After turning corner in '22, Luzardo eyes new heights

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A year ago, the Marlins were cautiously optimistic about left-hander Jesús Luzardo.

Acquired in the Starling Marte trade in July 2021, Luzardo ended a rough season (64 ERA+) between Oakland and Miami with an 11-strikeout performance against Philadelphia. That momentum carried over into ‘22, outside of a forearm strain that sidelined him for nearly three months, as he posted a 123 ERA+ and 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Miami dealing No. 2 starter Pablo López to Minnesota for 2022 American League batting champion Luis Arraez over the offseason showed how much confidence the club has in its starting staff, in particular Luzardo.

“I agree,” Luzardo said. “Last year, coming in after 2021, I feel like I was definitely a question mark. But I feel like now I've established myself a little bit more and I don't question myself as much. ‘Should I be here? Do I have the stuff to be here?’ Now, I just go out there, and I know I'm good enough to pitch, so just go out and do it.”

“He showed signs of making an adjustment and change to where he's ready to step up and win,” pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr. said on the first day of camp.

In his spring debut, Luzardo opened his 28-pitch outing by striking out Jose Altuve on a changeup. He went on to allow one run on three hits across two innings in Monday afternoon’s 4-3 victory over the Astros at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches.

When Luzardo turned the corner over his final 12 starts of 2022 following his return from the IL (2.87 FIP), he could feel the pitches out of his hand. He began to recognize the type of swings he could get based on how his offerings moved. Luzardo replicated that awareness on Monday.

“I felt really good, definitely better than I did last spring,” Luzardo said. “I feel like I'm more aware of what I want my stuff to do and where I want to put it. And I felt like today, I was able to do all that. Made one mistake in two innings. But besides that, I felt like all the contact was what we wanted -- whether it's ground balls or broken bats, whatever it might be. But felt really good, arm's healthy, and then the pitches and all that is where they need to be.”

After a perfect first inning, Luzardo encountered traffic in the second. He surrendered a leadoff triple that fell between two outfielders before Martín Maldonado produced an RBI groundout with the infield playing normal depth. Marty Costes then reached on an infield hit and Mauricio Dubón followed with a single, but Luzardo retired the next two batters without permitting further damage.

That sequence epitomizes Luzardo’s progression from a top prospect that had lost his way to the 25-year-old southpaw realizing his potential. Manager Skip Schumaker saw some of that evolution from the visiting dugout in 2020 when the Padres faced the A’s, and in ‘22 when the Cardinals visited Miami.

“He's growing, that's what's really good to see,” Schumaker said. “More strikes. He's really, really uncomfortable [of an at-bat]. When you're seeing lots of ground balls and strikeouts, you know he's on. He just misses barrels. Efficient outs is what I think is [the] next step to get deeper in games, and he's right on track, and I'm having a lot of fun watching him grow.”

Schumaker won’t get too much time to do so this spring. Luzardo is one of three Marlins starting pitchers set to compete in the World Baseball Classic, along with Sandy Alcantara and Johnny Cueto. With a report date of March 7, his time at camp is limited. He is in line for one more Grapefruit League start: Saturday against the Mets.

While Luzardo is away, he will incrementally increase his pitch count as if it were a normal spring with live batting practice. The Marlins and Team Venezuela’s coaching staff have made sure to stay in communication about the plan.

“I'm just kind of taking it the same as every spring,” Luzardo said. “I feel ready, my body feels really ready. I know for the Classic, it's going to be about the same pitch count/innings. Obviously, the adrenaline is a little higher. But I do feel like I'm prepared, and I feel like with Skip and Mel, we talked about it already, and we are where we need to be in terms of body and readiness.”