Lindsay Gulin

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Lindsay Tyson Gulin

BR Minors page

Biographical Information[edit]

Lindsay Gulin has pitched 13 minor league seasons (5 at AAA) through 2009 as well as one in Japan. Through 2009, he has a career record of 126-70 in summer leagues as a pro.

Mets system[edit]

Gulin was picked in the 16th round of the 1995 amateur draft by the New York Mets but the mid-round pick excelled right away with the 1995 GCL Mets (6-0, 1.71) and Pittsfield Mets (1-0, 3.86). He just missed from qualifying for the Gulf Coast League ERA title; he would have ranked second had he qualified.

The southpaw had a 7-7, 2.64 summer for the 1996 Capital City Bombers and struck out 134 in 112 1/3 IP while allowing only 88 hits. He was part of a Capital City staff that had few, if any, holes, and included ace Nelson Figueroa and Octavio Dotel, who had a higher ERA than Gulin. The New York native split 1997 between the Bombers (8-1, 2.91, 116 K, 60 BB in 99 IP) and the St. Lucie Mets (0-3, 9.23, 26 BB in 26 1/3 IP), dealing with control problems.

Gulin began 1998 with St. Lucie and went 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA, allowing just 16 hits in 27 innings. He was then dealt to the Seattle Mariners for veteran catcher Rick Wilkins.

Mariners system[edit]

In the Seattle chain in 1998, Lindsay threw for the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (1-3, Sv, 3.72, 51 K in 48 1/3 IP) and Lancaster JetHawks (2-2, 5.84, 15 BB in 24 2/3 IP).

Independent leagues, take one[edit]

Let go by the M's after having failed to reach AA in his first run in Organized Baseball, the 22-year-old signed with the independent St. Paul Saints and went 8-2 with a 3.18 ERA. He was 4th in the Northern League's Central Division in ERA and was named the All-Star left-handed pitcher. That kind of performance earned Gulin another try at Organized Baseball.

Cubs chain[edit]

The Chicago Cubs inked a deal with Gulin late in 1999. He was amazing in his three games that year for the Daytona Cubs, throwing 13 2/3 shutout innings while striking out 19.

Gulin had a big season in 2000. He had a 11-2, 2.46 record for Daytona and was 5-2 with a 4.99 ERA in his AA debut with the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx. He led all Cubs minor leaguers in wins, 6th in the affiliated minors. He would have been second in the Florida State League in ERA behind Brian Reith had he qualified and he was tied for 4th in wins, two behind leader Aaron Harang. He joined Harang, Tim Redding and Brett Jodie as the FSL All-Star pitchers that year.

Dodgers minor leagues[edit]

Lindsay's fifth organization as a pro was that of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Despite his fine 2000 campaign, he did not sign a deal until June. He was 7-5 with a 2.64 ERA for the Jacksonville Suns. He was second in the Southern League in ERA behind Steve Smyth.

The veteran minor leaguer split his 8th season, 2002, between Jacksonville (5-2, 3 Sv, 2.64, 67 K in 61 1/3 IP) and the Las Vegas 51s (5-2, 4.98, 70 K in 68 2/3 IP), finally making it to AAA. He was 12 strikeouts behind Joel Hanrahan, the leader among Dodgers farmhands.

In 2003, Gulin spent all year at AAA, going 10-10 with a 4.85 ERA for Las Vegas. He led the club in victories and was 4th in the Pacific Coast League with 127 whiffs.

Japan[edit]

Gulin was now 27 years old, a bit long in the tooth to be deemed a prospect. He took his arm to Japan in 2004, signing with the Daiei Hawks and going 8-3 with a 4.24 ERA, though he did allow a .314 opponent average. He was second on Daiei's rotation in ERA behind Nagisa Arakaki and ahead of notable NPB performers Tsuyoshi Wada, Kazumi Saitoh and Toshiya Sugiuchi.

The southpaw remained with Daiei for 2005 but he broke his right hand prior to the season and missed all year after 10 straight seasons active in pro ball.

Dominating the indies again[edit]

Gulin returned to the independent circuit seven years after his first stint, signing with the 2006 Lincoln Saltdogs. He sure looked healthy, going 13-2 with a 2.10 ERA. The former wild man walked only 20 in 120 innings as well. He led the American Association in ERA, was second in wins (one behind Cory Walters) and ranked third with 104 strikeouts. He was named the All-Star left-handed pitcher for his third postseason All-Star team nod.

He spent the winter with the Tigres del Licey and was 2-2 with a 3.74 ERA, 9th in the Dominican League.

In the minors with Milwaukee[edit]

For the second time, Gulin's dominant work in the independent leagues got him another look from a MLB club. The Milwaukee Brewers signed him for his first contract with a big league organization in four years. He spent 2007 with the Huntsville Stars (12-6, 3.29, .226 average) and the Nashville Sounds (4 R in 6 1/3 IP). He tied for second in the Southern League in wins, 3 behind Chris Mason, and was 6th in ERA. He did not take home All-Star left-handed pitcher honors this time as those went to Gio González, who had a slightly better ERA and more strikeouts.

Back with Nashville in 2008, Lindsay went 7-7 with a 3.54 ERA. Remaining with the Sounds for 2009, Gulin was with the same organization three years in a row for the first time since the 1995-1998 Mets. The oldest pitcher to make more than two appearances for Nashville, 32-year-old Gulin had a 7-10, 4.78 record with his old wildness back, walking 77 in 139 1/3 innings.

For the Estrellas de Oriente in the 2009-2010 Dominican League, Gulin was 0-1 with a 7.13 ERA in four games.

Taiwan[edit]

Gulin signed with the Sinon Bulls in late March 2010, replacing Sendy Rleal on the Sinon staff. On April 4, he made his CPBL debut and got the victory in a 2-1 decision. He went 1-2 with a 5.87 ERA overall for Sinon and was released in May in favor of Eric Junge.

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