Royals' Seth Lugo throws 10 different pitches — yes, 10 — as most crafty pitcher in MLB

Billy Heyen

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Royals' Seth Lugo throws 10 different pitches — yes, 10 — as most crafty pitcher in MLB image

Seth Lugo is the craftiest pitcher in Major League Baseball.

He's gone from the New York Mets bullpen to the Kansas City Royals rotation in recent years. And Lugo is one of the best pitchers in the American League.

He does it differently than pretty much every hurly in the modern game. Rather than throwing 100mph fastballs, Lugo has the biggest arsenal in baseball.

The Royals righty throws 10 different pitches.

Here's how they break down, via Kansas City's TV broadcast on Saturday, with usage percentage and average velocity:

  • 4-seam fastball (21.4%, 92.2mph)
  • Slurve (20.0%, 78.5mph)
  • Sinker (15.7%, 91.4mph)
  • Changeup (11.4%, 87.9mph)
  • Curveball (11.4%, 78.1mph)
  • Cutter (7.1%, 89.5mph)
  • Splitter (4.3%, 85.4mph)
  • Slider (2.9%, 85.2mph)
  • Sweeper (2.9%, 80.8mph)
  • Slow curve (2.9%, 72.5mph)

Talk about keeping hitters off balance.

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It's not even worth guessing at the plate because any pitch that's ever been invented might be coming from Lugo.

He doesn't throw a screwball or knuckleball. That's something to aspire to for Lugo, at least.

In the meantime, he'll keep baffling hitters with an assortment of pitches seen nowhere else in Major League Baseball. Lugo is the true definition of a pitcher.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle