Since Matt Harvey‘s season ending surgery, the New York Mets have struggled to find a capable replacement. There are options to fill the void.
Replacing a pitcher of Matt Harvey’s caliber isn’t easy. Although the New York Mets right hander was suffering through his worst season as pro before succumbing to season ending surgery, his replacement, Logan Verrett, has actually pitched worse. He gone 1-5 with a 5.61 ERA since entering the rotation.
Manager Terry Collins will keep Verrett in the rotation for at least one more start against San Diego later this week. If he falters in his next start, the Mets could look at other options.
Zack Wheeler is rehabbing, and could return before month’s end. However, the Mets could stick with a six man rotation upon his re-entry to the big leagues. It was an effective formula for success last season; the extra day of rest serves to benefit the young arms over the last month of the season.
The Mets remain in playoff contention but can’t afford to have a starter who carries an ERA climbing towards 6.00. Let’s look at the potential replacements.
Move Jon Niese from the bullpen into the rotation.
Mets fans aren’t going to be excited to see Jon Niese starting, let alone on the team at all. Niese may have burned a few bridges after he was traded in the offseason, but still has value.
He pitched to an abysmal 4.91 ERA in Pittsburgh during the first half. However, that’s not indicative of his 4.00 lifetime ERA. He knows Travis d’Arnaud behind the plate and is familiar with Citi Field and pitching coach Dan Warthen. It may not be a sexy pick, but the veteran Niese might fare better than Verrett.
Starting Niese until Wheeler returns would allow Verrett to transition back into the bullpen where he’s had more success (3.18 ERA). Moving Niese to the ‘pen in September or keeping a six man rotation would give the Mets a nice problem to solve.
Call up RHP Robert Gsellman from AAA Las Vegas.
Don’t let Gsellman’s 5.89 ERA in AAA fool you. The 23 year old’s career minor league ERA of 3.06 is in line with his performance over his past four starts (3.04 ERA). Las Vegas is a part of the Pacific Coast League, notorious for being hitter friendly.
MLB.com ranked Gsellman 14th on the Mets midseason prospect list. He may not over-power hitters like many of the other arms that have come through the Mets system recently, but he maintains good control and generates many ground balls.
MLB.com notes “Gsellman features a really good sinking fastball, one that touches 94 mph and sits in the 91-92 mph range. It’s not an elite-level sinker, but the right-hander does elicit a fair share of ground-ball outs, throwing it downhill from his 6-foot-4 frame.”
He may not fly under the radar and dominate a la Jacob deGrom, but he has the stuff to be a solid back end of the rotation starter. While he may not make many all star teams, he offers more upside than Verrett.
Call up RHP Gabriel Ynoa from AAA Las Vegas.
Similar to Gsellman, Ynoa isn’t going to “wow” anyone with his stuff. However, he’s quietly and consistently risen through the system over the past few years. He’s done so exhibiting good control, and a willingness to throw all his pitches.
MLB.com notes “He’s had success in the past with average stuff across the board — though he can touch 94-95 mph with his fastball on occasion — and shows a willingness to throw all of his pitches at any point in the count.”
MLB.com ranks Ynoa as the Mets 18th best prospect. Like Gsellman, his AAA numbers in hitter friendly Las Vegas aren’t pretty. He’s pitched to a 4.42 ERA, averaging just 4.7 K/9. However, his 1.5 BB/9 career minor league walk ratio is encouraging. He doesn’t miss the strike zone often, but that also means he has trouble missing bats. If he can learn to pitch out of the strike zone more often, he might be able to find success as a fourth or fifth starter.