Overview
John Gant is a 6′ 3″, 175 pound right-hander originally from Savannah, Georgia. John was drafted in the 21st round of the 2011 draft out of Wiregrass Ranch High School. His career did not get started on the best foot; he began in the Gulf Coast League, where he had one start and relieved in three others. He pitched to an ERA of 6.48 and a WHIP of 1.32. In 2012, Gant started his first full season of professional ball at Kingsport. He spent all his time in the rotiation, starting 11 games and posting a 3-3 record with a 4.55 ERA. There he impressed the front office because he skipped a level and went to Savannah for one start. That decision might have been premature, as Gant allowed five runs on 10 hits in 4.1 innings pitched in that one appearance.

This year
He started the 2013 season as a member of the rotation for the Brooklyn Cyclones. He has been nothing short of dominant this season for the ‘Clones; he was selected to the New York Penn League All-Star game, and I would even say has been Brooklyn’s best starter on the staff. He’s started 12 games for Brooklyn, spanning 69.2 innings pitched. He currently owns a 6-3 record with a 2.33 ERA. I saw John pitch twice in Brooklyn, and he was dominant in each appearance. He showed a compact delivery, along with pinpoint control of his fastball. He also displayed the makings of a solid breaking ball while striking out seven hitters the last time I saw him live.

Outlook
John is a talented pitcher who is tall and lanky. With added weight and muscle mass, he should be able to continue adding some miles onto his fastball. His command of that fastball, along with a potentially solid breaking ball will enable him to be included in the next wave of talented pitching prospects in the Mets’ system. The question is, could he creep into the top-15 prospect list by this time next year if he continues having success?

Thoughts from Matt M.:

This was a solid pick by Pat this week; Gant just absolutely dominated Tri-Valley on August 28th for a one-hit complete game shutout. He faced the minimum, walking one and striking out six hitters. If he’s not awarded with the next NYPL Pitcher of the Week award, I’ll be absolutely shocked. His consistency in the rotation is one of the reasons why Brooklyn was able to erase their slow start to the season and now push towards the playoffs again.