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The 1st Phenom of Spring
Topic Started: Feb 20 2006, 04:10 AM (63 Views)
Gategem
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Pelfrey looks phenom-enal by John Harper, NY Daily News

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PORT ST. LUCIE - On the first day of spring training, Pedro Martinez wasn't ready to throw off a mound and Billy Wagner went home sick with the flu before he could show off his eye-popping fastball. You couldn't blame Mets fans for once again groaning something to the tune of "the best-laid plans ..."
But let's not go there yet. It's too early to start bemoaning the fate of this franchise again. After all, spring training opened on a beautiful, sunny morning, Pedro did do some more long-tossing as he deals with his toe injury and a potential savior stood out among the 20-plus pitchers who threw from the mound.

Maybe you've heard of Mike Pelfrey by now. He was the Mets' No. 1 draft choice out of Wichita State last June, a kid who was available when the Mets picked ninth only because other teams wanted no part of negotiating with Agent Holdout, Scott Boras.

But chances are you haven't seen him pitch. Or even throw. It was an impressive sight, so impressive that Willie Randolph invoked the name of Randy Johnson when speaking about Pelfrey, and GM Omar Minaya wouldn't rule out the possibility that the 22-year-old righthander could be pitching at Shea at some point this season.

Skeptical? Spring training hyperbole, you say? Fair enough.

It was only one simple, 25-pitch session in which Pelfrey was lined up with nine other pitchers on the back-field bullpen mounds. Still, your eyes were drawn to Pelfrey, largely because he had such a physical presence, tall and thick at 6-7, 230 pounds, and yet even at that size he threw so smoothly, with impeccable mechanics.

As a beaming Minaya said afterward, "A lot of guys were out there throwing. But he stood out."

Minaya had seen Pelfrey pitch before, when he scouted him at Wichita State last spring, but for Randolph it was his first look.

"Willie was kind of like, 'Wow,'" Minaya said.

Randolph admitted as much after the workout, raving about how rare it was to see such a big guy throw "so free and easy," and describing how the ball "just exploded" out of his hand.

Noting how Pelfrey's long stride seemed to put him so close to the catcher, Randolph said he could be a nightmare for hitters.

"It could be like facing Randy Johnson," Randolph said. "Or even worse, because he's so wide (in addition to being tall)."

If you're a Mets fan, surely by now you're begging for this kind of talk to stop because you know the history of phenom pitchers in this organization. The last one who lived up to the hype was Dwight Gooden more than 20 years ago.

In the '90s, Paul Wilson, Jason Isringhausen and Bill Pulsipher were supposed to fuel another '80s-like run at the top. Then Scott Kazmir came along and the Mets made the mistake of trading him. Philip Humber was the third pick in the 2004 draft, and he promptly tore ligaments in his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery last year.

Ah, but to see Pelfrey cut loose yesterday was to believe this could be the one. He was considered the best pitcher available in the draft last year, and the Mets were fortunate to get him with the ninth pick. But give them credit: they could have passed like other teams did, citing the Boras factor. They knew it would be a difficult negotiation that would cost them big money, but they made the commitment to get it done.

"Nobody wanted to take him because of the risk of not being able to sign him," Minaya said. "We knew we'd have to pay, but he was too good to pass up."

Negotiations took time, but because Pelfrey threw 140 innings for Wichita State last season, when he went 12-3 with a 1.98 ERA, the Mets say they didn't want him to pitch last summer anyway. Finally, the Mets signed him in January to a $3.8million bonus, the most they've ever paid a draft pick.

The Mets are thinking he'll start the season for their high Class A team right here in Port St. Lucie, but with a strong spring Pelfrey could jump right to Double-A. If he succeeds in the minors, well, the Mets aren't counting on him this season, but Minaya was quick to point out that two years ago he picked Chad Cordero for the then-Expos in June, and by August the righthander was closing games in the big leagues.

"I'm not afraid to bring guys up," Minaya said yesterday. "I'm not saying we'll do that (with Pelfrey), but I wouldn't say it won't happen, either. I'd rather take a conservative approach, but then if the player shows he has the ability, I'm not afraid to take a young guy and put him in there."

We'll see. The kid hasn't even faced a hitter yet as a professional, so let's give him time. But on a day when spring training didn't start quite as planned for the Mets, at least Pelfrey offered fans a reason to dream.
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FloydNbunch
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I can't wait to see this guy come up. I mean, 6'7"....damnnnnnnnnnn. He has the type of imposing figure that Randy Johnson has

Think about it, in 2 years we could see a rotation of Pelfrey, Zito?, Humber, Heilman, and who the f*ck else we want
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MSUMet85
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FloydNbunch
Feb 20 2006, 11:43 AM
I can't wait to see this guy come up. I mean, 6'7"....damnnnnnnnnnn. He has the type of imposing figure that Randy Johnson has

Think about it, in 2 years we could see a rotation of Pelfrey, Zito?, Humber, Heilman, and who the f*ck else we want

And our 5 could be an aging Pedro or Soler :laugh:, our starting rotation could be fierce for a long time so long that Minaya doesn't trade them away <_<
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FloydNbunch
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MSUMet85
Feb 20 2006, 12:08 PM
FloydNbunch
Feb 20 2006, 11:43 AM
I can't wait to see this guy come up. I mean, 6'7"....damnnnnnnnnnn. He has the type of imposing figure that Randy Johnson has

Think about it, in 2 years we could see a rotation of Pelfrey, Zito?, Humber, Heilman, and who the f*ck else we want

And our 5 could be an aging Pedro or Soler :laugh:, our starting rotation could be fierce for a long time so long that Minaya doesn't trade them away <_<

He's held firm so far, so until he f*cks up...I trust him
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Ray
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FloydNbunch
Feb 20 2006, 11:43 AM
I can't wait to see this guy come up. I mean, 6'7"....damnnnnnnnnnn. He has the type of imposing figure that Randy Johnson has

Let's hope he doesn't turn out like Eric Hillman.
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FloydNbunch
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Maybe we should start saying he'll blow his arm or something, then maybe he'll actually turn out great

A little reverse psychology
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