Time To Pull The Plug On Mike Pelfrey

25 Comments + Add Comment

• any July 23, 2011 at 8:42 am

  sadly, I think you may be right.
• MetFan Lou July 23, 2011 at 8:48 am

  I say keep him. Pelfrey , even at 27 is still raw talent. he always makes his starts, and when you look around MLB you do not see a lot of guys available that can replace him unless you have a ton of money. We are a 500 team, probably out of the wild card chase , but beyond that, damn right I would resign him. If he went on the market I probably could name a dozen teams that would be interested in him. You know a funny thing is that this guy may be too pumped up before a start. He may just need a calming influence to provide him with some wisdom and patience before each start. He may think he is carrying too much responsibility on his shoulders when he takes the mound. And you know sometimes the defense lets him down like any other pitcher.
• wallybackman July 23, 2011 at 8:58 am

  nicely said… btw, typo in 2nd to last pararaph “Angles”
• srt July 23, 2011 at 9:07 am

  Pelfrey’s problems have a lot less to do with what city he’s pitching in, and more to do with

  - declining velocity:
  - no sink on his two seamer
  - inability this season to pitch or locate anything low and inside

  All or some combination of the above has probably attributing to the > average number of HRs given up this season so far, which I think is at 18. How does a pitcher go from predominately a ground ball pitcher to predominately a fly ball pitcher?

  He pitched most of last season hurt, getting a shot before each start. Did he alter his mechanics in some way to compensate for pitching with pain? Any tiny deviation from what made one successful is enough to throw off effectiveness.

  I’m not buying Pelf is a ‘mental midget’ and can’t pitch in NY. I’m more inclined to think either he’s still dealing with an injury or the effects of that injury to the point where he can’t get back to what made him a successful ground ball pitcher.

  It’s anyone’s guess at this point what Pelfrey will be like going forward. At least I have no idea b/c I don’t know why the change in pitching style to begin with.
• jdon July 23, 2011 at 9:10 am

  His breaking stuff is crap. I remember reading about him coming out of the draft. SCouts bragging that he was one of those guys who could dominate a game with one pitch. What nonsense. Even when his sinker did sink, his other stuff sucked. This is the big leagues. If they were going to draft a college pitcher then he should have been more well rounded.
• Pete July 23, 2011 at 9:13 am

  Pelfrey has too many issues that keep him from achieving success on the mound. He will never be a consistent winner. He’s a big unintelligent pitcher who has fooled people into believing he will be a solid starter because he is A) big, and B) avoids injury. These are not good reasons to keep a guy in your rotation who has proven himself to be a weak-minded head case. If he were 6’2″ and not 6″7″, he would be pitching in AAA somewhere. Trading him would be a smart move, if only he hadn’t destroyed his trade market value through lousy pitching performances. The only real option the Mets have with him, is to non-tender him, otherwise they risk paying him way more than he is worth next year.
  • anthony July 23, 2011 at 9:47 am

    Pelfrey makes things complicated for himself.He should establish what two pitches are
    working working for himself ie sinker, slider, fastball, get a rythim going first and go from there, keep his composure not to rush himself, go with the flow. Not to be a thower but to a pitcher using his mind and composure.It’s mind over matter.Keep things simplified. Let the hitter make the misstake.You can do it Pelfry.
    • Pete July 23, 2011 at 9:48 am

      You can’t make egg salad without any eggs.
• MetsMan86 July 23, 2011 at 10:18 am

  This was an easy article for me to read because I never saw the big deal about Pelf since he was first called up. Aside from a couple of great halfs of seasons, the guy has always looked like a dear in headlights. As was said before, none of his pitches are special. The guy has NO put away pitches and now this year constantly leaving the ball up un the zone and serving up HRs left and right. I wouldn’t tender arbitration to this guy because for some insane reason he would make more money based off a so far torrid season. If Alderson is going on pure results, well Pelf is the first one out of the rotation.
• Steve S. July 23, 2011 at 10:32 am

  I’d rather keep Capuano and pay him next year than pay Pelfrey maybe twice as much. Package him in a trade, if possible, but non-tender him, if that’s what’s necessary to get rid of him. Santana, Niese, Dickey, Gee, and Capuano make a very good rotation for 2012, and Capuano can be the LH guy in the pen, if someone else emerges.
  • t agee July 23, 2011 at 12:27 pm

    The thing is though right now we have no AAA depth at starting pitcher.

    Every team goes through at least seven and as many as 12 starters during the season so you really need a bare minimum of eight starters on your 40 man roster.

    Mejia won’t be a possibility until late 2012 at best so what I would look to do is hope that Pelfrey can get 20 decent to good starts out of the gate next year (his walk year) and see what he could bring in a deadline deal or hold onto him for the picks.

    Schwinden, Stinson and Owen don’t appear to be quality candidates for a full time rotation spot and in AA Familia may be shut down, rehab ect, Carson doesn’t look like he’ll develop in the next year or two, Harvey should not be up here until Sept 2013 at the soonest and forget about Holt. Beyond that your talking two years with Gorski and three to four with Urbina, Tapia, Morris, Fulmer ect. so depleting anyone right now leaves a hole to be filled in, in the offseason with whoever we can get again.
    • Des July 23, 2011 at 2:34 pm

      If the Picard issue works out optimally from the Mets viewpoint, the Mets finances might help fill the hole you describe. No promises for the future, of course, but its a possibility.
    • Mets Fan in NC July 24, 2011 at 1:08 pm

      What picks are the Mets gonna get for Pelfrey? No way he’s a Type A or B.
      • XtreemIcon July 24, 2011 at 1:24 pm

        He probably would have been a Type A last season and didn’t even pitch particularly well.
        • Mets Fan in NC July 24, 2011 at 1:37 pm

          I’m trying to find it on MLBTR, but I can’t. I can’t see a way in which Pelfrey pitches well enough next year to be a Type B free agent. Than again Pedro Feliciano got us a first rounder and he got one out a game.
          • XtreemIcon July 24, 2011 at 2:01 pm

            There wouldn’t be anything to find on MLBTR because Pelfrey has never been a free agent. But Jorge de la Rosa was a type A last season coming off 8-7, 4.22 in 20 starts. Kevin Correia (10-10, 5.38) and Javy Vazquez (10-10, 5.32) were type B’s.

            You really have to be atrocious to not have draft picks attached to you.
            • Mets Fan in NC July 24, 2011 at 3:44 pm

              MLBTR used to have the Elias Rankings for every player, and I believe Pelfrey would accept arbitration unless he has an exceptional season.
• Denver Mets Fan July 23, 2011 at 10:46 am

  I agree, I’ve been less and less of a Pelfrey fan for a while now, I say dump him off in a trade or better yet try to package him with Bay somehow. Then again it wouldnt surprise me if Pelfrey went somewhere else and had a great career, this is a risk I’m willing to take though
• chuck July 23, 2011 at 11:59 am

  To be a winner in anything in life you need a strong spine. Pelfrey just doesnt have one from a competitive standpoint.
• Wiseguy_Ash July 23, 2011 at 12:08 pm

  I think a lot of his struggles are attributed to being rushed through the minor leagues without ever truly developing his secondary pitches. Met’s upper management has been known to rush Grade A pitching prospects through the minors. Jenry Mejia, Phil Humber, The trio of Isringhausen, Pulsipher and Paul Wilson are all classic examples. I hope that they allow Matt Harvey time to develop in the minor leagues so he doesn’t suffer the same fate. Think long-term!
• Tomterif July 23, 2011 at 2:27 pm

  Angel Pagan and Pelfrey for Hunter Pence.
  • Des July 23, 2011 at 2:30 pm

    … and who else?
  • Mr North Jersey July 23, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    I think were giving up too much.
  • Even Flow July 23, 2011 at 2:34 pm

    Not sure if serious…
• Mets Fan in NC July 24, 2011 at 2:43 am

  Why are we turning the page on Pelfrey? He is what he is a back of the rotation innings eater. If we have to pay him more than he is worth than absolutely pull the plug, but for 4-5 million I’ll take Mike Pelfrey over 8 mil for Aaron Harang (or a comparable pitcher)all day.