Phillies DFA Mark Leiter; Possible Fit with the Mariners?

Earlier today, the Philadelphia Phillies traded for veteran slugger Jose Bautista. In a corresponding move, Philly designated Mark Leiter for assignment. Could the pitcher find success in with the Mariners?

Let’s get this out of the way right now: Mark Leiter is NOT my proposal for a rotation piece in 2018. However, there is a serious lack of depth in potential rotation pieces in the Mariners high minors. Leiter fits that bill with a hint of some upside. Let’s look at the numbers.

Mark Leiter Jr., the son of MLB pitcher Mark Leiter and nephew of Al Leiter, is a 27-year-old, right-handed pitcher. He has accumulated 107.1 innings pitched in Major League Baseball, including 11 starts. In his MLB career, the results have been poor on the surface. Leiter’s career 5.03 ERA and 1.41 WHIP don’t inspire much confidence.

However, there may be more than meets the eye. Despite the poor numbers you see at a quick glance, there are some signs of a legitimate, back-end starter with Leiter. For starters, he boasts a solid 8.13 K/9 and a respectable 3.27 BB/9. Both fall into the Dipoto camp as “acceptable”.

In addition, Leiter also has a career 49.1 % groundball rate. For comparison’s sake, Mike Leake has a 2018 groundball rate of 48.9 %. The high groundball rates can be attributed to a heavy, 91 MPH sinker and average splitter. Leiter has 5 fringe-average pitches: a sinker, curveball, splitter, cutter, and changeup.

The average swing and miss profile along with a high groundball rate leads me to believe there might be a solid, back-end starter in 2019. All of these factors combine to a 4.27 xFIP, which is also solid.

Leiter can be had for almost nothing and isn’t even arbitration eligible until after the 2020 season. With a minuscule cost and 2 remaining options, stashing Leiter in AAA is too good a possibility to pass up.

Leiter could be a tweak or two away from providing a Mike Leake profile for the next 5 years. For a team like the Mariners, who are in desperate need of lottery tickets to pay off, Leiter could be just the guy they can take a chance on.