The Edge of Seventeen: Seth Lugo

[Edgy MD]

You didn't see me coming, last year, did you? Well, that's the way of things. Named after the third son of Adam and Eve that nobody talks about, I had come to feel my namesake's fate. But then the spot opened, and I seized it as only a third son can. Brace yourself, world, and know the wrath of SETH!

Yeah, it doesn't trip off the tongue. But know what does? A 2.67 ERA over 64.0 innings down the stretch when the Mets were staving off other fine teams for a playoff spot. Know what those other teams lacked? A Seth Lugo, that's what. An 11th option at starting pitcher that was able to pick up the standard and carry it forward down the stretch. That was me. I mean, just try and imagine September with Josh Zeid in the rotation.

I come to camp this year as the seventh option, having passed Gilmartin and Montero and Verrett, and outlasted Bartolo. Still something to prove? Yeah, I would guess so. Do you see me proving anything?

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[MFS62]

I see him proving that he belongs in a major league rotation. He will start the season in the rotation while Wheeler is either in EST or the bullpen. And he will stay there. He's in an interesting situation - a pitcher among a rotation of hard throwers - and opponents may find it difficult to ratchet back their swings when facing him.
I see 11-6 3.29 in 34 games (26 starts).

Later

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'll repeat my fun fact about him from last year: Same first name as deGrom, same middle name as Syndergaard.

I get the feeling that he comes just after Gsellman on the depth chart (although he has it in his power to change that). I see him starting the season in Vegas and how much time he spends with the Mets depends on how healthy the other starters are.

[Edgy MD]

It'll take more than the absence of Wheeler to get him to break camp, because he's certainly still behind Gsellman, so somebody else would have to go down, or falter. Plenty of camp left, though.

Also, I don't agree with the suggestion that the other guys in the Mets rotation are merely hard throwers and not pitchers.

[Frayed Knot]

I remember an IGT last season where the listing of Lugo as that day's starter was met with responses of: 'you gotta be fucking kidding me!', and others saying how this showed a total failure on Sandy's part for not having a better 9th* starter on hand.
Well sometimes you don't know you have until you have it. He certainly wasn't high on anyone's radar going into last year, then suddenly he's giving a decent account of himself both in relief and particularly as a starter where he was 5-1 and the team 7-1 in eight starts. Shortly after that, stat geek circles were all atingle over his spin rate.

Not sure how likely any of that is to repeat, but he's certainly a more comforting option should it come to that than at this point last year when he was '"Seth who?".




* he was the eighth different starter the Mets used last season -- after the main five plus Verrett and Niese and just prior to Gsellman & Montero -- but of course they were also planning on having Wheeler ready by that point

[Benjamin Grimm]

Game #122 IGT - Mets @ Giants 8/19/16

[Edgy MD]

In the opening paragraph, I counted Lugo as the eleventh option from last year, at least looking at the pecking order from around opening day:

[*:i5o72d7w]Harvey[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]deGrom[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Syndergaard[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Matz[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Colon[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Wheeler, when available[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Verrett[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Gilmartin[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Montero[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Gsellman[/*:m:i5o72d7w]
[*:i5o72d7w]Lugo[/*:m:i5o72d7w][/list:o:i5o72d7w]

Pretty entertaining how Lugo's presence at the start of the game is emblematic of Sandy's idiocy, and then him getting pulled became emblematic of Terry's idiocy.

[G-Fafif]

Edgy MD wrote: Pretty entertaining how Lugo's presence at the start of the game is emblematic of Sandy's idiocy, and then him getting pulled became emblematic of Terry's idiocy.

Those morons keep screwing up the perennial playoff team they've built and guided.

[Frayed Knot]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Game #122 IGT - Mets @ Giants 8/19/16

Man that was one rough IGT all around, not just the part about the Lugo intro.
On the plus side, that night was pretty much rock bottom for the season as they went 27-13 from the game game on. They were, as it turned out, able to hold off the Phillies.

[Guest 41Forever]

I wonder if they keep him up as the long man/spot starter in the pen. If they are serious about giving the starters rest, he could fill that Logan Verrett role of making those fill-in starts and be first in when and if a starter is injured.

[seawolf17]

I like him in that Verrett role, except with talent. 80 innings, 4.10 ERA.

[Lefty Specialist]

He'll get his chances and do well. 6-3/3.60 in limited action.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

That's one magic Lugie.

I like this guy and think he's gonna start a fair amount: 31 G, 13 S, 100.2 IP, 5-5, 3.70

[Guest d'Kong76]

Gets his first start in Aug and wins a handful of games with 3.66-ish ERA.