Minor League Mondays: Triple-A Has Not Been Kind To Gerson Bautista

When the New York Mets traded Addison Reed to the Boston Red Sox last summer for a trio of bullpen prospects, the most highly touted in the bunch was right hander Gerson Bautista. Bautista possesses an electric fastball with questionable command, but a strong start at AA Binghamton combined with injuries in the big league bullpen earned him a shot in the majors. Things didn’t work out so well there for Bautista, who pitched to a 12.46 ERA in five appearances, relegating him to Triple-A Las Vegas. Bautista’s adjustment to the hitter friendly Pacific Coast League hasn’t gone well, and we will take a look at that in this week’s edition of Minor League Mondays.

In 26 appearances for the Las Vegas 51’s, Bautista is 2-1 with a 5.19 ERA and an ugly 1.85 WHIP. Part of the problem has been the hitter friendly nature of the Pacific Coast League, with Bautista giving up 48 hits in 34.2 innings pitched compared to 12 in 9.1 innings for AA Binghamton. Bautista hasn’t helped matters with his poor command, walking 16 batters. The strikeouts have remained a constant, as Bautista has racked up 44 punch outs for the 51’s, but until Bautista can get his command in check he will likely be stuck as a AAAA pitcher.

The Mets probably didn’t help matters by rushing Bautista to the big leagues earlier this year when he wasn’t ready to help. Bautista should be in the mix for a September call up after the minor league season ends, giving big league pitching coach Dave Eiland a chance to work with Bautista up close. Barring a dramatic improvement between now and the end of 2018, Bautista will likely begin next season back at AAA. The good news for him is that the Mets’ top farm team will move out of the Pacific Coast League to Syracuse, allowing Bautista and the other top pitching prospects to work in a more regular environment for baseball. While Bautista’s struggles are a concern, it is important to remember that he is just 23 years old and could put it all together at any time. The Mets clearly believe in Bautista’s arm talent, and if they can work with him to harness that stuff and command it effectively the team could develop a talented young set up man for the future.