Sunday Notes: Matthew Lugo Has Been Boston’s Top Performing Prospect

The Portland Sea Dogs roster consists of three Top 100 prospects, however neither Roman Anthony (15), Marcelo Mayer (42), nor Kyle Teel (83) has been the Double-A affiliate’s greatest participant thus far this season. That distinction belongs to a 23-year-old, shortstop-turned-left-fielder whom the Boston Red Sox drafted 69th total in 2019 out of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy. Along with taking part in stellar protection at a brand new place, Matthew Lugo is slashing .306/.404/.653 with 10 residence runs and an Eastern League-best 191 wRC+.

Markedly-improved plate self-discipline has performed a giant function in his breakout. Last 12 months, Lugo logged a 5.9% stroll fee and a 27.6% strikeout fee. This 12 months these numbers are 13.4% and 22.5%.

The key to his newfound capability to dominate the strike zone?

“Timing,” defined Lugo, who takes his cuts from the precise aspect. “Last year, I had a lot of movement with my hands, which made me inconsistent being on time with the pitcher. My hands were very low, and then when I got to the launch position they were very high; there was a lot of distance for my hands to go through. This year, I’m closer to my launch position before I swing. I also had a [bat] wiggle and this year I just get to my spot with no wiggle. I’m getting into my spot early and have more time to see the pitch, so I’m making better swing decisions.”

The choice to maneuver Lugo off of his pure place and into an outfield nook wasn’t primarily based on defensive shortcomings, however slightly on the arrival of Mayer. The high-ceiling shortstop was promoted to Portland final 12 months on Memorial Day weekend, and given his first-round pedigree, he wasn’t going to be the one shifting.

That Lugo’s major place had been shortstop is itself notable. Ceddanne Rafaela was the displaced infielder’s teammate at a number of ranges developing by means of the Red Sox system, and it was he, not Lugo, who discovered himself shuttling amongst a number of positions. Along with being the perfect defensive centerfielder within the group, Rafaela is now arguably its greatest defensive shortstop apart from currently-injured Trevor Story.

Lugo was pragmatic when requested what he considers to be his greatest place.

“Left,” the Manati, Puerto Rico native instructed me. “My defensive numbers have been very good this year, and I’m comfortable out there. I like playing the outfield, and hopefully I’ll get to play some right field, as well. I mean, I’m very athletic. I can play short. I can play third. I can play wherever you put me, whatever the manager needs.”

Positional versatility won’t solely assist Lugo attain the massive leagues, it befits his total skillset. While not elite in anyone space, he does most issues nicely.

“I’ve always had a little bit of everything.” concurred Lugo, who’s comes off as equal components humble and assured. “I’m not a guy that has the most power, but I do have power. And I’m not the fastest guy, but I can steal some bases (he has nine this year in 10 attempts). I also feel that I’m an intelligent player who knows how to make adjustments; I’m very conscious of what I need to work on.”

As for his probabilities of someday taking part in in Boston alongside Rafaela — and/or some mixture of Story, Mayer, Anthony, and Teel — let’s simply say that his eyes have been firmly on the prize since his days as a younger beginner.

“When I was 12 or 13, I went to a game at Yankee Stadium,” recalled Lugo. “I remember telling my dad, “I know I’m only 13, but I feel like I can play here, that I can make it to this level.’ So, I’ve always felt in my heart that I could do it. It was just a matter of figuring things out, and this year I’m feeling very comfortable both offensively and defensively. There’s no doubt in my mind that, with God’s will, I will play in the big leagues.”

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RANDOM HITTER-PITCHER MATCHUPS

Aaron Judge is 5 for five towards Ryan Pressly.

Joe Judge went 8 for 9 towards Johnny Miljus.

Billy Jurges went 11 for 18 towards Orville Jorgens.

Arndt Jorgens went 9 for 23 towards Rube Walberg.

Rube Lutzke went 12 for 23 towards George Mogridge.

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Braiden Ward is having probably the greatest seasons within the Colorado Rockies system. The 25-year-old speedster slashed .340/.426/.550 in 115 plate appearances for High-A Spokane, and since being promoted to Double-A Hartford earlier this week he’s gone 6-for-18 with a double, a triple, and a bunt hit. All instructed, his 5 three-baggers and 18 stolen bases are tops amongst Rockies farmhands, as is his 184 wRC+..

A Sixteenth-round senior check in 2021 out of the University of Washington, Ward has simply seven residence runs as knowledgeable, and at a listed 5-foot-9, 160-pounds he’s something however a bopper. The left-handed-hitting outfielder/second baseman is aware of that in addition to anyone.

“I’m not going to be a power hitter, so I need to get on base any way I can,” stated Ward, whose 16 instances reaching base through HBP is essentially the most within the minors. “Getting on base and stealing bags is my game. If I’m not doing that, I’m not in the game.”

Baseball America ranked Ward the quickest baserunner within the Rockies group, and also you received’t get any disagreement from the fleet-of-foot teenager. You would possibly from a Triple-A outfielder whom the Rockies acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in alternate for Joe Rock throughout spring coaching, however that’s a part of the enjoyable.

“I’m the fastest guy in the org,” stated Ward, who defined that he’s run the 60-yard sprint in a handy guide a rough 6.18 seconds. “It’s between me and Greg Jones. He’s going to say it’s him. I’m going to say it’s me. We’d should race and see.

Something that Ward’s organizational brethren have already seen is a clubhouse demeanor that differs from his no-nonsense method between the white traces.

“Off the field, I’m Mr. Smile,” Ward instructed me. “I’m a goofball. I want to make my teammates laugh. And I also don’t play with a chip on my shoulder. I play calm and collected. I’m not a guy who is going to bat-flip and show up the pitcher. I’m going to do my thing and let him do his thing.”

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A quiz:

Which pitcher has essentially the most wins in Milwaukee Brewers franchise historical past?

The reply may be discovered under.

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NEWS NOTES

The Detroit Tigers introduced two promotions and a hiring on Thursday.Ryan Garko has been promoted to Vice President, Assistant General Manager, whereas Georgia Giblin has been promoted to Vice President, Baseball Performance Science. Andrew Thomas has joined the group as Vice President, Baseball Analytics.

Cuno Barragan, a catcher who appeared in 69 video games for the Chicago Cubs throughout the 1961-1963 seasons, died earlier this month at age 91. A Sacramento native who logged 33 big-league hits, Facundo Anthony Barragan hit his lone residence in his first-ever plate look, a two-run shot towards San Francisco southpaw Richard LeMay at Candlestick Park.

John Upham, a local of Windsor, Ontario who performed in 21 video games for the Chicago Cubs throughout the 1967-1968 seasons, died on Wednesday at age 83. A two-way participant, he made 9 pitching appearances, began a sport in middle area, and was used as a pinch-hitter. Upham went 4-for-13 on the plate and allowed 5 runs in eight-and-a-third aid innings.

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The reply to the quiz is Jim Slaton, who was credited with 117 wins whereas pitching for the Brewers from 1971-1977, and once more from 1979-1983.

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The Red Sox received two out of three once they performed the Nationals at Fenway Park earlier this month, however Alex Cora was nonetheless impressed with Dave Martinez’s group’s younger expertise. After addressing the challenges that include controlling Washington’s operating sport — the Nats at present have 77 steals, second-most in MLB behind Cincinnati’s 82 — Boston’s supervisor stated the next:

“They’re very athletic,” Cora instructed reporters in his postgame presser. “They’re very good at what they do. They’ve got something good going on over there… it’s just a matter of time. They’re going to compete. They will compete. They’re trending in the right direction.”

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LATE-MAY STATISTICAL SNAPSHOTS

The Cleveland Guardians have hit 59 residence runs thus far this season. At this time final 12 months they’d 30 residence runs.

The Kansas City Royals have been 15-37 at the moment final 12 months. This season, Matt Quatraro’s well-balanced membership — the KC offense has produced 53 residence runs and 54 stolen bases — boasts the third-best document within the junior circuit at 34-19.

Kansas City’s Brady Singer has made 11 begins this season. In eight of them he has pitched 5 or extra innings and allowed one or fewer earned runs.

Washington’s Trevor Williams has made 10 begins this season. In seven of them he has pitched 5 or extra innings and allowed one or fewer earned runs.

When Boston’s Nick Pivetta fanned Milwaukee’s William Contreras within the third inning of yesterday’s sport, he turned the sixth Canadian-born pitcher in MLB historical past to achieve 1,000 strikeouts. Pivetta joins Fergie Jenkins, Ryan Dempster, Erik Bedard, John Hiller, and Kirk McCaskill.

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The interference name that ended Thursday’s Orioles-White Sox sport was, by the letter of the regulation, appropriate. Which isn’t to say the umpires ought to have enforced it. As anybody who has considered the video can attest, the “interference” was minimal at greatest and had zero bearing on the play itself. The pitch was popped up, an infield fly rule was known as, the Chicago runner casually retreated to second base, and the Baltimore shortstop effortlessly caught the ball. Again, the infraction-as-ruled was irrelevant to what transpired on the play.

Would Orioles supervisor Brandon Hyde have challenged — and even thought to problem — had interference not been known as? My guess is not any. As he instructed reporters after the sport, “[T]here was a lot of confusion about it. We escaped there.”

One factor that hasn’t escaped is criticism of the decision. The ruling might nicely have been technically appropriate, however by way of the spirit of the sport, it was additionally fallacious.

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FOREIGN AFFAIRS

The Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks routed the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in back-to-back video games this week, On Tuesday, Ryoya Kurihara homered twice and drove in six runs because the Hawks received 21-0. On Wednesday, Hotaka Yamakawa homered twice and drove in 5 runs to guide the 12-0 shellacking.

Shosei Togo threw the one hundred and first no-hitter in NPB historical past on Friday because the Yomiuri Giants beat the Hanshin Tigers 1-0. The 24-year-old right-hander is 4-2 with a 1.84 on the season.

Yomiuri infielder Hayato Sakamoto hit his 450th profession double earlier this week and is simply the second participant in NPB historical past to achieve that mark. Kazuyoshi Tatsunami had 487 two-baggers with the Chunichi Dragons from 1988-2009.

Ronnie Dawson is slashing .369/.424/.581 with seven residence runs in 224 plate appearances for the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes. The 29-year-old outfielder performed in three video games for the Houston Astros in 2021, and in a single sport for the Cincinnati Reds in 2022.

Tae-in Won is 5-2 with a 2.35 ERA in 57-and-a-third innings for the KBO’s Samsung Lions. The 24-year-old right-hander, who performed for Korea within the 2023 WBC, has 47 strikeouts and simply 16 walks.

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Left on the cutting-room flooring from Wednesday’s function story on Tampa Bay Rays reliever Kevin Kelly have been his ideas on a doable post-playing-career job. Asked what he majored in at James Madison University, Kelly instructed me that it was laptop science.

“I like video games, and my mom got her masters in computer science, so it was kind of a natural,” Kelly added. “Maybe I could be [an analyst in a front office] someday. That would be cool. Hopefully it wouldn’t happen for a long time, though.”

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A random obscure former participant snapshot:

Tom Wiedenbauer completed his temporary big-league profession with a .667 batting common. Born in Menomonee, Wisconsin and drafted out of a Tucson, Arizona highschool by Houston in 1976, the right-handed-hitting outfielder made his MLB debut with the Astros three years later at age 20. His success was each rapid and short-lived. Wiedenbauer got here off the bench to hit a two-run double in his first-ever plate look, performed in two extra video games with out coming to bat, then went 3-for-5 in his fourth and remaining sport at baseball’s highest degree. He then spent 4 years within the minors earlier than hanging up the spikes and changing into a coach and a supervisor down on the farm.

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FARM NOTES

Miguel Ugueto had back-to-back large video games this week because the High-A Greenville Drive beat the Greensboro Grasshoppers 15-2 and 14-12. The 21-year-old outfielder within the Boston Red Sox system went a mixed 7-for-10 with a double, a triple, a house run, six runs scored, 5 RBIs, and a stolen base. Ugueto is slashing .312/.356/.430 on the season.

Zebby Matthews is 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 40-and-a-third innings between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita. The 24-year-old right-hander within the Minnesota Twins system has issued only one stroll, that coming after his forty ninth Okay of the season.

Garrett Baumann is 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 40 innings for the Low-A Augusta GreenJackets. The 19-year-old right-hander was drafted within the fourth spherical final 12 months by the Atlanta Braves.

Spencer Giesting has allowed simply 20 hits and three earned runs, and has 46 strikeouts in 41 innings, for the High-A Hillsboro Hops. The 22-year-old left-hander was the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Eleventh-round decide within the 2022 draft.

Yasser Mercedes is 19-for-49 with three doubles, two triples, and 4 residence runs with Minnesota’s Florida Complex League affiliate. Signed by the Twins in January 2022, the 19-year-old outfielder has swiped eight bases in 9 makes an attempt.

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Milwaukee supervisor Pat Murphy shared a pet-friendly anecdote previous to Friday’s sport at Fenway Park. The affable skipper associated the next when speaking about Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick:

“One day in spring training, there was a cat or a dog — it was a dog, I think — in the complex parking lot. They tried to find the owner. They looked around. They put signs up. This was after a whole day of spring training. He ended up taking the dog home. [Later], he took it to the rightful owner. Or something. I mean, he spent hours with this dog. He took it home and fed it… he’s an amazing kid. I bust his balls on a regular basis, but he is a great human being.”

The “or something” caveat supplied by Murphy proved prudent. MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy caught as much as Frelick yesterday and discovered that the canine’s proprietor was by no means situated. With spring coaching coming to an finish, man’s greatest good friend was subsequently taken to a shelter.

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Listening to a latest sport on Royals radio, I discovered that Ryne Stanek holds the document for many “starts” of two innings or much less. Now with the Seattle Mariners, the 32-year-old right-hander made 56 such appearances whereas serving as an opener for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018-2019.

Which pitcher holds the non-opener document for many begins of two innings or much less? The reply is Hall of Famer Early Wynn, with 40 (he made 611 begins in all). Three pitchers — Tommy John, Johnny Podres, and Nolan Ryan — are tied for second-most with 35.

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LINKS YOU’LL LIKE

Two years after formally retiring, Andrew Miller has graduated with a Masters in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Jerry Crasnick wrote about the erstwhile big-league southpaw’s accomplishment for the MLBPA’s web site.

Winter Haven, Florida’s Chain of Lakes Park — the previous spring coaching residence of the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians — has been torn down. Kevin Reichard has the story at Ballpark Digest.

Pitcher List’s Carson Picard wrote about how Dylan Cease may need essentially the most ridiculous pitch in baseball.

Does lightning-rod umpire Angel Hernandez deserve his villainous fame? Sam Blum and Cody Stavenhagen teamed as much as deal with that query at The Athletic (subscription required).

A gaggle in South Texas is on a mission to protect the historical past of a semi-professional offshoot of the Negro Leagues.that existed from the Nineteen Forties into the Nineteen Seventies. Juana Summers has the story at NPR’s All Things Considered.

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

The Red Sox and Tigers each joined the American League in 1901. Boston batters have hit 14,405 residence runs. Detroit batters have hit 14,400 residence runs.

There have been 11,111 residence runs hit at Tiger Stadium (1912-1999). There have been 13,457 residence runs hit at Fenway Park over that span.

Manny Ramirez had 555 residence runs and a .338 BABIP
Harmon Killebrew had 573 residence runs and a .254 BABIP.

Frank Robinson had 586 residence runs and 1,757 singles.
Mark McGwire had 583 residence runs and 785 singles.

In 2007, Ryan Howard had 26 doubles, 47 residence runs, and 199 strikeouts. In 2008, Howard had 26 doubles, 48 residence runs, and 199 strikeouts.

Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds is a mixed 25-for-58 (.431) with eight residence runs towards the Red Sox and Yankees. He is a mixed 15-for-84 (.179) with no residence runs towards the Blue Jays, Orioles, and Rays.

On right now’s date in 1959, Pirates left-hander Harvey Haddix took an ideal sport into the Thirteenth inning earlier than permitting successful, and finally a run, in a 1-0 loss to the Milwaukee Braves. Lew Burdette surrendered a dozen hits in a complete-game effort for the profitable aspect.

On right now’s date in 1994, Lance Parrish hit a Thirteenth-inning walk-off single to present the Pirates an 11-10 win over the New York Mets. Parrish had three of Pittsburgh’s 18 hits, together with a house run.

Players born on right now’s date embody Jason Bere, who threw 1,111 innings whereas pitching for 5 groups from 1993-2003. Now a particular assistant in participant improvement for the Toronto Blue Jays, Bere was at his greatest early on, going a mixed 24-7, 3.64 with the Chicago White Sox in 1993-1994.

Also born on right now’s date was Stoney McGlynn, a right-hander who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1906-1908. Thirty-four years outdated when he debuted, Ulysses Simpson Grant McGlynn went 14-25 with a 2.91 ERA in the course of his three MLB seasons. He’d beforehand excelled with the Tri-State League’s York Penn Parks.