Mike Pelfrey as a Twins Starter

[DaveW]

So this definitely had to be his last start as a Twin, right?

 

In honor of the day, I think it's only approriate we say something nice about his tenure as a 3 year Twin.

I will start:

 

You weren't as big of a dissapointment as Nolasco.

I think you actually could find a decent career as a MRP, next time a team sends you to the pen, accept it. Don't fight it, just accept it.

[GCTF]

He didn't run over my dog. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

He will finish the season and get a couple more starts.

 

Say something nice? Absolutely. When Pelfrey had his forkball going earlier in the season, it was fun to watch. To all the people who love to complain about negativity, go back and look at those game threads when Pelfrey was pitching well. Very positive and fun. People were very optimistic that Pelfrey might keep it going.

 

Unfortunately for some pitchers, the grips on their pitches come and go. Pelfrey lost the magic combination of grip and delivery that made his forkball so successful. Or split change, or whatever you want to call it. Hopefully he can rediscover that pitch. Hopefully he will land on another team that will give him as many chances as the Twins did.

[twinsnorth49]

 

He will finish the season and get a couple more starts.

Say something nice? Absolutely. When Pelfrey had his forkball going earlier in the season, it was fun to watch. To all the people who love to complain about negativity, go back and look at those game threads when Pelfrey was pitching well. Very positive and fun. People were very optimistic that Pelfrey might keep it going.

Unfortunately for some pitchers, the grips on their pitches come and go. Pelfrey lost the magic combination of grip and delivery that made his forkball so successful. Or split change, or whatever you want to call it. Hopefully he can rediscover that pitch. Hopefully he will land on another team that will give him as many chances as the Twins did.

This is the key phrase in your post. They simply have to move on from guys like Pelf.

[Rosterman]

Pelfrey had a couple of nice runs as a starter the past two seasons, but ultimately he couldn't get thru that order a third time and truly showed nothing exceptional to warrant his salary.

 

Will he find a job next season, probably. But he better sign with a team that has a halfway chance of using him as a fifth starter or, as people said, be willing to work the bullpen. Will he sign for $2-3.5 million? Perhaps. 

 

But the Twins don't need him in any way shape or form. I would rather look at Scott Baker again, sign Scott Diamond for minor league depth, bring back Kris Johnson from abroad. Not that I would do any of the mentioned unless they were left on my doorstep with a note to "please show some care...AAA-ball time accepted).

 

I keep thinking back to the Santana trade, when the Twins (reportedly) wanted Pelfrey but settled for Humber (who will also be looking for a job after pitching abroad this year).

 

But time to move on. Too bad he didn't pitch consistent enough to bring back a prospect this summer.

 

Hey, Pedro Hernandez is still around after pitching for the St. Paul Saints!

[Rosterman]

I would rather see if Logan Darnell has ANY gas in himself at this point. Talk about a guy collecting some major league money and not getting another shot...yet.

[Highabove]

62 starts 11 wins

 

Wins are not the best indicator for a starting pitcher but Pelfry's record with the Twins is very telling.

[DaveW]

Went out with a whimper, how very appropriate for his tenure in Minnesota.

 

Good luck in the independent league next year!

 

Post your favorite Mike Pelfrey moments below:

[Craig Arko]

I don't like kicking someone when they're down, but yes this is the end of the line.

[sportsdiamond]

Im sure Boras will still say he is still worth 10 Million 

 

1 Good game 3 bad, overpaid for this guy is about as good as i can say.

 

[GCTF]

 

Went out with a whimper, how very appropriate for his tenure in Minnesota.

Good luck in the independent league next year!

Post your favorite Mike Pelfrey moments below:

space reserved for the day he signs somewhere else.

[Thrylos]

Had the third higher fWAR in the team as far as pitchers are concerned, after May and Gibson

[Champuckett]

Last start as a Twin?

 

 

Last start in his major league career.

[Danchat]

If the Twins re-sign both Hunter and Pelfrey, I'm going to lose it. It's not going to be pretty. 

 

I think Pelfrey will find a nice home somewhere as a back-end starter in the NL. If Jason Marquis can hang around as a starter in the NL (after he was cut, that is), Pelfrey can too.

 

 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I already said something nice earlier in the thread, so no need to repeat myself

 

After the All Star break, the Twins went 4-9 when Pelfrey started. 

 

He didn't pitch that horribly in all of them, but I'd play all 13 of those games over, in a heartbeat. 

[Linus]

Had the third higher fWAR in the team as far as pitchers are concerned, after May and Gibson

Remind me to ignore fWAR from now on.

[DaveW]

Remind me to ignore fWAR from now on.

Lol

[zchrz]

 

Went out with a whimper, how very appropriate for his tenure in Minnesota.

Good luck in the independent league next year!

Post your favorite Mike Pelfrey moments below:

 

My favorite Mike Pelfry moments were those 30-90 seconds he would stand around before throwing a pitch while doing the horse lips thing.  I didn't get to experience many positive Pelf moments. 

[Dantes929]

He gave up 1 run to Detroit in 5 innings which we needed pretty badly.   Helped get us in contention with his first half.    I hope he gets several more starts this year which will mean we have gone pretty far.   I read somewhere recently that his performance this year warranted 15 mil.  He did have a 4.09 ERA for the year after all which is not that bad.   

[DaveW]

 

He gave up 1 run to Detroit in 5 innings which we needed pretty badly.   Helped get us in contention with his first half.    I hope he gets several more starts this year which will mean we have gone pretty far.   I read somewhere recently that his performance this year warranted 15 mil.  He did have a 4.09 ERA for the year after all which is not that bad.   

No, I hope he doesn't get one more start even if we win every series in 5 games, 7 games and 7 games (World Series)

 

Playoff Rotation:
Gibson

Duffey

Milone

Hughes

[Dantes929]

 

No, I hope he doesn't get one more start even if we win every series in 5 games, 7 games and 7 games (World Series)

 

Playoff Rotation:
Gibson

Duffey

Milone

Hughes

Hmmm...  didn't you recently say you didn't want Gibson pitching big games either.   Can't imagine you are much higher on Milone or Hughes.   Personally, I like the 4 you listed better also but if we get in, the most likely way is at least 1 play in game followed by wild card game followed by playoffs.    I don't think they will impose innings limits on Duffey but I don't think they will have him go on three days rest either.   For that matter Milone and Hughes health issues make a 4 man rotation unlikely also.   

[DaveW]

 

Hmmm...  didn't you recently say you didn't want Gibson pitching big games either.   Can't imagine you are much higher on Milone or Hughes.   Personally, I like the 4 you listed better also but if we get in, the most likely way is at least 1 play in game followed by wild card game followed by playoffs.    I don't think they will impose innings limits on Duffey but I don't think they will have him go on three days rest either.   For that matter Milone and Hughes health issues make a 4 man rotation unlikely also.   

Oh, I am not high on Milone or Hughes at all at this point (due to injury/dead arm etc) if it were up to me, Berrios would be in the rotation as would May. (And I would have bribed whoever I needed to in MLB to let Santanas "failed drug test" go lost)

 

But it is what it is. I trust Milone and Hughes much more than Pelf at this point. Heck, I'd rather just go with a bullpen game then Pelf at this stage in the playoffs. Good hitters MASH him.

[Riverbrian]

I don't think Pelf deserves as much stink as he's getting. He had some nice starts for us and I appreciate those nice starts. 

 

But in the end as I look back at his performance for us in 2015... in total.

 

Bottom Line... Too much base traffic and that high wire act leads to the occasional melt down and those melt downs were epic and more frequent in the back half of the season. 

 

It's pretty crowded in the rotation right now so I really can't see Pelf back in Minnesota for 2016. 

 

 

 

 

 

[TheLeviathan]

That better be the last time.

[Platoon]

Pelf should have been in the pen, and May in the rotation. But Pelf got the veteran/big agent treatment. I know GM have to keep agents happy, or else FA and contract negotiations become even more difficult, but this capitulation cost dearly.

[Boom Boom]

My favorite Pelf moment was that gutty performance he gave the media in spring training after being told he was going to the bullpen.

 

BTW, didn't Bert lambast Slowey for doing the same thing?

[Linus]

My favorite Pelf moment was that gutty performance he gave the media in spring training after being told he was going to the bullpen.

 

BTW, didn't Bert lambast Slowey for doing the same thing?

Ironically I think it would have been the best thing for Pelfrey to go to the pen. He may be a valuable reliever at this point instead of a washed up starter

[Dantes929]

 

Ironically I think it would have been the best thing for Pelfrey to go to the pen. He may be a valuable reliever at this point instead of a washed up starter

I am guessing someone will look at his 4.26 AL ERA this year and give him a lot of money to start for them.   I hope it won't be the Twins but there are plenty of teams that have worse results than that.   Quick check of just the AL Central on BR shows every team except Cleveland, who had one, had at least two pitchers among their regular rotation that did worse. 

Since the rotation was really doing well at the time I wanted Santana to start in the pen and eventually replace whoever was faltering.   I still think that was a good plan.    I agree that Pelfrey would have been a much better choice than May.   May and Gibson were the last guys I wanted moved.

[Mike Sixel]

I think he is still a nice 4/5 starter in the AL. I would not have signed him the second time, and it wasn't worth it, but I don't know that he's the reason they won't make the playoffs this year. I just think there are other, younger cheaper, options. I think his reaction to possibly moving to the bullpen was not unexpected, but still disappointing. I actually think he has more years left as a RP than as a SP.

 

I wish him well.

[Vanimal46]

I'm sure some team will give him $5-10 million to be a #4/5 in their rotation. Just hope and pray that it's not the Twins again. There have been worse pitchers that have worn Twins uniforms in recent memory, but I can only think of a 2 month stretch (May & June) out of 3 years that I felt confident in Pelf... Good luck in your future endeavors, and I'll be excited when he throws duds like last night against the Twins next year!