The Mets optioned No. 5 starter Mike Pelfrey to Class A Port St. Lucie of the Florida State League. The Mets won't need a fifth starter at the beginning of the season because of off days. Pelfrey could return to the big leagues Sunday, April 15, which would be the last day of Fantasy Week 2 (April 9-15). Reserve him in all formats in Fantasy Week 1 (April 1-8) and don't drop the potential "next Justin Verlander."
Source: CBS SportsLine.com
Mets SP Mike Pelfrey was told Sunday that he'd won a spot in the rotation after his outing against Houston. "It's always good to hear, 'Hey, you made the team,"' said Pelfrey, unable to conceal his smile. "I've still got a lot of work to do and I've got to continue to get better."
Pelfrey, the ninth overall pick in the 2005 draft out of Wichita State, allowed four runs and six hits in five innings of an 11-3 loss to the Houston Astros. But he pitched well throughout spring training, and that was enough to win a job in New York's suspect rotation. "He's matured," Randolph said. "You can see where he's learned a lot from last spring. Obviously, he has good stuff, but he's worked hard to execute, for the most part, what we wanted him to do this spring." Pelfrey is now worth drafting in mixed leagues due to the fact he'll be a live young arm pitching in front of a contender.
Source: CBS SportsLine.com
The Mets are taking things slowly with youngsters Mike Pelfrey and Philip Humber. Though the Mets are in obvious need of starting pitching help, they are holding firm to the idea of protecting their top two pitching prospects. As a result, neither is likely to begin the season with the big club, though owners will want to keep Pelfrey in mind as a potential early season callup. The 6-foot-7 fireballer showed promise over his four Major League starts in 2006, and general manager Omar Minaya believes he’s capable of being stretched out to 160-170 innings this year. Humber should also surface at some point during the summer, but the Mets are likely to be even more cautious with him as he threw just 78 1/3 professional innings in 2006, his first season back from Tommy John surgery.
Source: MLB.com
