Give Pelfrey a Chance

There have been many people that think RHP Mike Pelfrey should be moved to the bullpen. I have even touched on this subject... but I have changed my mind about Pelfrey. As of right now, I think that he should have the #5 spot in MLB or AAA starting rotation. Some people may say "he sucked last year or he was 3-7!".. I look past that.. He showed what he is really capable of at the end of last season (3-0 in September).

"Putting Mike Pelfrey in the bullpen is probably the worst thing you can do right now. The thing he needs to do is develop his secondary pitches. Putting him in the pen would be encouraging him to throw nothing but fastballs, and he wouldn't be developing his slider/changeup combination which in the end will make him a much better pitcher." said The Man at Mets Prospectus and I totally agree with that opinion. Lets take a look at Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux's first and second full seasons..

Maddux 1st full season: 6-14 with a 5.61 ERA
Maddux 2nd full season: 18-8 with a 3.18 ERA

Glavine 1st full season: 7-17 with a 4.56 ERA
Glavine 2nd full season: 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA

Convincing? Lets say last year counts as a 1/2 of a season for Pelfrey... Give him the chance to pitch every five days for us against major league hitters. Even if he has a mediocre season, we have four reliable starters in Pedro, Maine, Perez, and Hernandez.. the key to the 2008 Rotation is that they all need to stay healthy. Give Pelfrey a shot for atleast two more years, if he fails, put him in the pen.. He can get hitters out and will be a productive major league player. Hopefully in the Mets rotation. Look for him to breakout during the 2009 season.. but only if he gets the chance to start for a FULL season. I say that there are two options for Mike Pelfrey in 2008...

#1) Give him the #5 slot in the rotation.
#2) Keep him in New Orleans for ALL of next season.

Either way he needs to develop his secondary pitches and he need to do so on a consistent schedule.