Mets left-handed relief pitcher Josh Edgin is getting an MRI after experiencing elbow discomfort, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
After not signing a veteran lefty reliever, something that was said to have been a priority in the offseason, this puts the Mets in a difficult spot if the injury to Edgin winds up being something serious. With no significant left-handed relievers remaining on the free agent market, the solution would have to come via trade or, the likelier scenario, in-house.
Scott Rice
After 480 appearances over the course of his 14-year minor league career, left-handed reliever Scott Rice made the Mets Opening Day roster in 2013, breaking into the big leagues for the first time. After posting a 3.71 ERA in his first season, Rice struggled in 2014, eventually being demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas where his year was cut short by a season-ending elbow surgery.
Rice, now 33-years-old and coming off of major surgery, is the Mets top option for a left-handed relief pitcher and, while he’s looked good so far in Spring Training, that is less than optimal.
Sean Gilmartin
Drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2011, Sean Gilmartin made his mark, being ranked the 5th best prospect in the Braves farm system by Baseball America the following season. Gilmartin pitched to a 3.09 ERA in 2011 and a 3.84 ERA in 2012, moving up from Single-A to Triple-A in the process. It was in 2013, however, when Gilmartin hit a bump in the road, pitching to a 5.06 ERA and struggling with shoulder problems throughout the season. The Braves traded Gilmartin to the Minnesota Twins during the 2013-2014 offseason, and it was the Mets who selected Gilmartin one offseason later in the Rule 5 Draft.
Gilmartin pitched as recently as Monday for the Mets and he struggled, particularly against right-handed hitters. Of the three righties he faced, Gilmartin retired one, allowed a walk to one and served up a three-run home run to the other. While it’s a small sample, left-handed hitters are 2-for-5 against Gilmartin in his first two Spring Training games.
Jack Leathersich
Once a highly thought of prospect in the Mets system, Jack Leathersich’s career has yet to take off. After pitching to a combined 2.87 ERA in his first two seasons at the Mets multiple Single-A affiliates, Leathersich struggled in 2013 with a 4.63 ERA. Leathersich was demoted to Double-A Binghamton to start the 2014 season, eventually finishing his year in Las Vegas where he pitched to a combined 3.31 ERA.
Leathersich has always struck batters out at a prolific rate, punching out 334 hitters in 197.1 innings pitched in his minor league career. The problem, however, with Leathersich is and has always been his control. While it’s only Spring Training, Leathersich is coming off of a very difficult appearance, allowing two hits, three walks and five earned runs in 0.1 innings pitched. Of the five baserunners he allowed in his outing, three of them were left-handed hitters.
He’s always had potential, but until Leathersich can get consistent control of his pitches, it seems very unlikely that he is going to make this team. It’s also worth noting there’s a perception that if Leathersich begins to throw more strikes, his strikeout rate could decrease as he’d be throwing more pitches in the zone, allowing batters the chance to swing and connect more often on his pitches.
Dario Alvarez
Evaluated last season as a potential lefty specialist, 25-year-old Dario Alvarez has become a fast rising prospect for the Mets, beginning the 2014 season in Single-A Savannah and finishing it all the way up in the major leagues as a September call-up.
Between Savannah, Binghamton and Las Vegas, Alvarez pitched to a 1.10 ERA with 114 strikeouts, 17 walks, a .184 opposing average and a 0.84 WHIP, impressing people within the organization.
In two appearances so far in Spring Training, Alvarez has pitched two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk, while striking out three.
Of the four pitchers mentioned, Scott Rice appears to be the one lock to make the team, while Sean Gilmartin and Dario Alvarez will likely battle it out for second lefty reliever spot on the roster, if the injury to Josh Edgin is serious. Both Gilmartin and Alvarez are on the 40-man roster.
For those who may wonder, Steven Matz, the Mets stud left-handed pitching prospect, is viewed as a starter and is not being considered for a bullpen role at this time, according to MLB.com’s Michael Baron.
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