6/30 – Barajas
7/05 – Barajas
7/10 – Barajas
7/19 – Barajas
7/24 – Barajas
7/30 – Blanco
8/04 – Thole
8/10 – Thole
8/15 – Thole
8/20 – Thole
8/27 – Blanco
9/01 – Thole
9/06 – Thole
9/11 – Thole
9/16 – Thole
9/21 – Thole
9/28 – Thole
10/3 – Thole

Barajas = 12 games
Blanco = 9 games
Thole = 12 games

For the month of July Barajas caught every Pelfrey start except the last one on 7/30.

Source: http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/NYM/2010-batting-orders.shtml

Right now he is running a whip over 2.

I actually expect a string of decent starts from him at this point.

Barajas did catch most of his fast starts early. But by the time Pelf started to Sour Blanco was getting a lot more playing time and then Thole after Barajas left for LA.

It was not meant as a fact, just a suggestion to what may have changed in pelfrey if not Pelfrey himself.

But your point is taken.

It was even speculated that not making the All star team was a blow to his confidence!

And Blanco caught most of his games when he came back to success!

Look at the pace that Halladay and Cliff Lee work and then look at the pace that Pelfrey works.

Two of the most consistent pitchers in baseball vs one of the most inconsistent from inning to inning.

If you look you will see how both Halladay and Lee get the ball, step on the rubber and make the next pitch.
Watch Pelfrey and he takes a walk around the mound, Wipes his forehead, Plays with his cap, Takes a long time before he even loks for the signs and then repeats that over and over again.

It looks as if he is hesitant to make a pitch. Halladay and Lee look like that can’t wait to make the next pitch.
While whatever mstake or issue they had on the last delivery is still fresh in their mind they make the next pitch and adjust accordingly.

Pelfrey seems to lament what happened or fret for awhile after a mistake and then goes and makes the same damn mistake because he is putting what happened out f his mind!

This is why I constantly say pelf’s issues are MENTAL more than Talent.
He has the talent and shows this on those occassions where there is no pressure or when the team stakes him to a error proof margin of a lead.

Pelfs best games are all those where the team scores early and stakes him to that early lead.
But in games that are scoreless or close he seems to struggle.

That is in his head not his arm or his ability.

And when you see him pitch next to the Lee’s and Halladays of the world you truly see the difference in approach!
They are ACES…Pelfrey could be if he could only get his head screwed on straight. The pitches are there, the attitude is not!

Barajas was then traded and played for the Dodgers on Aug 24 and Pelf still continued to pitch well with out him after that.

I don’t see a connection.

Rod Barajas to dl
mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100726&content_id=12652234&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb

Rod Barajas game log
baseball-reference.com/players/gl.cgi?id=barajro01&t=b&year=2010

The fact that he won those games last year w/o a complete team just shows that he can win at this level. I am hoping that he figures it out, hopefully in minors, and stay with Mets cause now that Mejia is hurt who do we have to show for all these years of drafting and developing pitchers other than Gee, Parnell and now Beato?

2010: 5k per 9
3 BB per 9
9 H per 9

2011: 5k per 9
4.2 bb per 9
13 H per 9

I honestly feel like his 2010 season was more luck than talent. I think his 2009 year is a more accurate assesment of his talent. Regardless, he’s not a #1 and he’s a questionablr #2.

Good pitcher, but the pressure handed to him is based on the talent around him… not the city he plays in

Here’s my view on Pelfrey honestly.

I like him, there’s no reason not to but I think if the plan for this organization is to think about the future then I think he’s a no brainer to feel out offers.

I think Pelf’s biggest problem is that every other year he is pegged as the Mets “ace”, and so every other year he seems to flop because expectations are so ridiculously high for him and he doesn’t have the talent to reach those levels.

It’d be like the Giants losing Lincecum and Matt Cain being asked to be the Ace of the staff. Cain’s better than Pelfrey, but you know what I mean.

Pelf doesn’t have ace stuff. He just isn’t a #1 pitcher. Look around the league at #1′s.

Sabathia, Lester, Price, Weaver, King Felix, Lincecum, Halladay, Verlander, Ubaldo, Kershaw, Josh Johnson, Carpenter just to name some off the top of my head

Pelf isn’t in any of those guys’ league. It’s not even debatable. But yet he’s asked to be.

Pelfrey is better served if he’s the 3rd best pitcher on your staff. He relies so heavily on the defense behind him and his park to save him. He doesn’t control the game, an ace has to manage the game through strikeout stuff.

Nobody in the league is afraid of Mike Pelfrey. If your “#1″ doesn’t scare anybody, then you’re either a terrible team OR he’s not a #1.

I don’t think its about his mindset, I think its about his skill set