Drafted in the 6th round (182nd overall) by the Miami Marlins in 2001.
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Bostick came to the Mets with fellow lefty Jason Vargas in the trade that sent righties Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom to the Marlins. The deal didn't work out well at all for New York in 2007, as Lindstrom blossomed as a hard-throwing middle reliever in Florida while Bostick and Vargas struggled mightily. The Mets believe Bostick started straightening himself out right after the season ended. Before heading to the Arizona Fall League, he lost about 15 pounds to get back to his ideal weight of 220. He also started regaining some of the bite on his curveball, which long has been his best pitch. His trimmer frame allows him to maintain his mechanics better and throw harder. After sitting in the upper 80s for most of the year with his sinking two-seam fastball, Bostick operated at 89-91 mph and touched 93 in the AFL. His fringe-average changeup works better when set against a harder fastball. Despite his athleticism--NCAA Division II Slippery Rock (Pa.) offered him a football scholarship as a quarterback--throwing strikes consistently always has been a problem for Bostick. He can gets swings and misses with his fastball and curve but can't always catch the plate as much as he needs to. Bostick could be in the fifth starter's mix in New York in 2008, but more likely will return to Triple-A.
Acquired from the Marlins along with Jason Vargas in the trade that sent relievers Henry Owens and Matt Lindstrom to Florida, Bostick missed the 2002 season following surgery to transpose a nerve in his elbow but came back strong and led the low Class A South Atlantic League in strikeouts in 2004. Bostick, who passed on a scholarship to play quarterback for NCAA Division II Slippery Rock (Pa.), has a sinking two-seam fastball with late life that sits from 88-91 mph. He complements it with a plus curveball with late bite that has a little more tilt then a typical 12-to-6 offering, and a four-seam fastball when he wants to work up in the zone. Bostick has a deceptive delivery that makes it hard for hitters to pick up his pitches. He's an excellent athlete who can make spectacular defensive plays, but he has difficulty repeating his mechanics. His right elbow and shoulder will often fly open early, which makes it hard for him to maintain his arm slot and causes him to spin off the mound. Bostick has worked on a changeup, but is still not comfortable with it and needs urging to throw it more. Even with a fringy changeup, his fastball-curve combo should be enough to make him a solid back-end starter. He'll head to Triple-A and could get a shot should an injury arise in the rotation.
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