Manny Parra non-tendered

[Ennder]

Manny's stats spiraled down as soon as he got hurt pure and simple. He lost velocity and control with the injuries. No reason to try to read a bunch of stuff into it.

[Funketown]

I'm not sure why so many feel the need to rag Parra for "mental weakness" or whatever else. He was a talented pitcher who struggled with injuries and just didn't pan out. There are probably a hundred guys in the minors or retired with a similar story.

[TheCrew07]

Manny's stats spiraled down as soon as he got hurt pure and simple. He lost velocity and control with the injuries.

 

False.

 

His approach was the issue, he worked out of the zone too much to be effective given that he never had precise command of his FB. A straight FB isn't the problem if it's located properly, leaving the FB out of over the middle plate was the problem. Sheets had the same issue, he had a straight FB but when he left over of the plate it got smacked... If a pitcher is constantly behind the count and gets into predictable FB counts and then grooves a fastball, well we should expect him to get crunched.

 

Manny had the same problem with a FB topping out at 96 when he first came up as he does now with a FB topping out in that 93-94 range. In fact Pitchf/x has his velocity holding fairly steady, injuries haven't really sapped his stuff at all.

 

He get's into predictable counts and gets wailed on, it's that simple. If you aren't able to spot your stuff on the corners then you simply cannot constantly nibble out there and be effective, you need to come after people in different spots with different pitch selection. I've harped on this before but that's why so many pitchers go from 0-2 and 1-2 to full counts... waste a pitch in the dirt and then just miss off the corner and now your back to even or full. If the pattern is predictable then pitcher loses the advantage they have over the hitter.

 

Sabathia said it best in one of those JSO articles back in the day, Manny would have been better off focusing on 3 pitches instead of messing around with 5-6 his whole career. Master 3, then add a 4th and so on. FB, splitter, slider, curve, change, etc... he didn't need all that, he just needed to move his FB around and be able to locate any 2 secondary pitches, preferrably 2 of the slider/change/curve combo. I personally always liked his slider the most, that down and in movement against righties is tough.

 

Manny's problems aren't physical, he just won't get out of his own way.

[TooLiveBrew]

On his blog, Adam McCalvy has some parting comments/thoughts from Manny: "Parra thankful for time with Brewers"

 

An excerpt:

 

“I prepared myself for it, so more than anything I’ll miss being considered a Brewer, because I’ve been one for so long,” he said. “Not only that, but I have so much respect for Doug [Melvin] and Gord [Ash] and the way they do things. They’ve given me so many opportunities.

 

“At the same time, I’m excited, because I feel like there’s been some baggage that is tough to move on from. Being a starter — a failed starter, in my opinion — I feel like no matter what I did, I was always being compared to what kind of a starter I was, and trying to overcome those things. I’m excited to move on and improve and be a better player.”

 

I asked him to expound on the concept of “baggage.” Parra explained that losing his starting role always gnawed at him, and now he’s trying to “grow up.”

 

“I was never able to let it go,” he said. “I just beat myself up a lot. I’m trying to move on from that stuff. I’m really trying to change the way I think.”

Best of luck to you, Manny.

[Funketown]

Crew, any idea why the coaching staff didn't try and get him to focus on improving 3 or so pitches rather than having a 5-6 pitch repertoire? Seems like he might have been better off trying to work on those pitches in the minors for half a season or so.

[SenatorShriv]

I enjoyed following Parra as a prospect and hope that he is able to find success someplace else. That being said, I'm glad DM pulled the plug.

[DHonks]

What seemed to stink these past years for Parra was that he focused on the splitter as his 2nd pitch, and it was just never very good. Hitters took it when it was low, and wailed on it when it hung.

[MJLiverock]

It seems pretty obvious reading Manny's quote that even he acknowledges some mental issues which so many seem to vigorously deny can have effect or played a role for him. He freely admits to baggage, things gnawing at him, not letting things go, beating himself up, and trying to grow up.

 

The whole Fielder thing was a perfect example of his needing to grow up. He wanted to pout in the clubhouse, got called out for it and in his own little hissy fit, accidently whipped Fielder in the back of the head with his towel when Fielder was walking away after giving him a talking to. That towel whip is what set Fielder off, Manny had a good shaking coming.

[monty57]

It seems pretty obvious reading Manny's quote that even he acknowledges some mental issues which so many seem to vigorously deny can have effect or played a role for him. He freely admits to baggage, things gnawing at him, not letting things go, beating himself up, and trying to grow up.

 

Yeah, terms like mental issues or mentally weak shouldn't be read as "ignorant," and no ones saying he should be locked up.

 

It takes a lot of mental toughness to be able to be a professional athlete, probably moreso in baseball than other sports. If you get down on yourself over something like a bad outing and carry that into future outings, you are probably not going to make it. Parra has enough "raw stuff" that he will get more chances than some other players, but if he can't get over some of his issues, he certainly wouldn't be the first guy with a "million dollar arm" who failed.

 

I've followed him since he was in Beloit, so I'd like to see him succeed, even if it's not with the Brewers.