Seth Lugo

Jacob Seth Lugo

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 4", Weight 225 lb.
• School Centenary College of Louisiana
• High School Parkway High School (Bossier City)
• Debut July 1, 2016

• Born November 17, 1989 in Shreveport, LA USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Seth Lugo began his professional career in the New York Mets organization in 2011. He became the first member of the 34th round of the 2011 amateur draft class to ascend to the big leagues.

He missed all of 2012 due to recovery from spondylolisthesis (displacement of the vertebrae) surgery. In 2014, just his second year back, he was 8-3 with a 9.8 K/9 IP ratio. The next year, he tossed 136 innings, striking out 127 batters and walking just 35; in his first taste at Triple-A, with the Las Vegas 51s, he was 2-2 with a 4.00 mark in five games.

Lugo began 2016 with Las Vegas, and on paper performed poorly: in 19 games (13 starts), he was 3-4 with a 6.55 ERA. In 68 2/3 innings, he allowed 97 hits and 18 walks with 55 strikeouts. Nevertheless, he was promoted to the majors on June 30th and made his debut on July 1st against the Chicago Cubs. In relief of Hansel Robles, he pitched two innings and allowed two hits, but no runs. His two strikeout victims were first baseman Anthony Rizzo and opposing pitcher Trevor Cahill. On July 2nd, he was optioned back to the minors, though after pitcher Matt Harvey went on the disabled list, he was promoted again on July 6th. Pressed into duty as a starting pitcher in August, he was surprisingly strong, going 4-1, 2.27 in his first five starts at a time when the Mets were battling to hang on in the wild card race. he finished the season at 5-2, 2.67 in 17 games.

Lugo pitched very well for the Puerto Rican national team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic but was sidelined with elbow inflammation at the end of the tournament and missed the start of the 2017 season as a result. He made his first start for the Mets on June 11th, and it was a good one, as he defeated the Atlanta Braves, 2-1, giving up one run over 7 innings. His return came on the heels of those of Steven Matz, who had won his first start of the year the day before, and of Yoennis Cespedes, who had also returned that day after missing seven weeks of action.

On April 29, 2022, he was the fourth of five pitchers to combine on a 3-0 no-hitter for the Mets against the Philadelphia Phillies. He succeeded Tylor Megill, Drew Smith and Joely Rodríguez with one out in the 8th, finished the inning, then turned the ball over to closer Edwin Diaz, who completed the feat by striking out the side. He went 3-2, 3.60 in 62 games in relief that season, also picking up 3 saves. He also made his postseason debut with 3 outings against the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card Series, not giving up a run. After the season, he became a free agent and signed a one-year deal with those same San Diego Padres, who were ready to give him a chance to be a starting pitcher. That is how he was used in 2023, making 26 starts and logging 146 1/3 innings while finishing at 8-7, 3.57.

In spite of posting good numbers as a starter in San Diego, the Padres did not make a serious effort to re-sign him, which opened an opportunity for an outsider to take him on board. Those were the Kansas City Royals, who signed both him and fellow veteran Michael Wacha to very reasonable contracts to flesh out a starting rotation that already included a few promising youngsters in Cole Ragans and Brady Singer. the signings turned out to be brilliant moves, as Kansas City moved into contention on the strength of that now-excellent starting rotation. Lugo was named to the All-Star team for the first time and finished at 16-9, 3.00 in 33 starts and 206 2/3 innings. He also struck out 181 batters. He started twice in the postseason, giving up 1 run in 4 1/3 innings in a 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series on October 2nd, and then limiting the New York Yankees to 2 runs in 5 innings in Game 3 of the Division Series. He was the runner-up in the voting for the 2024 American League Cy Young Award, finishing behing unanimous winner Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers.

Notable Achievements

• AL All-Star (2024)
• AL Gold Glove Winner (2024)
• 15 Wins Seasons: 1 (2024)
• 200 Innings Pitched Seasons: 1 (2024)

Further Reading

• Anthony DiComo: "You go, Lugo: Rookie learning on fly in bigs; Right-hander continues surprising season with 7 strong innings vs. Braves", mlb.com, September 11, 2016. [1]
• Mike Vorkunov: "As Mets season takes crazy curves, Seth Lugo rides his to big league dream", USA Today Sports, September 23, 2016. [2]

Related Sites

• Seth Lugo on mlb.com