Pedro Feliciano- (3-4) 4.05 ERA
Pedro Feliciano's road to the major league's was certainly not a smooth one. After being taken by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 31st round of the amateur draft in 1995 he spent six seasons in the minor leagues.
In 2002, Feliciano was traded to the New York Mets in the deal that sent Shawn Estes to the Reds. After struggling in his rookie year, the Mets optioned him back to the minor leagues where Feliciano worked to improve his command.
Finally, in 2006 all the hard work paid off as Feliciano was given the role of the team's primary left handed specialist.
Feliciano proved that he was the right man for the job in 2006 as in 64 games he posted a 7-2 record and had a 2.09 ERA. This success continued into 2007 as Pedro had another successful year going 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA.
Thus, while there were many uncertainties entering the 2008 season, Mets fans felt confident when it came to the team's ability to getting left handers out in the later innings.
Surprisingly, however Feliciano, for the first time in his Mets career, just couldn't get the job done.
Last season, Pedro saw his ERA jump to 4.05, which is almost a full two run increase over his 2006 ERA. Feliciano just couldn't get out of the tight jams as we was able to in the two seasons prior.
In comparison to years prior, there were many more instances during this year, in which Feliciano struggled with his command and couldn't even record an out before being replaced. All in all 2008 was not a kind year to Mr. Feliciano.
Final Verdict: Trade Pedro Feliciano. As much as it pains me to say this as I have been a fan of his over the years I feel that Pedro's better days are behind him. He has seen a steady increase in his ERA of about one run every season, which is cause for concern.
Pair that with the fact that he is arbitration eligible makes him a prime candidate for a trade chip for Omar to use when trying to fill the teams many holes.
Original Story:
http://www.ddmetsfanblog.com/2008/11/...
