Dillon Gee
Four pitches into the game disaster struck. Whit Merrifield lined a ball off Bartolo Colon‘s hand knocking him out of the game. The Mets are beginning a stretch of 20 games without a day off, and they were left scrambling to fill in 8.2 innings tonight.
Hansel Robles stepped up big time. He would pitch a career high 3.2 innings, and he throw a career high 65 pitches. He was terrific. It started with him combining with Travis d’Arnaud for a strike em out, throw em out double play to end the first. The only run he surrendered was in the fifth, when he was stretched beyond his limits. He might’ve gotten out of the game if Wilmer Flores didn’t pull a Roger Dorn.
Erik Goeddel came in and got out the jam. He would pitch two scoreless innings. Jerry Blevins added a scoreless seventh stretching his scoreless inning streak to a career high 12 innings (over 20 appearances). Addison Reed set the Royals down 1-2-3 in the eighth, and Jeurys Familia would not blow the save against the Royals.
The Mets were able to eke out a victory using the long ball. In the first, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a homer, and it was up to Rene Rivera to take off his helmet:
Of course, the other homer came from Yoenis Cespedes who hit it out to straight center. Cespedes would also add in a move over the shoulder catch to end the sixth.
As the Mets hit two homers, they won the game. In true Mets fashion, they beat the reigning World Series Champions after getting swept by the worst baseball team assembled since maybe the 1962 Mets.
It was made possible largely because of a terrific Robles performance. He got a well earned win.
Game Notes: X-rays on Colon’s hand were negative. Former Met Dillon Gee relieved Royals’ starter Ian Kennedy in the fifth, and he shockingly entered to boos. He pitched a scoreless inning. In his first game back from the DL, d’Arnaud would go 0-3.
Its astounding how much 2016 is paralleling 2015. This year, like last year, 46 games into the season, they trail the Nationals in the division. Interestingly enough, this is not where the parallels end.
Catcher
Last year and this year, Travis d’Arnaud had a significant injury forcing him to miss a significant period of time. This pressed Kevin Plawecki into assuming the starting catcher’s job, and he struggled. However, Plawecki kept on catching because his backup was a good defensive poor hitting catcher. Last year was Anthony Recker. This year it’s Rene Rivera.
Back Issues
Last year, the Mets faced the prospect of not knowing when or if David Wright could return due to his back problems. As a result, Eric Campbell played many more games than the Mets ever anticipated he would. The same thing is happening now as a result of Lucas Duda‘s stress fracture in his lower back.
Minor Leaguers Not Ready for the Majors
With the rash injuries last year, the Mets trotted out the likes of Daniel Muno and Darrell Ceciliani to try to fill in the gaps. It didn’t work. This year the Mets have pressed Matt Reynolds and Ty Kelly into action. Reynolds and Kelly are having similar difficulties.
Rotation Issues
Last year, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee were having the worst years of their careers thereby putting the pressure on the other starters. The Mets were stuck in a holding pattern about making a change as the obvious replacement, Noah Syndergaard, still needed a little more time. This year it is Matt Harvey struggling while the obvious replacement in the rotation, Zack Wheeler, still needs more time to get ready to pitch in the majors.
Colon Dependability
At this point last year, Bartolo Colon was 7-3 with a 4.82 ERA and a 1.20 This year Colon is 4-3 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. This year and last year the Mets have been able to count on Colon to take the ball every fifth day and give them a chance to win.
Mid 30’s Corner Outfielder
Through May 25th last year, Michael Cuddyer was hitting .250/.328/.372. This year Curtis Granderson is hitting .204/.304/.413. Like Cuddyer last year, the Mets are relying heavily on Granderson, and unfortunately, they are not getting the production they need from them.
Second Year Starter Stepping Up
Last year, Jacob deGrom went from Rookie of the Year to All Star. He emerged as the ace of the staff. This year that honor belongs to Syndergaard. Syndergaard has been dominating on the mound like deGrom did last year. He’s a likely All Star, and he’s quickly become the staff’s ace. Honorable mention should go to Steven Matz here as well.
Call for the AA Prospect to Get Called Up
Last year with a rash of injuries and offensive ineptitude, Mets fans shouted from the rooftops that Michael Conforto should be called up to the majors from AA. This year the fans have begun the same with Dominic Smith due to Duda’s injury and Campbell playing there everyday.
Jeurys Familia
Last year, Famila was as dominant as anyone at the end of the game. He started the year a perfect 13/13 in save chances. This year Familia is back to his dominant form. He’s a perfect 16/16 in save chances. As in 2015, Familia is going to slam the door shut.
The Two Team Race
Last year the Braves were the upstarts that faltered. This year will be the Phillies. However, when the dust clears, this is really a two team race between the Mets and the Nationals for the NL East.
Just remember that no matter how bad things got last year, the Mets still won the division by seven games. This year the Mets have a much better team across the board. We may sometimes forget this when the Mets slump or have a couple of injuries. However, this is a much better Mets team that can win the division. This is still a World Series contender. That’s the overriding lesson from 2015.
Going into the 2016 season, there is one fear each and every Mets fan has. We dare not speak its name, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still present. That fear is that a pitcher will get seriously injured.
Looking at this year’s list of pitchers who could befall the dreaded “Verducci Effect,” Noah Syndergaard headlines that list. If Syndergaard was to suffer a season ending injury requiring Tommy John surgery? it would greatly hinder the Mets chances of winning not only the World Series, but also making it to the postseason. It’s something that not just Mets fans fear, but as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports, Syndergaard fears it also:
I’ve thought about it quite a bit. But I trust myself to put my body in the right situations to be able to perform at a healthy level.
The fear is justified. Syndergaard threw 65.2 innings more last year. He throws over 95 MPH more than anyone in the game. He’s working to add the fabled Warthen Slider to his already dominant repertoire. Name a risk factor for UCL years requiring Tommy John surgery. Syndergaard meets most if not all of them.
One risk factor not readily discussed is the team he plays for. Look at the projected Mets rotation when healthy: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz, and Zack Wheeler. Put aside Syndergaard for a moment. What do the other four have in common? They are all hard throwing pitchers under the age of 30 who have already had Tommy John surgery.
Go outside this group. Since Warthen took over as the Mets pitching coach, the following homegrown Mets have sustained arm injuries: Jon Niese (shoulder), Dillon Gee (shoulder), Jeremy Hefner (two Tommy John surgeries), Rafael Montero (shoulder), Bobby Parnell (Tommy John), Josh Edgin (Tommy John), Jack Leathersich (Tommy John). There are more, but you get the point.
Now, is this an organizational problem since Warthen took over, or is it just bad luck? Could this all have been avoided? Back in the 60’s and 70’s the Mets developed pitchers like Tom Seaver, Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, and Jon Matlack. These pitchers threw more innings than the pitchers today, and yet, Matlack was the only one of this group that suffered an arm injury.
In the 80’s, the Mets had Dwight Gooden, Ron Darling, Sid Fernandez, Rick Aguilera, Randy Myers and David Cone. Of this group, only Doc and Cone had arm issues. It should be noted that Doc had many other issues as well, and Cone’s problem was an aneurysm later in his career.
In the 90’s, Generation K was a bust, and the Mets haven’t developed the caliber of starting pitchers like they have in the past until now. However, this generation seems to befall injuries far more often than their predecessors. Is it organizational? Is it bad luck? Is it preparation? For his part, Harvey wonders what if:
I think now, there are things I could have done better in high school or in college to maybe prevent it. But I don’t know. I’m not saying [Syndergaard] works that much harder than everybody else, because we all work hard. I think as time progresses, guys pay more attention to stretching the shoulder, strengthening the shoulder. If I could go back — I don’t know if this would’ve prevented me from having [surgery], but if I could go back and really do 20 extra minutes of stretching and arm care, you never know what could happen.
That’s the thing. We really don’t know why one guy suffers elbow and shoulder injuries while others don’t. Is it preparation? Is it good genes? Is it just good luck? Much time, energy, and money has been spent on this issue, and yet pitchers still get injured. Pitchers get injured despite teams doing everything in their power to try to prevent it.
It will help Syndergaard being in a clubhouse with players who have had Tommy John surgery. They each will have advice for him on why they suffered the injury and what they could’ve done differently. More importantly, Syndergaard appears to be a hard worker who takes the health of his arm very seriously. There is no doubt he is doing everything he can do to avoid the dreaded Tommy John surgery.
Based on what we’ve seen, if anyone can avoid it, it’s him.
Editor’s Note: this article was first published on metsmerizedonline.com
It was unofficial for quite some time, but it finally happened. Dillon Gee is an ex-Met. I’m still not 100% sure how or why this happened.
Gee’s entire career might be the one positive contribution from Jerry Manuel. Manuel like him, and it gave someone who wasn’t a big prospect a chance. Gee took advantage of his chance. In his first call-up he went 2-2 in five starts with a 2.18 ERA and a 1.212 WHIP.
In 2014, he was named the Opening Day starter. This was in part due to the Mets options at the time. It was also a testament to Gee’s resiliency. Just two years prior, he needed surgery to repair an aneurysm in his throwing shoulder. From 2010 – 2014, Gee would go 40-34 with a 3.91 ERA and a 1.288 WHIP. Every so often, he’d threaten to be the first Met to throw a no-hitter. Not bad for a guy who got guys out with locating his pitches. Not bad for a guy who had a sub 90s fastball.
Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen for Gee this year. It’s a shame because he was a winner on Mets teams that were losing. He deserved a chance to go out a winner. Instead he pitched sporadically, had constantly changing roles without notice, and he suffered a groin strain. They never recall him. They gave his number to someone else. Instead of sticking by him, the Mets designated him for assignment. While the Mets were making a World Series run, Gee was no longer a free agent. He was a class act about it:
Congrats @Mets. So happy fo yall. First offseason I'll actually want to watch baseball. Can't wait!!
— Dillon Gee (@DillonGee35) September 26, 2015
Congrats boys! #NLPennant #WorldSeries2015 @Mets
— Dillon Gee (@DillonGee35) October 22, 2015
Gee is now a member of the Royals organization. The team that just won the World Series with character guys got another one. The Mets will feel his loss. After the Jon Niese–Neil Walker trade, the Mets need a fifth starter. The common response is the Mets should bring back 42 year old Bartolo Colon.
I’d rather have Gee back. He gave the Mets everything he had each and every time he toed the rubber. In many ways, he was never supposed to be a Met and/or a major leaguer. He took that with him to the mound every time. He deserved better than how he was treated in 2015. I hope he gets that better treatment next year with the Royals.
Thank you for your time with the Mets.
Terry Collins came into this season as a lame duck manager. That can be poison going into a year. A lot of that was alleviated by the Mets 11game winning streak in April. Then the injuries came.
On April 14th, David Wright went on the DL with a hamstring, but we would later learn it could be much worse. On April 19th, Travis d’Arnaud went to the DL with a right hand fracture. He would come off the DL on June 10th, and he would return to the DL on June 23rd. Jerry Blevins went on the DL with a broken forearm on the same day as d’Arnaud’s first DL stint. On June 5th, Daniel Murphy went on the DL with a left quad injury.
These injuries were on top of season ending injuries to Zack Wheeler and Josh Edgin. The Mets lost Jenrry Mejia first two injury on Opening Day and then to a steroids suspension. Rafael Montero was first an option in the bullpen and then the rotation. He went on the DL with a shoulder injury and would never pitch again. Dillon Gee was in and out of the rotation, and he went on the DL. Eventually, he went into the doghouse.
There was also the issues of ineffectiveness. Lucas Duda started out hot, and then got really, really cold. He had trouble carrying the offense. It’s no wonder his back went out. Kirk Nieuwenhuis was terrible, and he was traded to the Angels. When Nieuwenhuis flopped with the Angels, the Mets and their dreadful offense took him back. Of course, Michael Cuddyer had a typical first year with the Mets.
Through all of this, Collins kept it together. It was a miracle. The Mets should not have been in position to make trades. They were in a small part because the Nationals didn’t run away with it. A larger part was Collins holding it together. Then when he finally had a real MLB roster, his abilities as a tactician into question.
He started making questionable choices, and he cost his team some games. Then the season defining series against the Nationals. Collins said he was treating it like a playoff series. He made a number of moves. He was brilliant. However, it leaves me to question which is the true Terry Collins. Is he the man that is better at getting the most out of a team? Is he a guy that can jeopardize a game with questionable moves? Is he the guy that can pull it together to make all the right moves when a series is in the line?
Is he all these things? I don’t know. Part of the reason why is this is Collins first real pennant race as the team to beat. Another reason is he’s never had a team this good. Finally, he’s never been in the playoffs. He’s going to get his chance now.
It’s funny that with no new contract, this could be Collins first and last chance at a World Series. I hope he gets it. Not just because I’m a Mets fan, but because he’s a good man. He’s spent his life in baseball, and he has earned his chance.
I just hope when the time comes we see the Collins that managed against the Nationals.
NOTE: hat tip to @koosman2pointOh for his suggestion on this post.
Much of the 2015 season has been a second chance for some of their veterans to have a chance to be in a pennant race again. David Wright, Daniel Murphy, and Jon Niese were all there for the 2008 collapse. In many ways, this year is their redemption.
Dillon Gee wasn’t there in 2008. He first came up in 2010. He’s only known losing despite having a 40-37 career record. Last year, he was the Opening Day starter. This year he was briefly in the rotation due to Zack Wheeler needing Tommy John surgery. The Mets would then jerk him around and designate him for assignment. They even gave his number to Logan Verrett. I don’t know what Gee said or did, but he’s been disregarded by the organization.
It’s a shame because they really did need a sixth starter. With the Mets wanting to get their pitchers rest, and Matt Harvey needing to be preserved for the playoffs, the Mets sure could use another starter. They’ve disregarded Gee, who wasn’t even a September call up when the AAA season ended.
He probably could’ve helped this team. He suffered through years of losing, and just when the Mets get good again, he’s tossed by the wayside. If the Mets can find starts for Jon Niese, they could find starts for Gee. With all this, he remains a class act:
WOW, I don't know what else to say. This is the best team on earth!!!! Something special happening there. Awesome pickups! #mets
— Dillon Gee (@DillonGee35) September 10, 2015
Despite his misfortunes, he’s still cheering on the Mets. This is the type of guy you want in your organization. This is the type of player you want to stick around for a while. Whether it was one ir two starts in September or some mop up duty, it would’ve been nice to see him get some innings.
I wish the Mets called him up, but they didn’t. This means he’s as good as gone, and he can’t enjoy the victories he’s been waiting for since 2010. As he’s been magnanimous, I will wish him the best of luck wherever he winds up.
It’s been an eventful week for Matt Harvey, the Mets, and Mets fans. Who are we kidding? It’s been an eventful two years. All season long, Mets fans have celebrated Harvey starts as “Happy Harvey Day!”
I get the impression Mets fans aren’t celebrating Harvey Day anymore. They’re willing to overlook his 12-7 record with a 2.60 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP. They’re overlooking how they pined for him all of 2014 because he was the key to being a team that could be a World Series contender. They’re overlooking the fact that Harvey has so far delivered.
I understand the anger. I understand the frustration. I can even understand why people presume that they can tell someone to tell someone to do with their health and career. What I can’t understand is forgetting all that Harvey has done for the Mets. What I can’t understand is the Mets fans double standards.
Mets fans actually booed a looming free agent superstar in Mike Piazza. For comparison purposes, it would be like the Mets fans booing Yoenis Cespedes now, and Cespedes is nowhere near the player Piazza is. I’m sure the Mets fans will elect to boo Harvey as well. I guess that puts Harvey in good company.
Also, the Mets have botched the handling of Harvey’s inning limits, whether or not the 180 was a strict limit. Seriously, they’ve aborted the six man rotation on three different occasions. They’ve refused to bring back Dillon Gee. They never called anyone else up to take Steven Matz‘s place in the six man rotation when he was injured.
The Mets made their choice. They let Harvey, and the other pitchers, rack up innings so they had a better chance of winning games in the short term. They were hoping they could bully their pitchers to ignore doctor’s, and yes, agent’s advice, to go beyond their innings limits. We’re going to boo Harvey for this?
I’m not. I’m going to cheer Harvey today (from my living room). I’ll cheer him in this and all other starts he makes in 2015 and beyond. I hope you will as well.
I’m presenting the following Matt Harvey timeline with no interpretation or commentary.
- July 16, 2013: Harvey starts the All Star Game at Citi Field
- August 2013: Harvey makes a few starts with some elbow problems
- August 24, 2013: Harvey roughed up by Tigers, describes himself as “getting pretty tired.”
- August 25, 2013: Harvey informs Mets he’s having an abnormal amount of forearm discomfort.
- August 26, 2013: MRI reveals Harvey has a UCL tear. Harvey reveals he wants to avoid surgery.
- October 4, 2013: Harvey elects to have Tommy John surgery.
- October 22, 2013: Dr. James Andrews performs successful Tommy John surgery on Harvey.
- January 23, 2014: Harvey announces he wants to pitch during the 2014 season.
- March 19, 2014: Harvey announces he wants to rehab with the team and not in Florida.
- March 25, 2014: Mets announce Harvey will split rehab between NY and FL.
- August 1, 2014: Harvey begins throwing from a mound (slightly ahead of schedule) and states he wants to pitch for the Mets if they make the playoffs.
- September 4, 2014: Mets announce they will not let Harvey go 100% until the 2015 Spring Training.
- September 2014: Harvey is shut down and will not appear in a game.
- November 2014: after taking a month off, Harvey begins throwing on flat ground and long tossing.
- February 9, 2015: Harvey reports early to Spring Training.
- February 20, 2015: Alderson announces 200 innings limit for Harvey including playoffs.
- March 3, 2015: Mets set rotation so Harvey starts the second home game, which the Mets admit makes good marketing sense.
- March 6, 2015: Harvey throws 25 pitches in his first Spring Training start.
- April 8, 2015: Harvey beats the Nationals in his first regular season start since 2013.
- April 9, 2015: Collins announces Harvey will be limited to 190 innings.
- April 14, 2015: Harvey wins in his return to Citi Field.
- April 17, 2015: Mets announce they will move to a six man rotation with Rafael Montero to keep Harvey fresh.
- April 28, 2015: Montero starts in a loss to the Marlins.
- April 30, 2015: Montero placed on the DL.
- May 25, 2015: Harvey experiencing a dead arm.
- June 3, 2015: Dillon Gee comes off the DL, and the Mets announce they’re moving to a six man rotation.
- June 7, 2015: Gee is ineffective and is moved to the bullpen. Collins announces he’s abandoning the six man rotation.
- June 15, 2015: Gee is designated for assignment.
- June 26, 2015: Mets announce they are calling up Steven Matz and will be going back to the six man rotation.
- June 28, 2015: Matz makes his major league debut.
- June – July 2015: Matz informs Mets he has “stiffness underneath his left armpit.”
- July – August 2015: Harvey sees a dip in velocity in all of his pitches.
- July 3, 2015: Dan Warthen deems Matz fine after watching a bullpen session.
- July 4, 2015: Harvey complains the six man rotation takes him out of his rhythm after a 4-3 loss to the Dodgers.
- July 5, 2015: Matz pitches six shutout innings in win over Dodgers.
- July 6, 2015: Terry Collins tells Harvey to get over the six man rotation.
- July 9. 2015: Matz has lat injury which requires him to be shut down for three weeks.
- July 12, 2015: Collins announces Mets are abandoning the six man rotation due to Matz injury.
- August 2015: Scott Boras contacts Mets with concerns over Harvey’s innings pitched.
- August 21, 2015: it’s reported that Harvey has no objection to the Mets skipping one or two of his starts.
- August 23, 2015: The Mets skip Harvey in the rotation, and Logan Verrett gets the win over the Rockies.
- September 2, 2015: Mets announce they will skip a second Harvey start.
- September 3, 2015: Harvey is forced to leave a game with dehydration and weakness in a win over the Phillies.
- September 4, 2015: Jon Heyman reports Scott Boras informed the Mets that Harvey has a strict 180 innings limit.
- September 5, 2015: Harvey attends press conference and states he always thought 180 innings was a hard cap. He refuses to answer questions regarding the playoffs.
- September 5, 2015: backlash from fans and media to Harvey’s press conference.
- September 6, 2015: Matt Harvey announces he will pitch in the postseason.
- September 7, 2015: Sandy Alderson announces Harvey has two regular seasons starts left and may not pitch throughout the entire postseason.
- September 8, 2015: Harvey scheduled to pitch against the Nationals.
The Mets have a real problem with their rotation right now . . . and I don’t just mean Bartolo Colon. No, I’m referring to the innings limit problem.
I was naively hoping the Mets were going to ignore the limitations while being smart about how they use their pitchers. For example, if any of the stud muffins are having a rough start, they would pull them a little early. If there is a large run differential, the pitcher could sit down earlier.
I was wrong. It appears the Mets still intend to manage the innings of the stud muffins by having spot starters during the rest of the season. In fact, Terry Collins stated the Mets will soon use a spot starter.
However, the Mets still ultimately want to go with a six man rotation. The most likely candidate is Steven Matz, who was reported to have begun throwing yesterday. If all goes according to plan, Matz will rejoin the rotation for the September stretch run. While we all enjoyed his first two starts, I’m not anxious for his return.
It is too late in the season to mess around with the pitching rotation, which has carried the team thus far. Furthermore, the statistics are not kind to six man rotations. In fact, pitchers’ ERA increases with the extra day of rest.
This begs the question: why would you mess with your biggest strength? We all know it’s pitching that will carry the Mets into the playoffs. The new offense is performing well, but it’s pitching that will help the Mets win now, and we know pitching wins in October.
I already know your answer: we want to protect the young arms. Mets fans have scars from Generation K. Younger fans may remember Mark Prior and Kerry Wood. I think everyone knows the story of Stephen Strasburg sitting out the 2012 postseason.
The end result? The Nationals lost in the NLDS to the eventual World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals three games to two. Strasburg’s replacement in the rotation was the immortal Edwin Jackson. Now Strasburg is injured again (not the elbow) and many question his mental makeup, fairly or unfairly. Thankfully, Terry Collins has assured us we will not see a repeat of the Strasburg incident as the stud muffins will pitch in the playoffs.
However, I’m still troubled by the innings limits. The main reason is because it is based upon the disproven “Verducci Effect.” I’m not willing to risk a whole season on faulty logic. Furthermore, I think the six man rotation overtures are disingenuous.
If the Mets were truly serious about the six man rotation, Dillon Gee would be in the rotation now. Over his last five starts, he’s 4-0 with a 3.03 ERA, a 1.26 WHIP, and two consecutive complete games. He’s doing this in an extreme hitter’s league. I know he was not good this year while he was being jerked around regarding his role with the team and the organization. However, I must ask, if the Mets are truly concerned with results, why is Colon in the rotation?
I’m not going to belabor the point, but he’s been awful this year. I’m not going to turn in the blinders because he had a good start against the worst offensive team in baseball, who is without Giancarlo Stanton. Overall, Colon has the fifth worst ERA in the NL. Even with a revived offense, is this the guy you want to run out there every fifth day? If you tell me you want to replace Colon with Matz, I’d say it would be a great move.
Furthermore, if you want to protect the arms, it’s simple. The Mets need to fire Dan Warthen. First, in 2013, Harvey was permitted to make multiple starts with forearm tightness. Harvey had Tommy John surgery. Second, Zack Wheeler pitched with ligament damage last season. Zack Wheeler had Tommy John surgery. Finally, Warthen, himself, declared Steven Matz fit to pitch. Matz then went on the DL.
If it’s not Warthen’s fault, fine. Who is it? The Mets need to root out the cause for the ignored aches and pains of their prime young pitchers. These problems became major injuries. If the Mets are really concerned with their young pitchers, they should start looking there instead of instituting another version of the six man rotation.
The Mets lost to the Cardinals again. Going into the second half of the season, the conversation has been about the Mets’ great rotation. Truth be told, this rotation has three pitchers pitching like aces right now, an improving Niese, and a failing Colon.
I don’t know how many people realize just how bad Colon has been this year. He has a 4.86 ERA. That’s terrible. Seriously, why is he in the rotation? Is it because he eats up innings? Well not exactly. His last five games here are his innings pitched total: 4.1, 6.0, 7.0, 6.0, and 4.1. Is it for his entertainment value?
I doubt it. Is it because with the Matz injury, there are no better options? The only other realistic option right now is Dillon Gee, who is 0-3 with a 5.90 ERA. I think we need a take a deeper look into Gee.
Most of the damage came from his last two starts; starts he made after being jerked around by the Mets. He came off the DL and had a bad start. Then he gets sent to the bullpen and only gets one appearance for 1.2 innings giving up one run. Then out of nowhere the Mets decide he needs to make a spot start, and it was horrendous.
After spending time in limbo after being outrighted, he had a rough start in Las Vegas. When you look at Gee’s numbers, you have to keep in mind the PCL is about a hitter friendly league as it gets. Despite the struggles, he seems to have found himself and turned things around. Here are the numbers from his last few starts: 7.0 innings 2 ER; 6.0 innings 4 ER; 6.1 innings 1 ER. The numbers aren’t amazing. Rather these are the numbers of a capable major league pitcher. For those watching the game Saturday, did Colon look like that?
Despite the Mets mismanagement of Gee, he’s improving. Colon is getting worse. It seems like the Mets want more for the $11 million going to Colon than the $5.3 million going to Gee. These penny wise pound foolish decisions are hurting a team with no margin of error. The sooner the Mets admit Colon is done, the sooner they can help themselves.