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Which B-Mets Player Took The Biggest Step Forward in Their Development?

By John Bernhardt

September 28, 2013 7 Comments

darin gorski 2

The growth and development of both Cesar Puello and Allan Dykstra are obvious. Both B-Met sluggers put up huge offensive numbers that dwarfed their output in previous seasons. In Dykstra’s case, gains came from a unique slugging batting approach built around patience and discipline at the plate. In Puello’s case, the game seemed to come together in every aspect. Early the season, Puello battled tracking and hitting off-speed stuff thrown his way. His improvement hitting off-speed pitches from month to month was obvious, a huge part of his remarkable offensive output.

I’ve waxed poetic about both B-Met sluggers in previous posts. So, I think I’ll turn my attention to the improvement shown by another B-Met player, starting pitcher Darin Gorski. In some ways, Gorski’s movement through the Mets minor league system has seen the yo-yo effect. Pitching for Port St. Lucie in high Class-A ball, Gorski set the Florida State League on fire in 2011, earning Darin a selection as the FSL Player of the Year. Gorski also won the Mets franchise Sterling Pitching award that year.

Optimism ran high last season when Gorski was elevated to Binghamton. The tall left-hander was the workhorse of the B-Met rotation, but Gorski’s overall pitching effectiveness seemed to suffer. Take a look at Gorski’s 2012 statistics and those he compiled in his injury shortened summer in Binghamton this year.

Year IP W L W-L% ERA Hits H/9 HR/9 BB/9 K/9 WHIP
2012 139.2 9 8 .529 4.00 128 8.2 1.3 3.2 7.6 1.274
2013 78.2 6 1 .857 1.83 46 5.3 0.1 2.5 7.7 0.834

What a difference a year can make. The numbers speak for themselves. An early season injury in Triple-A Las Vegas limited the innings Gorski pitched this season. The left-hander was assigned to Binghamton when he was finally ready to pitch and proved to be a major part of the B-Mets success.

High speed radar numbers are not part of his pitching profile. Gorski’s fastball sometimes touches 90 or 91 miles per hour but more typically comes in at between 87-89. Locations of his pitches, the ability to move the ball in and out and up and down, his off-speed effectiveness are critical for Gorski. The tall left-hander is a thinking pitcher on the mound.

A high percentage of batted balls are hit in the air, part of his issues keeping the ball in the park earlier in his professional career. This was not an issue at NYSEG Stadium this summer. Gorski allowed only one home run.

How Gorski figures in future Met plans is anybody’s guess. Gorski was removed from the 40-man roster in the early spring and was not selected by another organization, a somewhat ominous sign. I prefer to think that’s part of the magic of the Darin Gorski story, an unheralded pitching gem, the Binghamton Met who took the biggest step forward from a developmental aspect in 2013.

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