Q&A: with Mike Pelfrey about Status and Pressure
Mets RHP Mike Pelfrey told the New York Post he lost 25 pounds, he also discusses the team’s chances in 2010, as well as what went wrong for him in 2009.
“I’m going to come out and have a good year, not only for myself but for the team,” Pelfrey said. “We need to come back and start off good and get the ball rolling.”
In mid-January, I was able to talk with Pelfrey about a variety of issues.
Here is an excerpt, in which we talk the idea of being a No. 2 pitcher, and pressure from fans and media.
Matthew Cerrone: We talk a lot about who is a No. 1 or No. 2 pitcher, or how the team needs a fifth starter, etc., but do those terms mean anything to you guys?
Mike Pelfrey: There’s not really a difference. If you’re one of the five, you are taking the ball every fifth day. When your day comes up, it doesn’t matter if you’re the fifth guy, the fourth guy, the number one guy, whatever, for that day you’re the ace. So, every fifth day, as long as you’re able to take that ball and get the opportunity, it doesn’t matter where you’re slotted in… Say you’re John Niese, when you’re day comes, you’re expected to go out there and give your team a chance to win no matter who you are… You want your teammates to think, ‘Pelfrey’s taking the ball today, we expect a win today.’
Matthew Cerrone: There has to be a job security mindset, though, I would think. I mean, I don’t think that you or Johan Santana, or Oliver Perez probably worry that way, because of the contracts. But, if you’re maybe somebody that’s on a minor-league contract or a young guy, you have to at least be aware of the concept of status, right?
Mike Pelfrey: Sure. When I first come up, I knew that I was the odd man out… I think you’re distracted a lot more when you first come up. I was, I would think about things, “This is a big game for me. If I don’t do this, I could be out of here.’ It weighs more on your mind at that time. But, as you gain more experience, you learn to not worry about that stuff. You learn not to read what the media writes or what people say.
Matthew Cerrone: Did you read that stuff when you first came up?
Mike Pelfrey: I did. Yes, I did.
Matthew Cerrone: But you don’t anymore?
Mike Pelfrey: No, it ate me alive. I wasn’t doing very well. There was a lot of negative stuff. I think mentally, if you hear a lot of negative stuff all the time, you’re going to start to believe it.
Matthew Cerrone: Right, you’ll second guess yourself too, I would think?
Mike Pelfrey: Yep, you start to think, ‘I am bad. I’m not very good.’ You start to believe that stuff. It’s tough. I think the best thing, good or bad, is just to keep it out. I know we kept newspapers and stuff out of the clubhouse last year, and that was Jerry’s thing. I think that was great. Not be able to see that stuff and read it.
Thank you to SMG Transcription for transcribing this interview.
