Parnell Has Little Margin For Error This Spring

20 Comments + Add Comment

• stick February 28, 2012 at 4:38 pm

  Unless there is a clear seperation production wise, then the guy with options goes down. Though if DJ sucks he should be cut also of course.

  Manny was better last year, so i have no problem breaking camp with him and let Parnell go to AAA and work on whatever he needs (getting some movement on the FB, his 2nd/3rd pitch) to be effective. Let him close if no one else obvious is there to do it.
• Greg Pomes February 28, 2012 at 4:42 pm

  Really sad we’re worrying about Manny A Cost Us being out of options.
  • Squidoo February 28, 2012 at 4:52 pm

    Acosta was probably the most consistent reliever we had in the second half. I’m more concerned about Carrasco than Acosta.
• 86mets February 28, 2012 at 4:50 pm

  I cannot believe that they would consider Mejia for a bullpen role coming off Tommy John surgery. One would hope they learned their lesson from the last time they mishandled him by first moving him to the bullpen, then allowing him to make the Opening Day roster in 2010 and used in a really undefined, haphazard way by Jerry Manuel and Dan Warthen.

  Having said that, it may benefit Parnell to go to AAA and work on his secondary pitches in a less pressurized environment then be the 1st call up when someone is needed. I think having someone other than Dan Warthen as pitching coach would be of value to Parnell and other young pitchers the Mets have as well. But, we’re stuck with him for now.

  It will certainly be interesting to see how the last spot or two in the bullpen play out this spring. Especially if Carrasco is putrid and forces the front office to finally concede failure in his signing.
  • Greg Pomes February 28, 2012 at 11:16 pm

    Agree Mejia should not be up for a bullpen role coming back from Tommy John surgery. While I do see him as our future closer, this is crazy to rush him back and put him on the mlb roster this year. Let him go back to AAA and build up his arm strength. He pitches well towards the 2nd half with no setbacks then we can talk about bringing him up to the mlb bullpen.
• Squidoo February 28, 2012 at 4:54 pm

  I’m not like the Carrasco thing if it plays out as you speculated. I want Collins to take the relievers who performed to best this spring to Opening Day no matter what, and I hope Carrasco doesnt come along for the ride because he has a guaranteed contract.
• jdon February 28, 2012 at 6:45 pm

  I think Parnell is a dog. I hope he proves me wrong
• MetsMan86 February 28, 2012 at 7:07 pm

  I would like to have the second lefty in the pen with Herrera. You also have to think about long man/ emergency starter. Unfortunately that would probably go to Carrasco by default, unless he seriously stinks up the ship. Then option two is probably Chuck James.

  I had heard the possibility of the Mets stretching out Beato to be a starter? Any follow up to this being true?
• srt February 28, 2012 at 7:42 pm

  DJ should only be going north if he demonstrates the consistency TC is talking about. Money be damned.

  Mejia? I thought I read he was going to be rehabbing for another few months.
• jeff February 28, 2012 at 7:50 pm

  “Though if DJ sucks….”

  if he sucks? bet on it. sucks is what he does

  parnell is way better than him, acosta, byrdak and rauch, who absolutely blows. that was an incredibly dumb signing and a waste of 3.5 million that they didnt have to waste
  • trs86 February 29, 2012 at 9:59 am

    If we know anything about relievers it is for the most part we know nothing about relievers. This is the same guy that before 2011 had 3 seasons of under 4.00 ERA with average WHIP rates. Is it that absurd to think he can return to that?
• jeff February 28, 2012 at 7:54 pm

  parnell was very good with the mets in the major leagues last year. what are people seeing who dont like him? 64k’s in 59 innings, 1 hit per nine innings, 3.60 era and didnt have a terrible walk rate. he was better than anyone they had.
  • K Maxx February 29, 2012 at 9:52 am

    Parnell’s numbers are infinitely worse in high leverage situations and he was a colossal failure in save situations. If they use him in the 6th or 7th inning he’ll be fine. He can’t handle pressure situations and that was as visible to the eyes as it is in his stats.
• trs86 February 29, 2012 at 10:01 am

  Parnell’s issue is that at times his numbers are quite a product of the fact that he pitches in the pen. His BB/9 and WHIP are way too high and leaves the team in a bad spot, luckily for Parnell after he left two guys on eventually a LH stepped up and Byrdak bailed him out.
  • trs86 February 29, 2012 at 10:04 am

    Also his numbers were much better when he lead off an inning, showing that he has not adjusted to the bullpen role yet.
• Alex68 February 29, 2012 at 10:08 am

  He was fine before being put into clutch situations, he had a nice ERA, he was getting people out, strike out people at a decent rate.. but once alderson waved the white flag to saved money like geico, we were doomed, this kid was EXPOSED more so than david wright and the rest was history, we lost 13 games we had the lead after the 8th inning between august and september, ironically, we finished 13 games out of the wild card…
  This guy had 6 BLOWN SAVES and 6 saves, he can be an ok asset for us in the 6th inning or maybe 7th, no more than that, His clutch genes are just not there..
  • trs86 February 29, 2012 at 10:12 am

    So hard to tell this early if his “clutch” genes are not there or if he has just not been in the situation enough times.

    To me this would be the perfect year to start him in AAA as the closer.
    • Alex68 February 29, 2012 at 10:27 am

      hmmmm, interesting, although i think Beato should be put in that role, he should not be in the majors this season.. make him a Closer and see what happens…
      • trs86 February 29, 2012 at 11:01 am

        I think Beato if he does not make this year’s pen should be given the chance to start just because we have less depth there than anywhere else currently. Then if Parnell still can’t get it figured out in AAA as the closer you can always slide Beato there if needed.
• Russell Zanca February 29, 2012 at 10:17 am

  Let’s cut to the chase for BP: get the fastball to move within or super-close to the strike zone, and he will be an asset.