Master Index of Archived Threads


Mark Pelfry Rocks

metirish Mar 14 2006 03:48 PM

Expectations seem to be growing by the week for this kid, also look who Popper lists as the Mets top prospects. ] Mike Pelfrey, 96 mph fastball Tuesday, March 14, 2006 By STEVE POPPER STAFF WRITER PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Tom Glavine walks across the Mets' locker room, stopping just for a second as he passes Mike Pelfrey's locker. Seemingly helpful, he tells Pelfrey that he has missed a belt loop as he puts his uniform on, a kind bit of advice from a nearly 40-year-old veteran to a raw youngster in his first camp. The only thing is, Pelfrey didn't miss a loop. It was part of the monthlong initiation process for the towering prospect, a constant stream of mild jokes and ribbing. But it is all good-natured, a rite of passage for a player who seems to have every tool for the major leagues on the field and is welcomed -- with a wink and a laugh -- into the fraternity of pitchers. "My first couple of days I don't know if I talked to anybody," Pelfrey said. "I was just kind of in awe. I just did my thing, just kind of observed everything, got acquainted with everything so I could understand everything." "There are a lot of guys that come up here with very little experience and act like they've been here for 20 years," Glavine said. "Those are guys that rub a lot of guys the wrong way. A kid like him, you can see right away he's not like that. "He's very respectful, understands his place, and because of that he lends himself to being one of the guys and being part of all the ribbing that goes on. That's a good quality to have." Of course, the soft-spoken, friendly quality would mean nothing if Pelfrey didn't possess a few other qualities -- namely a 96-mph fastball, a breaking ball that buckles knees and a flawless delivery that has allowed Mets executives to imagine a speedy path from Wichita to Shea Stadium. Drafted No. 9 overall in the summer out of Wichita State -- only dropping that low because of the presence of Scott Boras as an agent to scare off the low spenders -- Pelfrey came to camp without an illusion of earning a spot on the major league roster. But that hasn't stopped him from accelerating his expected start date. Any nerves seemed to fade with his first pitch when he gripped tightly and hit Victor Diaz with a fastball in an intrasquad game. But in his first real appearance in a professional game, he faced the Puerto Rican National squad, essentially an all-star team, before a sold-out crowd and a national television audience, and shut it down on one hit over two innings. He then hurled three innings against the Cardinals on Friday and didn't allow an earned run. "It's awesome," said the Wichita native, who projects vibes as a sort of Joe Hardy in "Damn Yankees". "Anytime you can get your feet wet and face this kind of competition, it's always good. First time here, I love it here. "Hopefully I made a good impression, so that when things are going good later on down the season, they'll remember me." That is something Pelfrey doesn't have to worry about -- not with a $3.7 million investment in him already. But he has done more than just open eyes in camp with his 6-foot-7 frame and his natural ability. Besides being a target of the veterans' jokes, he also has been a pet project of some, too -- a side effect of quickly being taken in as one of the guys. "He's got a chance to be pretty special," Glavine said. "You hate putting a label on what he is or what he can be. So much depends on how healthy he stays, but no question, he has the talent to be a major league pitcher and he's on a fast track." "He's not afraid," general manager Omar Minaya said. "He is mature. We put him against the toughest competition right off the bat and he just blended in. "There's definitely a sign of youthfulness, fearlessness, but he's like a kid. He's just got a youthfulness about him that stands out. You can tell he's a kid. But his physical maturity, his overall game between the white lines, it's pretty impressive." Mets' top 5 Mike Pelfrey, a first-round pick who was 12-3 last year at Wichita State, heads the list of Mets pitching prospects: 1. Mike Pelfrey, 22, righty: Flawless delivery, 96 mph fastball and an aw-shucks manner. 2. Brian Bannister, 25, righty: Heady pitcher who gets outs with command and control. 3. Philip Humber, 23, righty: Tommy John surgery cost him a year, but still highly regarded with above-average fastball and curve. 4. Henry Owens, 26, righty: Like Sidd Finch, seemingly came from nowhere -- a former catcher with eye-popping arm. 5. Alay Soler, 25, righty: Dismal spring, but Mets still like the Cuban defector's potential.

Edgy DC Mar 14 2006 03:50 PM

Yeah, but is Mike any good? Henry Owens is shooting up the charts, huh?

metirish Mar 14 2006 04:17 PM

Ahh fukc, can that be changed?

Frayed Knot Mar 14 2006 04:27 PM

Not after someone's already made a joke about it, no. P.S. You also mis-spelled Pelfrey.

metirish Mar 14 2006 04:33 PM

Holy shit, that's what I get for rushing at work, sorry Mike Pelfrey.

cooby Mar 14 2006 04:49 PM

At least you said something nice

Elster88 Mar 14 2006 04:50 PM

]only dropping that low because of the presence of Scott Boras as an agent to scare off the low spenders Not fair to Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Now they can't even afford the prospects.

Nymr83 Mar 14 2006 08:19 PM

Elster88 wrote: ]only dropping that low because of the presence of Scott Boras as an agent to scare off the low spenders Not fair to Pittsburgh and Kansas City. Now they can't even afford the prospects. Salaries in the draft should be slotted.

Yancy Street Gang Mar 17 2006 10:15 AM

Marty Noble, on MLB.com, hinting today that Pelfrey might be with the Mets by August of this year. ]Pelfrey probably will remain in Major League camp until the needs of the five projected starters will limit the innings he can pitch in exhibition games. He will begin the season -- his first as a professional -- with the St. Lucie Mets in the Class A Florida State League, the most competitive Mets affiliate at that level. If the April weather in Binghamton, N.Y., were more temperate, he would make his professional debut in Double-A. The Mets won't be surprised if the climate at Shea Stadium in August suits him just fine.

Vic Sage Mar 17 2006 10:38 AM

if Pelfrey dominates at A-Ball, i could see them jumping him to AAA-Norfolk by mid-season. Then, if he continues to dominate, and if they find themselves in need of a spot start, or if somebody goes down, or if Zambrano is as ineffective as i anticipate, they can choose between bringing up Pelfrey or Bannister. But i think they'll hesitate putting him into the fire in his first pro season, unless there are some cataclysmic events in the rotation. Of course, if the Mets announced that as their plan, and then ended up bringing Pelfrey up in August, it will be because they are a bunch of liars.

Rotblatt Mar 17 2006 10:42 AM

Vic Sage wrote: But i think they'll hesitate putting him into the fire in his first pro season, unless there are some cataclysmic events in the rotation. Yeah, I agree. Although if our season doesn't go as planned and we're not in the hunt, I could see calling him up in August. Or if our season goes better than planned and we've got the division locked up by September, I suppose that would work too.

Frayed Knot Mar 17 2006 10:48 AM

I'm not really worried about his ability to handle the higher levels as much as I am about handling the "jump" in IPs he'd be experiencing over the long season. For a guy who's never pitched a long pro season then sat out almost an entire year, the sudden jump to 200+ (with the last of those coming in "high-stress" ML IPs if he gets called up) would be considerably more than he's handled to date. As the sarge used to say on 'Hill Street Blues' ... "let's be careful out there"

Edgy DC Mar 17 2006 10:51 AM

]Salaries in the draft should be slotted. See how the union feels about that one.

Johnny Dickshot Mar 17 2006 10:57 AM

I'm not saying that the end necessarily justifies the means, but it's interesting to note that even after the curious trades of Benson and Seo that the Mets seemingly still have a few more viable candidates to start than they need. Assuming that People Get Their Zombies Horny (the Pedro-Glavine-Trachsel-Zambrano-Heilman rotation), there still remain: Iriki Bannister Lima Gonzalez Pelfrey Maine Oliver?? ...and prolly some more I can't think of now, who can at least fake it for a few starts, and that's assuming we don't deal for a starter.

Vic Sage Mar 17 2006 10:58 AM

depends what you trade them for it.

Edgy DC Mar 17 2006 11:04 AM

]...and prolly some more I can't think of now, who can at least fake it for a few starts, and that's assuming we don't deal for a starter. He's big, he's fat, he's Cuban, and has a French name.

Vic Sage Mar 17 2006 11:28 AM

Iriki - he'll likely be in the bullpen, a spot starter/long man Bannister - likely start in AAA; 1st man up Lima - non-roster (can't trade him), won't make team, may sign for AAA Gonzalez - sucks, AAA at best Pelfrey - ABall Maine - AAA Oliver - see "Lima" Soler - has already been reassigned I don't see us as being overloaded with starters. In fact, the only name on that list i'd be the least bit interested in seeing start if one of our SPs goes down is Bannister (at this point). The only ones we COULD trade are the ones we have no need to trade. Neither Lima nor Oliver can be traded, and Iriki has a major-league contract and a role in the bullpen, and Bannister, Pelfrey, Maine and Soler can go to the minors without any problems.

Rotblatt Mar 17 2006 11:57 AM

Irikii's been impressive so far. I wouldn't mind seeing how he does, but Bannister would be my first choice. I'm not convinced that Lima's totally washed up yet, but he depends on his control and he's sucked in that department this spring--6 walks in 10.7 IP. That's atrocious. There's no way he should break camp with us if he keeps this up, but I'm worried he'll find his way on the team anyway.

MFS62 Mar 17 2006 12:09 PM

Willie has been saying nice things about Gonzalez. I'm getting scared. I'd keep Iriki with the big club as a long man/ middle reliever (actually, I'd put Zambrano in that role) and give Bannister some regular starts at AAA to stretch out his IP/G and keep him ready to step into a starting role if needed. Lima is a wild card (in more ways than one). He's either a starter with the big club or fodder for the waiver wire. Later

Vic Sage Mar 17 2006 12:10 PM

Lima make it? How? SP: Martinez Glavine Trax Zambrano Heilman ----------- RP: Wagner Sanchez Julio Bradford Iriki Ring (or other LHP) If Lima is added, its either at the expense of a guy they've already signed to a major-league contract (and he hasn't outpitched any of those players), or its at the expense of having a LHP in the bullpen (other than our closer), or its at the expense of carrying a 7th RP at the expense of a bench player (probably V.Diaz, who has options) Castro Franco Valentin Woodward Diaz E.Chavez or T.Redman I just can't see it happening, unless Iriki, or one of the starters, gets hurt in ST. In which case, i'd still rather see Bannister. I don't think Lima can be "waived", because i think he's just a non-roster invitee. Isn't he?

Edgy DC Mar 17 2006 12:17 PM

Lima is under a minor league contract and it's certainly possible that he can serve it out with an assignment to Norfolk. It's James Baldwin time, bay-bee.