The New York Mets continue to produce great pitching prospects as we saw this past season with the emergence of Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo. As we enter the 2017 season, it will be interesting to see what we get from these young pitchers, specifically Gsellman in this case.
As Zack Wheeler is likely headed to the bullpen for the beginning of next season, Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com predicts that Gsellman will slot into the fifth spot in the rotation. With Bartolo Colon heading to Atlanta, there is quite a possibility that the 23-year-old Gsellman takes his place.
Robert was wonderful in his time with the big league club last season, pitching to a 4-2 record with an era of just 2.42. He threw 44.2 innings while striking out 42 batters and pitched to a WHIP of 1.28. You could not have asked for much more from the rookie.
Manager, Terry Collins could not have been happier with the boost that Gsellman and Lugo provided last season as they filled some big shoes while the Mets fought for a Wild Card spot.
“When you’re in the minor leagues, you’re looking at those guys and saying, ‘Wow, they’re going to be there a long time.’ But when they come up here, they have not been intimidated by anything,” Collins said.
“All’s they’ve done is gone out and pitch their game, and their stuff is good, and we’re seeing it play here. You’ve got to give a little credit to the character of those guys, because they could have been really intimated.” (NJ.com)
Gsellman sports a fastball that averages 94 mph and a masterful slider that had kept opposing batters on their toes. With a possible full season ahead of him in 2017 with the major league club, he will have the chance to show if last season was just the beginning of a strong major league career.
