Gee might never be more than a back-end starter, and that's okay.
A promising 2012 season for the previously unheralded Dillon Gee was cut short to take care of a clot in the artery of his right shoulder. Despite never being considered much of a prospect, and coming off of a bad 2011 in the eyes of those who look past win-loss records, Gee proved himself capable of getting major league hitters out.
That season Gee put together an impressive stat line: 7.96 K/9, 2.38 BB/9, .98 HR/9, good enough for a 3.54 xFIP. Even Gee’s 4.10 ERA showed that the Mets might have a cheap back-end starter for several years.
Gee’s 2013 season was not as impressive, but the right-hander still showed he should be in the Mets’ 2014 plans. With his shoulder taken care of, Dillon pitched 199 innings for the Mets, up from 109.2 in 2012. Those 199 innings were quality innings too, as evident by a 3.62 ERA and 2.4 RA9-WAR. However, Gee’s standard FIP-based WAR was half of that —1.2 according to FanGraphs.
Although Gee continued to lower the amount of free passes allowed, his strikeouts dipped to only 6.42 K/9, and his home run rate increased to 1.09 while his ground ball rate decreased nearly 8 points (50.3% to 42.6%).
The 2013 season was a bit of a step back for Gee. Still, his numbers (101 ERA-, 111 FIP-, and 108 xFIP-) were right around the National League average for starting pitchers (103 ERA-, 102 FIP-, and 102 xFIP-). The Mets will continue to find value in Gee as long as he eats innings, pitches around league average, and remains affordable.
Desired 2014 role: Number five starter
Expected 2014 role: Number three starter