After a thrilling 4-3 extra-innings victory over the Netherlands on Monday night, Puerto Rico has tapped Seth Lugo of the New York Mets to start in the WBC championship game on Wednesday. Which team will face Puerto Rico will be decided tonight when the United States battles Japan for that final and cherished spot. The game will be televised on MLB Network at 9:00 PM ET.
Lugo, 26, has performed admirably for the Puerto Rican team in the World Baseball Classic. He’s a perfect 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 0.921 WHIP in two starts spanning 11.0 innings while walking two and striking out five.
While it has yet to be determined exactly what Lugo’s official role will be or if he even starts the season on the big-league roster, manager Terry Collins has been pleased with his results.
“He’s a strike-thrower,” Collins told Mike Puma of the NY Post last week. “We saw it last year, we saw it during the season and ultimately when we get down toward the end [of camp], when we decide where we are standing in our bullpen and need a guy that can perhaps give you some innings, he might be in that mix.”
After extensive injuries to the Mets’ rotation down the stretch in 2016, Lugo stepped in and made 17 appearances including eight starts, striking out 45 batters and walking 21 in 64.0 innings pitched with a 2.67 ERA and 1.094 WHIP. His curveball was almost immediately regarded as one of the best in the league, especially once StatCast revealed it has the fastest spin rate in the game.
If the season were to start today, the Mets rotation would probably be Noah Syndergaard, Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Steven Matz, and Robert Gsellman holding down that fifth spot. With Zack Wheeler expected to remain in extended spring training, Seth Lugo still has a shot to earn a job in the Mets bullpen as a long reliever and spot starter. However, even if he starts the season in Las Vegas, there is no doubt that Lugo could play an important role with the Mets at some point during the season.
