NY Mets: 3 players the organization failed or mishandled
![CINCINNATI, OH - SEPTEMBER 27: A detail of a Nike batting glove worn by Michael Conforto #30 of the New York Mets during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on September 27, 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_752,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frisingapple-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F490705686-850x560-bf72359148a4a04f786318b8bda61c27.jpg)
![Jun 2, 2021; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Robert Gsellman (44) throws in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frisingapple-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2017-2F07-2F16196167-0cd11533d77f3856e302fede0a940b8a.jpg)
Sometimes the New York Mets have a player come along and you see a world of talent. Can’t miss! And you see some spark…you see something special. And then, it all falls apart. They are the forgotten stepchild. No longer the headliner. They are somewhere on the end of the bench perhaps thinking about the glory that was once bestowed upon but now in the shadows.
Sometimes it wasn’t meant to be and the player, for some reason, their flame fizzles out and they just fail. But then there are some players, you just have to wonder, did they REALLY fail…or did the Mets fail them?
This comes to my mind as I watch Robert Gsellman, the once promising starting pitcher, who has become a forgotten man, and has, for the most part, been relegated to what used to be called “mop up duty” where a pitcher only comes in when the team is down big and there is no chance of coming back. While that term seems to be resisted today, he is the pitcher on the roster that is not used in “high leverage situations” and seemingly only when the Mets are behind. What made him deserve this role?
When thinking about it, I came up with three players spanning the Mets 60 seasons, who are judged by some as failures, but whose demise could also be blamed squarely on the Mets handling or, rather mishandling, of their once-promising careers.
New York Mets pitcher Robert Gsellman
Gsellman was the Mets 13th round pick in the 2011 Major League drafter. He quickly impressed, moving up the minor league ladder.
After being tabbed the Sterling Organization Pitcher of the Year in 2015, Gsellman came up to the Mets in 2016 when injury hit the Fab Five of Harvey, Syndergaard, deGrom, Wheeler, and Matz. He fit right in sporting the hairstyle of Syndergaard and deGrom but, more importantly, he fit right in with their pitching prowess. He went 4-2 with a 2.42 ERA and 42 K’s in 44 innings down the stretch drive.
With the return of the members of the rotation, Gsellman was used mostly as a spot starter in 2017, getting 22 starts and turning out a record of 8-7. However, a few bad outings when he got pummeled, inflated his ERA to 5.19 and he was also victimized by shoddy fielding during many outings.
Gsellman’s unflappable demeanor helped the Mets hierarchy to make the decision to have one of their most promising starting pitchers move to the bullpen full-time. He appeared to embrace the role and made 68 appearances in 2018. He finished with a record of 6-3 and pitched better than his 4.28 ERA would indicate.
In 2019, Gsellman was again counted on to pitch on short notice. And after 52 appearances, he suffered a torn right late muscle midway through the season which shelved him for the rest of the campaign. Then during the shortened 2020 season, he began the campaign with a right arm soreness and then suffered a fractured rib in a September appearance. With only six appearances, he finished up with a horrifying 9.64 ERA over 14 innings pitched.
Gsellman has talent. He has had success throughout his tenure in the Mets organization. So what has happened to him? Why does management not think more highly of him? He has done everything the team has asked of him. Start…relieve…spot start…long relief…short relief.
Being a relief pitcher in an era where you pitch only a single inning can be daunting. If you have a bad outing, it can actually punctuate your entire season because of what it can do to your ERA.
He is still with the club. He still has a uniform that says “Mets” on it. But why does Gsellman appear to be the 25th man on the roster? It clearly seems to be that the Mets have not treated Gsellman the same way that they treated…say…Matt Harvey. Perhaps if they treated Gsellman the same way they treated Harvey, giving him his spot in the rotation without question and just leave him alone, he would be more consistently successful?
With Gsellman, there is still an opportunity to judge if he should be considered a failure or the Mets have failed him as an organization. But what about the other two?
![NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 03: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Kirk Nieuwenhuis #9 of the New York Mets in action against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field on October 3, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Nationals defeated the Mets 2-0. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frisingapple-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F491460052-ed367c607d96a4d8bafbfcf526c38e39.jpg)
New York Mets outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis
Kirk New…I am just going to keep referring to him as “Kirk” because it is probably one of the most, if not THE most, difficult names to spell that the Mets have ever had.
Kirk was a player who was publicized as this super athletic talent coming out of some college called Azusa Pacific University in California. He led the team to back-to-back NAIA College World Series appearance and set some school records along the way. He was not heavily recruited but the Mets grabbed him as a third round pick of the 2008 Major League draft.
His overall talent, with a combination of speed and power, made him a perfect centerfield prospect, with the Mets sensing another “five-tool” player on the horizon.
Following a successful campaign at Buffalo in 2011, Kirk was added to the Major League 40-man roster and had a successful debut when called up in April of 2012 following injuries to Mets outfielders. He caught fire and was hitting .297 and playing great defense into the month of June. But, similar to a situation that would later happen to another left-handed hitter, Michael Conforto, he was sent up to bat to face some of the League’s toughest lefties. Not ready for those match-ups, Kirk went into a funk, a prolonged funk, and hit only .123 the rest of the year over the next month, looking like a completely different player. He was optioned to the minors on July 30. Only days later, he tore a plantar fascia in his foot and had to be shut down for the rest of the season.
Over the next three seasons, Kirk was up and down from Triple-A Buffalo like a yo-yo. And, during his time with the Mets, and for some inexplicable reason, he would be sent up to face tough lefthanded pitchers, even when HE was pinch-hitting for somebody else. I can understand when doing that in the minor leagues to get some experience and at-bats, but in the Major Leagues against the toughest lefthanders you could ever face? Made no sense.
Finally, after struggling and having no role in the early part of 2015, Kirk was designated for assignment and traded to the Los Angeles Angels. In a bizarre twist, a mere 17 days later, Kirk was claimed by the Mets off waivers from the Angels. After an initial stint with Triple-A Las Vegas, Kirk was promoted back to the Mets on July 6 and, six days later, he hit three home runs in one game at Citi Field against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He added a pinch-hit, go-ahead home run off the Nationals’ Jonathan Papelbon in a crucial September game, giving the Mets an 8-7 lead after they had trailed 7-1.
Although he played a significant role during the World Series season of 2015, albeit strange the way it unfolded, Kirk was put on waivers and claimed by the Milwaukee Brewers after the season.
Kirk won the Brewers centerfield job in 2016 and hit 13 HR with 44 RBI in only 335 at bats, but his average was only .209. Strangely enough, he was given a one-year, $900,000 contract for the 2017 season but cut three weeks into the season. He hooked on with the Seattle Mariners organization prior to the 2018 campaign but was released midway through the season. Kirk even toiled for part of the 2019 season with the Long Island Ducks but made the decision to retire just weeks into the season.
Kirk Nieuwenhuis had all the tools – power, speed, arm, and, most of all, old-fashioned, hard-nosed hustle. So what happened? Was he a failure? Or did the Mets fail him by mishandling his development? Was he an anomaly who could somehow launch three home runs in a single game but couldn’t survive Major League pitching on most other days? Or did he get messed up when he was asked to, as a young lefthanded hitter, go up and face the toughest southpaws in the Major Leagues? Did the Mets do another number on the fans with the overhype of a young player?
I find it hard to believe that a guy with that much athletic ability could be that much of a flop.
![NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 29: Former New York Met Ed Kranepool speaks to the crowd during the 50th Anniversary of the Mets winning the World Series in 1969 at Citi Field on June 29, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/w_480/shape/cover/sport/https-3A-2F-2Frisingapple-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fgetty-images-2F2017-2F07-2F1159089137-3d2e72c002ab92c13722613c2dd9be73.jpg)
New York Mets legend Ed Kranepool
Kranepool was a true local kid, born in the Bronx and he attended James Monroe High School. A big kid, he played basketball and baseball. During the Mets’ inaugural season of 1962, Kranepool was signed at the age of 17 by a Mets scout as an amateur free agent.
He enjoyed success on three levels of the minor leagues and, although still 17 years of age, he was thrust into Major Leagues as a September call-up. He made his debut – wearing No. 21 – as a defensive replacement for the aging Gil Hodges at first base, and then made his first start the very next day at first base and got his first base hit.
When fan favorite Marv Throneberry got off to a horrible start at the beginning of the next season, Kranepool was thrown into the mix as the starting right fielder. But he was clearly overmatched and was sent to the minors after hitting only .190. He returned in September of that season showing improvement but still not ready for primetime.
This type of scenario, the back and forth, continued through much of the decade. He was truly bounced around between the minors and the Major League club. The epitome of it all was a span of two days in which he played a double header – all 18 innings – for the Buffalo Bisons on May 30 and then was called up to play both ends of a double header for the Mets on May 31, including the second game which, by itself, went 23 innings, of which Krane played all of the 23 innings.
Those two games for the Mets, though, started him on a hot streak that saw him finish the 1964 season with a productive .257 average with 10 home runs and 45 RBI in a part-time role.
When the 1965 season started, he was asked to trade in his No. 21 when the Mets acquired Hall of Fame great Warren Spahn. Kranepool then began wearing his more familiar No. 7.
He started that season off on a tear and was batting .287 with 7 HR and 37 RBI as the All Star break and was the Mets sole representative on the NL All Star team. He was not able to maintain the pace and by the end of the season, his average dropped but he still led with 133 hits and a .253 average for a Mets team that dropped 112 games.
Kranepool came back strong in 1966 to hit a career high 16 home runs and although he dropped back to hit 10 HR in ‘67, he raised his batting average to .269 with 54 RBi. But then came a dreadful 1968, the year of the pitcher, where he would slump to .231 with a mere 3 HR and 20 RBI.
Then the Miracle season of 1969 and, although productive, the Mets brought in the big veteran power bat of Donn Clendenon. Kranepool and Clendenon would form a formidable righty-lefty platoon at first base to help lead the Mets to a World Championship.
The aura of ’69 wore off quickly as Kranepool was hitting .170 with 0 HR and 3 RBI after 43 games and only 47 at bats. He was banished to Tidewater in what had to have been an embarrassing situation. He did not return for the rest of the 1970 season.
But he did return for the 1971 season and came back with probably his best season of his career, sharing first base, again, with Clendenon, hitting .280 with 14 HR and career high 58 RBI.
Even with the retirement of Clendenon, to go along with his more consistent production, Kranepool was still never given the opportunity to be a full-time player. Although he hit for a .287 clip over the next seven seasons, Kranepool was to take a back seat to two guys like John “The Hammer” Milner and Dave “Sky” or “Kong” Kingman.
There was only one season – 1965 – at the age of 20, that Kranepool was given 500 or more at bats, never really given the opportunity to be an everyday player. He retired at the age of 34 having given his entire career to the Mets. He was a local kid who showed promise. He obviously had ability, finishing his career with a respectable .261 batting average.
He was there during the 1962 inaugural season and experienced being a part of the lovable losers. He was there when the Mets rose to take the world by storm and win a World Series title in 1969. And then he watched it all fall apart when the organization hit rock bottom in the late 70’s and dismantled the franchise.
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So you have to wonder…did this man, this player, who came to be a folk hero and fan favorite as a part-time player and pinch hitter galore before Rusty Staub captured that role, fail as a player or did the Mets organization fail him? Ed Kranepool is an example, and is the epitome of the dysfunction of the Mets organization and how they were not able to properly bring along a young, talented player…a player who could have been, at one time, the face of the organization.