May 21, 2009
In baseball, there’s a fuzzy line that separates confidence and cockiness.
But however the two traits are defined, most great pitchers possess one or the other. More often than not, the best of the best believe they’re better than the other guy.
And, whether that qualifies as confidence or cockiness, Beverly native Jack Leathersich said it’s that philosophy that helps him dominate.
“I’ve always been a little cocky on the mound and not everyone likes that,” said Leathersich, who just finished his freshman season at UMass Lowell. “But if you don’t believe in yourself, than you have no business being out there.”
One thing is certain, and it’s that Leathersich most definitely belongs on the mound. After an extremely successful career on the diamond at Beverly, Leathersich opted to play ball for UMass-Lowell.
Last week, he was named the Northeast-10 Conference’s Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a First Team All-Conference player.
“I really wasn’t surprised to see him excel at that level,” said Beverly head coach Dave Wilbur, who coached Leathersich for three years in high school. “There has never been any question about Jack’s talent and his drive. He’s as competitive a kid on the mound as I’ve ever seen.”
Leathersich finished the year 7-4 overall with an astounding 2.18 ERA. Hitters batted only .226 against the powerful lefty, who struck out 63 while allowing only 17 earned runs all spring. With a low-90s fastball and an above average changeup and curve, Leathersich may only get better, too.
“He really has no ceiling right now,” UMass Lowell head coach Ken Harring said. “He really wants to leave his mark on the program. Can he have a better year than he did this year, who knows? But he can definitely get better. Everyone can always get better. He’s not the type of kid to just rest on his laurels.”
This summer Leathersich will pitch in the Virginia Valley League, which boasts a solid collection of NCAA Div. 1 talent, most with hopes of playing Major League Baseball someday.
“The next level is definitely something I’ve thought about,” Leathersich said. “At this point, I want to get better and help my team get better, but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want to play in the big leagues someday.”
A lot can happen between now and then, but Leathersich understands the track most players with similar aspirations follow. If all goes well next spring, he hopes to land in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, which has produced some of the best young players in the big leagues today.
“We’ll see what happens,” Leathersich said. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I have no doubt in my ability. I just have to keep working at it.”
Supreme confidence
Leathersich first started to see his own potential when he was a freshman at St. John’s Prep in Danvers. He was a bit smaller back then, but he still threw harder than most kids his age.
As he grew into his body and put in time in the weight room, he continued to progress. When he left Beverly, his fastball had broken the all-important 90-miles-per-hour plateau and Wilbur said he started to catch scout’s attention.
“He had a live arm and we did the best we could to teach him the art of pitching,” Wilbur said. “That’s really the big next step for him. But when you’re a big left-handed pitcher with a strong fastball, you’re going to catch some eyes.”
Wilbur said he wouldn’t be shocked to see Leathersich drum up enough interest to consider leaving UMass Lowell before he graduates, with the potential of being drafted in the first few rounds of the MLB amateur draft. And, regardless of his own confidence in his ability, Leathersich wasn’t quick to make predictions of his own.
“I really can’t say enough about Coach Wilbur and Coach Harring and how much they’ve helped me out,” Leathersich said. “It’s great if a pitcher can throw 90, but it doesn’t mean anything if he doesn’t know how to pitch. I’m still learning a lot and figuring some stuff out, so there’s a long way to go before I’m pitching in the big leagues.”
Harring said he saw Jack’s potential when he saw him pitch as a sophomore at Beverly High School. “The way that he grew in those three years is what really drew us to him,” Harring said. “You could see that he had supreme confidence on the mound, but he didn’t let that just carry him. You could see how he evolved as a pitcher, and that was important to me as a college coach.”
Harring said he saw Leathersich even develop within games this spring.
“There would be an inning where he’d have to recognize what was working and what wasn’t, and he’d make adjustments,” Harring said. “Sometimes, pitchers get caught up with their ego or their cockiness and they aren’t willing to do that. Jack would always be aware on the mound.”
And, while his talent is obvious on the mound, both Harring and Wilbur said that his leadership on the field is equally important.
“The other kids definitely feed off him as a player, when he’s actually pitching or when he’s on the bench,” Wilbur said. “He sets the tone for a team, even on days when he’s not the starter.”
And, though he’ll only be a sophomore next year, Harring said he expects Leathersich to lead what should be a very talented starting rotation for the River Hawks.
“We were in the top-five in ERA in the country this year and we don’t lose a single pitcher,” Harring said. “Jack will be key for us the next couple years, so I think he knows that he’ll need to assume a leadership role.”
Leathersich said he’d embrace that role. After all, his favorite moment from his first spring with the River Hawks came in a game that he didn’t even play.
“Without a doubt, my favorite moment was a walk-off win against Stonehill,” Leathersich said. “Just the energy and the bonding with the team, that was huge. You really feed off that.”
But, if all goes well for Leathersich, UMass Lowell will never need a walk-off win when he pitches. After all, judging by the way he’s pitched in his first year as a River Hawk, his teammates should have the lead more often than not when he walks off the mound.
“I’ve got lots of personal goals, but none of them are more important than leaving the game with my team in the lead,” Leathersich said. “That’s my goal every time.”
And, whether he’s confident or cocky, that reflects Leathersich’s maturity and leadership more than anything else.
“Jack’s a different breed,” Harring said. “The first thing you notice is his confidence, but there’s much more to him than that.”
