Analysis of Bobby Parnell's start

WOW. 5 ip, 3 h, 0 er, 1 bb, 5 Ks

And once more, this minor leaguer who split time in high A and AA last year had more mound presense and poise then Mike Pelfrey. This is goes to my point (if you've read my posts on NYFS, you know what I've been saying) - that Mike Pelfrey was handled in the absolute worst way possible. Both Niese and Parnell were drafted in the same draft as Pelfrey. And both have less raw stuff then Mike, but both exuded a confidence we just have not seen from Pelfrey. It's uncanny, really.

Onto the outing. Parnell was throwing consistently 89-93 on his fastball, and it has good movement down in the zone. He looked really really sharp today. He featured a slider as well, in the 78-82 range, which serves as a good offspeed pitch. Most sliders are maybe 3-5 mph off a pitcher's fastball, but Parnell's is around 10 mph slower, sort of negating the need for a changeup, which he did not throw as much. I think one of the biggest things we saw today from Parnell, that we didn't see yesterday from Niese, was an ability to maintain his velocity deep into his outing. Parnell was throwing as hard in the 5th as he was in the 1st.

If you heard Omar in the booth, he sounded really upbeat about Niese and Parnell (being the two upper-most pitching prospects left over, I don't think he has a choice, but that's besides the point). Both of them acquitted themselves marvelously in major league camp. I know for me, I was really excited to see both, and neither disappointed. Parnell is, or should be, about a half season ahead of Niese, so I could see him in AAA much quicker then Niese, but both looked poised beyond expectations, in my opinion.

Both Parnell and Niese should open in Binghamton this year, but do not be surprised if both close the year out in New Orleans. A September callup as a reward wouldn't be out of the question, either, although starting their option clock might not be a smart idea.