Willie Mays, Willie Montanez….
Herman’ Hermits once sang:
Well, every organization needs a Sam (if it is prime time Sam McDowell)… and a Willy, too.
And we have one for ya, in William (Willy) Lugo.
Lugo just turned 22 in January, so he is a Young Dude.
An international signing in 2019, he did not hit well in the Coast League (.158), but he skipped the DSL altogether and was only 17 at the time.
2020? Lost COVID year. For minor leaguers, a different kind of Leap Year.
2021? Raised his average 60 points (yay!) to .218 (ugh), but still only 19.
2022? The now-20 year old grizzled veteran .263/.347/.432 in 112 games, including .267 in 28 games in High A Brooklyn.
2023, age 21 in Brooklyn, he hit .237/.316/.385. Surprisingly, he was a much better hitter in Brooklyn than on the road. He did, however, improve as the season went on, as he hit a solid .275 in July-September.
“Willy Lou” is a 6-2, 230 pound 1B, SS and 3B.
His next pro error will be his 50th, in what has equivalently been like two full 162 game seasons. Happily, though, he made just 12 errors in 100 games in the field in 2023, so his fielding showed great improvement. All 12 errors happened in his 89 games at SS and 3B, with 0 errors in 11 games at 1B.
At his size, it is surprising he is agile enough to handle SS, right?
He signed for a hefty $475,000 at age 17 in 2019.
He’s averaged only a steal every 100 PAs, so speed isn’t his bailiwick.
His hitting has been similar to a fellow big fella named Jose Peroza, whose progress stalled somewhat in AA in 2023.
Peroza has 170 more games than Lugo under his pro belt and hit just .247 in AA in 2023.
For William Lugo to truly earn the name “Willy” in 2023, he needs to get a shot at a full season of AA in 2024 and put up at least a .275/.350/.450 slash line.
Infield competition in the majors and minors will be fierce, so he needs to have a breakthrough this year. Solid power. Make it happen, Willy.
He is at-batless in the first 6 spring games, just to be clear. In his career, in fact, he has never (yet) been up in a regular spring game.
Luisangel Acuna, Drew Gilbert, and Jett Williams, meanwhile (combined) have already been up 24 times (and been on base 10 times).
Lugo by this time next year should be striving to be one of those guys getting lots of spring training ABs.
How? Get better.
TOM SAYS…”NEVER ENOUGH PITCHING? AU CONTRAIRE.”
Jose Quintana didn’t pitch well in his spring debut on Leap Thursday, but everyone else did, in a 2-1 loss.
Especially Towering Tylor Megill, who tossed 3 scoreless with 4 Ks.
The offense was, well, “Mets-like”…
8 hits, 4 walks, one run scored. Most regulars sat.
Baty went hitless, to drop to .100, with 4 Ks, no BBs, and one “uh-oh.”
Carlos Cortes, meanwhile, is hitting .600; 6 times better than Baty, I guess.
I really hope Cortes does well…he’d be another 5’7” Mets star.
Voit? 0 for 3, now .077. Que passa, Muscular Luke?
After 6 games, 4-2 with a 2.21 ERA, best in baseball. By comparison:
Ten teams are 5.20 in ERA or above; the Houser-less Brewers have a 7.10 ERA.
2.21? Senga who?
4 comments:
Tom,
I suspect we will see some players released soon that are not going to make the team.There are too many younger players that are true prospects that need to play.
D J, hear you. I'm sure those who have not played in the scheduled games are playing backfield games that don't count in the stats.
Too many Lugo's
Too many Lugo’s, seth Lord Mack.
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