This continues my series where I predict the stats of each Braves player, moving onto another new addition in the bullpen, Lucas Luetge. If you missed any of the previous editions to this series, follow the links below.
- Kirby Yates
- Dylan Lee
- Collin McHugh
- Joe Jiménez
- A.J. MinterÂ
- Raisel Iglesias
- Mike Soroka
- Travis d’ArnaudÂ
- Sean Murphy
- Michael Harris II
- Marcell OzunaÂ
- Eddie Rosario
- Orlando ArciaÂ
- Austin Riley
- Vaughn Grissom
- Ozzie Albies
- Matt Olson
- Ronald Acuña Jr.Â
- Max Fried
- Spencer Strider
- Kyle Wright
- Charlie Morton
- Ian Anderson
Lucas Luetge 2023 Stat Predictions
The Braves acquired Luetge in a trade with the Yankees after he was designated for assignment by New York. This bullpen needed another quality left-handed reliever in middle relief after Tyler Matzek’s injury, and Luetge should be a perfect option to fill the role.
The 35-year-old southpaw isn’t cut from the cloth of most relievers in today’s game. His fastball sits in the high-80s, and his second-most shown offering is called a sweeper, which has an absurd 19.3 inches of horizontal break. He also features a curveball, and the combination has been elite at keeping hitters off balance over the last couple of seasons.
Luetge owns a 2.71 ERA and 2.92 FIP over the last two years with the Yankees. He is in the 100th percentile when it comes to HardHit % and the 97th percentile when it comes to Average Exit Velocity. Luetge also strikes out batters at a respectable rate — 9.6 batters per nine innings since 2021 — for a pitcher who doesn’t exactly light up the radar gun.
Luetge doesn’t have a lengthy track record of success, but he’s clearly figured something out later in his career. I think this ends up being a fantastic pickup for the Braves, as he replaces Tyler Matzek seamlessly, despite them having entirely different pitching styles.
Lucas Luetge 2023 Stat Predictions: 4-2, 3.27 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 9.7 K/9, 0.5 fWAR
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Photographer: John Cordes/Icon Sportswire
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