Mack - 2015 Prospect List - #17 – LHRP – Jack Leathersich

My rankings is solely subjective and based on nothing more than what is in my head at time I’m writing this. I’ve followed the Mets minor league players for many years and I feel I can recognize talent at various levels of their development. What I have failed at is how to determine when this talent seems to diminish. It’s amazing how many first round picks never make it in this game.

I’m old school, so you won’t seem much SABR-discussion here, I do research and, when I find a good quote or two, I’ll add them to my analysis, but, like I said in the beginning of this post, most of this us subjective.

Let’s get started

#18 – LHRP Jack Leathersich  - 24-yrs old – 5-11, 200 – 5^th Round pick 2011  

            University of Massachusetts – Lowell  - 162^nd pick overall in draft

                        2011 – U. Mass – 89-IP, 126-K, 1.62, 0.92, 12.74 SO/9

                                    Brooklyn – 12.2-IP, 26-K, 0.69, 0,69, 18.00 SO/9

                        2012 – Sav – 24-IP, 37-K, 0.75, 0.75, 13.87 SO/9

St. L – 48-IP, 76-K, 4.12, 1.35, 14.25 SO/9

                        2013 – B-Mets – 29.1-IP, 55-K, 1.55, 1.21. 17.07 SO/9

                                    Las Vegas – 29-IP, 47-K, 7.76, 2.10, 14.59 SO/9

                        2014- B-Mets – 46-IP, 79-K, 2.93, 1.28, 15.46 SO/9

                                    Las Vegas – 8.1-IP, 14-K, 5.62, 1.87, 15.75 SO/9

At the time of the draft –

            Go Riverhawks - He burst on to the national radar in 2009 with a masterful freshman year as a member of the University of Massachusetts Lowell Riverhawks, going 7-4 with a 2.18 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched. His stellar season earned him Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year honors for 2009. In 2010, Leathersich had a bit of a sophomore slump, compiling a 4.26 ERA to go along with a 3-2 record, but still struck out 62 batters in 57.0 innings pitched. He finished up 2010 by pitching in the Cape Cod League for the Orleans Firebirds. As a member of the bullpen, he put together a 1.71 ERA, striking out 31 in just 21.0 innings. Prior to the 2011 season, Leathersich was named the third-best Division II draft prospect, as well as a pre-season All American.

            BA - UMass-Lowell's Jack Leathersich has been in the Riverhawks rotation since his freshman year, but he's best suited to pitch out of the bullpen, which is where he had success in the Cape Cod League last summer. An arm-strength lefty, Leathersich struck out 31 batters in 21 innings of relief for Orleans, running his fastball up to 95 mph, while he works at 88-92 as a starter. He shows two fringe-average breaking balls, a slurve and a curveball, but he slows everything down in his delivery on secondary offerings. Scouts have concerns about Leathersich's mechanics, as he throws across his body with recoil and often loses his arm slot. Some talked him up as a potential top-five-rounds selection, but he'll probably be taken in the eighth- to 12th-round range.

“Leather’s SO/9 ration has been unbelievable throughout his minor league career. His current 4-season total is 15.2. The highest in MLB history was Randy Johnson at 10.6098.

Outlook –

It’s very hard to determine Leathersich’s future as a major league pitcher until he gets his arm under control. A lot of these guys never do.

Strangely, he seems to have less of a control problem against righties which could be a good thing and a sign that things will improve. It’s a lot easier to work on your natural side against lefties.

What’s not easy is getting out of Las Vegas.

I easily could have had Leathersich in Queens if he could get his AAA ERA under, let’s say, 4.00. He's still striking people out at a record pace  (how many of these strikeouts were also swinging at balls out of the zone?).

I would send him out West again in April.