Pitching Prospects

Due to the injury to Pedro Martinez and the demotion of Heath Bell (who could not be recalled to replace Pedro since his DL stint was retroactive to when Bell was on the team) the Mets have reached deep into their minor league system and brought up two pitchers from Binghamton.

To make a start in Saturday's doubleheader the Mets called up Mike Pelfrey. Pelfrey, the ninth player chosen in the draft, has produced a 6-3 record and 2.45 ERA in his Minor League starts -- four with the Class A St. Lucie Mets and 12 with Binghamton. He has pitched 88 1/3 innings, allowing 77 hits, three home runs and 28 walks and striking out 103 batters.



To fill the spot in the bullpen we have Henry Owens. In 23 appearances spanning 25 innings, Owens was 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA and 11 saves, having struck out 51 batters. He had allowed as many hits as walks all year (eight).



It should be very interesting to watch how the Mets handle these young pitchers. I'm not worried about Owens, he is 27 years old and a reliever. Pelfrey has less than one year of pro experience. I know most people say "bring him up, see what he can do" but there is a possibility of damaging a young player. If Pelfrey gets bombed, once or a few times, it could destroy his confidence. While I do agree with the move to bring him up, I don't think it's time to panic, and hope if he doesn't pitch well the Mets will send him back down for more seasoning.