Robert Gsellman will outpitch Matt Harvey as Mets continue to let down their hair
At a time when their rotation was being pummeled by injuries to Matt Harvey, Steven Matz and Jacob deGrom, Gsellman—a 2011 13th-round pick who entered the season as the team’s 14th-best prospect according to Baseball America—arrived in the big leagues sporting deGrom-like hair and gave the team a performance worthy of those lengthy locks. Armed with the Warthen slider, he posted a 2.24 ERA and a 2.63 FIP with 8.5 strikeouts per nine over seven starts (plus a relief appearance), helping the Mets earn a wild card berth; granted, five of his seven turns came against the downtrodden Phillies and Braves, but the latter owned the league’s third-best record after his arrival. Having secured a rotation spot with a strong spring, he’ll not only outpitch Harvey, whose return from thoracic outlet surgery is likely to be uneven, but he’ll join the shaggy deGrom and Noah Syndergaard among the team’s most marketable players, inspiring other Mets to let down their hair as well.
