Read: Pelfey in the Pen
In a report for 
, Ted Berg argues that the Mets should move Mike Pelfrey from the starting rotation to the bullpen, just like the Yankees did with Mariano Rivera, the Astros did with Billy Wagner, the Angels did with Francisco Rodriguez and the Red Sox did with Jonathan Papelbon.
…i agree with ted…i think…but, i assume there is an equally long list, if not longer, of players who were moved from the rotation to the pen and failed miserably…
…that said, in this specific case, i agree with ted that pelfrey may be better suited pitching in short stints from the bullpen, though i do not believe he has the mental make-up to be a closer…
In the end, Berg writes…
“So assuming Pelfrey cannot crack the rotation in Spring Training, the Mets should keep him on the big club and use him out of the bullpen. That way, he’ll be able to cut his teeth at the Major League level, building his confidence and working on his off-speed arsenal.”
During SNY’s Mets Hot Stove, the Star-Ledger’s Dan Graziano had the following to say about Pelfrey…
“I think if we look back at the start he had against the Braves in September…That day he was so good. He wasn’t just, “Oh, this could be a good prospect.” He was ace-of-the-staff, great-fastball good that day…I think that’s a start that you look at if you’re the Mets and get excited…The question is: is the future 2008, or is that another year of development and so the future is 2009 or beyond.”
To watch Graziano’s entire clip, as well as comments from former-GM Jim Duquette, click here.
