Former 51s pitcher Jeremy Accardo rejoins team as a coach

Larson Accardo was just one day old the first time he came to Cashman Field to watch his dad pitch for the 51s.

Flash forward almost a decade and the youngster was back at Cashman Field. This time, he was the one showing off his arm while playing catch with his dad, Jeremy Accardo, before a recent April home game.

After pitching for the 51s in 2009 and 2010 as a member of the Blue Jays organization, Jeremy Accardo, the 51s’ all-time saves leader, is back in Las Vegas, this time with a different organization (Mets) in a different role (bullpen coach).

Accardo was 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings pitched in 2009, converting 13 saves. The next year, he tossed 44 innings for the 51s, saving 24 games and posting a 3.48 ERA.

“I enjoyed pitching in this league because I felt like I knew what hitters were trying to do and I think that’s part of the reason I got this job here is because I knew how to kind of attack guys in these situations,” Accardo said.

As a major leaguer, Accardo pitched in 262 games scattered throughout eight seasons, his best season in 2007 when he posted a 2.14 ERA across 67 1/3 innings and saved 30 games.

After his playing career ended in 2015, he went back to school at Illinois State and finished his degree, pondering whether he’d like to coach in the college or pro ranks.

That turned out to be an easy decision.

Accardo spent last season as the pitching coach for the Gulf Coast League Mets before returning to Las Vegas this season as the 51s’ bullpen coach, a newly created position.

“They thought that I would be a good candidate for it, one, to get me into the analytic side of baseball,” Accardo said. “…Part of my job description is advanced scouting and keeping track of some of the data and try to decipher it to where just baseball minds can use it so that and the fact that I’m pretty fresh out of baseball and had success in this league.”

There is a wealth of information out there that Accardo said he didn’t use “nearly enough,” of as a player. Only a few years later, there’s even more data and now it’s his job to make sure 51s embrace it.

“As a player and when this stuff started coming up I was like ‘Eh,’ just because it’s new,” Accardo said. “Most baseball players don’t like new.

“Well now it’s my job to kind of say ‘Hey, new’s here whether you like it or not. Let’s have some fun with it and try to learn. And just enjoy it.’ There’s a lot to learn for these guys and myself. There’s still ways to get better.”

At 36, Accardo is just older than all of the players currently on the 51s’ roster but not too far removed from playing professionally.

“Us coaches, I haven’t played since ’92,” manager Tony DeFrancesco said. “…We still remember how to play the game but he’s actually just stepped out of it and to be at this level right away and handle some of these older players, I think it’s a great opportunity for him.”

Accardo’s responsibilities include advanced scouting, helping players with video and getting the guys in the bullpen ready to pitch, among other things.

“It’s nice to have another set of eyes looking at pitchers,” pitching coach Glenn Abbott said. “We can talk about a lot of different things.”

Accardo said he wasn’t sure whether he’d prefer being bullpen coach or pitching coach in the future, but while he’s in Las Vegas, he has Abbott, one of the more experienced pitching coaches in the Mets’ organization, to learn from.

“I want to be used where I can make the most difference,” Accardo said. “…I’m enjoying it and I love it and I’m excited to do it and I’m excited to be around the guys and be in the clubhouse. Wherever I fit in is where I want to be.”

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Contact Betsy Helfand at bhelfand@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BetsyHelfand on Twitter.