Al Leiter
When first coming up through the Yankee farm system, Leiter was hailed as the next great arm in pinstripes, the one remaining star left in a minor-league system decimated by
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Al Leiter
When first coming up through the Yankee farm system, Leiter was hailed as the next great arm in pinstripes, the one remaining star left in a minor-league system decimated by foolish trades throughout the 1980s. Though he never realized that success with the Yanks, he did end up reaching the World Series with three other teams. A tough-as-nails power pitcher, Leiter as hampered by injuries through the first half of his career, but fought back to establish himself as one of the premier lefties in the bigs by the mid-'90's.
The Yankees' second-round pick in the June 1984 draft, the much-lauded Leiter recorded an unimpressive 2-2 with a 6.35 ERA after his first call-up in 1987. That was good enough for the bumbling Yanks, who put him into the rotation in 1988, though he was frequently unable to pitch due to a recurring blister. In need of heavy hitting, the Yanks traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays early in the 1989 season for Jesse Barfield. Shortly after being traded, the southpaw went on the DL and underwent arthroscopic surgery in September.
From 1990-92, the hard-luck Leiter appeared in only eight games with the Jays, thanks to arthroscopic surgery, an irritated nerve in his left elbow, and tendinitis. In fact, Leiter didn't record his first win in a Toronto uniform until 1993, when he went a respectable 9-6 as a spot starter, helping the club win its second consecutive World Championship. But it was not 1995 (his first injury-free season) that Leiter would establish himself as an ace in the making, setting career highs in almost every pitching category, winning 11 games, striking out 153, and posting a 3.64 ERA.
By that time, Leiter's pitching rhythm had become concrete. As opposed to most lefties in the majors who used offspeed pitches to combat their opponents, Leiter went for the gullet like Randy Johnson. Sinking fastballs and devastating sliders were the composite of his repertoire, along with a looping curveball to induce groundball outs.
Al Le
