Mike Pelfrey Stats & Scouting Report

IP	1476
ERA	4.677
WHIP	1.51
BB/9	3.305
SO/9	5.11

Full name Michael Alan Pelfrey
Born 01/14/1984 in Wright-Patterson AFB, OH
Profile Ht.: 6'7" / Wt.: 240 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Wichita State
Debut 07/08/2006
Drafted in the 1st round (9th overall) by the New York Mets in 2005 (signed for $3,550,000).

View Draft Report

Pelfrey and Tennessee's Luke Hochevar have been running neck and neck all spring as the top pitching prospects in college baseball. Pelfrey moved ahead as the draft approached, though where the two would go in the draft remains uncertain because both have Scott Boras as an adviser. Shockers pitching coach Brent Kemnitz says Pelfrey is the best pitching prospect in school history, a rich tradition that includes seven first-rounders, and his 2.03 career ERA is a Wichita State record. Pelfrey suffered from draftitis in 2002, when he entered his high school senior season as a projected first-round pick, but that hasn't been the case this spring. He has blown away hitters consistently with a 92-97 mph fastball that's as notable for its sink as for its velocity. He's adept at getting grounders or strikeouts, depending on the situation. He has refined a straight changeup that will be a plus pitch and keeps lefthanders in check. He also has tightened his curveball and become more consistent with it. Add in a perfect pitcher's frame, good control and a competitive makeup, and the only thing that really bothers scouts about Pelfrey is Boras. Pelfrey could fall to No. 10--where the Tigers have a scouting director who used to coach at Wichita State (David Chadd) and an owner who has signed Boras free agents the last two offseasons (Mike Ilitch)--or perhaps further.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

After going 33-7 with a school-record 2.18 ERA in three seasons at Wichita State, Pelfrey was Baseball America's top-rated pitching prospect heading into the 2005 draft. The Diamondbacks considered him for the No. 1 overall pick, but he ultimately dropped to the Mets at No. 9 because of signability concerns. He didn't sign until January, when he received a club-record $3.55 million bonus as part of a $5.25 million big league contract. Pelfrey showed no ill effects from his layoff and needed just four starts at high Class A St. Lucie to earn a promotion to Double-A Binghamton. Pelfrey credits veteran catcher Mike DiFelice--whom the Mets sent to Binghamton solely to serve as mentor--with helping him gain confidence in his secondary stuff. He earned a major league callup when Pedro Martinez first went on the disabled list in July and won his first big league start before being sent to Triple-A Norfolk. If not for a sore back that limited him late in the season, Pelfrey would have been in the mix for a spot in the postseason bullpen. He might have gotten a playoff start, considering how beat up New York's starting pitchers were. There are few pitchers in the minors whose fastball can rival Pelfrey's. His two-seamer sits at 92-95 mph with fierce sink and late life and rates as a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He throws it effortlessly from a 6-foot-7 frame on a steep downhill plane with great extension and solid command. He also has a four-seamer for extra velocity higher in the zone. Though Pelfrey barely needed to use a changeup as an amateur, he already has a good feel for it and it's his No. 2 pitch. He fiddled with his grip in 2006 and improved his command of the pitch. He fields his position well and has a good pickoff move, though the Mets would like to see him get faster to the plate from the stretch. A lack of a reliable breaking ball is the biggest thing holding Pelfrey back. He has thrown both a curveball and a slider but now favors the slider, which is better suited for his power arm. He throws it at 84-87 mph with some depth, and he can reduce the break on it to give it more of a cutter look against lefthanders. He has yet to learn how to command his slider consistently, and it probably always will be his third-best pitch. Though his mechanics are clean, he tends to over-rotate his lower half in his windup, which hurts his ability to locate his pitches. Though he needs better command of his secondary stuff, there's little left for Pelfrey to prove in the minors. With Martinez out until at least the all-star break, Pelfrey will definitely be in the mix for the Opening Day rotation. He should be in the Mets rotation for years to come and has the potential to be a legitimate No. 1 starter.

Minor League Top Prospects

Pelfrey won a big league rotation spot with a strong spring-training performance, but he went 0-5, 6.53 in six starts to earn a ticket to New Orleans. Though he got back to New York in July and again in September, he continued to battle inconsistency because he couldnï¿½t command his low- to mid-90s power sinker, a plus offering that made him the ninth overall pick in 2005. With tremendous arm strength and a 6-foot-7, 215 pound frame, Pelfrey generates easy velocity and fierce downward plane. He got into trouble when he became preoccupied with command of his secondary pitches, which are fringe-average to a tick below. Pelfrey's slurvy slider has good tilt, but he struggles to throw it and his changeup for strikes. While with New Orleans, he concentrated on attacking hitters rather than nibbling, and he showed improved command of his fastball, which enabled his secondary pitches to play up.
Like Garza, a fellow college righthander drafted in 2005, Pelfrey made a quick ascent to the big leagues in his first full pro season. The last first-rounder to sign, accepting a $5.25 million big league contract in January, he was starting at Shea Stadium six months later. Pelfrey's command is not as good as Garza's, in part because he rotates his lower half too much in his delivery, but he too pitches off his fastball. It's a 70 pitch on the 20-80 scouting scale and one of the best fastballs in the minors, more for its late life than its velocity. It has heavy sink when it's down in the zone and comes in at 93-95 mph, touching 97. Pelfrey needs to improve the consistency of his secondary stuff and have more conviction in it. His changeup is his second-best pitch and has the potential to be an above-average offering. His curveball remains slurvy, though he throws it at 82-86 mph.