Jesús Luzardo recently debuted a new sweeper in spring training as he looks to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2024 campaign. His sweeper has looked good so far in limited action and has the chance to enhance his strikeout ability and elevate his overall game to another level.
His pitch has gained recognition already, as it was recently highlighted by MLB.com's David Adler as one of the 15 best new pitches in the game so far this spring.
Jesús Luzardo's sweeper is one of MLB's nastiest new this spring
Throughout his career, Luzardo has relied heavily on his four-seam fastball and changeup while also mixing in an occasional slider and sinker. This new sweeper provides hitters with another challenge in what is already an impressive pitching arsenal.
"Luzardo has always had a great slider (108 of his K's in 2023 were on sliders), but his slider has very tight movement (just 0.1 inches of horizontal break that season)," Adler writes. "The new sweeper, on the other hand, is getting over seven inches of break."
He hasn't used the new sweeper much in his three Grapefruit League starts this spring, throwing two against the Boston Red Sox on Feb. 28 and one against the Detroit Tigers on March 5. We don't know if he threw any sweepers in his third spring training start on Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, thanks to a lack of Statcast. We'll have to wait and see if he feels comfortable enough to break it out during the regular season.
So far this spring, Luzardo is carrying a 7.88 ERA in eight innings after getting blown up in his second outing. He looked solid in his other two games, so fans shouldn't worry; his spring numbers aren't an indication of the pitcher he is and who he should be in the regular season.
Luzardo joins a rotation that is among the best in MLB
Luzardo, 27, is entering his first season in Philadelphia after he was acquired this offseason from the Miami Marlins in exchange for top prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd. He spent the last four years with the Marlins as a core member of their rotation alongside Sandy Alcantara. Prior to that, he was drafted in 2016 by the Washington Nationals and then spent three years with the Oakland Athletics.
His best season came in 2023 as a member of the Marlins when he posted a 10-10 record with an ERA of 3.58 in 32 starts. His 208 strikeouts in 2023 ranked 11th in the majors and seventh in the National League and he was a big part of a Marlins team that made the playoffs for only the second time since 2004.
The Phillies will pencil him in alongside Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez and Ranger Suárez, with Andrew Painter expected to debut sometime this summer. Pitching depth is critical, especially with the rise of injuries for pitchers across the league, which was a big reason for the acquisition this winter.
The fact that Luzardo has added the sweeper to his pitch selection shows that he is committed to improving and looking to thrive in his new environment. If Luzardo can get back to his 2023 form this year, he will be a steal for a team that is looking to make another deep postseason run.
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