Zack Britton is injured, and he’s going to miss a significant amount of time. The Yankees need a reliever to step up and fill in his shoes, and they might have their guy.
Let me introduce you to Lucas Luetge, someone who’s been raved about by Yankee fans early in Spring Training.
While he’s only pitched three Spring Training innings, he’s been beyond impressive. He’s racked up eight strikeouts in those innings with just two hits allowed. He’s been quite phenomenal, and there’s a lot to like about his game.
Luetge is a left-handed veteran with the durability to pitch multiple innings in an outing. He doesn’t have a power fastball, but it does pack a punch in terms of RPM, showing that he can potentially play a huge role in this bullpen.
I never imagined buying into the hype this early but: It’s time to let Luetge shine.
Improved Pitch Repertoire
Lucas Luetge in his last three games:
3.0 IP / 2 H / 0 R / 0 ER / 0 BB / 8 K
👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/nGcx6eyySK
— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken) March 7, 2021
Luetge’s curveball looks fictional, with unreal movement. It has been unhittable so far. It’s not at all an exaggeration to say it’s been absolutely devastating. He complements this pitch with a fastball that in Spring Training so far has averaged 2,770 RPM. This is way up from his around 2,500 RPM average, meaning the Gas Station certainly has him cooking. His curveball also jumped to 2,866 RPM.
Luetge’s sharp, got great pitches, and looks fantastic right now, but why do these numbers matter? Well because for pitching, a higher spin rate can generate more swings and misses and become harder to hit. If Luetge can keep that fastball working and break off more nasty curveballs, we’re in for a treat.
Lucas Luetge: The X-Factor For the Yankees?
If Luetge can translate his stuff to real MLB games, we could see him really deal. In the minors, he had a lot of multi-inning performances, and in pressers, Luetge talked about how he pitched many three-inning outings at the Athletics’ Alternate Site. This could pay off huge dividends for the Yankees, who could have a guy who can give then 3-6 outs in his outings rather than just be a one-inning guy. With Britton out, versatility and flexibility will be key for the bullpen, and Luetge might be able to provide that at a high level for the Bronx Bombers.
I may be overly optimistic on Luetge, but his stuff and analytical data so far are jumping off the screen. He’s a delight to watch pitch, and I highly recommend you all to keep an eye on him when he pitches.
Lucas Luetge is not proven just yet, but I think great things await him if he keeps this up.
