How Is Mike Pelfrey Doing This?

 Pretty happy for the guy.  As much as I wanted to see him go for the last two years, I'm glad he's having the success that he is.  It had to be hard coming back from TJ and not being able to throw like he was used to.  Not only that, but he's been ridden extremely hard by 99% of Twins critics out there, me included.  Good for him, keep it up.  Also you've gotta respect his optimism and confidence, he hasn't been one to hang his head and make excuses.

"Him?" indeed. You should always have an AD reference.

I cannot believe how good Pelfrey has been.

Pelfrey has thrown a splitter for years - he used it with similar frequency way back in 2010. He throws it with less velocity now (despite his fastball velocity being the same), which may be helping it work better as a change-up.

His swinging strike rate remains low, as it has been throughout his career. That limits his ability to consistently shut down opponents. One thing that might help him keep it up would be replacing Santana with Escobar. 

I remain in favor of trading him if possible when Santana is ready.

2 bizarre things happened last night.

1. The Twins won a low scoring game.

2. The pitcher on the mound at the time was Mike Pelfrey.

Huh? 

It is all well and good to pound out a lot of runs. However, at some point, the Twins need someone on the staff to step up and go toe to toe with the likes of a Clay Buckholtz.

We've not seen that happen for a while. I, for one, plan to savor last night.

Prediction: The Twins will give him an extension and he'll turn back into a pumpkin.

This just shows how much a new pitching coach helped this team.  Allen came in and told every starter that they were going to learn a change up of some kind.  For Pelfrey it was the splitter.  I think coach of the year right now is Allen.

What a difference in Mike Pelfrey's life from just a couple months ago. Everybody except him thought he was bound for bullpen duty for the rest of his career. He'd spent a couple years working his way back from Tommy John surgery, trying to get his body as strong as possible and his elbow to work right again. Even his "last chance" as a starter came because the Twins were forced into it by Ervin Santana's suspension and Nolasco's stint on the DL.

Now, his command looks great, and his stuff is filthy. Combined with an improved Twins defense, Pelfrey is winning games again. His heater is averaging around 93mph with good movement, and his splitter is embarrassing good hitters.

Are we seeing the best of Mike Pelfrey? A couple aspects of this question intrigue me. First, his command. Obviously, every pitcher knows that you're supposed to avoid the middle of the strike zone, but it seems that only a few really master the art of keeping the ball around the edges. Pelfrey's command during this stretch has been almost impeccable. Why? Is it that years of mechanics drills have finally borne fruit, or is it just that his elbow is finally healthy after years of getting worse? Or is it some combination of the two, or some other factor?

Second, his stuff. In that first clip, you can see that Pedro Alvarez recognizes the initial trajectory of the pitch as it comes out of Pelfrey's hand, which indicates it will be right down the middle of the zone. Only after it's halfway to the plate does the splitter's action take it down and left (out of the zone), inducing an embarrassing whiff. I think the word "filthy" comes not just from the degree of movement, but from the deception. It starts out looking like a sweet, down-the middle BP fastball, then disappears under your bat. Notice also that the ball doesn't duck down until it's over half-way to the plate. By that time, Alvarez has decided to swing at the spot where he expects the ball to be...but then it ain't there. Like a magic trick, his eye has been fooled.

Did Pelfrey's stuff always have this late movement? I mean, earlier in his career, before his elbow problems. If so, you'd expect him to have an ERA that would put him out of Minnesota's price range. I think he's improved.

I have a feeling we're looking at a guy who's had a lot of time to think about and refine his game. What he's doing today doesn't look like an accident, but rather the result of lots of work, and thought, about the most effective way to get guys out. I'm seeing a savvy pitcher with great command, and plenty of gas left in the tank. Mike Pelfrey looks like a damn fine pitcher.

 Not comparing the two, but Greg Maddux through his prime almost always had an ERA lower than his xfip. Just as rare as a year Carl Pavano was healthy, there are pitchers who induce weak contact.  Enjoy Pelf's health while it lasts.

Never had anything against Pelfrey personally. Always heard he was a good guy and teammate. And I respect the hell out of guys who want to play and genuinely want to earn their paycheck. But the entire mantra of "but when healthy...and look what he did during this stretch..." was simply turning in to "look at the history and track record."

I was...oh, not excited, but curious...as to what he could maybe do out of the pen for us. Slow delivery, high hard and straight might work for an inning or two. That is simply not what we are seeing out of him. If I didn't know better, I'd swear there was an invasion of the body snatchers going on. That first pitch on the top of the page is what an 88 MPH knuckle ball would look like if you could throw such a thing.

I don't recall names, but I am reminded of 20 years or so ago when Pitching coach Roger Craig had great success teaching the split finger and changing some careers. I don't know if this is Allen tweaking Pelfrey's delivery, approach or head, or if Pelfrey is just growing in experience, (learning hard lessons to be sure) and now fully healthy and feeling great he's tossing hard and care-free. I sure am enjoying it though. I'm almost excited when I see his name listed as the starting pitcher.

The pitch to Ramirez was f-ing nasty! There isn't a hitter on God's a Green Earth that could have made contact to that pitch!

Count me as another who is surprised and delighted at the Pelfrey/Nolasco magic show.

I thought I would be resigned all season every time these guys got a turn in the rotation. I know it's early, but I really have confidence in this team (no post-season predictions at this point).

Nolasco still worries me aplenty, but I'm gaining confidence in both just the same.

Have a starting rotation that is pretty damn good makes a world of difference.

Just feeling a little sorry for Tommy Milone.

Hey! Nobody mentioned that Pelf is hitting 1.000!

He's tied for the lead in MLB (probably with some other AL pitcher).

Sure you can call it a small sample size, but remember, he's had not one at bat, but TWO!

This just shows how much a new pitching coach helped this team.  Allen came in and told every starter that they were going to learn a change up of some kind.  For Pelfrey it was the splitter.  I think coach of the year right now is Allen.

My thoughts exactly. All of these guys have shown talent at various times in their careers. Harnessing talent is another story...throwing and pitching are two different things. When nearly everyone on the staff is showing improvement, a ton of credit has to go to Allen.

Prediction: The Twins will give him an extension and he'll turn back into a pumpkin.

A pumpkin with a wicked splitter.

The Twins can recoup value from Pelfrey by letting him help them win ball games in 2015.

If Pelfrey continues to perform, he will earn his two year contract in 1 year. 

Souhan had an article on Pelfrey today that ties in nicely with this thread:

http://www.startribune.com/twins-pelfrey-displaying-that-look-of-an-ace/306434991/

I thought the origin of his splitter was interesting:

Even last year, Pelfrey felt numbness in his fingers and “didn’t know where the heck the ball was going.”

He began to find more life in his pitches while throwing during the winter. During spring training, Pelfrey asked new bullpen coach Eddie Guardado to show him his proprietary grip.

“He looked at my grip and said, ‘Man, that will never work,’ ” Pelfrey said. “I looked at his grip and said, ‘Man, that will never work.’ ”

Pelfrey fiddled with Guardado’s recommendation and suddenly had a change-of-speed pitch to complement his mid-90s fastball and sharp slider.

“That splitter has been so big for me,” he said.

I'm starting to think that if Mike Pelfrey continues his run of success and the Twins are leading the division at the trade deadline, Mike Pelfrey cannot be traded.

If the Twins truly are trying to "win now" the Twins cannot afford to get rid of the guy who is the staff ace this year.

The Twins cannot continue to "build for the future" because the future could very well be this year.