Mets' minor-league report: Paul Gervase
Brooklyn Cyclones pitcher Paul Gervase. Credit: Brooklyn Cyclones/Matt Kipp
Player: Paul Gervase.
Age: 23 (born May 23, 2000).
Team: Brooklyn Cyclones (South Atlantic League).
Position: RHP
Bats/throws: R/R
Height/weight: 6-10 / 230
Acquired: 2022 Amateur draft, Round 12, 359th pick.
Background: Gervase’s place in professional baseball seemed nonexistent when he posted a 4.19 ERA and walked 15 at Division III Pfeiffer University in 2019. Over that summer, he was able to get his low-80’s fastball into the mid 90’s and change his future. The next two years, he played for Wake Tech Community College and Pitt Community College. He entered the transfer portal before the 2022 season and ended up at LSU, where he posted a 1.85 ERA in 39 innings.
2023 update: Gervase held a 1.55 ERA and struck out 65 batters over 40 2/3 innings. He converted six of eight save opportunities, and had a 14.39 K/9 rate. Gervase has struggled with walks, issuing 34, entering play Saturday.
What he’s saying: “I really developed my slider since last year. It was a basic pitch that everyone hit, now I started throwing it harder this year, and for strikes. That has given me two legit pitches and has been the key to striking guys out. They have to stay on top of two legit offerings. I need to cut down on walks. I know if I go out there and attack guys with my best stuff, they won’t hit it.”
Scouting report: Gervase is an imposing figure on the mound. His size and extension gets the ball to hitters quickly. His fastball sits in the low-to-mid-90s and his sweeping slider sits in the low-80s. He features a swing-and-miss changeup to help bolster his strikeout totals, but at times can struggle with his command.
Four colleges in four years: “It obviously isn’t the typical journey. I played a year at Division III and my dad told me I needed to work a lot harder. I made a big velocity jump that summer and realized if I wanted to play Division I, or professionally, I needed to go the [junior college] route.”
Transition to LSU: “It was a big difference going from 50 people in the crowd to 13,000. If I pitched badly, LSU people would DM me and tell me I needed to pitch better. It was probably more pressure there than it is here [Brooklyn].”
Decision to be a pitcher: “I probably realized I wanted to be a pitcher when I went 1-for-17 at the plate my junior year in high school. I realized I wasn’t great at hitting, so I thought I should probably just pitch.”
Probable MLB promotion: 2025
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
