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2013
Prospect Pulse: Jack Leathersich – Making His Debut In 2013?
An article by 
Player Name: Jack Leathersich
Bats: R Throws: L
Height: 5’11” Weight: 205 lb.
Position: Relief Pitcher
Age: 22 (turns 23 in July)
MMO Top Prospect Ranking #16
ETA: 2013?
Here is what MMO had to say about Leathersich from their recent Top 25 Prospect list:
Jack “Leather Rocket” Leathersich is quite the interesting case. He was our 5th round pick in the 2011 draft and went on to dominate Brooklyn in his professional debut as a reliever. In 2012, he started the year in Savannah and was on cruise control before he was promoted to St.Lucie. He ran into his first real trouble there, where he posted an ERA of 4.12 in 48 innings compared to his microscopic 0.75 ERA in Savannah in 24 innings. He also showed a little bit less control once he was promoted, with his BB/9 increasing from 3.0 to 4.5. However, those numbers do not tell the whole story as even in St. Lucie, opposing hitters only hit Leathersich at a .224 clip and he allowed only three home runs all year. Did I forget to mention that he struck out a gaudy 113 hitters in 72 innings?
Analysis:
Leathersich has a nice athletic build and profiles as a relief pitcher which should help him move through the Mets system rather quickly. He brings a low-90s fastball in his arsenal which has nice movement (moves in on left-handed hitters, and away from right-handed hitters). He has a plus slider and his curve is a slower bender.
Leathersich has an amazing strikeout ratio as mentioned above. He mowed down 113 hitters in 72 innings pitched last season. That should be music to Mets fans ears to hear a reliever striking out hitters at that rate.
He ran into some issues with his command and control after being promoted in 2012. After watching the attached video (granted it is a very small sample), the first thing I noticed about Leathersich was his tendency to fall off towards third base during his follow-through. On the pitches where he doesn’t fall off towards third base, he has much better control and is around the strike zone. One of the most common mistakes pitchers can make in their delivery is falling off to the side (for righties they fall towards first base, for lefties it’s third base). Leathersich should work this spring on keeping his body moving forward which will not only improve his accuracy but also his velocity.
This video of Cliff Lee shows the proper pitching mechanics and follow-through which Leathersich should work on in order to keep rising through the system and getting to Citi Field as fast as possible. Notice in the video how Lee falls towards home plate, and not towards third base.
Once Leathersich works out the kinks, he has a very bright future with the Mets. Falling off toward third base is a rather easy fix, and there are many drills the Mets pitching coaches can do with Leathersich to improve this area. Once he adjusts his follow-through, there is little doubt in my mind that he will have much better command, and continue to dominate hitters while building on that impressive strikeout ratio.
Left-handed pitching prospects are hard to come by, and as of right now, Leathersich is the Mets top southpaw. He will most likely start 2013 in Double-A Binghamton, and we look forward to seeing this incredible talent grow and hopefully join the Mets very soon.
This past Wednesday, during a Q&A with Mets season ticket holders at Citi Field, J.P. Ricciardi commented when asked if there were any prospects that he was excited about headed into 2013. Ricciardi responded:
I think he’s one of the guys who could get a taste of the big leagues at some point this year. It’s nice to have a left-hander with a strikeout-ability.
I think it’s very promising that out of all the exciting prospects Ricciardi could have mentioned—like Travis d’Arnaud, Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, or Wilmer Flores—Leathersich was the name he threw to the Mets fans, the way a zookeeper throws a piece of meat into the lion’s den. Left-handed relievers with a strikeout ratio like Leathersich has had are definitely mouth watering propsects, but he still has to get his control and command back under control this season before he’s throwing off a mound in Citi Field.
With that being said, there is no doubt that he could make his debut sometime in 2013, but he has to take care of business in Binghamton first. The road to the show is usually much quicker for relief pitchers since less development is needed, but his first step in making his debut in 2013 would be dominating at Double-A. After that, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him make a very short visit to Triple-A Las Vegas, or make the jump directly to the show. The ball sounds like it is pretty much in Leathersich’s court. If he dominates Double-A, he will be rewarded with a trip to the city that never sleeps in 2013.
About the Author: Mitch Petanick
Mitch is currently an Editor and Minor League Analyst for Mets Merized Online. His baseball experience includes being a former All-Conference collegiate baseball player who had numerous professional tryouts, and he is currently a hitting instructor. He has been involved with the game of baseball for over 30 years now as a player, coach, and consultant. Mitch is also a former Featured Columnist on Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @FirstPitchMitch.
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NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 25 | 18 | .581 | - |
| Nationals | 23 | 21 | .523 | 2.5 |
| Phillies | 21 | 23 | .477 | 4.5 |
| Mets | 17 | 24 | .415 | 7.0 |
| Marlins | 12 | 32 | .273 | 13.5 |
Last updated: 05/19/2013
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I agree with your assessment,
From what I see, Leathersich needs to stay back just a millisecond longer and throw after his front foot (right foot) lands. Staying back a hair prevents rushing the delivery, and I saw some of that. Pitchers also struggle with their control when their release point is contemporaneous to when their front foot lands. Their control improves when they throw after the front foot lands, which promotes the “follow through” and drive toward home plate that you mention above.
Yeah, he has really nice movement and appears to have no compunction about pitching inside. He also appears sturdy and athletic, so it appears good things are to follow.
Like him!
Great analysis. Being that he has such a live arm and a great build, why not teach him a change and make him a starter ala Johan Santana in his formative years?
I dont think Leathersich is starting in Binghamton. He barely got a taste of Hi-A and the short time he was there wasn’t anything special or worth promoting him for. Just my opinion. I did appreciate that flaw about his follow through and I agree it’s not a difficult fix but definitely a necessary one.
A+ or AA probably depends on how he looks in the spring (say he makes the mechanical adjustment, and looks awesome), and how the roster squeeze looks at both teams.
But, for a RP prospect, they often will get moved a lot quicker to see what their level is.
But if he does start at Lucie, if he pitches anything like he did at Savannah, he won’t be there long!
I understand, but given the lack of left-handers in the system, relief or starter, there is no reason to rush them just to fill out a minor league bullpen and particular care must be given to that southpaw’s development more so than a RH reliever. Kolarek will be in Bingo and that’s what created the spot for Rocket in Lucy. Both will stay put until they push the envelopes. Plus HamBone is also moving from Lucy to Bingo so the need for Rocket in PSL is still there for now. Hopefully he forces his way to Bingo and goes there riding a burst of confidence.
The first time I saw him, I watched him warm up and I was reminded of Billy Wagner. Similar build and the ball just explodes out of his hand.
I can see that.
good smooth mechanics. Ball explodes off his hand. And I like how he doesn’t seem afraid to back hitters up off the plate. Gonna keep my eye on him as well this year.
The Mets should draft more college electric armed relievers if they can nab them between rounds 4 to 6 as they did Jack in the 5th round. You need some good relief prospects in your farm system too.
The interesting thing about Leathersich is they have been maximizing his innings his first two seasons and has averaged about 2 IP appearance over his minor league career.
Personally I think he should be closing in Binghamton to start the season as he has the potential to be an all-star caliber closer…
One roadblock for Leathersich, plus Mazzoni and Montero as well could be a 40-man roster crunch. Right now, 33 of 39 members of the 40-man are in their 20s. Only 4 veterans are eligible for free agency after this season.
Meanwhile Tapia, DeGrom and Den Dekker are obvious candidates for protection after the 2013 season. Aderlin Rodriguez, Corey Vaughn, Steve Matz and Darrell Ceciliani also seem like prime candidates for protection.
While some roster spots figure to be open, it’ll still be difficult adding players before they need