Fort Myers, Florida: Lucas Luetge, the new reliever for the Red Sox, has a creative and entertaining way of characterizing his career as a baseball player.
At JetBlue Park on Saturday, Luetge remarked, “I always tell people I’m like a cockroach.” “I’m impossible to get rid of.”
Just before spring training, the 36-year-old lefty, who has experienced everything in his career but yet comes back for more, inked a minor league deal with the Red Sox. As a non-roster invitee, he is vying for a spot in the bullpen at camp. Given the scarcity of left-handed bullpen depth for the Red Sox, he has a genuine chance.
He declared, “I define my career like I’m trying to raise my kids.” There will be bad days ahead. Everything will work out well. But just because something becomes difficult, don’t quit. I’ve had many highs and lows, but when you look back, the highs exceed the lows.
It has been a wild ride for his career. The Rice native,, who was selected in the 21st round of the 2008 MLB Draft,, performed admirably as a rookie in 2012, going 63 innings with a 3.98 ERA for Seattle. With a 4.89 ERA in 47 relief appearances over the course of the following two seasons, he was designated for assignment by Seattle in May 2016.
In the major leagues, he did not pitch at all between April 26, 2015, and April 3, 2021. He grinded it out in the lower leagues throughout that period, and Tommy John surgery kept him out of the game entirely in 2018.
After nearly six years without pitching in the major leagues, he was added to the Yankees’ Opening Day roster for 2021 and went on to have a successful two years in New York. Between 2021 and 2022, he appeared in 107 games (129 ⅔ innings) and earned a 2.71 ERA, 2.92 FIP, and 1.25 WHIP. On December 28, 2022, the Yankees traded him to the Braves. He pitched poorly (7.24 ERA) and was only able to make 12 appearances (13 ⅔ innings) in 2023 because of inflammation in his left bicep. Atlanta had three separate times designed him for assignment.
But he simply doesn’t stop. March 24 is his 37th birthday.
Luetge declared, “I’m cutting myself off at 40.” “Hopefully, I can get there. Every year, I play as though it’s my last because, at this point, it very well might be. However, after forty, I want to return home and coach my children in Little League. That’s basically the cutoff point, after which I wouldn’t play at all.
In the last three seasons (143 ⅓ major league innings), opponents have only managed to hit six singles off of his curveball, going just 6-for-83 (.072 batting average).
My finest put-out pitch is this one. That’s certain,” he remarked. That’s kind of how my entire career has gone. I have no idea what it has to do with it. However, men don’t really see it.
“It moves a lot and is fairly sharp, but I don’t overuse it,” he continued. Most of the time, I throw it to a man who may be aggressive or when I feel it’s suitable to conclude the at-bat. Thus, I believe I use it best when I choose my areas.
Curveballs have been a part of his arsenal since he was nine years old.
“I learned it from my dad,” Luetge remarked. Has it changed over time? It’s become slightly sharper and harsher. However, it has always been a huge curveball,, a la Barry Zito.
He says he learned a fundamental grip from his father. And his grip is still quite simple.
He described it as “as standard a curveball grip as you can get.”
In the previous three seasons, however, he has used his cutter the most often.
“My fastball is my cutter. He said, “I don’t really throw a four-seam fastball. “Everything I toss into into slices easily. Therefore, I believe that the fastball is the pitch that most pitchers use the most often. That’s how my fastball has always been,, since it’s just a cutter by nature.
His fastball and cutter combo typically reach 86–87 mph.
Because of better command, he believes he pitched well for the Yankees in 2021–2022. Every nine innings, he walked two and struck out nine times on average.
He remarked, “Everything just kind of came together.” The employees there provided me with some helpful advice on how to approach things differently than I had in the past. Rather than trying to be so precise and hit my spots, just toss the ball into the zone. That, I believe, was the main reason they gave me the confidence to “just throw it down the middle if you have to.”
He has special stuff and plays differently than other pitchers, the Yankees informed him. They were fine with him tossing it in the middle because of this.
“You succeed anytime you’re in the zone,” they stated. You do not when you exit the zone. Thus, Luetge remarked, “they essentially laid everything out on the table.”
Although Boston has been interested in him for some time, he signed with the Red Sox just before camp.
Throughout the entire offseason, Luetge stated, “they were among the teams that showed the most interest.” “We started conversing right away. That is therefore always a hint that they are actually interested in you, rather than merely a ruse. And when it comes to the Red Sox, I’ve had some success. They are aware of my abilities, thus. I’ve played in both Triple-A and Major League Baseball. They are aware of some of my past, so that’s something.
Growing up, Luetge always enjoyed watching Cliff Lee, a lefty.
“An additional cutter who threw with moderate force,” Luetge remarked. When we got to the lower leagues, they made us write down the people we aspired to be like. I always liked people like that.
