Comments on: News: Pelfrey Gets Fifth Starter Spot

By: Necciai27

Necciai27 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:33:12 +0000

“It’s very unfair to count the 2-seam and 4-seam fastballs as the same pitch, and his slider’s already good enough to be used on favorable counts.”

I’ll agree with that, and Pelfrey’s four-seamer and two-seamer are MARKEDLY different pitches. In fact, the split with said pitches is so radical that it would be analogous to comparing a circle changeup and a screwball. Pelfrey’s two-seamer is really not quite a true two-seam fastball…it’s actually closer to a classic sinker (think of the pitch Carlos Silva throws and Al Jackson and Jack Fisher once threw). With a classic sinker, you snap your wrist like you’re throwing a curve or slider, but you keep BOTH of your fingers bent (as opposed to one straight and one bent on a slider, slurve, or curve).

Pelfrey’s two-seamer is thrown with a two-seam fastball *grip*, not a classic sinker grip. But his wrist snap is VERY different than it would be when throwing a four-seamer. In fact, it’s actually closer to the wrist snap he uses when he throws his slurve. Unless you propose to argue that his two-seamer and his slurve (in the technical sense, he doesn’t throw a slider) are the same pitch, Pelfrey has two plus pitches.

He still needs to learn control of the slurve, but considering the similar wrist snap to the two-seamer, I’m not surprised he’s making progress. His only junk pitch at this point is his changeup.

By: Necciai27

Necciai27 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:09:55 +0000

Ignoring the fact that Cowley’s promising career was ended by calcium deposits in his right elbow and not confidence issues, he never pitched a perfect game. His lone career shutout, which came on August 3, 1984; he gave up 3 hits and walked two.

By: Tidewater

Tidewater — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:13:52 +0000

Joe Cowley once pitched a perfect game. Who? Exactly. Pelfrey is not a decent major league pitcher no matter how many seams he can touch or avoid.

By: metsftw

metsftw — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 23:07:07 +0000

if the bullpen had been half decent in the month of september, we’d have won the divison. he’s right, it’s the fifth effing starter.

By: lawgotham

lawgotham — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:47:56 +0000

No offense to EL Duque but let Pelfrey pitch now.He needs to suck it up and figure out how to pitch, how to use another pitch to set-up his fastball. ANd if EL Duque isn’t ready they always have Tony Armas Jr., don’t they? He can be this year’s Lima or Brian Lawrence (yikes!).

By: Nate W.

Nate W. — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:34:05 +0000

He ‘should’ be. I dont understand how giving Pedro more rest forces Santana to take more rest. He’s pitching BEFORE Pedro.

I’d pitch Santana on his normal schedule, Pedro on Pedro’s schedule, and fit everyone else in around that.
The division is going to be close, I’d rather get Santana 3-4 more starts instead of the 5th or worse starters.

On the other hand, the Mets have 16 straight games from April 15th to 30th, and a 19 game stretch in late May – early June. So it does make sense to get them the extra day rest now when they can. If it wasnt for the 5th starter situation being so bad it would be the obvious choice.

By: Another Matt

Another Matt — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:22:40 +0000

It’s very unfair to count the 2-seam and 4-seam fastballs as the same pitch, and his slider’s already good enough to be used on favorable counts.

That said, I’d rather Pelfrey went to AAA until he experienced the same epiphany Maine had last year when he realized that he can challenge hitters because his stuff’s nasty.

Pelfrey has enough natural movement on his fastball not to have to nibble, and once (if) he learns to trust it, he’ll be a decent major league pitcher.

By: Another Matt

Another Matt — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:13:15 +0000

They’ll pitch Pelfrey to give Pedro an extra day’s rest.

Can’t say I agree with them, I’d almost rather see Sosa make spot starts to let Pedro catch his breath than knocking all 5 pitchers out of their starting rhythm, but my job isn’t on the line if the Mets don’t perform this year.

By: JDuelz (Athens, GA)

JDuelz (Athens, GA) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:43:11 +0000

But there’s a day off on the third…?

By: Airfeet

Airfeet — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:34:47 +0000

Pelfrey and Church for Nady would not be a good trade. Nady isnt really much better than Church and wed prefer a left handed bat. I dont think hte mets will bring up Fernando Martinez early this year unless his numbers are up a bit in the minors….he did hit for a high average this spring which is good but he didnt really slug the ball…I think the mets will keep him down there and let him develop his power and stroke before they bring him up…the last thing wed want is him hitting .300 with 2 home runs and 23 RBIs in 70 games