Oliver Perez to the Pen
Oliver Perez’s name has always been synonymous with top flight starter potential. In 2004, he pitched one of the best seasons in recent Pirates’ history, posting a 3.45 FIP in almost 200 innings of work. Since then, he’s racked up exactly one FIP below 4.5 and three (while working on a fourth) seasons with FIP over 5.5. Potential isn’t a static attribute and Perez is proof positive of that. Unfortunately for the Mets, they paid him as if his potential were solid and as if Perez were a safe bet to reach that upside.
Needless to say, Perez hasn’t been right since, for reasons mostly unrelated to his paychecks.
He’s always had issues with walks. Always, with the exception of that 2004 season. In his first full season in the majors he walked nearly 5.5 per nine innings. In 2005 he walked more than 6. In fact, 2007 is the only other season in which his BB/9 was lower than 4.5. Those walks were sufferable because of high strikeout totals, but Perez hasn’t even been striking out as many batters as usual this year. Not only that, but since signing that new contract, he’s walked three fewer batters than he’s struck out.
Perez looks broken. His fastball is averaging a career low 88 miles per hour. Distressing, since his previous career low was 90 MPH, set just last season. He’s not missing bats, he’s not getting outs, he is allowing ton of baserunners, but really he’s not doing anything to help the Mets. Not even getting lefties out. It seems like that knee injury is still bugging Perez and that he’s being selfish in not admitting it to the team.
No matter the parallels in highly paid starting pitchers being converted to the bullpen this season, Carlos Zambrano’s situation has nothing on this one. Unlike Zambrano, Perez doesn’t belong in the rotation, and frankly, he doesn’t belong in the majors.
Well…. at least hes out of the rotation. They got that right… finally.
It’s a good thing we’ve got Jenrry Meija’s down in AA tearing it up, maybe he’ll be ready for an August/September call up…oh wait. Well at least we kept Figueroa…
Pat Misch here we come.
I wish he would just accept going to the minors. I really don’t believe he is going to help the bullpen, seeing as how he gives up walks left and right. He is just taking up another roster spot, once again hurting his team in a different way.
I don’t understand why he wouldn’t accept at this point. He gets payed either way and I imagine the mets are going to give him a better chance to start this year and next than any other team in the league, just because we owe him 13 million and refuse to eat contracts. You’d think even Boras would think it would make sense at this point, since the only way he’ll get another pay day is if he figures out how to start which won’t happen if he’s in the bullpen.
From what I understand there are no options built into the deal that he signed and he has to agree to be sent to the minors. And from what metsblog.com said they, being jerry and minaya, talked to him about it and he did not want to be sent down.
I like the move, and am a little surprised it wasn’t made earlier in his career. Over his career, batters have an RSL of .222/.315/.400 against Perez in their first plate appearance against him in the game. Lefties have an RSL of .226/.312/.368 against him and in high leverage situations, hitters are .217/.322/.373 against him. He may even be able to regain some of his lost velocity in the bullpen.
Even if he regains a couple MPH in the pen, he’ll be the same bad pitcher he was last year when he was still able to hit 90. His career is done whenever the Mets decide to cut him.
Hard not to beat this into the ground but this contract alone, along with the handling of Mejia should be enough to sweep the entire management out. Bidding against nobody, as in the case of Luis Castillo, Omar overpays for bad talent. Then he and Jerry stunt the development of our best arm in the minors by focusing on a throwing the fastball and not developing secondary pitches and stretching out in the minors.
Oliver and the leech Boras have some nerve saying “I don’t want to go to the minors”. As you’ve aptly stated, Ollie has no business being on any major league roster with his current performance and abilities. Not even KC.
meh, the problems in this organization run mucher deeper than Jerry and Omar unfortunately.
The Mets are going to be a Mickey Mouse organization until Fred Wilpon gets suspended for hiring a gambler to dig up dirt on Carlos Beltran.
Agreed 100% on Mejia. They are sacrificing his growth in order to help save their jobs. The front office and staff need a complete overhaul.
Oliver Perez is terrible. Everyone except for the Mets seemed to know this 2 years ago.
There are quite a few veteran pitchers who have been awful for over a year but have not been demoted… yet. I’d love to read a rundown of guys that are hanging on by virtue of sunk costs in oversized contracts. GM’s can wait too long to admit a mistake of this magnitude, but a close pennant race occasionally sobers them up.
The NL Central is a lot more competitive than pundits recognize. I have my eye on possible replacements for Kyle Lohse, especially since the Cards have been heading in the wrong direction in May. If he doesn’t right the ship, does PJ Walters have the edge over Lance Lynn based on his major league exposure and his hot start in 2010? I believe he’s added a new pitch, but will that be enough to produce better results the second time around?
i am a mets fan but i am far from giving up on the guy. he obviously isn’t performing well, but we can’t guarantee performance from any replacement either. if we stick with him we could still get decent performance down the road.
still not worth the contract, but the same could be said for barry zito, soriano, vernon wells and others.
Just felt compelled to say he’s still around. The Royals ate money today. Granted it was more money than Ollie’s owed. But even true believers have to think that no value can be squeezed out of this guy, at this point.