Twenty-One Prediction Fun: Robert Gsellman

[Edgy MD]

Hi, I'm Robert Gsellman, and I know you've been through prediction threads covering hard-to-predict fringe camp invitees, but my veteran status puts me north of the bubble right now. I am pretty likely to break north with the team.

But the bubble is within range. I can see the bubble. I can smell the bubble. And that's because, after a year of questionable productivity, I spent another year returning from surgery, and then I was pretty surprised to see myself deployed as a starter. And that didn't work out.

So it's been quite a while since I was good, but I'm still here and Steven Matz is all gone, all gone, all gone ... . So that counts for something, right?

I'm an athletic righthander, and I probably play some good basketball. My long straight hockey hair puts folks in mind of Crash Davis' warning about being a character before you make it in the show. I've kind of made it, and so I'm only kind of a character. My fellow emergency-starter-turned-season savior-turned-reliever-turned-emergency starter-again Seth Lugo is down, and I'm up, so this may be a time for Robert Gsellman, captain of Gondor, to show his quality.

Will there be quality to show? I've got to know. So tell me, before I make another Springsteen or Tollkein reference.

[MFS62]

47 games, in which he will pitch 57 middle innings. 2-3 4.59 1.42 WHIP.

Later

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I'm always impressed with Gselly's broad shoulders, it's like he left the hanger in his jersey before putting it on.

That said, he's like the right-handed relief version of Matz: He needs to start getting it done or find another job. I'll err on the side of optimism this one last time: 3-1, 3.70, 1.3 WHiP, 50 innings, 50 whiffs

[smg58]

I'll go with 62 IP and 75 K, but otherwise what JL said. He's proven he can't be a workhorse or a starter, but he still has the ability to be decent if used correctly.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Mostly, I'm hoping that there's never any reason to have him start any games, unless maybe if the double-headers pile up.

[Edgy MD]

I hope he does start games, and he's awesome at it.

[LWFS]

12 PPG/8.2 RPG, but with more turnovers and ill-advised passes than you'd like-- he's not a BALLHANDLER, guys.

Oh, also, I'll play the usual JCL role: Used extensively in medium-leverage/multi-inning stuff in April, does well. Gets blown up a bunch in May, though and gets optioned for a bit. Back up in July or August, does a little better, but almost all in mop-up. 5.09 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 50-something innings, 8.8 K/3.5 BB. None of it is terribly surprising.

[Frayed Knot]

It's hard to suss out why he's never matched what he was able to do early on. That winter there were a number of prospect guys -- not Rah-Rah NYM fan boyz but independent, national ones -- who were real high on him while insisting he was better than a beginner's luck fluke. But at this point that initial success is now the outlier.

[kcmets]

He's always been a bit of of pselluzle, amirite?

Gonna hedge on overall T-oPF and say surprisingly productive in mid-relief role.

(also in camp hope-no-need-for-him-to-get-a-start)

[Benjamin Grimm]

I have heard among this clan
You are called a forgotten man
Is that what they're sayin'?
Well, did you evah!
What a swell party this is!