Scouting Report

1998 Season
After coming over from the Marlins in an offseason trade for three prospects, Al Leiter was having the best season of his career last year when he partially tore his left patellar tendon in late June. He was expected to miss at least one month, and it was feared that he would need season-ending knee surgery. Leiter made a remarkable recovery, however, returning three weeks later and picking up right where he'd left off. He won eight of 10 decisions after the injury to post a career-high 17 victories.


Pitching
These days, it seems that every lefthanded pitcher in baseball tries to throw offspeed pitches off the outside corner. Leiter always has taken the exact opposite approach, using his power stuff--a sinking fastball in the low 90s, a cutter and a hard slider--to pound righties inside. In 1998, he decided he could learn a thing or two from his fellow southpaws. By throwing his big-breaking curveball to the outer half of the plate, he was able to get more groundballs and make his inside pitches more effective. As a result, he cut his walk totals and was harder to hit than ever. He still hasn't found a comfortable method to approach lefthanders, but that weakness hasn't hurt him.


Defense & Hitting
Leiter is fairly tough to run on, though he doesn't have much of a move to first. He's a good athlete and a good fielder. He can't hit or bunt very well, but he can wait out a walk when he isn't forced to swing.


1999 Outlook
The Mets were so enamored with Leiter's performance that they promptly signed him to a four-year, $32 million deal at the end of the season. His stuff remains as good as ever, and with his more refined approach he should remain one of the toughest lefties in the game.