Sea Dogs Matthew Lugo lost in the fold
Last year Matthew Lugo put together a productive season. Spending the majority of the year in High-A with the Greenville Drive, Lugo had his first display of power with 18 home runs and 53 extra-base hits overall. Starting 72 games at shortstop, he was inconsistent in his time at the position. Come seasons end, he was playing a lot more second and third base, starting 29 games at the two positions combined.
Since arriving at AA Portland last season for a few at-bats late in the season, it’s been a different story for Lugo overall. Recording 1 hit in his 12 at-bats in his 2022 taste of AA, it hasn’t been much better in 2023. In 175 plate appearances, the former second-round pick has a slash line of .228/.257/.377. With 19 extra-base hits (only 2 of those home runs), Lugo is still driving the ball, just not doing it at the rate he was in the previous season.
Not only has he slowed drastically at the plate, but with other prospects arriving at AA like Marcelo Mayer and Chase Meidroth, he no longer appears to be a priority of development. He hasn’t appeared once at shortstop in the 2023 season and has found a new position in left field, having started 13 games there. His time in the outfield has not been pretty either.
Despite having a clean record with 0 errors, that does not tell the full story. It’s been a challenging transition for him so far, struggling to take efficient routes to fly balls. If an error could be charged to a fielder for a bad route, it’s safe to say he might have a few. His time in left field this season is the first time he’s played the outfield in his professional career.
Currently a below-average hitter and defender, Lugo will need to prove it on the field that he is worth the Red Sox's resources. Luckily for him, baseball is a game of runs. When play resumes on Wednesday for the Sea Dogs, the teams’ overall record will be 0-0. While players’ overall numbers won’t be wiped clean, maybe the halfway point of the season can act as a fresh start for Lugo.
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