Jesús Luzardo looked dominant in his first Grapefruit League start for the Phillies, a very intriguing sign for a starting rotation that was already one of baseball's best before his arrival.
Luzardo got the nod for the Phillies Friday afternoon at BayCare Ballpark against the Boston Red Sox. Garrett Crochet — arguably the only bigger starting pitcher moved this offseason — took the ball for the Red Sox. It was actually Luzardo who was more impressive in a short outing this afternoon.
Across two innings of work, Luzardo held the Red Sox hitless, striking out two batters. Granted, Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman, among others, didn't make the trip from Fort Myers to Clearwater. But Alex Cora's Red Sox had Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell and Marcelo Mayer — all of whom are among the top 12 prospects in baseball, per MLB Pipeline — at the top of their order. So it wasn't like Luzardo was facing scrubs.
The most encouraging thing in Spring Training, of course, is health. It's particularly important in the case of Luzardo, who dealt with left elbow tightness and a lumbar stress reaction in his back last season with the Miami Marlins. He looked very healthy Friday, even hitting 97.7 mph on a first-inning sinker. Luzardo generated six swing and misses, and needed just 20 pitches to get through two frames:
Six up, six down for Jesús Luzardo in his Phillies debut 👏
(via @Phillies)pic.twitter.com/lPxi61A6tO
There was some frustration from Phillies fans this offseason about a lack of change in the lineup, but it feels like there wasn't enough appreciation for just how big if a pickup a healthy Luzardo could be. Injuries derailed him a year ago, but between 2022 and 2023, the lefty posted a 3.48 ERA for the Marlins. He's still only 27, so it's reasonable to believe his best might still be yet to come. Why the Marlins sold relatively low on him is unclear, but it could be to the benefit of the Phillies.
With Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez already in the starting rotation, you could say pitching wasn't a major need for the Phillies. With that said, the fifth spot in the rotation was a hole in the second half of last season. Now, the Phillies have shot for it to become a strength, as they've added yet another arm with ace potential. Oh, and Andrew Painter is looming.
If you didn't realize how major of an addition Luzardo could prove to be for a team that already won 95 games a year ago, Friday gave you a glimpse.
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