Parnell Stinks It Up

Bobby Parnell was once again ineffective last night in his 3rd start of the season. Actually, ineffective is too nice a description. Parnell was downright terrible, the kind of awful that makes you wonder how he's even in the big leagues. Then you take a gander at the veritable treasure trove of crap that surrounds him. If you were a turd salesman, you'd start looking for houses in Flushing. And then it hits you: This is our future?

Bobby Parnell likely has no future as a starting pitcher. He relies too much on his fastball, a pitch with little movement that he struggles to locate. His slider can be nasty at times, but it's very inconsistent, and he doesn't throw it often. His changeup... well let's be honest, Parnell doesn't have much of a changeup. According to PitchFX data via Brooks Baseball, he threw the pitch only 3 times in last night's debacle. The average velocity: 88 mph, about 5.5 mph slower than his fastball. That's never going to get the job done.

Right now, I think Parnell projects as a Kyle Farnsworth; a hard thrower with bad command and no secondary offerings, who can be dominant, but could also leave a mess on your favorite rug. Sure he's young and needs time to mature, but at this point in the season, pessimism reigns supreme.