LITTLE LEAGUE
Seth Lugo is losing sleep, but not necessarily over baseball.
The Mets reliever has spent the past two months embracing life as a new father, after his wife Amanda gave birth to the couple’s first child, James, on March 19. The new arrival came only a week after MLB canceled the remaining spring training schedule because of the COVID-19 outbreak, and three days after Lugo departed Mets camp in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
“I was expecting to get three or four days away, but now it’s been two months,” Lugo said in an email exchange with The Post. “Watching him grow up has been incredible. I’ve always loved a baby’s laugh, but it’s extra special when it’s your own.”
Lugo, like the rest of the sport, is awaiting direction, as MLB and the Players Association try to negotiate a return. MLB has proposed an 80-82 game schedule that would begin in early July, with spring training resuming by mid-June. Last week MLB released a 67-page report outlining safety measures that the MLBPA would need to approve. The two sides must also still reach a financial agreement.
Lugo indicated his new dad status hasn’t precluded him from staying in shape at home in Bossier City, La.
“I’ve been running outside almost every day,” he said. “I’ve played catch in the street with friends. I’ve thrown bullpens. Luckily, a freshman at LSU — Hayden Travinski — lives close by and has caught my bullpens. Gyms have opened back up here, so that has been easier.
“I speak to someone from the training or coaching staff three times a week. They are just checking up on me staying in touch and monitoring what we are doing. I’ve spoken to Luis [Rojas], Jeremy Hefner and the trainers a bunch.”
Lugo’s spring was just getting started when baseball shut down. The righthander had missed most of the exhibition season after breaking his left pinkie toe on the ottoman in his hotel room early in camp. Lugo’s first appearance in the Grapefruit League came just before spring training was suspended.
Last year he was the Mets’ best reliever, going 7-4 with a 2.70 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 61 appearances. Lugo is expected to remain in the bullpen should there be a season but has expressed a desire to work as a starter if the opportunity arises.
If baseball resumes without fans in the ballpark, Lugo says it will be an easy adjustment for him.
“I spent six years in the minors with small crowds,” he said. “In college [at Centenary] I pitched in front of 25 fans. It will be an adjustment I can make. But, I will miss our fans. They are great.”
Lugo was asked how his approach to the job would change in a shortened season.
“It will be a little different,” he said. “We haven’t competed in a major league game since September. We’ve been off for a long time. But for now, we really don’t know when we are starting back, so we are still in a wait-and-see mode. It’s the great unknown.”
Until there is baseball, Lugo will enjoy his full-time duties as dad to James Lugo.
“The other day, I tried to get him to hold a golf ball in his hand,” Lugo said. “But he wasn’t ready for that just yet.”