Comments on: Morning Grind: What Should Happen With Pelfrey This Winter?

By: Connor O'Brien

Connor O'Brien — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:34:32 +0000

If Wheeler fails, it won’t be because of bad development, especially if they wait until June or July to bring him up from AAA. The Mets put Pelfrey in a position to fail…

By: Des

Des — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:05:00 +0000

Donal — By virtue of his baseball maturity and his 2012 record, Collin McHugh is the closest to the big show. His WHIP was 1.160, his ERA was 3.09, and his BB/9 was 2.7, each of which was better than both Wheeler’s and Familia’s. All three had good K/9 records with Wheelers the best at 9.2. Familia has a lot of natural talent, but his 2012 WHIP of 1.670 and his BB/9 of 5.4 are mediocre when competing against the other top guys.

By: Donal

Donal — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:45:03 +0000

Not really since we are past that stage and have a lot of evidence to say he just didn’t get a chance to develop.

By: Alex68

Alex68 — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:33:57 +0000

maniac, hmmmm, very interesting….did yo u watch him pitch the other day??? thoughts on that if you did please

By: Alex68

Alex68 — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:30:50 +0000

Maybe they misjudged his talent”
Maybe he didn’t work hard enough. Maybe they over worked him. Maybe there was an injury no one knew about and went untreated”
Or maybe his skills just didn’t translate at the major league level.”

same can be said for pelfrey

By: stick

stick — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:20:08 +0000

you can debate (or more like wonder) about if he will sign a rehab deal with the Mets or leave for another team, but the Mets non-tendering him (to avoid paying 4mill+) has to be more sure than death, taxes or Bay sucking.

the real issue with Pelf is his poor timing, since this is his last year coming up before hitting FA. If he had say 3 more years under team control, they might tender him this year to keep him down the road.

But, in his case, quite likely a team pays him this year to rehab, maybe make a few starts late in the year, then watch him wander off to FA.

By: Donal

Donal — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:16:41 +0000

You assume every bad thing requires blame. If Wheeler fails, we look at what happened.

Maybe they misjudged his talent. Maybe they did a bad job developing him. Maybe he didn’t work hard enough. Maybe they over worked him. Maybe there was an injury no one knew about and went untreated.

Or maybe his skills just didn’t translate at the major league level.

By: jessep

jessep — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:16:10 +0000

I think Pelfrey was a victim of unfair expectations to be honest. It’s kind of like when Tom Brady got hurt, nobody EXPECTED Matt Cassell to be Tom Brady. But then he proved he could have a solid season, and then expectations from that point on were so high. Cassell never proved to be the guy everybody thought he could be based on those expectations.

If he’s healthy, he’s a solid 4/5 starter. There’s nothing wrong with that – if the expectation is that you are a 4/5 starter.

He has a lot to prove in terms of HEALTH before he gets a contract.

When he’s healthy – he’s a work horse. That is a very great quality to have as a 4/5 starter.

But if there’s a way to bring him back and the finances work for NYM then I think he deserves a chance to come back.

He could be like the Mets Joe Blanton in a way.

By: Donal

Donal — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:11:56 +0000

I’d like him to get more than a dozen minor league games before his major league debut. I’d like to have him develop a second pitch to go along with his sinker (which still needed work). I’d like to let him learn how to pitch in a professional rotation and deal with the occasional shellacking.

By: Mitch Petanick

Mitch Petanick — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:08:33 +0000

It’s Ok Lou
If I had to guess, I say he will opt to pitch in the national league. If given the choice, most pitchers will opt to pitch in the national league where the lineups are weaker due to the pitchers hitting. Unless he has a chance to pitch for a contender in the AL, I think he will opt to stay in the NL.

By: srt

srt — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:01:00 +0000

Given the fact that Perez was called up by the Pirates at 20 years old, and he didn’t fare too well in the major leagues, could be he suffered the same fate as well.

By: srt

srt — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:00:15 +0000

‘If Wheeler fails’…..
If he does we can all discuss it then. No need to put the cart before the horse just yet.

By: Met Maniac

Met Maniac — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:58:57 +0000

Alex, I posted Wheeler’s and Oliver Perez minor league numbers here yesterday. In their minor league careers they are bot the same. Perez had a higher strikeout rate and LOWER walk rate, however not by much. That said Perez is a lefty and faced more righthanders, than Wheeler did left handers. So in that sense when you look at the splits, Perez blows Wheeler away. Hopefully Wheeler will start doing something soon to separate himself from his Oliver Perez-esque performance thus far in his pro career. But all those walks, all those wild pitches and hit by pitches are tops in the league including his strikeouts. A trait we’ve all seen before.

By: Alex68

Alex68 — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:53:28 +0000

And if wheeler fails? then what would you blame it on???

By: srt

srt — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:52:48 +0000

Agree with you on this. No way now we’ll ever know what difference it would have made had he not been rushed. Could have been none, but more likely could have been more consistent at the ML level had he had the time to develop those secondary pitches.

By: Connor O'Brien

Connor O'Brien — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:45:22 +0000

Sure, he dominated AA in a few starts. But he only got two starts in AAA that year.
Pelfrey needed a lot more time in AA and AAA before being called up. He should have made his debut in April 2008, not July 2006.

Also, I disagree with your point about “When you’re a bust, you’re a bust…” In my opinion, there are two parts to player development 1) finding the talent and 2) developing it. A player needs ample time at the appropriate levels. A college pitcher is NOT ready to pitch in the majors that quickly, especially one who pitched in the Missouri Valley Conference….

(Also, Wheeler has 100 more innings pitched than Pelfrey did at 22 and he will probably get another 75 IP before being called up next year.)

By: K Maxx

K Maxx — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:45:09 +0000

Non-tender this bum. Offer him a $700K minor league deal, take it or leave it. Kiss is has goodbye because Boras wont take it. Hast la vista, Pelf. You were never worthy of your nickname Big Pelf. You was squirmed under pressure, had hissy fits on the mound, and showed up sucking a blue pacifier. That’s how I will remember you.

By: K Maxx

K Maxx — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:42:28 +0000

Why isn’t it up for debate? He has Boras for an agent, what lesser deal is that? Just because you expect him to stay I don’t see why you declare this subject unworthy of debate and that your opinion on the matter is somehow the only one that matters.

By: K Maxx

K Maxx — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:39:50 +0000

What difference is that? Both Pelfrey and Harvey spent less than two years in minors, less than 300 innings in the minors, and both were called upon out of desperation. Do you have something that proves they werent handled differently?

By: Trs86

Trs86 — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:29:47 +0000

This really isn’t up for debate. Of course they won’t tender him a deal. They will non-tender and then attempt to bring him back on a lesser deal, most likey a MILB deal. I also expect him to stay.