A relatively unknown Mets prospect has a chance to make the leap from Double-A Binghamton to the Major League team out of spring training. David Roseboom, a 24 year-old lefty, is a sinker/slider pitcher who also has a changeup that allows him to get right-handed batters out. While Roseboom primarily sits in the high 80s to the low 90s, he remains effective because he is able to locate his pitches and induces a high rate of ground balls.
In 52 games in 2016, he pitched 57.2 innings and recorded 14 saves, striking out 54 batters and walking 18. He had a 1.87 ERA and 0.902 WHIP while holding batters to a .170/.243/.270 slash line. He is effective overall, however the specific reason Roseboom could be called up this year is his effectiveness against left-handed batters.
In 2016, he held lefties to a pristine .141/.225/.205 batting line in 89 plate appearances, striking out 30 of them and walking seven. He has long been effective against lefties, as since 2014, he has held them to a .153/.247/.229 batting line, so we can expect more of the same.
In a division with left-handed batters like Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Freddie Freeman, and Justin Bour, having someone available to come out of the bullpen and shut them down is imperative. With free agent lefties Jerry Blevins and Boone Logan commanding expensive contracts, Roseboom could prove to be a cheap and effective option for the next few years.
