Jesus Luzardo Stats & Scouting Report — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

TRACK RECORD: Born in Peru, Luzardo was raised in Florida and attended Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland. He was on track to be a potential first-round pick in 2016 until he needed Tommy John surgery two months before the draft. He fell to the third round, where the Nationals picked him No. 94 overall and signed him for an above-slot $1.4 million. Luzardo made a full recovery and flashed big stuff when he returned, leading the Athletics to acquire him at the 2017 trade deadline with Blake Treinen and Sheldon Neuse in the trade that sent Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle to the Nationals. With the A's, Luzardo bounded three levels up to Triple-A, started the Futures Game in a breakout 2018 and appeared on the precipice of the big leagues in 2019. Instead he suffered a rotator cuff strain in March and a lat strain in July, but he still managed to make his big debut in September and was so dominant that the A's carried him on their postseason roster.

SCOUTING REPORT: Luzardo tapped back into his fastball post-surgery, flirting with easy velocity up to 97 mph and impressive natural sink. Luzardo confidently works his heater to both sides of the plate, generating weak contact and plenty of swings and misses. His plus, mid-80s changeup features deceptive fade and is effective against both righties and lefties. His low-80s curveball is his third pitch, but it still projects as a future above-average offering. Luzardo is still gaining feel and confidence for his curve, but at its best he can land it for strikes with 1-to-7 action and alter its shape. Luzardo understands his body, which allows him to have a repeatable delivery and above-average control.

THE FUTURE: Luzardo's maturity, poise, confidence and steady development have him tracking to only become stronger with an already-dangerous arsenal. With nothing left to prove in the minors, Luzardo has the ingredients to become a front-of-the-rotation starter. As long as he shows he's healthy, he should open the year in Oakland.