Parnell Back To Pen

BOO!
I might be in a minority, but hear me out.

Parnell hasn't pitched well, and that is no great revelation. He is young, and this was his first season in the bigs, so there has to be some learning curve. The Mets have decided to move Bobby Parnell back to the bull pen.

Here are my issues and why I have issues with the way he is being handled:

1. Parnell has electric stuff. There is no doubt about it. He was a starter in the minor leagues, so what do the Mets do? Convert him to a middle inning relief guy. Parnell was told to try and throw the ball through a wall, because in relief, he doesn't have to conserve pitches. Parnell pitched well until about the All Star break - so well, that he even set-up K-Rod when Putz was faltering, and then sidelined for the year. Then he hit a wall. He wasn't getting his pitches over, and his fastball, although fast, was flat. He was walking a lot and giving up too many hits. The team, in their "infinite wisdom" should have realized that this was a new position for Parnell. Not only is he new to the league, but he was new to relieving.
2. The Mets moved Parnell into the rotation. I was all for this move. By the time the Mets moved him to the starting rotation (due to season ending injuries to Jon Niese, Johan Santana, and Oliver Perez, not to mention an extended absence for John Maine) they were out of it. Mathematically alive, realistically dead. This was the missed opportunity by the Mets. They should have allowed Parnell to pitch the remainder of the season as a starter, and not treat each start as if the Mets season hung on his performance. The other night in Atlanta, Parnell pitched well for the first two innings, before running into trouble and being removed in the fourth inning. Why? Are the Mets worried about losing out on the play-offs due to his poor outing? They were only down 4-3 at the time. Let the kid pitch. Let him get hammered, and let him learn how to deal with and pitch through adverse situations. Terrible job by the Mets.
3. As reported Here , Parnell has now been moved to the bullpen. Mets nincompoop manager Jerry Manuel (I was so behind you Jerry, but this year, you've lost me) said of the move that it "strengthens us in the bullpen." For what? To lose 97 games instead of 99?

Manuel also stated that Parnell will move back to the starting rotation in Winter Ball during the off-season, but that where his future lies is undetermined.

This reminds me of a situation not too long ago, with another prospect who was a starting pitcher throughout parts of 2004 and the beginning of 2005. He threw a one hitter in April (2005), and a two hitter (I believe) a couple of starts later. They sent him to "The Pen" where he pitched well...for a while. He longed to start, was made promises that if he pitched well, he would be in position to start. He started in the Fall/Winter League, and had a terrific ERA and W-L record. Came to Spring Training (2006), and was the best pitcher in camp. He lost his starting role to a rookie, who pulled a hammy, and was out for the remainder of the year. He never go another shot again to start for the Mets.

The player? Aaron Heilman. The rookie? Brian Bannister.

Opportunity missed by this organization. History is repeating itself. The Mets, unless they pull off a miracle, are not expected to make any significant upgrades this winter, due to financial constraints.

They have some talent, but they never allow that talent to develop. They move them around as if they are a ball bouncing in a roulette wheel: Nick Evans is a 1B, so lets start him in LF. Daniel Murphy was a 3B. Lets put him in LF, no wait maybe 1B. Howard Johnson a 3B, no wait, lets move him to CF. Keith Miller, a 2B. Wait he's fast, lets move him to CF. Juan Samuel a 2B. He can play CF.

The jury on Murphy and Evans is still out, but the other moves were abysmal failures.

This organization is going nowhere this year,and instead of embracing this as an opportunity to let their talent develop, they are spending too much time trying to get as many wins as possible. Wins don't matter right now. They are meaningless. I would much rather see the kids play. Thole, Evans, Murphy, Parnell, Stoner, etc. Let them play. Lets see what our future looks like. Stop playing these young men out of position. Stop leaving them out of the starting lineup for the likes of Angel Pagan, Fernando Tatis, Gary Sheffield, etc.

Although this season has been awful for Met fans, now is the time to look at this as the perfect time to see what we have. This team can't even finish .500. This year is over. Lets see what the youngsters can do. Let Parnell start. Let him fail, let him succeed. Don't send him out there thinking he has to be perfect, or he will be pulled or moved to the pen. Let him learn, let him take his lumps. Let him develop.