He was called upon in an emergency yesterday, but it appears Dillon Gee‘s rotation stint might be quite a bit longer. For as well as Chris Young has pitched, when he’s been on the mound, the Mets rotation needs someone that can give them innings every fifth day. Dillon Gee has been that type of pitcher throughout his minor league career, and should be given the chance to prove it on the big league level. As a matter of fact, his opponent last night is a great comparable to the kind of career I believe Gee can carve out.

There are tons of differences between Jon Garland and Dillon Gee. Garland was a first round pick by the Chicago Cubs in 1997, while Gee was a 21st round pick a decade later. Their repertoires are a bit different as Gee is a fastball/changeup pitcher, while Garland relies primarily on his sinker.

Despite those differences there are similarities. Garland historically has never been dominant, but when you look up at the end of the season he gives you double digits in wins and 200 innings. He won’t overwhelm you with his numbers, but his teams always have a chance to win a game when he starts.

I see Dillon Gee as a similar type of pitcher. Nothing fancy, he just goes out there and competes. Last night he was thrust in a difficult situation as the last minute replacement for Young. Despite not having his best command he held the Dodgers to two runs. So far in 2011 he’s done a decent job keeping the ball on the ground, and striking out batters at a decent rate (7.3 per nine).

Right now, if I said the Mets could acquire Jon Garland, everyone would consider it an upgrade to the rotation. Perhaps they already have their own mini version of Garland in Gee.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Dillon Gee, Jon Garland, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets