Bats/Throws: R/R

Height/Weight: 6’1”/195

Acquired: 21^st rd 2007 (U Texas at Arlington)

Born: 4/28/86 (Cleborne, TX)

2010 Rank: #22

Why Ranked Here: Gee climbed 11 spots over his ranking last year, by staying healthy and having a very fine season for AAA Buffalo that landed him in the big leagues in September.  At this point, Gee’s big league readiness outweighs the potential of others beneath him.  However, he lands outside the Top 10, because I don’t see a big ceiling here.

The signings of Chris Young and Chris Capuano more or less denied Gee a chance to break Spring Training as the Mets’ fifth starter.  However, assuming that he’s healthy, a return to the big leagues is a matter of when, not if.  Teams always need more than five starters.  Some need seven or eight in a year.

Gee works off a fastball that averages 89 mph.  That’s a tick below average from a right-hander, but it plays up because he locates well.  He’s worked to add a curveball to his arsenal to go along with his slider and changeup.  In his big league starts, he threw his changeup almost 17% of the time, his slider 15.5% and his curve 8%.  The changeup grades out the best of the breaking balls, with the slider second.

With 33 innings of 2.15 ERA baseball, Gee has already given the Mets more Major League value than the team will reap from all but a few players on this list. Citi Field’s spacious dimensions should help Gee who is very much a fly-ball pitcher.

2010: In 2010, he led the International League and set a new Buffalo Bisons’ single-season record with 165 strikeouts.  He was second in the IL, behind Rays prospect Jeremy Hellickson, with 9.20 K/9.  Gee was durable too, tying for the IL lead with 28 starts. He attacks the strike zone too, walking only 2.3 batters per nine.  He also led the league in home runs allowed (23) on his way to a pedestrian 4.96 ERA.

The Mets rewarded Gee with a look in September and, because baseball is a funny game, his Major League ERA was lower than his minor league ERA even though his peripherals regressed.  In 33 big league innings, he fanned 17 (4.6 K/9) and walked 15 (4.1 BB/9) while his ERA dropped to a sparkling 2.18 thanks in part to a .232 BABIP.

No pitcher could put up a 2.13 ERA in the big leagues over a full season with a K/BB ratio of 17/15.  On the other hand, Gee has a minor league track record full of strikes.

Dr. Pangloss Says: Gee won’t be any kind of star, but could well stick as a competent (and cheap) fourth or fifth starter.

Debbie Downer Says: Meh.  Do back-end guys win pennants?

Projected 2011 Start: AAA Buffalo

MLB Arrival: September 2010.  Ok, cheating.  He’ll be back soon.