Pictured is the only thing standing between the Mets and total bullpen annihilation. (Bill Kostroun/AP)

For years -- really, since he was drafted in 2005 -- Met fans have been hearing about the prodigious talents of Mike Pelfrey. His bowling-ball sinker, his curveball, his size; all of these were supposed to make Pelfrey an anchor of Met rotations for years to come. So we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

He finally signed a contract (his agent is Scott Boras) six months after the draft. He spent 2006 zipping around the minor leagues, and made his debut in July. He was okay, but not great. We went back to Triple-A.

He started 2007 in the majors. In short, he sucked. When he was finally sent back to New Orleans, he was 0-5 with a 6.53 ERA. He'd run his record to 0-7 before finally shaping up a bit after being called up when rosters expanded. He went into this season as one name among several who could get the last spot in the rotation.

Today, Mike Pelfrey may be the most dominant pitcher the Mets have.

Today, Pelfrey is coming off his second consecutive complete game, after giving up a run on six hits against the Astros (the run and two of the hits came in the ninth inning). He gave up three runs on three hits to the Braves on August 20. In starts not against his nemeses the Marlins in the past month and a half, he's gone 7 innings, 6.2, 7, 7, 8, and 7. Since the start of July, he's gone 7-2 with a 2.99 ERA. Though I hate win-loss record as a statistic, I feel obligated to mention that Pelfrey leads the Mets in wins.

Mike Pelfrey looks like a completely different pitcher right now than he did last year -- or even earlier this year. His success has given him the confidence in his stuff to throw strikes, which in turn cuts down on his walks and pitch counts and helps him get more outs, putting him deeper into games and allowing him to keep the Mets horrendous bullpen from ruining every one of his starts.

The biggest difference has been how he's reacted when he gets in trouble. Last year and early this year, when Pelfrey would allow a hit or two, he'd try to be too perfect and end up just walking people, giving up runs, and generally sucking. He's stopped doing that, and instead bears down, keeps the ball in the strike zone, and tends more toward his sinker to induce double play balls.

In short, Pelfrey's stopped being a thrower and become a pitcher, using movement and his defense instead of trying to throw perfect pitches for strikeouts. He's a model for basically all young pitchers, and he may end up to be the reason the Mets make the postseason (if they do).

Considering how long it seems I've been waiting for him, it's pretty satisfying.