Mets Seth Lugo: A Pitcher Worth Adding for the Playoffs
By Bill Pivetz
The Mets have had a lot of injuries to their starting rotation. As a result, they had to rely on unknown players. Seth Lugo has emerged as a viable option.
The New York Mets are competing with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the most injured starting rotation. While I this the Dodgers have them beat, the Mets are pretty close. With the playoffs still in their reach, the Mets are looking for any help they can get. Luckily, they received that help in Seth Lugo. He pitched another great game on Sunday and should be added for the final weeks of the season.
The Mets rotation would look completely different if everyone was healthy. That is a big ‘if’ though. Zack Wheeler is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and will not pitch at all this season. And that’s only the beginning.
Matt Harvey underwent surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, Steven Matz is dealing with a bone spur in his left elbow and a shoulder impingement. Noah Syndergaard is also dealing with a more minor spur in his right elbow. Jacob deGrom is set to miss multiple starts due to forearm soreness. Bartolo Colon seems to be the only healthy pitcher in this rotation.
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Lugo made his first appearance on July 1, but didn’t make his first start until August 19. He is 3-2 with a 2.38 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 6.9 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9. Those are great stats from someone who had a 6.50 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 21 games in Triple-A.
In his most recent start, against the Washington Nationals, Lugo pitched seven innings and gave up one run on six hits while striking out four. It was his third straight win and third quality start in four outings.
With the injuries to some big-name starting pitchers, Lugo becomes more valuable in standard leagues and is a must-own in deeper leagues. His next start will be on Friday against the Atlanta Braves. If that doesn’t scream “streaming option,” then I don’t know what does.
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Lugo is owned in just 15.9 percent of ESPN leagues. It went up 14.7 percent over the last week, and rightfully so. With a good matchup and three straight wins, Lugo is off to a hot start as a member of the rotation.