Seth Lugo, RHP
Player Data: Age: 27 on 11/17, B/T: Right/Right, Free Agency: 2022
2016 Primary Stats: 5-2, 2.67 ERA, 17 G, 8 GS, 64 IP, 45 K, .1.09 WHIP
2016 Review:
At first glance, Seth Lugo‘s Triple A numbers in 2016 didn’t scream “promotion” to the majors. In 21 games, 14 of those starts in Las Vegas, Lugo posted a win-loss record of 3-4, with a 6.50 ERA and .329 batting average against. Of course, the Pacific Coast League is a tough environment to judge both offensive and pitching production, due to the high elevations and fighting the dry air. Rewind just one season to 2015, when Lugo opened the year with the formerly known Binghamton Mets, and posted a 6-5 record with a more respectable 3.80 ERA, with a .254 average against in 19 starts in the Eastern League.
Lugo’s promotion at the end of June was due in large part to adding a fresh arm to the pen, as LHP Sean Gilmartin was demoted after posting a lopsided 15.75 ERA in the month of June. The promotion of Lugo was also because off the unknown conditions surrounding Steven Matz and his bone spur in his left elbow. Matz made his start against the Cubs, and Lugo would make his major league debut out of the pen on July 1, relieving Hansel Robles and tossing two shutout innings with two strikeouts.
He’d make eight more appearances out of the pen before transitioning to the rotation on August 19 against the San Francisco Giants on the road. Lugo pitched well into the seventh, allowing only one run on six hits before he departed with runners on first and second and two out. Jerry Blevins entered the game and promptly gave up back-to-back singles, giving the Giants a 3-1 lead and charging three runs to the 26-year-old right-hander.
Lugo recorded his first major league win six days later, tossing five innings of two-hit ball, allowing no runs, and striking out five against the St. Louis Cardinals. Including the win against the Cards, Lugo would end up winning his next four starts in a row, and finished the season with a 5-2 record, a 2.67 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP (9th best among rookies). A September 28 start he made against Philadelphia proved crucial, as the 5.1 IP of two-run ball and the win kept the Mets a game and a half in front of the San Francisco Giants for the top Wild Card spot, and two and a half games in front of the fading Cardinals.
Lugo and Gsellman both provided the Mets with solid starting pitching down the stretch, as their vaunted starting staff had been besieged by injuries throughout the entire season. It’s amazing to consider that Gsellman (13th round) and Lugo (34th round) were able to be key contributors for the Mets staff, considering that both were never viewed as much more than depth.
Grade: B+
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2017 Outlook:
Depending on the health of the returning injured starters, Lugo offers depth for the starting rotation, or could be utilized out of the bullpen, where he posted a 2.65 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in 17 innings this year with the big club. Lugo was used out of the pen in June for Las Vegas, where the coaching staff felt he was more consistent and comfortable with his fastball command and higher velocity. Depth is the key word when it comes to Lugo, as he offers value in both starting and relieving moving forward for the Mets.
