After leading the International League with 165 strikeouts last year, it comes as no surprise that Triple-A Buffalo manager Tim Teufel chose to name right-hander Dillon Gee as his Opening Day starter for Thursday afternoon’s opener at home against Syracuse.
The 24-year-old, who was ranked as the 16th-best prospect in the Mets farm system by Baseball America, went 13-8 with a 4.96 ERA for Buffalo last year, leading the team in starts (28), wins (13), innings (161.1) and quality starts (14). He was also named the team’s Comeback Player of the Year, after his 2009 season ended in May because of a shoulder strain.
Gee starred with the Mets following a September call-up, going 2-2 with a 2.18 ERA in five starts, striking out 17 and walking 15 in 33 innings, but thanks to the offseason signings of right-handed starters Chris Young and Chris Capuano, there wasn’t an opening for him to begin the year at Citi Field – though with the injury histories of Young, Capuano and – to a lesser extent – Jon Niese, Gee will inevitably see some time in the big league rotation before the season is over.
tbontemps@nypost.com
