In two days, the Chicago Cubs added two potentially important pieces to their bullpen at a very small cost. These relievers could help one of the weaker parts of the roster into a strength. And this could all be thanks to Theo and Jed, who decided to pick up a couple of guys most had never heard of.
Jack Leathersich, a twenty five year old southpaw, was claimed off of waivers from the New York Mets on Thursday, November 19th. He had only made seventeen major league appearances before an ACL injury forced him into Tommy John Surgery last summer. He 's not expected to be back before July, but when/if he does end up returning, make sure to keep an eye on this guy. Standing in at five feet, eleven inches tall, Leathersich is not physically intimidating. He is, however, dominating. After being drafted in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, Leathersich went on to pitch over 210 innings of relief,
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Spencer Patton, another interesting case, was acquired from the Texas Rangers on Friday, November 20th, in exchange for infielder Frandy Delarosa*. A right handed pitcher with good command, an above-average four seam fastball, and an excellent slider, mixed in with a sinker and changeup, Patton could heighten the interest of both the fans, and the organization. A very aggressive, yet deceiving delivery throws off batters, however, this success has not followed through in the majors. All though you could make the case that he 's only thrown thirty three major league innings, Patton will be twenty eight next season, and batters have hit him fairly hard in the big leagues (6.75 ERA). This season is very important for Patton, who could become another decent set up man under control for years to come, or a AAAA pitcher who will not succeed in Major League Baseball. A strike thrower, with a gorgeous slider is a start, however, with a good spring, and if his groundball rate stays down, there is a decent chance we could be catching a glimpse of Spencer Patton in a Chicago