During the Rule 5 Draft, the Mets selected Sean Gilmartin to be an additional lefty in the bullpen. He was not viewed as a lefty specialist, but the Mets did view him as a possibility to join Josh Edgin in that role.
During Spring Training, it was discovered that Edgin needed Tommy John surgery, thereby ending his year. Right on the eve of Opening Day, the Mets traded for lefties Jerry Blevins and Alex Torres. Gilmartin made the team, but he was suddenly a man without a role. It didn’t help that he started the year poorly.
After his first four appearances, he had an ERA of 6.00. He then ripped off a torrid stretch into the 4th of July where he only allowed three runs in 26 appearances and 23.1 innings pitched. In six of those appearances, he pitched more than one inning. He became a viable part of the bullpen.
Right now, he’s not only the long man out of the pen, but he’s the only viable lefty. He’s not a LOOGY, and he’s not their best pitcher against lefties, but he’s effective enough (.267/.319/) to pitch against them. Truth be told, he’s much better against righties (.216/.294/.278). In his 47 appearances, he’s gone more than one inning on 15 different occasions, including one stellar three inning outing. He created a role for himself as the long man out if the pen.
Overall, he is 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA (2.60 FIP), and a 1.216 WHIP. The eye test says he’s had a good year. His FIP suggests he’s been excellent this year. With the Mets’ current lefty situation, he will likely be on the playoff roster. That’s a far cry from a player on the Opening Day roster with no role.
As we’ve seen this year, he’s come a long way.