Lucas Luetge has found a role on the Yankees

I was extremely high on Lucas Luetge coming into this season, and it might be one of my better takes. His story was awesome, he hadn't pitched an inning in the majors since 2015, back when Greg Bird looked like Don Mattingly. While he struggled early with a 6.10 ERA in his first 5 outings, his peripherals and strikeouts showed he had the potential to pitch better. He's given the Yankees 6 straight scoreless outings out of the pen and boasts a 3.78 ERA and 3.08 SIERA so far. He's been pretty solid so far, and I think that he may have finally found a role on the Yankees as a swiss army knife in the bullpen.

Extremely Promising Numbers For Lucas Luetge

While a 3.78 ERA (93 ERA-) is nothing elite, his peripherals certainly have been pretty good. The underlying metrics suggest that Lucas Luetge is very very good and that this 3.78 ERA is just scratching the surface as for what he can do. 3.08 SIERA 3.54 xFIP 32.6% Whiff% .266 xwOBA 25.8% K% 4.5% BB% Not only does Luetge get a ton of soft contact, but he also gets a lot of strikeouts and limits the walk to below 5%. He's overall done everything well, limiting hard contact, generating tons of swings and misses, and being someone who can also give length in his outings, he's someone who's been a lot better than given credit for. He's not just a mop-up guy, but someone who can become a really good reliever for the Yankees.

Versatility and Length

Lucas Luetge can do a lot of things for the Yankees. He's either an innings either or is used in high leverage moments in close games like against Houston or with bases loaded against Cleveland. The versatility means the Yankees can deploy him whenever for an unpredictable amount of length. Unlike most relievers, (in just 3.1 innings) he's pitched extremely well in his second time around the order. He's seemingly just an odd weapon, in a good way. Lucas Luetge is his own role, and that's what makes him such an asset. When you have a guy who does so much in the bullpen well, it's hard to ever let him go.

How Will He Fit In When Injured Players Return?

As the guys who were hurt return, the Yankees will have a tough choice to make. They'll have O'Day and Britton return, and so the Yankees will need to send down 2 relievers. There's a good chance this makes Luetge a rotational guy in the bullpen, but who knows! When you have so much talent that such a weapon could be sent down, things are going well. The bullpen's been great this year, and Luetge's done a lot to keep these guys fresh. The reduction of the toll on the bullpen is not going to be appreciated now, but later they will. Lucas Luetge's done nothing but help this team, and I hope he knows he's found his home here. He's been doing very well and plays a key role, and he's deserving of some appreciation.