One week until Fat Tuesday, but Mike Pelfrey won’t be participating.
The Mets pitcher is prepared to arrive in camp next week some 25 pounds lighter than last season and believes that will propel him to new heights after a disappointing 2009.
“I was pretty upset with not only how the team played, but with how I played last year, knowing that’s not me,” Pelfrey told The Post yesterday. “I had a lost year. I had a terrible year.”
The right-hander finished 10-12 with a 5.03 ERA, leaving the Mets to wonder if they have a legitimate No. 2 starter behind Johan Santana.
TWINS OWNER WON’T DISCUSS MAUER TALKS
Pelfrey doesn’t blame his weight for last season’s troubles — he says he got to 257 pounds at one point last summer and will arrive in Port St. Lucie around 230 — but also knows that better shape physically translates into a better mental approach.
“I’m going to come out and have a good year, not only for myself but for the team,” Pelfrey said. “We need to come back and start off good and get the ball rolling.”
Pelfrey said he is not disappointed with the team’s offseason, despite cries he heard for the Mets to upgrade their rotation. If the season started today, the rotation would likely be Santana, Pelfrey, John Maine, Oliver Perez and Fernando Nieve.
“I understand that people look at the rotation and they have question marks. There should be,” Pelfrey said.
“Guys got hurt. I had a bad year, but guys are healthy now and I’m going to bounce back and have a good year. It’s amazing to me how big of a question there is about the rotation [by fans]. I hear about it and I just laugh.”
Pelfrey said he believes Jason Bay will replace Carlos Delgado’s bat in the lineup, giving the Mets plenty of power. He also said re-signing Alex Cora was important because of the leadership the veteran utilityman brings to the clubhouse.
Pelfrey also praised the Mets’ decision to sign Kelvim Escobar. The right-hander won 18 games for the Angels in 2007, but is expected to compete for the eighth-inning setup role.
“When he first got signed, I thought maybe they were going to give him a chance and throw him in the rotation,” Pelfrey said. “I thought maybe he could be a dark horse. Slot him in there and he could be a big-time difference maker. I don’t think that is how it’s going to be, but that idea excited me at first.”
Most projections have the Mets finishing third or fourth in the NL East, but Pelfrey said the Mets, as assembled, are ready to compete for the playoffs.
“Honestly, I didn’t think there needed to be a complete overhaul with this team,” he said. “It’s pretty much the same team that we ran out there last year that everybody predicted was going to win the World Series.”
mpuma@nypost.com