Sept. 6, 2011
As a rookie pro, former UMass Lowell lefthander Jack Leathersich should be absorbing all he can from the Brooklyn Cyclones pitching coach, Frank Viola, a former Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP. And he is, even though when he signed with the New York Mets he already knew how to throw the circle change that Viola made famous.
But that doesn't mean there's nothing Viola couldn't have learned from Leathersich in another time and place.
"My biggest problem when I was playing was I didn't have any trouble getting out righties. I had more trouble with lefties because I just didn't see enough of them," Viola reflected before a recent Brooklyn game against the Lowell Spinners at LeLacheur Park. "One thing Jack has going for him that I didn't is that biting curveball that upsets any quality lefthanded hitter.
"If I could go back 20 or 25 years to my own career," mused Viola, who was 176-150 with a 3.73 ERA in the majors from 1982-1996, "maybe I'd ask him how he throws that curveball.
"If I knew, maybe it would have prolonged my career a little bit."
Add a blazing fastball and that circle change to Leathersich's arsenal, and it's easy to understand why Viola thinks the former River Hawk and Beverly native is one terrific prospect.
Leathersich, the Mets' fifth-round pick in the June draft who signed with them for a $110,000 bonus in July, has blinded New York-Penn League hitters. The Mets have only let him pitch about once a week out of the bullpen and never for more than two innings.
But in the 122/3 innings Leathersich has pitched over nine appearances, he has given up just six hits and one run for an 0.71 ERA, walked three, and struck out 26 batters.
He struck out the side in his professional debut and recently picked up his first professional save.
"He's gone out there and done a terrific job," Viola said. "The thing I like about him is that he's really aggressive; he goes right after the hitter. He has three pitches to work with."
Although this is the least amount of pitching he's done in a summer since he was a youngster, Leathersich actually welcomed the lighter workload after throwing 89 innings for the River Hawks last spring, when he compiled a 6-2 record and 1.62 ERA with 126 strikeouts and only 55 hits and 27 walks allowed.
"I had a long college season, and this is a long season," Leathersich said. "I knew it was coming. They talked about it right after I signed.
"I threw a lot of innings in college, so I'm using this as a learning season and will get after it next year. They obviously have a plan for me, and whatever they want me to do, I'll do it."
Asked what he did during the weeks between the end of UML's season, the draft, and the day he finally came to terms with the Mets, Leathersich said: "I just worked out every day, kept throwing.
"But I rested a lot, too. I needed that rest."
The plan, according to Viola, is to have Leathersich be a starter in Class A ball next year. If he thrives, so much the better. But the Mets just want him to gain as much experience as possible by throwing the extra innings.
"We're going to have him build up his arm, but I see him as a closer or set-up man somewhere down the line because he's overpowering for short periods of time," Viola said.
The change-up, which Leathersich began using with the River Hawks last spring, is still a work in progress.
"He throws a circle change, and the biggest thing about the circle change is trusting the grip," said Viola, who was the MVP of the 1987 World Series for the Twins and won the Cy Young Award the following season by going 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA. "A lot of people give it away by slowing their body up or slowing their arm up or not trusting the grip.
"He already had it when he got here, but he didn't have any faith in it. At the Division II level all he needed was the fastball and the curveball. But once you get to this level and see the quality of the hitters, you do need that third pitch."
Perhaps the most amazing stat the southpaw Leathersich has compiled with the Cyclones is that of the 22 outs he's recorded against righthanded batters, 17 of them have been strikeouts. Viola isn't the least bit surprised.
"His fastball has great life on it, and like with most lefthanded pitchers it starts to move away from righthanded hitters who are trying to pull it," Viola explained. "On top of that, you throw a curveball that's coming in on you, you really don't feel comfortable at the plate.
"Now if you throw a third pitch with a change in speed on top of everything else and get that into the hitter's head before he even goes up to bat, it's advantage Leathersich all the way."
Leathersich threw two scoreless innings against the Lowell Spinners, who share LeLacheur Park with the River Hawks, in his homecoming Tuesday. He did give up a hit, spoiling a no-hit bid by Cyclones' pitchers, but struck out four.
UML coach Ken Harring and a lot of Leathersich's former River Hawk teammates were seated in the stands behind home plate and cheering him on.
"That was awesome, a great experience," Leathersich said. "They all came out to support me, and it felt good."
He said he had to keep reminding himself not to get too amped up while pitching in front of family, friends, and old teammates.
"I looked at it as just another appearance, throw strikes and get them out," he said.
Viola has only one complaint about Leathersich: He's a human radar detector.
"The one gripe I have with him -- and this is the gripe I have as a pitching coach and a former ballplayer -- is that he gets antsy and looks over his shoulder at the miles per hour of his pitch," Viola said. "He has a great arm. It doesn't matter what the gun registered.
"If he throws the pitch where he needs to throw it, it doesn't matter how hard he throws it. He's going to get hitters out."
