PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Midway through the Mets' 1996 training camp, when the outside world overstated the prowess of Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen and Paul Wilson -- and the Mets didn't mind it -- general manager Joe McIlvaine was trying not to gush too often about Wilson. On a particular morning, following a Wilson start, he left his seat behind his office desk, walked to the door, closed it carefully and spoke in hushed tones, as if he thought his office was bugged.

"He can be so good," McIlvaine said, unwilling to speak another sentence.

Mike Pelfrey isn't Paul Wilson. He might have more promise, he might have less. Whatever he does have, though, is prompting people in the Mets' clubhouse -- and some scouts as well -- to lower their voices and raise their expectations. He can be that good.

As if to reaffirm that notion, Pelfrey pitched six innings against the Astros on Thursday afternoon in what became a 12-1 Mets victory, and the 16th loss in 20 games -- three ties included -- for the visiting team. He handled a lineup that included Lance Berkman, Miguel Tejada, Darin Erstad, Kaz Matsui and Michael Bourn, and had its members speaking softly -- to themselves. Using a new -- for him -- pitch, Pelfrey retired his first 13 batters and surrendered merely three hits, one walk and one run on the longest work day by a Mets starter thus far this spring.

With neither a gush nor a hush, Jerry Manuel said matter-of-factly of the pitcher he identified as the Mets' No. 2 starter: "Eventually, he could be a No. 1 guy."

Manuel's words hardly constitute an original thought. The Mets aimed high when they used the ninth selection in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft to choose Pelfrey. The right-hander remains on course to be the most successful pitcher the club has drafted, signed, developed and retained since Dwight Gooden. Even now, as Pelfrey approaches his second full season in the big leagues, only the presence of Johan Santana separates him from top-dog billing in the rotation.

The ease with which Pelfrey handled the Astros was one thing. The way he did it, using both sides of the plate, was even more impressive. Pitching coach Dan Warthen allowed Pelfrey to experiment with the "Greg Maddux pitch," a front-door sinker, similar to the one Livan Hernandez threw effectively on Wednesday. The front-door sinker is a pitch thrown by a right-handed pitcher to a left-handed batter that breaks back over the inside of the plate.

"I aim it between the plate and the batter," Pelfrey said. "They give up on it, and it comes back."

Pelfrey saw Hernandez throw the pitch early in camp, and was intrigued by it. After seeking Hernandez's counsel, Pelfrey began working on the pitch during bullpen sessions, with Warthen's blessing.

"Dan stood in [like a left-handed hitter] when I was throwing my bullpen," Pelfrey said. "I was afraid I was going to hit him. But that helped me develop some command of it. I liked it. He liked it, so I broke it out today."

Pelfrey struck out three batters on Thursday. The two left-handed-hitting strikeout victims, Matsui and Bourn, took the pitch for a called strike three. That's how Maddux, Hernandez and former Mets pitcher Rick Reed often used it, as a two-strike pitch.

"If [Pelfrey] throws that like that with his other pitches ... phew!" Hernandez said.

With that front-door sinker, a natural two-seam fastball that threatens the feet of right-handed hitters, a changeup and the curve that has replaced his discarded slider, Pelfrey has developed a nasty repertoire.

"And I was pretty satisfied with all of them today," Pelfrey said. "It's exciting when you try something new and it works for you."

Pelfrey then lowered his voice and continued, "And the results I got today were real exciting."