Mike Pelfrey has announced his retirement.
Pelfrey was a first round pick of the Mets in the 2005 draft out of Wichita State. He grew up in Wichita and is leaving baseball to take a job coaching with Newman University which is, you guessed it, in Wichita. Turns out you can go home again.
He was a 12-year veteran who spent most of his time in Queens but also did tours with the Twins, Tigers and White Sox. He had a career record of 68-103 and an ERA of 4.68 in 275 games, primarily as a starter. His best seasons came in 2008 and 2010 when he won 13 and 15 games, respectively, and posted ERA+ of 113 and 107, respectively.
Was he a great pitcher? Nah, the numbers say he was not. Pelfrey, did, however, have a four year stretch with the Mets in which he averaged 196 innings a year of near-average pitching. That’s not what people envision from a first round pick, obviously, but eating innings is worth something too.
Good luck with your future endeavors, Mr. Pelfrey.
