STUFF OF ACES
Left-handed phenom Luzardo strides into camp unfazed by all the hoopla
MESA, ARIZ. >> Jesus Luzardo enters A’s spring training with a type of buzz rarely afforded such a young pitcher.
It’s an excitement that began last year when Luzardo, 21, blazed a minor league path from Single-A to Triple-A a little more than a year after ligament reconstruction, commonly known as Tommy John surgery.
Luzardo already is being labeled as a savior of the A’s rotation, which has had solid No. 1 starters in recent years but has lacked a bona fide “ace” since the early 2000s.
Back then, Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Barry Zito shared the staring role while making opposing hitters look foolish. Some in the A’s organization think Luzardo is better than all three.
It’s why Tuesday became known as Luzardo Day, as will every day he throws going forward. Luzardo’s first bullpen session of the camp garnered all kinds of attention — from general manager David Forst, manager Bob Melvin and former ace Dave Stewart.
Viewers packed a practice field inside the A’s minor league complex at Fitch Park to catch a glimpse of the No. 1 prospect.
“You could tell he knows there’s a spotlight on him,” Melvin said. “He’s got an up-
per-90’s heater, but it’s his breaking stuff that sets him apart to who he is right now. It was good to see him on the mound for the first time and will be even better to see him in a game.”
For all the hoopla, Luzardo seemed unfazed. Yes, he is aware of the talk about him competing for a spot in the starting rotation this spring. But he’s not about to let that change his approach to the game.
“Once I got here, there was no pressure,” Luzardo said. “Everyone is cool and just doing their own thing. I don’t sense anything in the air.”
The left-hander seems mature for his age, a trait Melvin observed last spring when Luzardo was called up for a few appearances with the big
league club.
Specifically, it was Luzardo’s start against the Angels late last spring that gave Melvin insight into the prospect. In 2 2/3 innings, he made quick work of the Angels’ regular lineup, including striking out the vaunted Mike Trout.
“I think what impressed us the most was the composure,” Melvin said. “They ran all their guys out there against him and it didn’t look like it bothered him at all, in fact, it looked like he was really excited about it.
“When you’re that young and have that kind of composure and stuff, you’re going to be talked about quite a bit and have the accolades that he already does.”
The chances of Luzardo cracking the starting rotation after spring training are good. But before he reaches that milestone, Luzardo faces one last piece to the bigleague
puzzle.
He shined last season with a combined for a 2.88 ERA and 129 strikeouts over 109 1/3 innings but also struggled in Triple-A as he posted a 7.31 ERA over four starts. Part of that stretch could have been attributed to fatigue as he neared his limit of 120 innings. But Luzardo also acknowledged how difficult it was to face Triple-A hitters.
It’s often said Double-A is where most clubs like to send their top prospects for development, but Triple-A can be tricky for young pitchers. A pitcher as talented as Luzardo can get by those lower levels with talent alone. But triple-A hitters have a more sophisticated approach.
Luzardo said they were more patient than any hitters he had previously faced, making him pay for every mistake.
Showing maturity, Luzardo was proactive and
sought help from more experienced triple-A pitchers last year in Frankie Montas and Josh Lucas. They talked about improving his pitch sequence and getting a better read on hitters, which helped Luzardo evolve.
“They really helped me out on reading hitters and all that,” Luzardo said. “I’m really looking forward to getting on the mound against hitters and being able to do that.”
Cactus League games for the A’s begin Feb. 21 against the Seattle Mariners. Spring games will give the A’s a better idea of Luzardo’s bigleague potential.
“The narrative will probably change somewhat as we go along,” Melvin said. “We were careful with him last year. If he lights it up and is on the pace like (AJ) Puk was last year and you feel he’s one of your better guys, you end up bringing them up.”