With a great stretch of starts in Triple-A, Robert Gsellman is a potential candidate to replace Logan Verrett in the rotation.
Terry Collins suggested that prospects like Gsellman and Gabriel Ynoa are being considered for the 5th starter role in addition to Jon Niese.
“I think anytime is right if a guy is good enough,” Collins said. “We’ve seen what the dynamics are when you call some young guys up. It started with Matt Harvey to Zack Wheeler to [Jacob deGrom]. They came up and made a difference. A lot of times, as we’ve seen when we’ve faced guys for the first time, they can dominate you. So we haven’t made any decisions yet.” (Maria Guardado, NJ.com)
Even though Gsellman initially struggled after his promotion to Las Vegas, he has thrown four consecutive quality starts with a 3.04 ERA and 25 strikeouts over his last 26.1 innings pitched.
While not an overpowering pitcher, Gsellman is an interesting choice given his command and ability to generate a lot of ground balls. He has walked 2.3 batters per nine innings in his minor league career, and posted a ground ball rate as high as 58% in High-A St. Lucie in 2015.
The 6″4′ 204 pound right-hander was drafted by the Mets out of high school in the 13th round of the 2011 draft. And he has been one of the most consistent performers in the system over the past few years.
He has a career 34-31 record with a 3.06 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 87 minor league starts.
Heading into the season, he was ranked as the Mets’ 9th best prospect according to Baseball Prospectus. And he is currently ranked 14th overall in MLB.com’s latest midseason update.
At the age of 23, Gsellman is having another successful season as a pro. He has a 3.84 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 103 innings pitched this season between Las Vegas and Binghamton, and he is now inching closer towards an MLB debut.
The concern with Gsellman has always been that he doesn’t strikeout enough batters to thrive in the major leagues as he posted a 6.5 K/9 rate in the minors. But the Mets have enough strikeout artists in the rotation and Gsellman could provide a nice change of pace and different look. His K/9 is identical to Verrett but Gsellman has a significantly better K/BB (2.77 vs 1.81).
The Mets just need someone who can give them some quality innings at the back of the rotation until the potential return of Zack Wheeler in September.
Gsellman has been a rock solid pitcher throughout his entire minor league tenure, and he appears locked in at the moment. He’d be a good choice to fill that fifth spot while keeping Niese in the bullpen where he has been effective. We should know what Collins decides on Tuesday.
