The savior the New York Mets desperately need in the bullpen was the right arm of Seth Lugo. There were numerous issues in the bullpen all season, but Lugo was the one guy the Mets could count on all year. Lugo pitched so well that he will head into 2020 as the projected closer, instead of Edwin Diaz.
Confirmed: Seth Lugo has ice in his veins. pic.twitter.com/xpVjr4wnsH
— New York Mets (@Mets) July 31, 2019
Lugo came into the year as a middle inning swingman, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the starters and the combination of Jeurys Familia and Edwin Diaz. As both men struggled throughout the year, he quickly became the one-pitcher Mickey Callaway could rely on in the bullpen.
One Month Good, One Month Bad
While Lugo’s numbers looked good overall, he would have a great month followed by an okay month.
March/April: 4.08 ERA
May: 0.96 ERA
June: 4.85 ERA
July: 0.00 ERA!!!
August: 4.05 ERA
September: 1.29 ERA
Lugo did have some incredible stretches throughout the season, which included a streak of 15.2 straight scoreless innings, in which he only allowed four base runners. He had three scoreless innings streaks of at least ten innings in 2019.
Seth Lugo just completed one of the most successful seasons of any Major League reliever:
80.0 IP
104 K
16 BB
6 SV
2.70 ERALugo puts a wrap on his year: pic.twitter.com/HOk80iqoas
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) September 28, 2019
One of the things that comes with dominance is the need to use Lugo as frequently as possible. The Mets were very stringent about avoiding using Lugo in back to back games. They also gave him the same number of days off as innings pitches (ex. two innings pitched= two days off). The “Lugo Rules” were put in place to prevent his elbow injury from worsening.
Starting Pitcher in 2020?
Lugo has made it very clear in the past that he wants to be a starting pitcher. With the acquisition of Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha, it seems like he will be stuck in the bullpen once again. 2019 was the first season of Lugo’s career, where he made all of his appearances out of the bullpen. Brodie Van Wagenen said the Mets would look to get him starter ready in the offseason, but for health purposes, he will be better off in the bullpen.
Grades:
Pitching Repertoire: A+, Fastball/Curveball combo can match up with anyone in baseball. He even added a reliable changeup this year.
Control: A+, 16 walks in 80 innings pitched, seemed like he was always throwing the ball wherever he wanted.
Composure: A, Had the perfect demeanor to be a closer.
Intangibles: A+, Quiet leader, and only cares about winning.
Overall: A+, One of the best, if not the best, season by a reliever in Mets history.