It's hard to believe 2017 will be right-hander Kevin Gausman's fifth season pitching in the big leagues. But unlike the previous four seasons, the 2017 version of Gausman is an established big leaguer.
What belies Gausman's 23-31 record and 3.97 ERA in the majors is the knowledge that the right-hander is simply the byproduct of today's hurry-up process in which teams rush young talented arms to get as many cheap innings as they can.
All too often, it's not really about what the finished product is, as much as it's about what the team's needs are first and foremost. Whereas a Dennis Martinez, Mike Boddicker, Mike Flanagan or Storm Davis had to gradually prove themselves and move up one step at a time, Gausman didn't have a stellar minor league resume: 4-15 record and 3.33 ERA through 42 minor league games from 2012-2016.
