Adam Rubin hosted a chat today at 12pm EST on ESPN New York, answering fan questions on everything involving our beloved New York Mets. One question posed by a fan asked Rubin when the Mets would consider promoting hard-throwing southpaw reliever, Jack Leathersich.
The lefty is currently in Double-A with the Binghamton Mets, and is tearing up opposing hitters through 18 appearances this season. He’s 1-0 with a 1.48 ERA, 45 strikeouts, and 13 walks in 24.1 innings pitched.
Coming into this season, it looked like the Mets were set in the left-handed reliever department, but things haven’t played out exactly how they were hoping. Veteran Scott Rice (3-3, 3.16 ERA in 30 appearances) has been doing a stellar job, but Josh Edgin (9.64 ERA in 11 games) is currently in Triple-A trying to work through his issues, and Robert Carson (9.45 ERA in nine games) hasn’t done a much better job.
Their lack of production has made the Mets thin at that position; Pedro Feliciano is still battling food poisoning, while Tim Byrdak isn’t expected to be available until at least around the All-Star break. Terry Collins has been using Rice just about every day, as he’s leading the majors in appearances. To take some of the burden off Rice’s left wing, it would make sense to have a second lefty in the ‘pen Collins has faith in using for big spots. Leathersich has been using his velocity to get strikeouts with the B-Mets, striking out 27 hitters in his last 13.1 innings pitched.
In response to the question, Rubin wouldn’t rule out seeing the southpaw eventually make his way to Flushing in 2013, as that was his prediction during spring training a couple months ago. However, he said we shouldn’t be hoping to see him at Citi Field until the organization at least promotes him to Triple-A Las Vegas first.
When do you think we’ll see Jack Leathersich in the majors?
I’m glad you wrote an article about when he might be here because he’s tearing up AA and should have been promoted to AAA by now? The front office is the slowest front
office I have ever seen? It takes SA and his staff forever to make a move wether it is
making a trade or promoting a player or sending one down! Montero is another player
who has proven himself at AA and should be bumped up to AAA soon? I’m guessing
after Wheeler is bought up the ML’s? Why Carson is still here? TC is afraid to use him
so he’s taking up a spot that they could be using like Leathersich!! Why can’t he skip
AA and come right to the ML’s and not spend time in Vegas where the ball flies out with
ease? Give him a shot what do they have to loose there not going anywhere this year anyway! He won’t melt and they can’t wait till after the all star break to bring up another
lefty for the bull pen and in the meantime Rice is being way over used!! I saw a comment
the other day on another blog and I thought I would share it with you,”I am really gonna
miss Rice when his Arm falls off”!!
Thanks for reading and for your comment. I agree with you that Rice needs some help on the big league roster. Collins isn’t using Carson because he has no faith in him, and he could certainly use someone else that he can trust in a big spot. I hope Rice’s arm doesn’t fall off anytime soon though, haha. It does seem like the front office takes a while to make moves such as these, and I would assume they’re going to give Edgin one more shot at some point soon.