Tag: Mike Pelfrey

Roster Moves: Down to 25 Players

New York Mets pitcher Michael Pelfrey before a Mets/Devil Rays spring training game at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.Image from Wikipedia

Updated: March 31, 2008

Here’s a breakdown of the moves that the Mets made today to get down to 25:

  1. Raul Casanova made the major league team
  2. Brady Clark made the major league team- he also changed his number to 44
  3. Ramon Castro was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 21
  4. Duaner Sanchez was placed on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 27
  5. Orlando Hernandez was placed on the 15 day disabled list retroactive to March 29
  6. Brian Stokes was designated for assignment
  7. Fernando Tatis was sent to minor league camp for reassignment
  8. Ricardo Rincon was sent to minor league camp for reassignment
  9. Nelson Figueroa was sent to minor league camp for reassignment

Mike Pelfrey gets the fifth starter spot but they won’t need him until April 12th. I would guess that he’ll get some long work in the bullpen until then to see if he can establish some consistency before they need a fifth starter. El Duque could even be back to make that start if Pelfrey continues his shaky performances from the spring.

I’m glad that Fernando Tatis didn’t make the team. I just don’t see that he adds value especially after losing Ruben Gotay. I really liked Gotay and thought he could make a contribution. He’s going to come back to bite the Mets with a big hit at some point this season.

Post Game: Mets 3 Orioles 4

Source: WikipediaEl Duque got the start today and went five innings giving up 4 hits and one earned run. Mike Pelfrey finished the game going 3.2 innings giving up 6 hits and 3 earned runs. I guess Omar Minaya was right… if El Duque is healthy then he should get the fifth spot in the rotation. See the full game recap and box score here.

Omar Minaya on ESPN Radio- Fifth Starter News

Source: Wikipedia“It’s El Duque if he’s ready.”

That’s what Minaya said when asked about the fifth starter. What? Where did that come from?
I guess it’s Orlando Hernandez by default. Maybe Mike Pelfrey will show something tomorrow in Ft. Lauderdale to change his mind.

Listen to the full Andrew Marchand interview here.

Countdown To The Final Roster

We’re nearing the deadline for the Mets to decide who will make the last few bubble spots on the team. It looks like Angel Pagan will be in the outfield and Brady Clark will be left off the major league roster.

Ben Shipgel of The New York Times gives his take on what the roster will look like. I think he’s pretty accurate. As I said in an earlier post, keeping Fernando Tatis really doesn’t make sense to me at all.  If Ramon Castro’s hamstring isn’t ready than Raul Casanova will get the backup catcher spot until Castro is ready.

I think Shipgel is right that Brady Clark won’t make the team either. Angel Pagan has just been too hot offensively to leave him off the roster.

Tomorrow’s game in Ft. Lauderdale may very well decide if Mike Pelfrey or Orlando Hernandez gets the fifth starter spot. It’s too bad that it has to come down to one game but neither pitcher has clearly established himself.

Mets Brass Gathers Today, Big Decisions Ahead

Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman is reporting that the Mets management gathered in Port St. Lucie today to make decisions about the fifth starter and left field. The “unnamed” source close to the situation says that it’s likely that Mike Pelfrey will become the fifth starter despite his shaky spring. He’ll have a short leash with El Duque and Jorge Sosa ready to jump into the rotation if things go wrong.

According to the source, Angel Pagan has the inside track to get the bulk of playing time in left field until Moises Alou gets back approximately three weeks into the season. Pagan has been on fire offensively this spring but it may be an anomaly. Only time will tell.

St. Louis Cardinals 14- New York Mets 4

Orlando Hernandez was pretty bad today. You could chalk it up to being his first real start of the spring, but I think that he may be finished as far as being an effective major league pitcher.
http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/javascript/image.jspicApp_publisherId = 1326;picApp_imageId = 7690;picApp_imageWidth = 357;picApp_imageHeight = 235;picApp_configUrl = “http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/FlashSite/GetConfig.aspx”;picApp_Picview=”http://pis.picapp.com/IamProd/FlashSite/en/picviewerv1_1.swf”;picapp_numberOfLine=2;ImageServe();
Today El Duque went only three innings giving up five earned runs, two walks, with one strikeout. Only 55% of his 69 pitches were strikes. He also hit a batter and was frequently behind in the count.

It’s a good thing that the Mets don’t need a fifth starter for the first couple weeks of the season. After today’s disaster Mike Pelfrey would be the logical choice but he looked even worse today giving up eight earned runs in 4.1 innings including 13 hits to bring his spring ERA to 8.31.

Someone call David Wells’ agent… we need a fifth starter ready to go in three weeks.