If the Mets head into next season with Bobby Parnell in their plans for the starting rotation, I'm becoming either a Phillies or Yankees fan. I can't take it anymore...I just can't. Parnell is garbage!
Can he be decent as a one inning middle reliever in not-so-tight situations? Probably, because he has a 94-99 MPH fastball when he works short appearances. But other than that, this guy is probably closer to a AAA pitcher than a major leaguer.
Unless you have natural ability the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, you have to have a BRAIN to be a successful starting pitcher at the game's highest level. Parnell stays on a plain with the opposing hitters' belts, which is an obvious recipe for disaster. He has extreme difficulty shooting the knees, and that's why his 96 MPH heaters get smacked around like 87 or 88.
He doesn't locate well, he doesn't think, and his breaking stuff is awful. He has a hard slider that he continually bounces in the dirt (ever hear of adjusting?), and his change-up is like 90 MPH and flat. What's the point of throwing a change-up if it's 4 MPH slower than your fastball?
No point, obviously. There's nothing about Bobby Parnell that tells me he can be an effective starting pitcher at ANY point in his major league career. Let's send him back to the bullpen in 2010, or I'm ordering my Jimmy Rollins jersey as soon as I get a chance.
Keywords: AL East, Bobby Parnell, Charlie Manuel, Chase Utley, Dan Warthen, Jeff Wilpon, Jerry Manuel, Jimmy Rollins, Mets, Mets pitching, Mets pitching staff, Mets rotation, Mike Pelfrey, Nelson Figueroa, New York Mets, Omar Minaya, Rick Peterson, Ryan Howard, Ubaldo Jimenez
