Throughout Spring Training, Dillon Gee has played his weird place on the Mets roster professionally and with as much poise as he can possibly display.
He has constantly downplayed both the possibility of being in the Mets bullpen or even the possibility of being traded. He doesn’t seem out of place, either – as a matter of fact, his locker is in the same row with the other Major League starting pitchers.
In fact, Gee indicated to me last week he still wants to be with the Mets even though his role is up in the air.
“I’m still here, right?” Gee told me at camp last week. “I just want to pitch in whatever role they give me.”
Yes, he is still here, and he’s doing everything the club has asked him to do to date, pitching both as a starter and a reliever this spring.
However, Terry Collins doesn’t think it’s been easy for Gee as he makes this transition into a reliever, which stands to reason considering he’s made only three relief appearances in his career.
“I think he’s very awkward at it,” manager Terry Collins told MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “It’s a whole different role for him. It’s a new phase in his game, and we’re going to continue to run him out there in those situations.”
Gee hasn’t found the transition difficult, but knows it’s not the same routine as a starting pitcher.
“It’s different,” Gee told DiComo. “But I think it’s something I can do.”
Gee has been honest with his feelings on the matter. He said when he arrived to Port St. Lucie while he’d go to the bullpen, he’d much prefer to start.
“I love being a starter,” he said last month. “But if I’m asked to be a reliever, then I’m going to do the best I can.”
If he’s going to be here, this is going to be a work in progress for Gee. There’s no question about it. It remains to be seen if he can pitch back-to-back days, whether or not he can warm up quickly and without notice, and even if he can make a spot start without the four day preparation process he’s accustomed to.
It’s also worth watching how his arm might react to the role. Remember, he has pitched with a torn labrum in his shoulder for a number of years now. While it hasn’t been an issue to date, only time will tell to see how he responds physically to the challenge.
Still, while I think the Mets will eventually find a new home for Gee, retaining him might not be the worst thing in the world right now, despite the awkwardness he’s going through both in the transition and his place on the roster in general.
The roster is most certainly imbalanced, they’re asking a guy to do something he’s really never done before, and those two situations can negatively impact the team. But. these things have a tendency of working out both for the club and the player in one way or another. If there’s an injury in the rotation, Gee can slot right in. If there’s another injury in the bullpen, his presence becomes that much more vital there, assuming he shows effectiveness in that role.
But, he’s still here, as he said.
For more on Gee’s transition to the bullpen, read Anthony DiComo’s post to MLB.com.
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