I have never been a big fan of Bobby Parnell. I know he has a dynamite arm, but he hasn't shown any ability to harness his talent at any level of professional baseball. All I see when I look at Parnell is Kyle Farnsworth, without the propensity to reel off three unhittable months every couple of seasons.
Still, watching Parnell mow down the Astros in the 11th and 12th inning tonight, mixing a triple-digit fastball with a sharp-breaking slider, made me sit up and take notice. The SNY radar gun is obviously too fast - it clocked the fastball used to blow away Chris Johnson at 102 MPH. Even if it was, say, 3 MPH too fast tonight, that means Parnell was still locating a 99 MPH fastball against major league hitters.
You can teach a lot of things, but you cannot teach a 99 MPH fastball.
With Francisco Rodriguez out for the season and the Mets going nowhere fast, lame duck skipper Jerry Manuel might as well install Parnell as the closer for the last 40 games. If he racks up 10 to 15 saves, regardless of how effective he really is, it will only enhance Parnell's trade value this off-season. If he actually takes to the closer's spot well, the Mets may have finally found a role for Parnell to succeed in.
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5 comments:
Parnell was the man tonight. He's still young. Won't take much for him to really pull it together and be a star. I think his time is coming. I hope they give him a good chance now. Look at RA Dickey for goodness sake!
If Parnell can get his pitches under control, he could be Heath Bell. At least he is getting more of a chance than Bell did (please note I do not fault Omar for trading Bell; he simply was not very good in the few chances he had).
RA Dickey is a totally different story. It took him a few seasons to become settled using the knuckleball. Hopefully it continues.
a lot of pitching is mental
and even more for a closer
make someone more important on your team and they will respond...
Parnell should be given every opportunity this year to close... which means in MetsSpeak, he won't
Maybe I'm looking through Met goggles or am just so insistent on the rebuiling...But I like Parnell and always have. I have a hell of a lot more patience with him and the other kids than I do with the Old Guard. I'm done with Barajas > give me FMart back. C'mon! 21 at-bats does not a youth movement make. JEF...would you just commit to this thing please?!
I feel better now. But I have always been on Parnell's side. It seems I'm in the minority though.
Re: Parnell (private stuff... he hates to be called Bobby... it's Robert)
Yes, he should be the closer, but in MetsSpeak, he won't be this season.
Re: F-Mart... Jerry wants the old guys back in the lineup... Thole will sit... Jerry is still trying to win his last hurrah
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