Seth Lugo

35-Year-Old PitcherSP

Kansas City Royals

2025 Stats

W-L

0-0

ERA

0.00

WHIP

0.00

Rest-of-Season Projections

W-L

ERA

WHIP

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

No team allocated free agent starting pitching dollars more wisely than the Royals last offseason. Michael Wacha was great and Lugo was even better, winning 16 games and finishing with an even 3.00 ERA over a league-high 33 starts. A 21.7 percent strikeout rate left something to be desired, but Lugo provided so much volume with a surprising 206.2 innings that he accumulated 181 strikeouts, which tied him for 20th in baseball. It looked from July to August like the former reliever might be tiring as he put up a 4.86 ERA, but Lugo bounced back with a 2.28 ERA and 26:4 K:BB in 27.2 September innings. Perhaps the big workload increase will catch up with Lugo in 2025 instead, and some natural regression is likely either way, given his xERA of 3.72 in 2024. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

Rest of Season

Overall Rank

Dynasty

From Preseason

#180

ADP

League Majors

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man Yes

Height 6'5"

Weight 225

DOB 11/17/1989

Born Shreveport, LA

College Centenary

Drafted 34th Rd 2011 NYM

Getting into regular-season form

PKansas City Royals

March 8, 2025

Lugo gave up one run in 2.2 innings with five strikeouts and two walks in Friday's spring start. He has a 8.22 ERA with a 9:3 K:BB ratio over 7.2 innings this spring.

ANALYSIS
Lugo improved after giving up three runs in each of his first three spring starts, as his five strikeouts showed he's nearly in regular-season form. However, spring stats hardly matter for the veteran, who is locked in as the No. 2 starter for the Royals. Lugo won 16 games with a 3.00 ERA over a league-high 33 regular-season starts last season. A 21.7 percent strikeout rate left something to be desired, but Lugo provided so much volume with a surprising 206.2 innings that he accumulated 181 punchouts.

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Pitching Stats

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2025 MLB Game Log

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2024 MLB Game Log

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2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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2019 MLB Game Log

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2018 MLB Game Log

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2017 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Left/Right Pitching Splits

Since 2023

-9%

BAA vs RHP

2025

No Stats

2024

-14%

BAA vs RHP

2023

-3%

BAA vs RHP

	BAA	Batters	K	BB	H	2B	3B	HR
Since 2023vs Left	.248	750	177	50	171	37	7	19
Since 2023vs Right	.226	690	144	34	146	28	2	16
2025vs Left	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2025vs Right	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2024vs Left	.246	443	101	32	99	22	5	7
2024vs Right	.211	393	80	16	78	14	1	9
2023vs Left	.252	307	76	18	72	15	2	12
2023vs Right	.245	297	64	18	68	14	1	7
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Home/Away Pitching Splits

Since 2023

-13%

ERA on Road

2025

No Stats

2024

-22%

ERA on Road

2023

-4%

ERA on Road

	ERA	WHIP	IP	W	L	SV	K/9	BB/9	HR/9
Since 2023Home	3.47	1.18	171.0	11	10	0	7.7	2.1	0.8
Since 2023Away	3.02	1.10	182.0	13	6	0	8.7	2.2	1.0
2025Home	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2025Away	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2024Home	3.36	1.14	107.0	7	6	0	7.0	2.1	0.7
2024Away	2.62	1.03	99.2	9	3	0	8.8	2.1	0.7
2023Home	3.66	1.23	64.0	4	4	0	8.9	2.1	1.0
2023Away	3.50	1.18	82.1	4	3	0	8.4	2.3	1.3
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Defensive Stats

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Stats Vs Today's Lineup

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

Lugo, long a multi-inning reliever, was a full-time starter in 2023 for the first time with mixed results. He finished the season with solid ratios, but a decline in strikeouts and wins in just 8 of his 33 starts limited his overall fantasy value. Lugo has long been known for his high spin rate pitches, but his two primary offerings did not perform the same as a starter as they did when he came in from the pen. The league hit .171 off his fastball and .159 off his curveball in 2022, but those numbers jumped to .247 and .280 last year when he worked as a starter despite both pitches maintaining their high spin rates. Lugo's velocity dipped a bit working in the rotation as well. He opted out of the final year of his deal to become a free agent and cashed in with a three-year, $45 million deal in Kansas City. The workload increase of nearly 100 innings from 2021 to last year is a concern, but Lugo's contract should assure him a rotation spot with the Royals while he remains healthy.

Lugo signed a one-year, $7.5 deal with the Padres that includes incentives for starting and relieving. The 33-year-old has appeared in 275 games throughout his seven-year career, with only 38 of those outings coming as a starter. Lugo has worked exclusively in relief the past two seasons, compiling a 3.56 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 124:37 K:BB over 111.1 innings, but he currently projects to open 2023 as San Diego's fifth starter and will build up as such. If he wins that job during spring training, it's reasonable to envision him shifting to the bullpen at some point, similar to Nick Martinez last year.

Once an elite reliever in 2018 and 2019, Seth Lugo posted a 2.68 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 28.6% K%, and 6.1% BB% in 181.1 innings. Lugo saved nine games in 15 chances with 32 holds in 2018 and 2019. He continued as a starter and reliever in 2020 and 2021 with an above-average 28.7% K%, but the ratios jumped to a 4.23 ERA and 1.33 WHIP, plus an increase in BB% to 8.2% in 83 innings. Lugo underwent elbow surgery to remove loose bodies in February 2021, then returned in June as a reliever. He possesses starter-like stuff with four pitches eliciting a double-digit SwStr% in the 4-seam, curve, slider, and change. It's rare for a reliever to use four pitches relatively evenly too. Assuming full health, Lugo should improve the K-BB% closer to 2019 and 2020 (26.4%) in a middle relief role to help with ratios and strikeouts. However, he's more of a waiver wire pickup or draft-and-hold league target.

To this point, the Mets haven't been able to figure out what to do with Lugo. After breaking him in as a swingman, they tried him as the closer down the stretch in 2019 and Lugo thrived, but then they talked about potentially stretching him back out as a starter. Lugo was in the bullpen when the 2020 season finally got underway and he racked up three saves in his first seven appearances, but then New York did indeed move him to a starting role, which proved to be a bad move as Lugo struggled to a 6.15 ERA as a starter (2.61 ERA as a reliever). His fastball velocity was only around 92-93 mph on average in September, down a couple ticks from where he was as a reliever in 2019. Lugo's overall K-BB% was still a stellar 23.1%. Hopefully this new regime puts Lugo in the bullpen and leaves him be. He's a lot better than he showed in 2020 and we know he can be a late-inning weapon, ultra-effective in short spurts.

Lugo had his best season yet in his fourth year in the majors, his first one spent entirely in the bullpen. While his 2.70 ERA was marginally behind his numbers in 2016 and 2018, his 2.70 FIP and 3.24 xFIP were each career bests. His 5.1% walk rate was likewise a career low, while his excellent 33.1% strikeout rate smashed his previous career high of 25.1%. With Edwin Diaz falling far short of expectations, Lugo even picked up six saves. The Mets want Diaz to be the closer they expected when they traded for him prior to the 2019 season, and there is talk that Lugo might be stretched out as a starter this spring. If Diaz struggles for the second straight year, newly-signed Dellin Betances looks like the most likely beneficiary. Lugo can still offer value in rotisserie leagues due to his heavy workload (80 innings) and high strikeout rate, just don't expect him to top last year's saves total.

Lugo was versatile for the Mets last season, serving as a starter, closer and middle reliever at different times throughout the campaign. His 2019 plan looks similar; he’s been told by the new regime in New York to prepare for any job, though closing is probably off the table after the Mets acquired Edwin Diaz from Seattle. Lugo’s fastball played up in relief and gave him closer-like peripherals, but he can also spread the wealth with five solid-to-awesome offerings as a starter, including a Statcast-melting curveball. Chances are, he will spend most of the year in a high-leverage, multi-inning bullpen role, once again pitching roughly 100 innings. This is the wave of the future, and these highly-skilled non-closers, previously afterthoughts in traditional mixed leagues, are growing more appealing with fewer workhorse starters in the game. Consider tucking Lugo away in the late rounds.

Formerly an unheralded depth piece, Lugo spun a 2.68 ERA in eight starts to end 2016 and looked like valuable insurance for a brittle Mets rotation. The right-hander was bit by the injury bug himself, unfortunately, crashing to a 4.71 ERA over 19 appearances last year while pitching with a slight UCL tear. He later missed time due to a shoulder impingement. The good luck from his .230 BABIP and 85.7 left-on-base percentage the previous year dissolved into .325 and 68.4, respectively. Lugo features an elite curveball, which led the league in spin rate across 2015 and 2016 with a combined 3337 rpm average and finished sixth in 2017 with 3058, per Statcast. His 3.40 K/BB showed a solid foundation for command. However, Lugo is in limbo with no opening as a starter heading into 2018, but he could wind up being traded or filling an injury void for a significant stretch, making him a logical deep-league dart.

Seen as a non-prospect entering last season, Lugo logged eight starts for the Mets due to injuries in the rotation, and the results were surprisingly excellent in 47 innings as a starter. Unfortunately, his 4.93 FIP and 90.9 percent strand rate suggest he was pretty fortunate. That said, some Statcast data suggests Lugo is worth monitoring. He has the highest average curveball spin rate over the past two seasons (Garrett Richards and Jesse Hahn round out the top three). It is an awfully effective pitch, as it held opposing hitters to a .235 average and .294 slugging percentage. The rest of Lugo's pitches are just mediocre offerings, which is why his 17.3 percent strikeout rate does not back up the notion that he might have an 80-grade curveball in his toolbox. He is unlikely to break camp in the starting rotation, but if an injury opens up a spot, Lugo's curveball makes him interesting enough to be worth an add in deeper formats.

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Gets nod for ALDS Game 3

PKansas City Royals

October 7, 2024

Lugo will start Wednesday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.