When Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman came up at about the same
time, they took on a role initially that is not too prevalent in today’s game –
the swingman. They started, they
relieved, they just did what it took in the attempt to help the ballclub. Back in the decade of the 1980s the Mets had
a GOOD Terry helping them in this regard – one Mr. Leach.
Terry Leach was an extreme submarine/sidearmer whose hand
threatened to scrape the mound with each delivery. He initially came up to the big club in 1981
for an encouraging 21 game trial during which he went 1-1 in middle relief with
a single start and a single game finished, but his ERA of 2.55 suggested this
late blooming 27 year old rookie might indeed have something.
In 1982 he produced a similar 21 game record, this time
again having a single start but 12 game finishes. His 4.22 ERA was a hefty jump which merited
him time back in the minors until he turned age 31 during the 1985 season when
he appeared in 22 games, a 2.91 ERA and a 3-4 record, starting 4 games and
finishing four games. Despite that good
performance he was mostly in Tidewater for the World Series year of 1986, only
appearing in 6 games but still earning a ring awarded many years later.
In 1987 it would appear he’d finally click for good but the
circumstances were not how you’d like to have it happen. Doc Gooden was out on rehab and Bobby Ojeda
was down with a season-ending injury, so despite being cut in Spring Training
he was brought back to the big club to become a starter. All he did was turn in an 11-1 season, at one
point reeling off 10 straight wins, finishing with a highly respectable 3.22
ERA.
In 1988 he went back to the pen, this time appearing in 52
games with 92 innings pitched to an impressive 7-2 record and a 2.54 ERA. That’s not too shabby for a guy who didn’t
throw his first pitch until age 27 and not really getting a shot out of Spring
Training until age 34. He added three
saves and was perfect in an aggregate 5 IP against the Dodgers in the NL
Championship Series.
The Mets then made one of their franchise’s many
ill-conceived trades, sending him to the Kansas City Royals for the immortal
Aquedo Vasquez who never made the majors.
Leach didn’t do much there and was released, hooking up with Minnesota
where he made his second trip to the World Series. He finished his career with a couple of
decent years with the White Sox at ages 38 and 39.
After retiring from baseball, Leach wrote a book called,
Things Happen for a Reason: The True Story of An Itinerant Life In
Baseball. It covered his journey from
the Independent Leagues in Baton Rouge in 1976 through being the final cut due
to age or perceived ability year after year.
8 comments:
Leach was another funky thrower who had real success. I remember in the dark, dark losing days of 1982 (65-97), he closed the season out with a 10 inning, complete game 1 hit shutout. They gave him an extra 5 months of rest after that one.
38-27, 3.15 career - impressive...I thought Sewald could become the sort of pitcher Leach was, but that has not been the case.
That single start in 1982 was amazing. Leach threw an 11 inning one hitter winning 1-0 over the Phillies. He is the only Met to ever do that. Always liked and routed for him. He was sort of a Rodney Dangerfield kind of guy No Respect.
Response to Tom Brennan's comments of recent.
I agree with you and most people that Andres Gimenez could easily be a really good MLB player at short or second base. However, the Mets are more than adequate with who they have here now in Cano and McNeil. I don't see middle infield as a problem here., nor for a long, long time.
So what is more valuable, another really good second baseman/shortstop or a really good power hitting third baseman, something the Mets were hoping to get out of recentlydeparted Todd from Tom's River?
That's why I would seriously consider a 2B Andres Gimenez for 3B BobbyDalbec (Boston).
I totally concur with you on Paul Sewald. How many chances does a team give one pitcher?
Pitching Ideas
On Zachary Wheeler. Man, this is a really tough decision to have to make. With Zach entering the "thirty zone" next season, I might go no more than three years at a fair offer. You get over "30" for a pitcher and the likelihood of wheels falling off (injury) becomes a little more possible. That's why I say three.
On the bottom of the 2020 Mets rotation. Stroman is unsigned at present, Matz was recently given a reasonable new contract. Personally, I'd keep one of these two, Now probably Steven Matz. I'd let Stroman walk if Zach gets re-signed as I hope he does, although Stroman is good overall, his strikeouts to innings is only fair and he has been known to struggle some. Instead I would look at San Diego and try to grab one of their three really good young lefty starters to balance out their 3 right-handers. 1. MacKenzie Gore 2. Adrian Morejon 3. Joey Cantillo. All three are or will be 20 years old in 2020, and the first two were call-ups in 2019. Castillo is the youngest of the three but had 128 K's in 98 innings in 2019 MiLB. The first two have ratings of...fastball 60, curve 60, change-up 55 and Castillo is close to having the same as well.
This to me looks like a wise can't lose idea for the NYM. They need to always be concerned with getting younger so that as one veteran is leaving later on, there are starters in-place to assume the open slot at the top of the rotation. It's how the Braves did it to great success during their 1990's run. And it works.
The Padres need an outfielder something bad in return.
On relief pitching.
I like the Red Sox idea of having two units of three for relieving. Here quickly is what I have been saying here. Unit A: Blackham, Wilson, Lugo and Unit B: Gsellman, Diaz, and lefty closer Taylor Rogers (Minnesota) who had 30 saves in 2019/90 K's in 69 innings. Taylor could be that one more really good lefty reliever that to me this team really needs added in for 2020. His current salary should be likeable here for the Mets.
The seventh reliever out of the 2020 pen would probably be someone like either righty Harol Gonzales or lefty Kevin Smith. I think both Szapucki and Peterson may need one more full season down in the minors.
I like Owner Jeff Wilpon's and GM Van Wagenon's decision on Carlos Beltran for Mets manager. Here's a few more thoughts on this selection.
Beltran is well supported for being a really wise baseball mind and potential decision maker. I like that. But he lacks managerial experience. So the question becomes who should the bench coach be, someone with a lot of experience or a selection like a Luis Rojas?
Well, the Red So went with Alex Cora, although Alex had bench coach experience when brought onboard. But his bench coach was Rob Roenicke who had experience coaching elsewhere.
The point is simply this one, do you trust Beltran's baseball instincts and go with a younger bench coach or do you bring in someone like a Jim Riggleman to help better acquaint Carlos with his new position as Mets manager?
My gut says (from all the reports I have read online) that Carlos Beltran knows what he is doing.
On the recent WS game seven.
I think both teams were as even-steven as two teams could ever be. I was not surprised at all by the fact that the series went down to a game seven do-or-die.
Someone had to obviously win.
But I felt that Washington's use of its whole pitching staff was just a shade better, i.e using a starter to come in relief after their game starter got tired.
Houston went with just their best relief pitchers after Greinke's excellent outing. They had available Cole and Uriquidy (who came in the game too late) after the damage was done already. If Houston had gone to Uriquidy and then Cole who knows what could possibly have happened.
AJ Hinch gambled and lost on this call. National's Martinez' managing beat him I felt. And many past WS winners had employed this same exact pitching relief tactic, and won as well.
3B, new kid starter (left handed), a lefty closer from another team (one of the Padres or Daniel McGrath), a new HR left fielder with BA ability around .290, and a new bullpen approach of two units, so that there is a different alternating days relieving. A grouping of three who are basically interchangeable other than for lefty/righty combinations.
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