Terry Collins told reporters on Monday he is concerned with LHP Josh Edgin and his struggles so far in camp.
Edgin appeared in Monday’s loss to the Marlins and allowed back-to-back hits to Jordany Valdespin and Derek Dietrich, both left-handed hitters. He retired only one batter and allowed one run in the third inning.
According to Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, a scout in attendance said Edgin was throwing his fastball 88-91 mph. His fastball averaged 92.5 mph in 2014, according to FanGraphs.com.
“What you look for right now is not necessarily anything more than making sure his velocity gets up,” Collins said about Edgin. “That would be right now a concern – the fact that his velocity is not there yet.”
This is a familiar tune with Edgin, as he struggled with both velocity and command during camp last year, resulting in a demotion to the minors during Spring Training. When he finally got recalled last year in mid-May, he was fantastic and instilled confidence he could be a primary lefty specialist. It’s still early, so hopefully his velocity and overall life on his pitches improve as he continues to build arm strength in camp.
The problem is, if Edgin doesn’t straighten himself out in a couple of weeks, who are the Mets going to turn to? It’s not like the options for the second lefty spot are great to begin with, and now that Edgin is struggling, the situation becomes that much more complicated. But, this is why I would’ve liked to have seen the Mets stockpile some more experienced options in lefty relief, even if they came on minor league deals. Now, they could be left to scramble and be badly exposed as a result.
Edgin went 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in 47 relief appearances for the Mets in 2014, during which lefties hit just .184 against.
Read more from Adam Rubin of ESPN New York
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