Photo by MiLB.com

This is the second part of our four piece series in which we choose our best 25-man roster from the Mets minor leagues based on their 2015 statistics. This group took a major hit with the Mets trades during the deadline which included starters Michael Fulmer, Luis Cessa, Robert Whalen, John Gant, and Miller Diaz.

Missing from the list is also Steven Matz (7-4, 2.19 ERA with 51’s) who didn’t pitch enough innings to qualify for the league leaders in Pacific Coast League. I left off Martires Arias (8-5, 2.29 ERA in A-ball) who is no longer part of the Mets system after becoming a free agent and signing with the San Diego Padres.

These selections are based on the statistics for each player and at what level/age they did them at. They are not an indication of how they would rank in a prospect list.

Here are my choices for the Top 5 Mets minor league starting pitchers in 2015:

1. Robert Gsellman – (Binghamton Mets) The 22-year old right-hander went 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA, 1.137 WHIP in 24 starts between the St. Lucie and Binghtamton Mets. His ERA was second among Mets minor league full season qualified starters, his WHIP was third and the 13 wins were the most. He was named the Mets Sterling Organizational Pitcher of the Year and was also a Florida State League midseason All-Star.

2. Nicolas Debora – (DSL Mets) The Mets Sterling Award winner for the DSL Mets 2 had a great year going 5-2 with a 1.65 ERA and 0.943 WHIP in 15 appearances (10 starts) spanning 76.1 innings. The 21-year old right-handed pitcher also had a strong 5.38 BB and did not allow a homerun the entire year. The Mets signed Nicolas out of the Dominican in 2012 for $115,000.

3. Nabil Crismatt – (GCL Mets) For the third straight year he pitched very well, this year for the Kingsport Mets in the Appalachian League going 6-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.032 WHIP. He allowed only 52 hits while striking out 63 in 62 innings spanning 12 appearances (8 starts). The right-hander from Barranquilla, Colombia turns 21 years old on Christmas.

4. Seth Lugo – (Las Vegas 51’s) The Mets 34th round pick in 2011 out of Centenary College of Louisiana made a name for himself this season pitching for the Binghamton Mets and 51’s. He finished going 8-7 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.250 WHIP (1.185 in Vegas). Lugo led all Mets minor league pitchers with the 127 batters he struck out in 136 innings spanning 24 starts. Here you can read my interview with Seth.

5. Casey Delgado – (Savannah Sand Gnats) The Mets signed the 25-year old righty out of the Frontier League on May 26th of this year and he made his debut just two days later throwing four scoreless innings with seven strikeouts. He finished the year going 8-4 with a 3.17 ERA, 1.095 WHIP, and walked just 21 batters in 105 innings. His ERA was 4th among Mets full season starters and his WHIP was 2nd behind only Martires Arias.

Other starters that were considered are Merandy Gonzalez (2.56 ERA, 1.065 WHIP),  Ricky Knapp (3.05 ERA, 1.298 WHIP), Corey Oswalt (11 wins, 3.36 ERA), Scarlyn Reyes (12 wins, 0.4 HR/9), Thomas McIlraith (1.71 ERA, only 58 innings), and Adonis Uceta (3.08 ERA, 1.24 WHIP).

Here you can read the top eight position players that were already chosen for the all-star team including Dominic Smith and Gavin Cecchini. Next in the series will be the bench players.