Imagine if El Duque were healthy on Opening Day. Imagine if the Minnesota Twins demanded they receive a 6'7" hard-throwing righty in return for Johan Santana. Imagine if Victor Zambrano were on the trading block.
Mike Pelfrey would have been somewhere, just not here. Pelfrey's maturation process would have been unfolding in another place whether it be AAA Ball or the Twin Cities.
Seeing Tim Lincecum on the losing side of a 7-0 decision is rare these days, but what is happening to Pelfrey in a Mets' uniform is even more of a rarity. Pelfrey has only produced a small sample to date, but even this glimmer of what could be is something completely foreign to me as a Mets' fan.
I'm too young to remember 1984 and a 19-year-old Doc Gooden. I don't remember the emergence of "Doctor K," but I certainly will never forget "Generation K" and the fasle sense of hope (no, I'm not referring to someone's presidential campaign) that surrounded Izzy, Wilson, and Pulse.
For years, I have wondered what it was like to witness the emergence and maturation of a homegrown pitching phenom. Basically, I wanted to know what it felt like to be an Oakland A's fans during the past decade.
Thanks to the New York Mets' willingness to part ways with a 19-year-old southpaw who sports a 98-mph fastball, fans of the expansion Tampa Bay Rays have had the luxury of enjoying Scott Kazmir's evolution from prospect into an All-Star.
Fortunately, the Mets weren't willing to part ways with a tall, goofy right-hander from Wichita, and they easily could have.
Pelfrey's rookie season started to the tune of an 0-7 record, a far cry from the 17-9 record and 278 strikeouts that Gooden posted in 1984. His maddening inability to locate his pitches and properly utilize his mid-90s fastball could have finally pushed the Mets to move in a different direction. Even in trading for Johan Santana, statistically baseball's best pitcher over the past three season, the Mets felt a need and found a way to keep Pelfrey put.
Now, Pelfrey's emergence does not nearly warrant the same excitement and mystique as Doc Gooden's direct jump from A Ball to MLB dominance. Gooden went 24-4 and won the Cy Young award during his sophomore campaign. Pelfrey's 7-6 mark at the midway point of his second season may seem modest, but those who have seen his past five starts can't help but think the Mets have something special.
Pelfrey has not lost in nine starts since May 26. He has been the winning pitcher in each of his previous five outings, and it would have been six had Billy Wagner not flushed his eight-inning gem against the Diamondbacks on June 11.
Pelfrey's sophomore surge includes road wins over the Yankees, Cardinals, and AL West leading Angels.
Last night at Shea, he went toe-to-toe with the latest Sports Illustrated coverboy and it wasn't even close. Pelfrey and the Mets cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Giants and ace Tim Lincecum who entered with a 10-1 record and 2.49 ERA. The Mets' newfound stud walked no one through seven innings of three-hit ball, while Lincecum surrendered more runs in the first inning than Pelfrey has in his previous 14 frames.
I don't know if Pelfrey will continue along his path of progression or ever reach stardom, but I do know it is possible. A possibility of the sort is what this Mets' fan had been anxiously awaiting for as long as he can remember.
Mike Pelfrey would have been somewhere, just not here. Pelfrey's maturation process would have been unfolding in another place whether it be AAA Ball or the Twin Cities.
Seeing Tim Lincecum on the losing side of a 7-0 decision is rare these days, but what is happening to Pelfrey in a Mets' uniform is even more of a rarity. Pelfrey has only produced a small sample to date, but even this glimmer of what could be is something completely foreign to me as a Mets' fan.
I'm too young to remember 1984 and a 19-year-old Doc Gooden. I don't remember the emergence of "Doctor K," but I certainly will never forget "Generation K" and the fasle sense of hope (no, I'm not referring to someone's presidential campaign) that surrounded Izzy, Wilson, and Pulse.
For years, I have wondered what it was like to witness the emergence and maturation of a homegrown pitching phenom. Basically, I wanted to know what it felt like to be an Oakland A's fans during the past decade.
Thanks to the New York Mets' willingness to part ways with a 19-year-old southpaw who sports a 98-mph fastball, fans of the expansion Tampa Bay Rays have had the luxury of enjoying Scott Kazmir's evolution from prospect into an All-Star.
Fortunately, the Mets weren't willing to part ways with a tall, goofy right-hander from Wichita, and they easily could have.
Pelfrey's rookie season started to the tune of an 0-7 record, a far cry from the 17-9 record and 278 strikeouts that Gooden posted in 1984. His maddening inability to locate his pitches and properly utilize his mid-90s fastball could have finally pushed the Mets to move in a different direction. Even in trading for Johan Santana, statistically baseball's best pitcher over the past three season, the Mets felt a need and found a way to keep Pelfrey put.
Now, Pelfrey's emergence does not nearly warrant the same excitement and mystique as Doc Gooden's direct jump from A Ball to MLB dominance. Gooden went 24-4 and won the Cy Young award during his sophomore campaign. Pelfrey's 7-6 mark at the midway point of his second season may seem modest, but those who have seen his past five starts can't help but think the Mets have something special.
Pelfrey has not lost in nine starts since May 26. He has been the winning pitcher in each of his previous five outings, and it would have been six had Billy Wagner not flushed his eight-inning gem against the Diamondbacks on June 11.
Pelfrey's sophomore surge includes road wins over the Yankees, Cardinals, and AL West leading Angels.
Last night at Shea, he went toe-to-toe with the latest Sports Illustrated coverboy and it wasn't even close. Pelfrey and the Mets cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Giants and ace Tim Lincecum who entered with a 10-1 record and 2.49 ERA. The Mets' newfound stud walked no one through seven innings of three-hit ball, while Lincecum surrendered more runs in the first inning than Pelfrey has in his previous 14 frames.
I don't know if Pelfrey will continue along his path of progression or ever reach stardom, but I do know it is possible. A possibility of the sort is what this Mets' fan had been anxiously awaiting for as long as he can remember.
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The only thing that may excite you more than Mike Pelfrey's most recent outing is the debut of Getting Squirrely with Hobbie. On Thursday morning, Salvatore Speaks will unveil the first of six weekly, summer installments (that's all we could afford to pay him for) of a music blogspot that is sure to send a Chris Matthews' type tingle up your leg.
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1 comment:
I'm still waiting on your nostalgic piece on the phenomenon that was "Mr. Koo" - oh - and I can't wait for this new music section. Should really round out the site with that extra flavor that will only enhance its prowess. Music, after all, is the universal language.
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