Your Guide To The 1993 Toronto Blue Jays: Al Leiter

Was he ever going to get a full season in?

In the minors?

Would he ever get to the majors to stay?

That had been the question the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans had been asking about Al Leiter.

Ever since that the Jays traded fan favourite Jesse Barfield for him in April of 1989, Leiter had rarely been healthy enough to stay in the bigs. Even in 1992, when he got in a full season in the minors, the Jays took no chances on him when they called him up in September. Leiter pitched just once for them that year, October 4th. It was as if the Jays had given up on him.

If you had asked me who Al Leiter was in the spring of 1993, I wouldn't have known what to say.

But in spring training of 1993, Al was 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA. Could this be the year?

When spring training ended, he was on the big league roster! Then, with Dave Stewart on the DL, Leiter was part of the starting rotation. There is light and the end of the tunnel and it just keeps getting brighter!

A fine 2-hitter over 7 innings gave him his first win on the campaign.

Then, two bad starts.

Then, the day after his third start, that old feeling again. Blisters!

Leiter was placed on the 15-day DL.

He was back in May to make 2 starts and 2 relief appearances. But he got rocked in both of them. Fully healthy, it just seemed Leiter just didn't have enough fuel! Dave Stewart was back in the rotation on May 13th. Was this it for Leiter?

No, and things got better in June. Todd Stottlemyre went on the DL from May 23 to June 13. Leiter was needed in the rotation again. This time, Al Leiter lit it up out there!

He won 3 of his 4 starts, including a 7-0 compete-game shutout over Boston on June 17th. The bad news here is it was his last start until September 25th.

But in that stretch he pitched 20 games, posted a 3.19 ERA in 36 2/3 innings, and won 3 games and saved two more.

And, back into the rotation because of an injury to Jack Morris, he won his last 2 starts. They were both good: a 6 inning 1-hitter and a 6 inning 4-hitter

Leiter finished 1993 with a 9-6 record, 2 saves, 3 holds, and a 4.11 ERA.

Okay, it might not look great, but here are a few things to consider:

1) Leiter pretty much was the "starter if any of the other regular starting 5 are hurt." Indeed, other than Scott Brow's 3 starts and Doug Linton's May 8th start, no one else other than Jack Morris, Dave Stewart, Todd Stottlemyre, Pat Hentgen (who made 2 April relief appearances), Juan Guzman or Al Leiter started a game for the Jays of 93. That's important when it comes to stability. The last thing a team wants to do is shove someone in there who is really only a minor-league player

2) Leiter, when in the bullpen, could pitch long innings, and also to just lefties. Indeed, lefties hit just .233 of Leiter, so that option was available if Tony Castillo wasn't.

3) Leiter after proving this, was part of the postseason roster.

So Leiter, in my opinion was a key member of both the bullpen and the starting rotation. Can I get some of the negative out of the way, then come back with the positive?

He blew the save on September 7th vs. Oakland, but it was his only blown save on the season.

He started 12 games and relived 22.

He tossed 105 innings. He only K'd 66 batters and did walk a little too many batters, 58.

As a starter, he was 6-5 with a 4.50 ERA. As a reliever, he was 3-1 with a 3.51 ERA.

After starting out 1-4, he went 8-2 the rest of the way

After going 4-5 in the first half with a 4.93 ERA, Leiter did what Mike Timlin did: really come on in the second half (5-1, 2.75 ERA)

He did not appear in any games in the minor leagues in 1993.

In any event, it was a sort-of breakthrough season for Al Leiter of the 1993 Toronto Blue Jays. Although 27 years old, getting through this season made him a young 27. But he'd be 28 by the time the Jays were champions!

And I'm sure Leiter will not forget his 28th birthday.


References

Bingley, Phil, et al. Another World: the Toronto Stars Tribute To The’ 93 Blue Jays. Toronto Star for Doubleday Canada, 1993. Print.

Dan Diamond and Associates and Toronto Blue Jays Club. Toronto Blue Jays Official Guide 1987, 1993, 1994. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 09 Oct. 2013.