Interesting chat with Orlando Hernandez a few minutes ago. Turns out he didn't have bunion surgery as the Mets said. The bunion on his right foot is still there and its causing him problems this spring.
El Duque had surgery to fix a dislocated second toe, which is now actually shorter, affecting his balance. Because of that, Hernandez is lagging behind the other pitchers as he tries to adjust. At the moment, he's planning to face hitters on Saturday.
Duque also talked about retirement for the first time saying its 50-50 after this season. He jokingly slid out his nameplate and said, "Someone else next year."
Comments (3)
I appreciate everything El Duque has done for the Mets, but I have a feeling he is going to be a problem this year. If he is not clearly better than Pelfrey, I have a feeling he will resist being moved to the bullpen. This bunion thing is very weird, sounds like he is not communicating well with the organization.
I'm with you, Judy
Having Hernandez in the starting rotation retards the progress of Pelfrey. Didn't know why they signed him to the 2yr. contract after the '06 season. Without question Hernandez will have his annual trip to the DL. Possibly causing a disruption to the other starters. He would be far more effective coming out of the pen as possibly the long man. This would allow far lesser innings pitcher and maybe for the 1st. in his Met career allow him to fresh enough to pitch in Sept.
He did have success coming out of the bullpen with the White Sox in '04.
Sean,
I believe having Duque actually will help the growth of Pelfrey. He can start the season at AAA, and work on his secondary stuff, and not be preoccupied with winning a big league game. Ultimately, he WILL have opportunities in the majors this year, with time off for Duque and Pedro inevitable. Next year, I feel that he will be the 5th starter, barring any unforseen setbacks.