Mike Pelfrey on His Post-Surgery Lack of Command

Chicago White Sox right-hander Mike Pelfrey is a survivor of Tommy John surgery, but only in the technical sense of having returned to a major-league mound after having undergone the procedure. Prior to going under the knife, the 6-foot-7 right-hander was a solid, midrotation starter for the New York Mets. Since surgery, however, he’s been a shell of his old self. Pitching for the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, and now the White Sox, Pelfrey is 18-47 with a 4.99 ERA over his last four-plus seasons.

Age-wise, he isn’t over the hill. The former first-round pick is still just 33 years old. And while his arm feels strong, it also feels… different. Pelfrey can’t quite put a finger on it, but ever since his ulnar collateral ligament — and subsequently an ulnar nerve — were repaired, something has been amiss. A dozen years — and countless pitches — into his big-league career, he has limited control over where the ball is going to go once it leaves his hand.

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Mike Pelfrey on his post-surgery command issues: “There’s been a little more adversity than I would like. Early in my career I was more of a power-sinker guy — I was about 75% fastballs — and my command was a lot better. In 2012, I ended up getting hurt. My elbow blew out after three starts, and I had Tommy John surgery. I’ve never been the same since. My command hasn’t quite been the same.

“At this point — after 12 years — I’m kind of trying to reinvent myself. I’m not throwing so many heaters. I’m mixing in more offspeed pitches, and going off scouting reports more than I ever have. Before, I would just throw a sinker and let it work. Now, with my velocity and command not being as good, I need to throw more secondary pitches. I’m trying be effective that way.

“I don’t know why the command hasn’t come back. That kind of baffles me. Maybe it’s just the Tommy John thing? Maybe I rushed back from it too soon? I came back in 2013, at 11 months, which is fast. But there was another elbow surgery, too, in 2014. That one was a nerve, which obviously goes into feel — the feel of the ball in your hand. I had numbness in my fingers.

“When I was younger, I could close my eyes and throw the ball, and it would go where I wanted. Now I’m just hoping it goes in the area — and that’s with my eyes open. I used to be able to spot up with my sinker, and now I’m just trying to get it close to a spot. It’s the weirdest thing. I don’t know if it’s age, the surgeries, or what it is, but ever since Tommy John, it’s never been the same.

“My delivery is the same. I’ve checked on my arm angle to see if it’s a little higher or a little lower, and it’s pretty much the same as when I came up. But again, the feel hasn’t… people say that if you get back to the previous level after Tommy John, you’re considered a success. In all reality — and I think the numbers would show it — my career before 2012 and my career after 2012 are two completely different dudes.

“The Tigers came to me in spring training this year and said, ‘Hey man, something’s got to change.’ They showed me the numbers on different things, like my fastball, my curveball, what happens when my pitches are up. They said if I want to stay around, I have to kind of reinvent myself. They talked to me about throwing more four-seamers, cutting the ball more, how much to throw my sinker.

“It’s been a hard adjustment, with my command being what it is. I’m a work in progress. I have good games and I have bad games, and I obviously walk too many guys — I’m on pace to have more walks than in any season in my career. It’s frustrating, because I can’t necessarily point to one thing and say, ‘This is why.’ What I’ve always done on the mound, how I throw the ball and have it just go there… it doesn’t do that anymore.

“I’m a competitor, so I feel I can still go out there and compete. It’s actually fun trying to make these different adjustments. At the same time, while I feel I have good enough stuff to do it, I’ve made it harder on myself with the walks, with the command. Sometimes I try to throw the ball right down the middle, and I can’t get it down the middle either.

“Is it in my head? I mean, you get to point where you think about it. Mentally, it gets frustrating when the ball isn’t going where you want. All I can do is try to make pitches and move on. Keep plugging along, you know? Keep grinding it. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back the feel I had before Tommy John, but I think I can still pitch.”