Photo courtesy of Al Rabon
Its the first full season for the North Ireland born P.J. Conlon, plus he is in the rotation for the first time in his pro career. Personally I was very curious how he would respond and up to this point he has been a pleasant surprise.
Last season Conlon came out of the Cyclones bullpen and did not allow a run in his first 16 appearances. Conlon allowed two unearned runs in his final outing where he took the loss. He pitched to a 0.59 WHIP to go with 25 strikeouts in 17 innings.
This season Conlon is a starter for the Colombia Fireflies and has thrived in that role. Conlon did pitch as a starter and reliever in college so he’s used to different roles on a pitching staff. The Mets drafted Conlon in 2015 and told him they see him as a starter, which he now is.
Stats as a starter:
Conlon has put up some impressive numbers so far in the South Atlantic league. He leads the league in wins (8) and ERA (1.34). Two starts ago Conlon went ten innings allowing one unearned run on four hits, while walking just one. Last time out he got his eighth win with 6.2 innings of two run ball. His ERA raised from 1.21 to 1.34.
The new Colombia Fireflies ballpark has been very kind to Conlon. He is 6-0 in 7 starts in Spirit Communication Park sporting a 0.90 ERA and a 0.82 WHIP in 50 innings at home.
What is working for him:
Conlon told our own Michael Mayer earlier this year that his changeup is his most important pitch to be successful. After his win against the Rome Braves on May the 17th, Conlon told MiLB.com reporter Tyler Maun this “For me, the biggest thing has been my changeup. That’s the pitch that I’ve been trying to develop the most all through college and getting into pro ball. It feels really comfortable right now. I’m throwing it behind in counts. I’m throwing it for strikeouts. I’m throwing it for swings. That’s really the pitch that I’m feeling comfortable with right now. It’s working for me.”
The lefty starter needs his changeup to be successful. It shows in his batting average against that it’s working for him. Righties have hit just .224 against him, while lefties have hit .206 showing he can get anyone out.
Another reason for his early success is his ability to pitch with runners in scoring position, Conlon has held opposing hitters to a minuscule .111 batting average in that situation.
So far in the minors, the 2015 13th round pick has pitched to a 1.09 ERA in 90.2 innings with a 0.87 WHIP. It’s time for him to move up. He has been so dominant that I would like to see him in High-A with the St. Lucie Mets. He has nothing more to prove with the Fireflies.
He has been named the South Atlantic League All-Star game starter, which with his numbers is the only correct choice. Conlon was also named Starter of the Month for May by us at MMN.
