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August 12, 2011 Opinion and Analysis Joe Janish

Time for Dillon Gee To Make Adjustments?

In the game recap of his last start, I suggested that opposing teams may have developed an accurate scouting report on Dillon Gee. When he faces the Diamondbacks hitters tonight, it will be the second time they’ve seen him.

Will that be an advantage for Arizona?

It’s possible, and if so, it means it’s time for Gee to make adjustments. It also means that what we saw in the first half of the season was not necessarily a true picture of what we can expect from Gee going forward. At the same time, what we’re seeing right now is not necessarily a true picture, either.

Rather, we need to see how Gee reacts to the following:

– Comprehensive scouting reports on his tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses — which are being used against him

– Familiarity on the part of hitters, who have seen Gee before and are making adjustments to him

– The “dog days of summer”; i.e., the grueling, last leg of the season

Gee has only faced the Diamondbacks once before, so the familiarity issue may not be as significant as the scouting reports.

His next start after Arizona is most likely to be against San Diego, one of the teams he hasn’t yet faced, so he’ll still have somewhat of an element of mystery on his side. After that, though, the rest of his starts will be against teams he’s seen at least once before.

What do you think? Will Gee pitch better against teams he’s seen before, or will familiarity be an advantage for the hitters instead? Do you think the length of the MLB season will wear him down? Post your thoughts in the comments.

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Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
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  1. John August 12, 2011 at 8:57 am
    My gut tells me yes he will figure it out. But one never knows. He doesn’t have electric stuff so this will be critical to his success or lack thereof. But making adjustments is key to all pitchers even ones with a great arm. Think about Dontrell Willis, who never really learned to make the adjustments.

    I think some of Gee’s issues have had to do with having some big leads and then just trying to throw strikes. This has led him away from what he does best, and he hasn’t yet mastered how to go back to “pitching” when he gets runners on base.

    It is a learning process, and that is what separates guys who play for a couple of years and guys with solid major league careers.

  2. MikeT August 12, 2011 at 10:16 am
    One of the more interesting things to watch for the rest of the way.
  3. argonbunnies August 12, 2011 at 11:51 am
    I actually don’t think that standard narrative of the league figuring out a young finesse pitcher applies here. If Gee gets back to pitching the way he did in his first 10 starts he’ll be excellent, and no scouting reports will change that. Maybe not sub-3.00 ERA excellent (some BABIP luck was involved in that), but I really believe that a swing-and-miss change up, an okay curve & slider, and the ability to move a moving fastball up-down/in-out will win.

    His struggles have been based more on lost control and release point than anything else. I will say that I don’t think this inconsistency bodes well. But he’s still young… Hopefully he figures more things out mechanically…