PORT ST. LUCIE — When he wasn’t in Taiwan during the offseason pitching for the MLB All-Stars, Dillon Gee was mostly watching video of his 2011 starts for the Mets.
Gee saw a tired pitcher in the second half of the season. He’s hoping that observation might explain a summer in which he went from staff savior to overmatched against major league hitters.
“You could tell that in the end nothing looked the same,” Gee said. “The movement just wasn’t there like it was in the first half, and pitches weren’t as sharp. I kind of attribute that to [fatigue].”
As pitchers and catchers officially report to Mets camp today, the 25-year-old Gee will be under the microscope. He’s almost assured a spot in the starting rotation based on the Mets’ lack of pitching depth, but there are still questions whether he can thrive as a major league pitcher.
The first half of last season should have settled that debate. Gee was 8-1 with a 3.32 ERA after beating the Rangers on June 26 and considered a potential National League All-Star. A mediocre July preceded a brutal final two months of the season, in which Gee posted a 5.91 ERA over 10 starts.
It was soon easy to forget that Gee, who replaced injured Chris Young in the rotation in early May, had helped keep the Mets on the cusp of the wild-card race into July. The team’s collapse over the final two months corresponded largely with the bullpen imploding, Daniel Murphy’s season-ending knee injury and Gee wilting.
Gee, with the help of the Mets’ strength and conditioning team, has developed a workout plan that he believes will keep his lower body strong for an entire season.
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t really tired,” Gee said. “But it was important for me to experience that.
“I know now what I need to do better. I don’t think that first half was luck at all. I just think I was pitching well. I knew what I was doing. But as soon as I had a couple of bad outings I started pressing a little bit.”
On paper, the Mets’ rotation consists of Johan Santana, R.A. Dickey, Jon Niese, Mike Pelfrey and Gee. But Gee said he will take the approach he’s vulnerable to losing his job.
“I always kind of liked pitching to prove something, and I still take that mindset into spring training,” Gee said.
“People keep telling me I have a spot. That’s kind of great — way back in your mind you know you will have a little time to prove yourself. But I still like to think I have stuff to prove and show people I deserve that spot over somebody else.”
Gee joined the likes of Curtis Granderson, Robinson Cano and Pablo Sandoval on a team of All-Stars that won all five games against the Taipei Nationals in Taiwan in November. He called it a fulfilling experience.
“Just to be associated with that was great,” said Gee, who allowed one earned run over five innings in his start. “To get an opportunity to go over there and play with that caliber of guys is something you never forget.”