The Nationals will face a familiar foe in former Marlin Jesus Luzardo
The Washington Nationals will be facing off against the newest member of the Phillies rotation, Jesus Luzardo. Despite his recent arrival to Philadelphia, Luzardo is a name the Nats are familiar with.
Something many fans forget is that Luzardo was actually drafted by the Nationals. He was the Nats third round pick in 2016 out of Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. However, Luzardo was not with the organization for long. In 2017 he was part of the package that sent Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson to DC. It is kind of funny to see Doolittle coaching against a player he was traded for.
Luzardo has seen ups and downs since then. After 2020, he looked like a rising young star. However, the A’s traded him away the next year after Luzardo struggled. The left hander bounced back in Miami, pitching very well in 2022 and 2023. In those seasons, he put up a 3.48 ERA in 50 starts.
However, in 2024 he struggled with injury and ineffectiveness. That did not stop the Phillies from giving up a solid prospect haul to get him from Miami. They believe he can get back to his 2022-23 ways.
In 2023 Luzardo had an electric arsenal. His fastball averaged a blistering 96.7 MPH and hitters whiffed at his slider over half the time. Luzardo’s stuff was down in 2024 with his fastball down over a tick. This led to his strikeout rate going from 28.1% to 21.2%.
He has also struggled with the Nats over the years, In his seven starts, he has posted a 5.25 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. To add insult to injury, slap hitting Jacob Young hit his first career homer off of him in June.
Overall, Luzardo is coming off a concerning 2024 and the Nats have his number, but he is still very talented. There is a reason the Phillies gave up a top 100 prospect in Starlyn Caba to get him.
When Luzardo is at his best he can be a legitimate number 2 starter on a good team. The Phillies already have an elite rotation with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez. That means Luzardo can be a cherry on top. He doesn’t have to be the ace, he just gives the Phillies another option.
Hopefully the Nationals have that kind of depth and quality in their rotation before long. Luzardo is a good starter, but he is inconsistent and the Nats have shown they can get to him.