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Forgotten Red Sox Prospect Still Making Noise In Minor Leagues

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It’s always interesting to look at an MLB organization’s top prospect list from past years. Usually, there are some major hits and misses within a team’s top 15. For the Boston Red Sox, its 2020 list was exactly that. Players like Triston Casas (2nd), Jarren Duran (8th), and Tanner Houck (10th) were massive wins providing value to the team. But there were also plenty of disappointments or players still trying to find their way. One of those was infielder Matthew Lugo, who was Boston’s 11th-best prospect in MLB.com’s 2020 rankings. But despite the fact that he hasn’t reached the bigs, Matthew Lugo is still making noise in the minor leagues.

Lugo’s Early Minor League Years

Lugo was drafted by Boston in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft after shining at the Carlos Beltrán Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico. Lugo, who is the nephew of Beltrán, had some big shoes to fill when compared to his uncle. He began in Rookie ball with slightly subpar numbers. Lugo batted .257 with 15 walks, 13 RBI, five doubles, and one home run over 41 games in 2019. Still, he entered 2020 tagged with the expectations of the Red Sox’s 11th-best prospect.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the minor league season was canceled in 2020. Lugo didn’t appear again in Boston’s organization until 2021. At the start of that season, the Puerto Rican infielder had taken a slight step back to the team’s 13th-best prospect. Still, he had a major league ETA of 2024. Lugo began the year with Single-A Salem and stayed there for the whole campaign. In 105 contests, he impressed, batting .270 with 61 runs, 50 RBI, and 21 doubles. 

The 2022 season was another one in Salem for Matthew Lugo. He heightened his production yet again, slashing .282/.388./492 with a career-high 18 homers. Lugo played 114 High-A matchups before earning his first-ever call-up to Double-A Portland. He struggled in a small three-game sample size with the Sea Dogs, ending with just one hit. Lugo began 2023 at the same level.

Lugo’s Struggles Set In

After three straight seasons of improvement, 2023 was a massively important campaign for Matthew Lugo. But the infielder didn’t string together good at-bats. Lugo spent the entire year at Double-A, playing just 83 games. He missed a short amount of time due to an injury in late July. Lugo batted under .245 for the first time in his career and had a sub-.300 on-base percentage. His OPS sat at .694, the second-worst mark of his career.

Nearly every one of Lugo’s counting stats decreased. He scored just 37 runs and had 37 RBI and 19 walks. One of the major issues was his strikeout numbers. After striking out under once a game in 2022, Lugo was punched out nearly 1.1 times per contest in 2023. August was especially rough for the former second-round pick. He struck out four times in three consecutive games. Over a five-contest period in mid-August, Lugo had 16 strikeouts. And for the whole season, he struck out multiple times in 29% of matchups. 

After starting 2023 ranked as Boston’s 14th best prospect, Lugo fell out of the top 30 completely in 2024. After an originally estimated arrival in the big leagues of 2024, he wasn’t even recognized by MLB.com by the time the year rolled around. Lugo exited 2023 and entered 2024 still a part of the Double-A squad. And although he was 22 at the campaign’s conclusion, time began running out on Matthew Lugo.

Matthew Lugo Still Making Noise In Minor Leagues

Despite a rough 2023, Lugo opened the 2024 season with purpose. In his 43 games with Portland, he improved to a .315 batting average and 11 homers. In 40 fewer games, Lugo had just 13 fewer total bases than the previous year. He sported a 1.069 OPS, by far his best-ever mark. That production earned Lugo a call-up to Triple-A. For the first time, the infielder was playing for the Worcester Red Sox. He began his Triple-A tenure with dominant displays.

As of Thursday, Lugo has appeared in just three Triple-A contests. He went 1-for-3 with a double in his first matchup with the WooSox. Then, the complete power ensued. On Wednesday, Lugo crushed his first Triple-A homer and his 12th of the year. The next day, he did it again, ending the afternoon with a double as well. Through his first three Worcester appearances, Lugo is batting .364 with a slugging percentage over 1.000. For the season across the two levels, he currently sits slashing .318/.412/1.106. 

At just 23 years old, it seems crazy to say that Lugo’s MLB chances are over. If the infielder didn’t significantly improve in 2024, it would be a different story. But Lugo’s current production is something to watch as his Triple-A career develops. There have been plenty of instances of former highly-touted prospects finding their way later than expected. If Lugo can sustain his current play, he will make things interesting for Boston’s front office. There were a lot of questions surrounding his potential over the past couple of years. And although they all haven’t been answered, Matthew Lugo is still making noise in the minor leagues.

 

Photo Credit: © Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK

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