Robert Gsellman came into the 2019 season as a projected vital member of the New York Mets bullpen. He could offer length and could pitch multiple days in a row. Unfortunately, his season came to a sudden end when a lat injury put him on the shelf during the stretch run of the season.
Only one pitcher is currently throwing more than one money pitch this year, and that's Robert Gsellman.
First up, his slider:
– 41% chase rate
– 46.1% zone rate
– 18.8% SwStr
– 30.5% CSW pic.twitter.com/2SUUj0xqyF— Ben Palmer (@benjpalmer) May 30, 2019
Much like Seth Lugo, Gsellman can pitch multiple innings and assumed the role early in the season. He is known for his hard riding sinker and added an excellent slider as another swing and miss pitch. Gsellman faired very well through the first month of the season with a 3.63 ERA. He had a streak of eight straight scoreless appearances before a streak of being scored upon in four straight.
Disastrous June
It was a rough month of June for Gsellman, which skewed his stats for the whole season. During that time of the year, the Mets bullpen seemed like it could not get a team of little leaguers out. In 9.2 innings, Gsellman allowed 11 runs, and teams were hitting .357 off of him. Gsellman was used in high leverage situations, which made the outcomes of these outings worse.
We have tendered contracts to all of our arbitration eligible players – Michael Conforto, Edwin Díaz, Robert Gsellman, Seth Lugo, Steven Matz, Brandon Nimmo, Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard. #Mets pic.twitter.com/1VXd95MoVV
— New York Mets (@Mets) December 2, 2019
Two things stood out when watching him: He was prone to the big inning, and he did not pitch well at Citi Field. Gsellman had five appearances where he allowed three runs or more, and he had an alarming 8.51 ERA at home. On the road, he pitched to a 2.29 ERA.
July/August
Gsellman got himself back together for the rest of his season. In 15 appearances, he had a 3.72 ERA. While he was not a dominant reliever, he pitched out of trouble plenty of times and was a valuable member of the bullpen until his injury.
There have been talks of moving him back to the starting rotation, but it seems to be all talk. He will work his endurance up to being a starter, but he should stay in the bullpen. Gsellman has not started a game since the 2017 season.
Grades:
Pitching Repertoire: B+, Solid sinking fastball, and his slider improved significantly.
Control: B+, 3.3 BB/9, is reliable for any reliever. Has control issues during a couple of outings, but was generally stable.
Composure: A-
Intangibles: A, Very smart pitcher and is a versatile reliever, which the Mets will need in 2020.
Overall: B, It was not a fantastic season by any stretch, but he was a reliable middle reliever. His role should be lighter in 2020 if the bullpen returns to their expected form.