Newcomer to Keep an Eye On: Jesus Luzardo, LHP
Birthdate: 9/30/97 (19 years old)
Level(s) Played in 2016: none
Stats in 2016: none
Luzardo fits with the Nationals recent trend of grabbing a top-end talent that needs Tommy John surgery out of high school or college, letting him work in their system during his recovery, and then benefiting from having the high-end talent for a lower draft position than would warrant, typically.
Luzardo this spring was being pushed forward into the top 5 high school lefties in the class, a very probable first round selection, before he needed elbow surgery that wiped away the rest of his senior season. The Nationals picked him up in the third round.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Luzardo was very possibly over-throwing, trying to impress scouts, which is too bad as his natural repertoire has plenty to like.
He’s a physically mature pitcher for 19, going 6’1″ and just over 200 pounds, and his pitch mix and delivery is mature as well, with a heavy, sinking fastball that could touch 93-94 and sat 89-91.
He worked his curve at multiple speeds, and the multiple speeds also led to multiple depths on the curve, giving him different looks to hitters on the pitch.
His change is very possibly his best overall pitch, as he has exceptional arm deception with the pitch, gets very similar movement out of the hand on the pitch, and locates the ball extremely well. This allows him to get plenty of swing and miss on the change.
Luzardo will come into a system that has shown success with Lucas Giolito and Erick Fedde in drafting high schoolers with TJS and building them in their system, so the path for Luzardo is certainly bright.
He’ll likely get his first taste of pro ball when he’s ready to throw in 2017 in rookie league.
Next: Rangers Top 10 Prospects
Agree? Disagree? Someone you have a question about from the system? Leave a comment down below!