Pelfrey NOT Ready

Recently acquired starter, Mike Pelfrey said he was feeling great and ready to be a starter for the Twins ten months removed from Tommy John surgery.

I instantly thought, "probably not." No pitcher ever successfully comes back that quickly. Some may come back and pitch, but it's usually several MONTHS more before they are actually throwing the ball like they used to. It's never a pitcher's fault that he's not ready yet. They ALL need more time to recover properly. That's just the way it is.

Pelfrey proved my point yesterday. It wasn't so much that he was knocked around in his 1 and 2/3 innings of work yesterday, it was that his best fastballs were only clocked at 87-89 mph. Most of those were actually BELOW that level.

When healthy, Pelfrey should be throwing mid 90's and averaging at least 93.

Pelfrey IS NOT ready and he won't be for a while. Just like him, we'll just have to wait to see how much longer it takes for him to become the average pitcher he's always been.

At six foot five, he's another of the Twins monster starters. Here's hoping he's looking better in 6 weeks when the real season starts.

I should mention that the Twins beat Toronto in their game yesterday despite Pelfrey's less than dazzling performance. Morneau had TWO more hits including an RBI double. Both he and Mauer will be leaving the Twins for the World Baseball Classic in just a few days.

I still have no idea why MLB allows/supports/endorses this. Dice K is my best example of why major league players should not do this. The season is long enough without making players have another full month of competitive ball before the season even starts.

Look for Mauer to break down again early this season. Too much stress on the knees over too long of a time. Knees that have never been fully healthy since early in his first season.

That and an absolutely horrible traveling schedule that will also stress the limits of every participant make THIS an event worth skipping.