Michael Alan Pelfrey (born January 14, 1984) is an American

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

coach and former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He is the pitching coach at

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

. He played college baseball at

from 2003 to 2005 for head coach

Gene Stephenson Gene Stephenson (born August 31, 1945) is an American retired college baseball coach, who served as the head baseball coach at Wichita State from 1978 to 2013. Career When he arrived at Wichita State, he inherited a program that had been dormant ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, and

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

Professional career

After his junior year at

, Pelfrey entered the June 2005 amateur baseball draft. Having chosen

Scott Boras Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saska ...

as his agent, there were concerns that Pelfrey would hold out or require a higher-than-market value contract. The Mets selected him with the ninth overall pick (ahead of future All-Stars

Andrew McCutchen Andrew Stefan McCutchen (born October 10, 1986) is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Philadelphia ...

and

Jay Bruce Jay Allen Bruce (born April 3, 1987) is an American former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and New Y ...

by two and three spots, respectively), even though he was projected to have gone higher than that. After six months of negotiations, the Mets signed Pelfrey to a four-year major league contract on January 10, 2006. The deal reportedly included a $3.5 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

and $5.3 million in guaranteed salary. Pelfrey began the 2006 season on the Single-A

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

, going 2–1 with a 1.64 ERA in four starts before being promoted to the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mira ...

. With Binghamton, he was 2–1 with a 2.66 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 47 innings over his first eight starts.

New York Mets

2006–2008

Pelfrey made his major-league debut with the Mets on July 8, 2006, earning the win in a 17–3 victory against the

Florida Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

. The Mets hit grand slams (

José Valentín José Antonio Valentín (born October 12, 1969) is a Puerto Rican former American Major League Baseball infielder. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers (–), Chicago White Sox (–), Los Angeles Dodgers (), and New York Mets (–). His ...

and

Carlos Beltrán Carlos Iván Beltrán (; born April 24, 1977) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from 1998 to 2017 for the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, New York Mets, San Fra ...

) in Pelfrey's first two major league starts; this was a first in baseball history. He was sent down to the Triple-A

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's location on the Chesapea ...

at the beginning of August. Michael Pelfrey

In 2007, Pelfrey pitched well in spring training and earned a spot in the Mets starting rotation to begin the season. However, after starting the season 0–5 with a 6.53 ERA, he was demoted to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs. He continued to make occasional starts for the Mets throughout the season, at one point running his record to 0–7. However, Pelfrey found success later in the season. Having been recalled when rosters expanded on September 1 to pitch in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Pelfrey put together his best start of the season giving up only one run on one hit in six innings for his first win of the season. Pelfrey won his next two starts in September in the midst of a close pennant race, finishing the season with a record of 3–8. On March 30, 2008, the Mets named Pelfrey as their Number 5 starter. Pelfrey made his first start of the season on April 9, earning a win against the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

allowing two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three in five innings pitched. Pelfrey then followed up this performance pitching seven shutout innings against the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

and earned the win. It was the first major league start of his career where he did not give up a run. On May 15, 2008, Pelfrey pitched another good game against the Nationals. He pitched innings, not allowing a hit until the seventh and only allowed one run. On June 11, 2008, Pelfrey pitched 8 innings, and attempted to pitch a complete game, but was replaced by Billy Wagner when he allowed a single to lead off the 9th. In the time he pitched, he only allowed one run and walked 2, while striking out 8 Diamondbacks. However, Mike got a no-decision as the Mets won in extra innings, 5–3, after Wagner blew a 3–0 lead in the 9th by allowing a 3-run homer to Mark Reynolds with 2 outs and 2 strikes. Later in the year, Pelfrey set a club record for most batters faced without giving up a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

, at 243; the streak was broken by Adam Dunn of the

Reds Reds may refer to: General * Red (political adjective), supporters of Communism or socialism * Reds (January Uprising), a faction of the Polish insurrectionists during the January Uprising in 1863 * USSR (or, to a lesser extent, China) during th ...

. On July 14, 2008, Pelfrey was named the National League Player of the Week. Pelfrey went 2–0 while not allowing a run over his two starts against the San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies during the week ending July 13. Over his 15.0 shutout innings, Mike scattered nine hits without a walk, while striking out 10. On August 20, 2008, Pelfrey pitched the first

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

of his career against the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

. He struck out 3 in the 9 innings, throwing 108 pitches. It was a 3-hitter. In his next turn, Pelfrey pitched another complete game victory, this time allowing only 6 hits and 1 run while recording his 13th win of the season. So far,

David Cone David Brian Cone (born January 2, 1963) is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, and current color commentator for the New York Yankees on the YES Network and WPIX as well as for ESPN on Sunday Night Baseball.Rick Peterson. However, new pitching coach

Dan Warthen Daniel Dean Warthen (born December 1, 1952) is an American former professional baseball player and current coach for the Texas Rangers. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a left-handed pitcher from to for the Montreal Expos, Philadel ...

has since allowed Pelfrey to work his curveball back into his pitching repertoire. On August 25, 2008, Pelfrey pitched his second consecutive

win, the first Met to do so since Bret Saberhagen did it in 1995. He allowed only six hits with one earned run while striking out six and walking none. At times, Pelfrey wears a mouthpiece while he pitches. Suffering from

temporomandibular joint disorder Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD, TMJD) is an umbrella term covering pain and dysfunction of the muscles of mastication (the muscles that move the jaw) and the temporomandibular joints (the joints which connect the mandible to the skull ...

after being hit by a ball in college, he can be seen chewing on it between pitches. In early 2008, after beginning the season with some good and some bad performances, Mike stopped using the mouthpiece. Mike then went on to pitch dominantly in June, July, and August. This led fans and announcer and former Mets pitcher

Ron Darling Ronald Maurice Darling Jr. (born August 19, 1960) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher from to , most notably as a m ...

to say that perhaps Mike was pitching better in part because he had stopped using the mouthpiece, which may have been a distraction.

2009–2012

Pelfrey had the honor of starting the first official game at

Citi Field Citi Field is a baseball stadium located in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in New York City, United States. It opened in 2009 and is the home field of Major League Baseball's New York Mets. The stadium was built as a replacement for the adjacent ...

on April 13. He allowed a leadoff home run to the Padres'

Jody Gerut Joseph Diego Gerut (born September 18, 1977) is a former Major League Baseball center fielder who played for several teams between 2003 and 2010. Amateur career A native of Elmhurst, Illinois, Gerut attended Willowbrook High School, and later S ...

and surrendered five earned runs overall in the Mets' 6–5 loss. Like the team itself, Pelfrey had a disappointing year, going 10–12 with a 5.03 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Pelfrey also led the majors in

balk In baseball, a pitcher can commit a number of illegal motions or actions that constitute a balk. Most of these violations involve pitchers pretending to pitch when they have no intention of doing so. In games played under the Official Baseball Ru ...

s, with 6. On May 17, he became the first Mets pitcher since

Al Leiter Alois Terry Leiter (; born October 23, 1965) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blu ...

to balk three times in a game. During the 2009–2010 offseason, Pelfrey worked with Warthen on utilizing secondary pitches, resulting in Pelfrey beginning to throw a

curveball In baseball and softball, the curveball is a type of pitch thrown with a characteristic grip and hand movement that imparts forward spin to the ball, causing it to dive as it approaches the plate. Varieties of curveball include the 12–6 curve ...

and splitter. In a 6 hours and 53 minutes, 20-inning game against the Cardinals, Pelfrey was utilized as a relief pitcher in the 20th inning. Pelfrey earned his first career save in the major leagues before Francisco Rodriguez got a win for the season, and

Joe Mather Joseph Paul Mather (born July 23, 1982) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and current coach. He is the hitting coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously was a coach for the Cincinnati R ...

(Cardinal's third baseman/outfielder) got the loss. His 2010 season was his best year to date. He had a spectacular first half posting a 10-1 record. His second half was much more average posting a 5-8 record. His final stats were 15 wins and 9 losses, a 3.66 ERA, with 113 strike outs and 204 innings pitched. On June 18, 2011, Pelfrey pitched a complete-game gem against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He allowed one run, five hits, and struck out five. He threw a season high 123 pitches, second highest of his career. Pelfrey was nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award. Overall, 2011 was a disappointing season for Pelfrey, seeing him go 7–13 with a 4.74 ERA. In January 2012, the Mets and Pelfrey settled their arbitration case for $5.7 million for the 2012 season. On April 26, it was announced that Pelfrey required

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, colloquially known as Tommy John surgery (TJS), is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's bo ...

on his elbow, ending his season. He had exited his previous start with stiffness in the elbow. An MRI confirmed a tear in the

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL), may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

of his elbow. The surgery was performed by

Dr. James Andrews James Andrews (born May 2, 1942) is an American orthopedic surgeon. He is a surgeon for knee, elbow, and shoulder injuries and is a specialist in repairing damaged ligaments. Practicing in Gulf Breeze, Florida, Andrews has become one of the bes ...

. According to Pelfrey, the cause of the tear might have been a change in his pitching mechanics

Minnesota Twins

On December 20, 2012, the

announced they had signed Pelfrey to a one-year, $4 million contract. As the Twins had retired number 34 in honor of the late

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Kirby Puckett Kirby Puckett (March 14, 1960 – March 6, 2006) was an American professional baseball player. He played his entire 12-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career as a center fielder for the Minnesota Twins (1984–1995). Puckett is the Twins' all- ...

, Pelfrey was assigned number 37. In 2013, Pelfrey had his worst season in his 8 years in the Majors, finishing 5–13 for the Twins. He pitched in 29 games following his 2012 Tommy John surgery, his ERA finished at 5.19 in his first full year in the American League. On December 14, 2013, Pelfrey signed a deal with the Minnesota Twins for two years and $11 million, with the potential to earn up to $3.5 million in performance bonuses. Pelfrey made five starts in 2014 before being shut down for the season with groin, elbow, and shoulder injuries. Pelfrey's 2015 season was more successful, as he posted a 4.26 ERA, his best since 2010. He still only managed a 6–11 record in 30 starts. He had the highest

WHIP A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

among major league pitchers (1.48).

Detroit Tigers

On December 6, 2015, Pelfrey signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the

. Pelfrey spent some of the 2016 season on the Disabled List due to a lower back ailment, limiting him to 24 games (22 starts). In a mostly ineffective season, he compiled a 4–10 record and 5.07 ERA in 119 innings pitched. Pelfrey was released by the Tigers on March 30, 2017.

Chicago White Sox

On April 5, 2017, the White Sox signed Pelfrey to a minor league deal, assigning him to the Triple-A

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

. On April 22, 2017, the White Sox purchased his contract from Charlotte as he replaced the injured James Shields. He made his White Sox debut on the same day against the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

. In 2017 he was 3-12 with a 5.93 ERA. Batters stole 26 bases against him, tied for tops in the major leagues, while being caught three times.

Pitching style

Pelfrey's pitches, as tracked in 2013 by the

PITCHf/x PITCHf/x is a system created and maintained by Sportvision that tracks the speeds and trajectories of pitched baseballs. This system, which made its debut in the 2006 Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason, is installed in every MLB stadium. The ...

system, were a sinker at 93 mph, a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is c ...

at 93 mph, a

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

at 87 mph, a splitter at 86 mph, and a

at 76 mph. His sinker is his primary pitch, although he also likes to use his four-seamer early in the count against right-handed hitters. He tends to use his splitter more against left-handed hitters and his slider more against righties. Pelfrey has among the lowest

strikeout-to-walk ratio In baseball statistics, strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB) is a measure of a pitcher's ability to control pitches, calculated as strikeouts divided by bases on balls. A hit by pitch is not counted statistically as a walk, and therefore not counted ...

s in the major leagues since 2000, at 1.75.

Coaching career

On March 6, 2018, Pelfrey retired from professional baseball and accepted a coaching position at Newman University. In 2019, Pelfrey became the pitching coach at

. Following Todd Butler's firing, new Wichita State head coach

Eric Wedge Eric Michael Wedge (born January 27, 1968) is an American former baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher and manager. As a player, Wedge attended Northrop High School in Fort Wayne and played on the school's state champion baseball team in ...

retained Pelfrey as pitching coach.

Personal life

Pelfrey was one of the victims of the $8 billion fraud perpetrated by wealth manager

Allen Stanford Robert Allen Stanford (born March 24, 1950) is an American financial fraudster, former financier, and sponsor of professional sports. He is serving a 110-year federal prison sentence, having been convicted in 2012 of fraud, on charges that his i ...

. Pelfrey estimated that 99% of his assets were frozen after the fraud was revealed. Pelfrey is known for his peculiar habit of licking his hands over the course of the game, Pelfrey has said there is a purpose behind the habit and he generally uses it to get a better grip on the ball. ''The Wall Street Journal'' counted one start of Pelfrey's and found he did this action 89 times over the course of a game.Brian Costa
"Six Innings and 89 Hand Licks Later"
''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', September 1, 2011

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pelfrey, Michael 1984 births Living people Baseball players from Ohio Baseball players from Wichita, Kansas Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Minnesota Twins players Detroit Tigers players Chicago White Sox players Wichita State Shockers baseball players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Mets players Norfolk Tides players New Orleans Zephyrs players Cedar Rapids Kernels players Mesa Solar Sox players Rochester Red Wings players All-American college baseball players Wichita State Shockers baseball coaches Anchorage Glacier Pilots players