John Victor Leathersich (born July 14, 1990) is an American former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB)

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

who played for the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates between 2015 and 2017.

Amateur career

After graduating from Beverly High School, Leathersich attended the

University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public ...

. In 2010 and 2011, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League. As a senior, he went 6-2 with a 1.62 earned run average 126 strikeouts (12.74 strikeouts per nine). The strikeouts and strikeouts per nine were both school records.

Professional career

New York Mets

Leathersich was drafted by the

in the fifth round of the

2011 Major League Baseball Draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the firs ...

. Leathersich made his professional debut with the

short season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island Boar ...

of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

. He finished the season with a 0.71 ERA and 26 strikeouts in innings pitched. Leathersich started the 2012 season with the

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated ...

of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

. He was promoted to the High-A St. Lucie Mets after posting a 0.75 earned run average and 37 strikeouts in 24 innings. In 48 innings with St. Lucie, he had a 4.26 ERA and 76 strikeouts. Leathersich was invited to spring training by the Mets in 2013. He started the season with the Double-A

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mirab ...

. Leathersich was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on April 28, 2015. On May 1, 2015, Leathersich was sent down back to the Las Vegas 51s to make room for

Dilson Herrera Dilson José Herrera García (born March 3, 1994) is a Colombian professional baseball second baseman for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the ...

. He was called back up on May 14, 2015. On July 30, 2015 it was announced Jack Leathersich would undergo season ending Tommy John surgery. Leathersich finished the 2015 season with a 0-1 record, 2.31 ERA in 17 games with 14 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched with a WHIP of 1.63 while giving up 12 hits, 3 runs, and 7 walks.

Chicago Cubs

Leathersich was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs on November 19, 2015. He was then non-tendered by the Cubs on December 2, 2015, thus making him a free agent. On December 23, 2015, the Cubs re-signed him where he rehabbed the 2016 season after undergoing Tommy John in July. The Cubs added him to their 40-man roster after the 2016 season.

Pittsburgh Pirates

On September 4, 2017, Leathersich was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was placed on waivers on March 26, 2018.

Cleveland Indians

Leathersich was claimed off waivers by the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive Fi ...

on March 27, 2018. Leathersich was designated for assignment on April 26, 2018. After clearing waivers, he was outrighted to the Indians' Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. He was released on July 12, 2018.

Texas Rangers

On December 21, 2018, Leathersich signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers. He was released on March 14, 2019.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leathersich, Jack 1990 births Living people Sportspeople from Beverly, Massachusetts Baseball players from Essex County, Massachusetts UMass Lowell River Hawks baseball players Major League Baseball pitchers New York Mets players Chicago Cubs players Pittsburgh Pirates players Brooklyn Cyclones players Savannah Sand Gnats players St. Lucie Mets players Binghamton Mets players Las Vegas 51s players Arizona League Cubs players Tennessee Smokies players Iowa Cubs players Orleans Firebirds players Beverly High School alumni