Comments on: preGame: Mets vs. Marlins

By: theCoop

theCoop — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:25:20 +0000

I would say let’s give Pelf a chance. Sure he got the job out of camp last year and it didn’t translate well in the majors but he’s very young and had a LOT of pressure put on him last year. With Johan and Pedro leading the way, plus two budding aces in Maine and Oh Pea, Pelf should have plenty of pressure taken off him. There was no margin of error for him last season – plenty of room for him to screw up and learn from it.

By: Moses69

Moses69 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 04:44:38 +0000

Do you mean offense or defense because if it was offense Abreu would win easy but for defense they all suck but Green would win. It’s says OF not DH so Bonds would have to play D which would hurt his offense.

By: letsgomets32

letsgomets32 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 04:32:09 +0000

Lets take a poll. Who’s a better outfielder, Shawn Green, Bobby Abreu, or bonds?

By: Necciai27

Necciai27 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:58:15 +0000

Well yes, the gun WAS registering low for all the pitchers, but did you notice that Pelfrey’s velocity was down in the 70′s on about half his non-breaking pitches? The fastballs (both four-seam, which Pelfrey was mostly throwing in terms of his fastball today, and two-seam, which is Pelfrey’s out pitch) would register at least 80 compared to the other pitcherswho were throwing. Pelfrey’s slurve (he doesn’t technically throw a slider) naturally breaks early…the very nature of the pitch would make every single slurve look like he hung it on TV (watch Kerry Wood the next time he throws a breaking ball and you’ll see what I mean). He wasn’t getting slapped around with that pitch…he was getting hit hard with the change. Also, Pelfrey’s four-seam fastball, which he normally throws mostly to lefties, he’s trying to throw to righties. Again, he got hit there. Experiment aborted, back to throwing it to lefties. He still needs to develop and was rushed, now he needs to pitch through that (I heard the same critcisms of Jeremy Bonderman when he first came up with the Tigers…throws one pitch, will never make it as a starter).

As for bringing up last ST, I can guarantee you that he’s matured far beyond that level. He’d come apart as soon as one guy got on base or he let a single run score before that game against Atlanta, which by his own admission he needed.

Why not let him develop in the bullpen? Well, look at a lot of these guys from the past decade that were hailed as the next Tom Seaver or whatever that began their MLB careers (not counting September callups) as relievers. Although you have Johan Santana, Roy Halladay, and to a much lesser extent Carlos Zambrano, A LOT (and I mean a good-sized, though not vast majority) of the guys that hung around as spot starters/middle relievers in the bullpen either stuck there or burned out transitioning to the starting rotation (Scott Williamson comes to mind immediately, as does ironically Scott Schoeneweis). Bottom line, he still needs a chance as a starter.

Now, Heilman as a starter? He no longer throws a breaking pitch of any kind. A split-fingered fastball (the pitch he’s developing) is not a breaking ball. Further, his chronic tendonitis is not solely a result of overusing the guy (remember, he was pitching through it way before anyone said he was being overused). Part of it came from throwing a breaking ball in the first place! He has extremely sub-par, high injury risk mechanics and if he started, he’d likely come apart physically (albeit not mentally). I know Rick Peterson took a ton of flak for trying to get him to get up his arm slot and level his elbow with his shoulder as he brings his arm back (this was in 2004-2005), but realistically, that’s the only way he would last a full season if he did indeed become a starter.

By: MudvilleNine

MudvilleNine — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:43:22 +0000

Uh, you guys do know that all the pitchers are working on their pitches. Pelfrey was working on his breaking ball and his change-up. Trying to throw them for strikes. He wasn’t pitching to win a game, but to get ready for the season. Same as every pitcher.

By: jpnym15

jpnym15 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:30:20 +0000

these fast updates are amazing

By: altru426

altru426 — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 02:04:50 +0000

cgpublic, i agree about the ’07 team…however, the ’06 team played with a different flare and feel short, 1 game away from the world series, compared to blowing a 7 game lead last year, I don’t think it’s fair to compare the 2 in that respect saying if the Mets played like the ’06 and ’07 teams then we can kiss the playoffs goodbye. I agree if they play like last years team, we can kiss them goodbye. However, if they play like the ’06 team, they will be in the playoffs, b/c well, that team made the playoffs. The ’06 team was a very fiery, exciting team, and that’s what got us excited, the ’07 team didn’t play like the ’06 team and thus had the meltdown and which made Met fans hate how the team played all that much more. They were not the same team in ’06.

By: KinersKornerman

KinersKornerman — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:55:00 +0000

He was also getting squeezed in teh third inning. He had two pitches that looked like strike 3 to Luis Gonzalez, but didn’t get the call. Then the wheels fell off.

He didn’t have his best stuff today, but did wiggle out of trouble in the second inning.

3 of the 7 runs on his line were due to Show giving up a bases loaded double when he relieved Pelf in the 4th.

All in all, not a good start, but not entirely a meltdown, either.

By: m00kie

m00kie — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:40:52 +0000

that slider of his is developing into just that.

By: cgpublic

cgpublic — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:30:07 +0000

I’ve followed the Mets since 69, and I can promise you if the 2008 team plays as ‘tight’ as the 06 and 07 teams, you can kiss the playoffs goodbye. For nearly every game attended last year, I witnessed a team that did not play at level equal to their talent. The fact they were a better road team for a good portion of the season speaks volumes. New York teams will always need to be competitive, however the entire Wilpon/Minaya/Randoph dynamic combined with a new host of fans who have played more Xbox than sandlot has resulted in a team and board that quite frankly reeks of desperation.