Minnesota Twins make Mike Pelfrey Deal Official- MLB Update
The Minnesota Twins on Thursday officially announced that they will be adding starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey to the ball club for a single year deal. The announcement came after Pelfrey cleared his physical. The deal is worth $4 million with a possible $1.5
million in bonuses.
Terry Ryan, the Minnesota Twins general manager, is confident that Mike will make it to the season’s opening day with full health. The 28-year-old had a Tommy John Surgery on his right elbow in early May 2012, which ended his season early.
"We like the guy's stuff," Ryan said. "We like his makeup. We think he fits in here well. We brought him on certainly to be one of our starters."
Mike played for the New York Mets in the 2012 season and posted a 2.29 ERA in three games as a starting pitcher. The Mets, the only team Mike has thus far represented in the Major League, non-tendered him after the season, making him a free agent.
The Twins have had their pitching troubles recently and have been looking for good quality pitchers. Until recently, Scott Diamond was the only starting pitcher pencilled in for their starting rotation in 2013. That has changed with addition of Vance Worley
in a trade from Philadelphia Phillies and signing of free agent Kevin Correia. Mike will be taking the fourth spot in the rotation for the Minnesota ball club.
Terry Ryan is confident that Pelfrey can perform and has done well in the past. "He throws hard," Ryan said. "He's got pitches. Going back, he didn't pitch this year except for about two or three starts. He was off to a pretty good start, but unfortunately
it wasn't meant to be because of Tommy John."
Ryan acknowledged that 2011 was not pretty for Mike but also mentioned a successful 2010 season for the pitcher.
The right-handed pitcher has a 50-54 career record with a 4.36 ERA. His best year in the Majors so far has been 2010 when he posted a 15-9 winning record with a 3.66 ERA in 34 games, 33 of them as a starting pitcher. He also made a save that season.
His form however, faltered in 2011 and had a 7-13 record in the same number of starts as 2010. Mike also posted a higher 4.74 ERA.
Terry Ryan also said that the hunt was not over for pitcher and more name or names can soon be added. "I think we have to continue to look," Ryan said. "Whether we secure another guy or two, I'm not positive, but we certainly have to continue to look."
By the looks of it, the Twins should soon have a settled starting rotation. Mike Pelfrey is an experienced pitcher and if he can bring his experience to work, he can be a critical part of the Minnesota ball club’s success.
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