Mets Season in Review: Josh Edgin

Our player by player Season in Review pieces continue today with left handed reliever Josh Edgin.

Jun 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Josh Edgin (66) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Edgin, 26, had two stints with the Mets this year that were sandwiched around trips to Double-A Binghamton and Triple-A Las Vegas.  After struggling in April and getting demoted, Edgin returned to the majors in early June and rediscovered the form that led to his success in 2012.  However, Edgin’s season was cut short in early August when he suffered a stress fracture in his rib.

How he fared on the mound: 

As is noted above, it was a tale of two seasons for Edgin.  He struggled badly in April, posting a 9.64 ERA and a WHIP close to 2.00 in 9.1 innings pitched.  He gave up 13 hits, walked 4, and struck out 10.  He was demoted to the minors after his appearance on April 26th, and returned to the Mets in June after stints with Binghamton and Las Vegas.

On June 11th, Edgin made his first appearance since April, and began a string of dominance that lasted until his rib injury ended his season.  From June 11th through July 29th, Edgin was terrific.  In 19.1 innings pitched over 23 appearances, he allowed just 2 runs on 13 hits.  He walked 8, and struck out 10.

Areas to improve upon:

Edgin’s stats indicate that he isn’t a true LOOGY (left handed one out guy).  He actually fared better against right handed hitters in 2013 than left handed hitters.  He held righties to a .236 BAA, while lefties hit  .250 against him.  Additionally, the 2 home runs Edgin allowed in 2013 both came against lefties.

However, of Edgin’s 20 strikeouts, 16 of them came against left handed hitters.  If Edgin wants to be considered a true crossover reliever, he needs to develop an out pitch to use against right handed hitters.  He has a solid fastball/slider combination, but his repertoire would be even more robust if he worked on his little used changeup.

Projected role in 2014:

When Edgin is pitching well, as he did in June and July, he’s someone who can be used against both righties and lefties.  With the Mets expected to carry lefty specialist Scott Rice in the bullpen next year, Edgin could be an answer as someone who can come in to get a lefty out one night (taking pressure off Rice) and pitch an inning against both righties and lefties the next.

Contract status and trade rumors:

Edgin is under team control.  He’s slated to make roughly $500K in 2014.  It’s possible that there are teams who value Edgin.  He’s still relatively young, and has had some success in the majors.  However, his season ending injury may give any potential interested team pause.  I’d expect Edgin to be with the Mets in spring training come February.

Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow@RisingAppleBlog on Twitter and Instagram, and Like Rising Apple’s Facebook page to keep up with the latest news, rumors, and opinion.