Bobby Parnell had pitched in just one game between July 31, 2013 and June 13, 2015.
That game was nothing short of a disaster. He blew a save on Opening Day in 2014 with diminished stuff and poor location, the warning signs of something very wrong with the former Mets closer.
As it turns out, he had blown out his elbow, thus beginning the long process of recovering from Tommy John Surgery.
But what’s often forgotten is Parnell missed the final two months of the previous season thanks to a herniated disc in his neck, something which would also require surgery.
The version of Parnell which has emerged from this damage is one which depends on finesse and guile, rather than the 95-100 mph he left behind nearly two years ago.
“He is a lot more crafty than he used to be because he had such a power arm,” Terry Collins said after Saturday’s win, during which Parnell logged a scoreless eighth inning. “Now he’s got to make pitches, and that’s what he’s relied on. You’re seeing a guy that when he goes out there has confidence that he can get a ground ball.”
Parnell is inducing those ground balls by using his knuckle-curveball more than he has at any point in his career, relying less on his fastball which is averaging 92 mph so far in 2015 by using that knuckle-curve to make his fastball seem more deceptive.
It’s the same knuckle-curve he learned from Jason Isringhausen during his time with the in 2011. It can easily be argued that knuckle-curve might serve to resurrect Parnell’s career as much as it helped evolve him as a pitcher in 2012 and 2013.
It’s been an effective combination for Parnell since his return. He’s allowed just a run on seven hits in nine innings over ten relief appearances since coming back, recording three holds and one save since June 13.
Until that velocity returns, if it returns at all, it’s going to be a constant game of adjustments for Parnell. He can no longer power his way through the opposition, nor can he afford to make mistakes with his fastball as long as it is sitting in the low-90s.
But he showed in 2013 he had evolved from being a thrower into being a pitcher thanks to his ability to refine the knuckle-curve and incorporate and command it along with his fastball.
And so far, he’s employing that again, probably more now than ever before.
Just Mets 