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As noted yesterday, using a new, toned-down delivery, Orlando 
Hernandez threw a 60–pitch, three-inning simulated game yesterday afternoon in Port St. Lucie.
He told reporters afterwards that he is now ready to pitch in a real, live game.
Willie Randolph, while talking to reporters yesterday about whether Hernandez’s new delivery may alter his mystique:
“Well, I don’t know all about that stuff. To me, his mystique is getting people out, being a great pitcher and knowing how to execute pitches and dazzle you with this stuff. The fact that he’s not kicking his leg up real high doesn’t have a lot to do with who he is…Like I said earlier, the kick doesn’t get people out because he does it so early. It’s when he lets the ball go that matters. All that other stuff is just style.”
For more on Hernandez, and quotes from Randolph and Rick Peterson, check out the Daily News, New York Post, Newsday, Bergen Record, Star-Ledger and the New York Times.
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I’ll believe it when I see it. For now, I remain a skeptic regarding El Duque and his new delivery.
Even if it’s effective, can he stay healthy enough to make more than a handful of starts this year?
The less stressful delivery should enable him to stay healthier. The reason he switched is to take a lot of pressure of his troubled foot. That high leg kick took a toll on his body.
Yeah, I know why he switched. But the foot issues aren’t the only health problems El Duque has experienced since he’s been a Met. Remember the bursitis last spring?
True. But he missed a lot of time last year to that bunion. So at the very least the delivery should alleviate the foot problems. One less body part to worry about.
True. But the bursitis cost him more time than the foot last year. And in September of ‘06 it was a muscle pull.
I’m just not convinced that he can hold up anymore even with his new delivery which may end up to be ineffective.
I’m a huge skeptic.
Yep, that’s why it’s very important for Pelfrey to get his stuff together. It’s almost a guarantee he’s going to be needed to play an important role this year.
Does Willie live with his head in the sand? How is it that a guy who his whole life pitched a certain way now drastically change his wind-up not a big deal? All I ever hear Willie say about all these issues (including last year) how they are not a big deal and there is no reason to worry. When is it time to worry or to start to plan for alternatives?
What should Willie say? What I did? — “I’ll believe it when I see it?”
C’mon. He’s the manager. Raising skepticism about your own player before he’s even had a chance to face batters in a real game is not kosher. It’s ok for us fans to do it. But Willie has to be more tactful and strategic.
people seem to miss the fact that Willie’s main role with the press is as a diplomat. He doesn’t want other teams seeing panic, thereby weakening our image to the competition and/or potential trade partners. He doesn’t want to say anything that will launch a thousand headlines and make his players answer a million questions. He has no interest in being candid or honest with us. Why he would say “El Duque’s done, I don’t buy it, there’s no way he’ll pull this off” is beyond me…
we’ve been discussing this on this site for years I feel like, and there’s still fans that don’t understand this. They seem to think Willie clueless when he says something like this. I think what we need to start understanding, is not that Willie is using his comments as strategy for his guys and diplomacy with the media, its that fans don’t have the mind power to comprehend that and can only take words at face value.
Duque is money, big time. He’d pitch with one leg if he had to. I don’t what see what the huge concerns are. Everyone knows he’s not starting 30+ even at his healthiest. So regardless we’re going to see Pelfrey, Sosa, and whoever else. As long as he does well when he does start, I’ll be happy. Let’s just hope the 6th, 7th, and 8th pitchers do well.
unless it was the playoffs, or while the team is falling apart in September, or…
Agreed. We need him if and when they have those 7 game series.
Actually, maybe not. I’d be fine without Duque in the playoffs. Didn’t RedSox go with four pitchers in the playoffs?
As I mentioned below, the hypothetical beauty of Ell Duque this year is if starters #1-#4 do their jobs and pitch to their abilities this year, we wouldn’t need Duque come October. That would have made him a valuable asset to us in the regular season because he’s a spare part that is incredibly effective when healthy.
But again, I have to question his effectiveness if he’s changing his entire wind-up and delivery at this stage of the game. And if he’s foot problems really haven’t healed a lick.
I’m really concerned about this new delivery. I don’t doubt that he’ll be able to pitch almost the same pitches… but I think a high leg-kick could have other connections… such as distracting the hitter and concealing your pitch (his leg covers his hand as he puts it in his glove and pulls it out). I fear that this is being overlooked… I think he’s going to be hit hard.. maybe not immediately but once hitters start to see patterns in his delivery.
El Duque needs to have a very short leash if this new delivery is ineffective.
I agree, but he’ll probably have a long one. Willie is loyal to Duque and respects him from the Yankee days and will stand by him for much longer than anyone else would. I just hope it won’t turn into a Kaz Ishii size leash.
The real question is how important is the fifth starter? consider the following:
that spot has been nothing short of a disaster for the Mets over the past two years and ulitmately has not been responsible for their demise
getting Santana, having Pedro back and similar years for Perez and Maine make 1-4 serious upgrades
what team has a #5 that is better than .500 and an era under 4?
the Mets will need roughly 35-40 starts from their #5 and 6 (duque, Pelfrey, bum to be named later) given the rotation and the likelyhood that Pedro will only make 25 or so.
i would like to see that spot stabilized, preferable Pelfrey because it is better for the long run. if the Mets could go 20-20 in games the #5 goes, you would have to like your chances with the other four
It’s not overly important unless you have injuries or ineffectiveness at the front-end of the rotation, like we did last year.
Honestly, I thought the 2007 version of El Duque would be a perfect addition to this team as the fifth starter. 20-25 starts of a high 3 ERA, a K an inning, and a vertern presence in the rotation. Of course the goal is to actually get him to pitch a game that matters this year, but even if he didn’t, his 2007 season numbers alone would have made him the best 5th starter in baseball and if #1-#4 do their jobs this year as expected, El Duque would have just been a glorified long-man this October anyway.
WIth that said, the guy changing his delivery and the fact that he seems to have not healed from his injuries from last year make me very skeptical. If the team is truly not confident in Pelfrey, and I can understand why they would hesistate, I would much rather see them get one of the SP still lingering on the free agent wire like a Loshe. And I would def. like to see them take a flier on Freddy Garcia.
Well, the 5th starter was very important last year as we needed to win just one game against the Phillies or just one during the last week and we watched Lawrence get beat time after time and Humber get beat as well. 20-20 would be more than enough, but as you said, the #5 spot has been so bad the last 2 years, I’d bet the ERA combined is over a 6. It needs to improve to the league average.
I think we should wait until duque FINALLY pitches in a ST game to decide whether or not hes our #5 guy. I would have no problem with having el duque pitching out of the pen and having Pelfry take the #5 spot(if he can make a case for himself..his last outing wasnt very inspiring). Duque is probably not coming back next year and im tired of the mets getting to the post season and duque “suddenly” has an injury. Theres no denying el dupue is a big time pitcher but is extremly injury prone and i think he would last longer being the long man out of the pen than pitching every 5th day trying to go at least 6 innings. Again i reserve my judgements on what to do with duque until his first st game and pelfrys next game(to see how he bounces back).
We need to keep in mind that the contribution, that El Duque has given us, is really just gravey. The truth is, Duque was always supposed to be a stop gap for the Mets. One of the reasons they got him was because of all of the injuries and ineffectiveness (from our starters). The fact that Duque pitched as well as he did was more of a surprise than anything. In 2007 his age showed even more, so for 2008 we shouldn’t realistically expect much from him.
Again, if the other starters do there job we shouldn’t need Duque at all.