Adopted: Gabriel Llanes

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

With the graduation of Chipolte Rocket and Darrell Ceciliani to the big leagues, it's time to get preggo again.

Been waiting for the right inspiration and decided on obscure starting pitcher prospect Gabriel Llanes.

Gabe, as he likes to be called, was a 15th round draft pick in the 2014 draft out of Downey, CA (home of the Blasters). He was committed to college until he saw Fred Wilpon whip out his checkbook. He apparently spent a chunk of his reported $300K bonus on this, the rest he probably wasted.



Gabe's just 19 and is said to need a lot of seasoning. He was thought to be a guy with the potential to advance himself to a top-round kinda talent in college, but the Mets like 'em young and dumb. He was pitching in relief last year and this with the Gulf Coast Mets but was recently promoted to Kingsport where he's started 3 times, winning twice so far.

Nice smile.

[Edgy MD]

It's a Donnie Iris smile.

[fimg=400:15dxdx5x]https://lh4.ggpht.com/4QqxV6ODGOuhKB4ZQJr4nIF724qMrEDpax6ydsIM0XGc_NG34b00AOM0JWL-XJW9QkQTlzitAw[/fimg:15dxdx5x]

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

He and Donnie Iris are also very projectable

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe's awaiting the season to begin at Kingsport and working on his bunting. He's no Matt Harvey

[Edgy MD]

It strikes me that Mr. Young and Dumb has plenty of room to park on that block, but instead dropped his ride right next to the fire plug.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe is getting the Opening Day start for the Cyclones vs. the SIMFYs.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Where are you from? Los Angeles, CA What is your favorite food? Skittles What is your favorite Major League Player to watch? Jacob DeGrom What is your favorite movie? Grown Ups Favorite non-baseball team? Green Bay Packers What actor would you want to play you in a movie? Adam Sandler What is your favorite color? Red

And get a load of this "article" pumped out by a PR team that obviously can't afford to pay the high salaries English majors of today demand. Some of the sentences aren't even sentences and I think the writer botched the transcription of quotes in a couple places.

On the other hand the sloppiness probably reveals more than intended. Sounds like Gabe's a bit of a project!

GET TO KNOW: GABRIEL LLANES As fans pour into MCU park for opening day this Friday, June 17th to watch the Cyclones take on the Staten Island Yankees, they will also get the pleasure of watching twenty year old RHP Gabriel Llanes lead from the mound as the Cyclones' Opening Day starter. The California native is now in his third summer with the Mets organization after being drafted right out of high school in the 15th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Shortly after signing, Llanes ventured across the country to play for the Gulf Coast League Mets, and over the past two summers has slowly made his way up the east coast, playing for the Kingsport Mets in 2015 and now adapting to life in Brooklyn. " I've already adjusted a little bit taking the subway everyday and it's a huge change," Llanes said. "In California, and basically everywhere else, you're driving and it's a change to be here but I love it." Llanes has had a steady run in his professional carreer, coming out of Kingsport with a 4.23 ER and allowing 14 runs in 27.2 innings pitched. Class A short season Brooklyn will be a new level of ballgame for the 6'3" pitcher, who has made it a priority from GCL all the way to this passed extended spring training to work on his mechanics and perfect his favorite techniques, regardless of knowing where he would pitch next. "I use a circle change up grip," Llanes said. "I love my slider, I love throwing it into count." After watching him all spring down in Florida, Cyclones Manager Tom Gamboa seems to think that the posed challenge for Llanes this season will be keeping consistent from the mound while using his height as a strategy for a more dynamic throw. "Gabriel is the type of guy that, when he's on we'll have a real good game and it's all dictated by his control. His stuff is certainly good enough to pitch at this level." Gamboa said. " His problems in Florida were not so much throwing strikes, but the quality of throwing strikes in the strike zone, and it'll be Bill Bryk's job to help him use his height and establish down hill point with his pitches."' First-year Cyclones pitching coach Billy Bryk Jr. specializes on power delivery, and after meeting Llanes during extended spring training, earned his trust and was able to guide him through a process of changing his performance in the diamond. "I watched Llanes from day one and to be honest he was one of the tougher guys for me to work with at first because he had to get out of his own way, but he's come in full circle and I'm very proud of him," Bryk said. "His best pitch is his sinker. He's got a live fastball and as long as he lets his body do the work and lets his arm catch up, he hides the ball from the hitter very well and he's a competitor on that mound." Llanes learned quickly in his training from Bryk that it would take falling on his face and failing a few times before nailing a consistent delivery, but slowly started to see effective results. After going into spring training with more of a finesse delivery, he now has a more powerful delivery, hiding the ball from the hitter longer and using the full extent of his tall figure, keeping his arm healthy. This advantage will allow him to throw harder and his secondary is sure to be sharper. "He came to me one day and said, 'Hey I want to start doing this,' and right then I knew he was open to change." Bryk said. "At first he wasn't throwing well but he slowly picked up and his delivery became so much more powerful and he showed me that not failing once or twice, but three times is what it takes. And then the last time he threw live in extended it was a beautiful thing to watch and I think were going to see it on day one." Whether Llanes will be able to efficiently use his above average change up and put-away slider to trick the Staten Island line up is something fans will have to look forward to for the first game under the MCU Park lights.

[Edgy MD]

That's some hurtin' copy, my friends.

I hope they're scouting pitchers better than writers.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Pronounced Gah-bri-el Yahnnes

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Glove really pops when he throws, mostly got groundballs, but they ran on him like crazy and he ran out of gas eventually, couple singles and an HBP surrounded by errors did him in.

We dropped off a bag of Skittles for him but unsure whether he got 'em. Didn't realize he was starting P.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe is encountering some bad luck as a Cyclone: 1-4 but with a respectable 3.38 ERA. Second in the NYP in Innings pitched, and among the leaders with a very impressive 1.8 groundball to flyball ratio.

[Edgy MD]

"I love my slider, I love throwing it into count."

[fimg=400:2ra1yegy]http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/grouches/images/9/94/Count_von_Count_baseball.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140209121613[/fimg:2ra1yegy]
"He's after me, Keith and Mookie!"

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe had his best start of the year the other day, holding West Virginia to 1 run on 4 hits over 7 IP.

Season stats: 4-5, 2.92. Leading the NYP in innings pitched and his 1.19 WHiP is up there among the leaders. Just 32 whiffs in 64 innings but a groundball machine.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

So the Columbia thread reminded me to track Gabe. He was uncharacteristically wild in his first start with 4 walks and hit batsman in 4.1 IP but give him a break! He's only 21.

Here's an interesting Fun Fact you might not know about Gabe: Both his parents, Pete and Heidi, are LAPD officers. And his dad, known then as Pedro LLanes, was a one-time Orioles prospect who pitched in the Sally League way back in 1987. http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=llanes001ped

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe took a no-hitter into the 5th, and left after 7 innings of 1-run, 0-walk, 3-k, 3-hit ball for Columbia last night, but was on the losing end of a 2-0 final. He got 14 groundouts, zero flyouts.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe's on the bump tonight vs. Lexington. 3-3, 3.11 ERA and as usual getting it done on grounders.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe reached midseason with the following line:

4-6, 3.24, 100 IP, 48 K, 24 BB, 9 HBP, 107 H but just 3 HR.

So the ERA and HR prevention is good, the BAA not super, the K's too few and a tiny bit wild, especially in his recent few starts.

But check this shit out:

[tweet:b968xyv9]

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That is a Major League bubble. You get 'em Gabe!

[Edgy MD]

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

So Gabe struggled a bit in the second half with a short stay on the disabled list and three fugly starts (a 7-earned-runner and two 8-earned-runners) but finished up strong, getting a win for the Fireflies in the final game of the year.

It comes out in the wash, I guess, but altogether not a great year for Gabe:

6-11, 4.48, 67-38 K-BB in 142.2 IP . Even his famous ground-ball rate went down a little.

Then again, first full-year season and still a babe at age 21.

[tweet:24h25pdf]

[/tweet:24h25pdf]

Yeah! See ya, Gabe!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe has been assigned to St. Lucie which I think for him was a pleasant surprise as he was retweeting Columbia tweets only a few weeks back

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Bombed in his first start with St. Lucie (1 IP, 4 ER), Gabe has won his next two, holding the Dunedin Jays and Florida Firefrogs to 1 run each in 6 and 7 IP, respctively. The latter start = 64 pitches!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe's still a little up and down so far but threw his best game of the year the other night. 7 IP, 1 ER, just 2 hits (leadoff double, then a home run late) in a tough-luck 2-1 loss.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Gabe hasn't won a game since April 19 and is giving up too many hits and runs.

2-7, 6.35, 18 BB, 31 K, 73 H in 56.2 IP

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

So I owe you the pleasure of a Gabe Llanes update: After a dreadful start to the year (2-7, 6.35 thru the first half of the St. Lucie season ending June 19), Gabe is 5-2, 2.53 since and has won his last 5 decsions.

WHiP down, BAA way down, home runs way down, K/BB very similar but a little better in almost exactly about the same # of IP 57/56.2, so it looks like he's figuring out whatever had plagued his sinker.

This kid remains as stealth a prospect as the club has, nobody talks about him. Except me, here.

[Edgy MD]

Oh, he's been visited in our FSL thread. If he was at AA with that start, he might have gotten cut loose. Guys don't seem to get released as frequently at St. Loo. Very encouraging turnaround that's come in the midst of a difficult second half for the FSL Mets.