Baseball in Fort Wayne

Despite the fact that I am not a big Mets fan, I had high hops for Oliver Perez coming into the 2008 season. He’s been slow to develop and had been pretty much written off so many times by so many and a disappointment of not living up to one’s potential. Still, I thought he would be capable of building up last season, which was pretty respectable.

Through last night, Perez is sporting a 4.06 earned run average with 29 innings pitched over six games. He’s given up 28 hits and 18 runs – 13 of them earned – while striking out 26 and walking almost as many (21).

Contrast this to last year when he started 29 games and had a 15-10 record. His ERA was .356, but he struck out 174 while walking just 79 Over 177 innings pitched.

Right now, Perez doesn’t even average out to five full innings per game. At his current pace – assuming he starts 29 again this season (he did deal with a short DL stint last year if I remember correctly, so it could be a few more if he stays in the rotation), he’ll log just 140 innings pitched with just 126 strikeouts and 101 walks. Hardly a step forward in the development cycle.

In his latest start against the Pirates, Perez lasted just 1 2/3 innings. It drew the ire and criticism of teammate Billy Wagner.

“Perez honestly has got to step up and know that we’ve just used every guy in the bullpen the night before,” Wagner said. “He can’t come in and come out there and decide that he doesn’t have it today, and so be it” [hat tip to The700Level.com].

Reportedly, the two pitchers have made up, but you have to wonder if this is a chip that will stay on their shoulders and be part of the Mets’ undoing in 2008.