Dave in Spain asks…
Do you know what the Mets long-term plans are for Sean Gilmartin? Is it definite that he´ll be in the pen in 2016, or could he possibly go back to being a starter in Vegas? Thanks!
Joe D. replies…
Ah… Sean Gilmartin, what a fantastic story he was this season. The young left-hander became the first Rule 5 selection to officially remain on the Mets 25-man roster for the entire season since Pedro Beato, who was selected in December 2010.
A former Atlanta Braves first-round draft pick in 2011, Gilmartin was traded to the Minnesota Twins four years later to acquire catcher Ryan Doumit in December 2013. A year later he is left unprotected and scooped up by the Mets for the bargain price of $50,000.
Gilmartin, 25, rewarded the Mets with an outstanding rookie season that saw him post a 2.67 ERA, 139 ERA+, 2.75 FIP and 1.186 WHIP in 50 appearances last season. In 57.1 innings pitched, he struck out 54 batters while walking just 18, and he allowed just two homers all year long. Nice…
Let me try to answer your question based on what I know and the limited information out there right now.
As you already know, Gilmartin was exclusively a starting pitcher throughout his professional career having started in 79 of his 80 minor league appearances.
The Mets were initially attracted to Gilmartin because of his 3:1 strikeout to walk ratio and his low walk rate as a starter.
After the Mets lost Josh Edgin and the opportunity to make the team out of the bullpen arose in Spring Training last March, the Mets made the right call transitioning Gilmartin to a lefty reliever role. Still, there have been whispers from time to time about stretching Gilmartin out this Spring for a potential role as a starting pitcher.
It wasn’t a coincidence that his final appearance of the season was a start against the Phillies in place of Steven Matz. Gilmartin pitched well, allowing just three hits and one walk in his 5.0 innings of work. Unfortunately for him, one of those hits was a Citizen Bank Park home run by Darin Ruf, but the team was very pleased with his outing.
Here’s my take on the situation… I think it will all boil down to what happens with Jon Niese this offseason. If he does get dealt as many are expecting, I could certainly see Gilmartin transitioning into a starting pitcher role for the Mets or at least as a spot starter/long reliever.
However, given the team’s concerns with the bullpen, I don’t believe they will be too quick to pull Gilmartin out of a role he was so effective in last season. Especially given the room for even more improvement after his first taste of a relief role. That’s my opinion anyway.
