It was a fantastic 2014 for the Mets' lefty specialist.
After missing the final two months of the 2013 season due to injury, Josh Edgin's role in the Mets' bullpen going into the 2014 season was unknown. An early cut in spring training, Edgin was not guaranteed a lot of time with the big club. After spending the first month and a half of the 2014 season in Triple-A Las Vegas, Edgin was called up to the Mets and began his campaign to remain there for good. He excelled in this opportunity.
After the release of Kyle Farnsworth, Edgin, despite his less-than-stellar numbers in the hitter-friendly environment in Las Vegas, was granted a spot on the major league roster. He made his debut on May 15th against the Yankees, retiring the only batter he faced with one pitch. He closed out May in impressive fashion, allowing only one run and two hits in 4.2 innings, good for a 1.93 ERA for the month.
His role and usage increased in June, shutting down the opposition in 7.2 innings. Because of his effectiveness as a lefty specialist, he usually pitched to only one or two batters at a time. This worked for him, though, as he only allowed one earned run and two hits for the second consecutive month. After not striking out a single batter in the month of May, Edgin posted a 11.74 K/9 innings pitched in June while only walking two batters. His 1.17 ERA and 3.00 FIP were outstanding, both lower than those of his May.
He hit his first rough patch of the season in July, pitching to a solid, but not great 3.60 ERA. His FIP, however, ballooned to 4.73. On the 29th, he gave up a grand slam to Chase Utley, only his second home run allowed on the season.
Edgin's August was by far his best month of the season. He allowed zero runs and only five hits in 8.1 innings while striking out 11 and walking three, good for a 0.00 ERA and 1.57 FIP. Opposing batters posted a measly .204 wOBA against him. His most impressive outing of the month came on the 10th in Philadelphia as he preserved a one-run lead by striking out all four batters he faced in one-and-one-third innings. Edgin sustained an elbow injury at the end of August, causing him to miss 17 games. He returned on September 9th and pitched only 1.2 innings in the month. Unsurprisingly, he allowed zero runs and only two hits in this short period of time.
Edgin was absolutely stellar in 2014. His final line: 1.32 ERA, 2.69 FIP, 9.22 K/9, 1.98 BB/9, .194/.240/.299 slash line against and .242 wOBA against.
He established himself as the Mets' primary left-handed option in their ever-improving bullpen. Lefties put up a scant .238 wOBA against him, and righties did not fare much better, posting a .248 wOBA against. Edgin seemed to use his slider as an out-pitch more effectively than ever in 2014. In two-strike counts, batters whiffed 15 times and had an isolated power of .000 against it, according to BrooksBaseball. That accounted for more than half of his total strikeouts for the season. He improved his control of all his pitches in 2014, lowering his BB/9 innings pitched by nearly two from his 2013 total.
Edgin is not yet eligible for arbitration, and figures to be a vital, cost-effective part of the Mets' bullpen in 2015.
Desired 2015 role: Reliever who pitches in high-leverage situations against both righties and lefties and excels in the role, nearly doubling his innings pitched from 2014.
Expected 2015 role: Reliever who is mainly used as a lefty specialist, but is elite at the job.