I know it's just Spring training but I was very impressed with his performance. Save situation 2 run game. Ball hit back to him deflects off his glove man on first, gets the next man to fly out, next batter up hits in to what should be a game ending double play 3rd baseman bobbles it both men safe, 1st and 2nd 1 out, He then strikes out the next batter and gets the final out on a weak ground ball.

Certainly shows some poise under fire. What kind of pitches did he throw? Did he mix it up, or was he just blazing away with the fastball?

Mostly fastballs but got the strikeout on a very nice knuckle curve that had a lot of movement and dropped off the table.

It's not that it is straight as an arrow, it's that the hitters know it's coming. I don't care if his 100 MPH fastball is straight, it's still 100 MPH. If you go to a batting cage, if given enough time, even you can learn to time a 100 MPH fastball. The problem with Parnell early in his career was he was just throwing and hadn't yet learned to pitch. Everyone could just sit on the first fastball they got because they could be 100% sure that they were going to get at least 2 per at bat. Since he has learned to throw the slider for strikes in addition to the knucklecurve that Jason Isringhausen taught him, his numbers have reflected those of a quality pitcher with good stuff and a three digit fastball.

He also seems to have taken some MPH off of his fastball in exchange for better location, but is still able to rear back and hit triple digits if he has to.

The problem with the 100mph fastball IS that it is straight. Benitez had the same problem. The reason Parnell is now throwing in the mid 90s and lower is to get movement. Major League hitters love a nice straight fastball. If it comes in at 100, it goes out faster. The reason why pitchers like Strasburg are so good, is because he can throw high 90s, maybe even 100 with movement. Parnell cant. You are right hough, when he mixes in other pitches he is effective, but if he only threw his fastball like a 100 mile dart, even if it came after a beautiful knuckle curve he would still get hit.

I think it is funny that anyone can take anything out of one ST game, much less the first ST game. Duda is done because he had two ABs. Tejada now has power because he golfed a fastball from Strasburg who was just throwing everything down the middle. Parnell did look good, and basically got 5 outs, but he was also mixing up pitches in the first game of ST. The batters are not quite ready either, and they are all minor leaguers. That knuckle curve he threw was a beauty though.

This is where a guy like Bob Gibson shined.

He didn't need movement. His only "movement", was whether or not it went under your chin.

SO instead of hitters waiting for a FB over the plate, hitters were leery about getting too close to a 100mph FB.

It was not only Gibson who would throw at batters to make them uncomfortable. It was accepted as part of the game, and all the good pitchers did it. It kept batters from leaning out over the plate, and allowed pitchers to own the outside. That said, while I am too young to have ever seen Gibson pitch, I would be surprised if his fastball did not have movement on it. He did not throw in the high 90s, and I do not think he was a straight over the top pitcher. Any pitcher that throws in a 3/4 arm slot will have some natural movement on their pitches, but the faster the pitch goes, the less movement. Since Gibson was not approaching triple digits, his fastball would move some.

"but the faster the pitch goes, the less movement. Since Gibson was not approaching triple digits, his fastball would move some."

Having sat behind the plate at Great American Ballpark last season, I can say without a doubt that Arodis Chapmans 105 MPH FB moves WAY more than Cueto's, Arroyo's, and Bailey's...all whom throw between 88 and 98.

Yes it does. Like I said, there are pitchers like Chapman, Strasburg, and Verlander, who can throw 100 with movement, but that is why they are the elite of the elite. Let me put it this way. When a pitcher throws his best fastball, to optimize movement they should throw it at about 85-90% velocity. The closer they get to 100% velocity the straighter their pitch gets.

Which is a mechanical flaw easily (in theory) solved with a minor adjustment in finger pressure on the ball.

What's gonna make Parnell a better pitcher, is to learn when NOT to throw strikes.

I recall a game last year, when he was up 0-2 in the count. Darling, and Keith were wondering why Thole wasn't calling for a pitch off or up high off the plate. Instead, he grooved one, and got beat.

He seems to get anxious, and wants to end the game. That's why he did better as a setup man. It allowed him to pitch.

I still don't trust Parnell as a closer.

If Parnell is pitching the pitch called, and hitting his spots, it his not his fault he gets beat. If they are saying Thole was not calling for a pitch out of the zone, Parnell is doing what he is supposed to be doing, and hitting the glove. Even if Parnell is calling his own game, he is still supposed to hit the glove.