{"id":76021,"date":"2024-06-07T07:00:21","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T11:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=76021"},"modified":"2024-06-06T23:25:57","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T03:25:57","slug":"matthew-lugo-making-noise-minor-leagues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/07\/matthew-lugo-making-noise-minor-leagues\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgotten Red Sox Prospect Still Making Noise In Minor Leagues"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s always interesting to look at an MLB organization\u2019s top prospect list from past years. Usually, there are some major hits and misses within a team\u2019s top 15. For the Boston Red Sox, its 2020 list was exactly that. Players like Triston Casas<\/a> (2nd), Jarren Duran<\/a> (8th), and Tanner Houck<\/a> (10th) were massive wins providing value<\/a> 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<\/a>, who was Boston\u2019s 11th-best prospect in MLB.com\u2019s 2020 rankings. But despite the fact that he hasn\u2019t reached the bigs, Matthew Lugo is still making noise in the minor leagues.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lugo\u2019s Early Minor League Years<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lugo was drafted by Boston in the second round of the 2019 MLB Draft after shining at the Carlos Beltr\u00e1n<\/a> Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico. Lugo, who is the nephew of Beltr\u00e1n, 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\u2019s <\/span>11th-best prospect<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the minor league season was canceled in 2020. Lugo didn\u2019t appear again in Boston\u2019s organization until 2021. At the start of that season, the Puerto Rican infielder had taken a slight step back to the team\u2019s <\/span>13th-best prospect<\/span><\/a>. Still, he had a major league ETA of 2024. Lugo began the year with Single-A Salem<\/a> and stayed there for the whole campaign. In 105 contests, he impressed, batting .270 with 61 runs, 50 RBI, and 21 doubles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>. 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lugo\u2019s Struggles Set In<\/b><\/h3>\n

After three straight seasons of improvement, 2023 was a massively important campaign for Matthew Lugo. But the infielder didn\u2019t 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly every one of Lugo\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After starting 2023 ranked as Boston\u2019s 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\u2019t 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\u2019s conclusion, time began running out on Matthew Lugo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Matthew Lugo Still Making Noise In Minor Leagues<\/b><\/h2>\n

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<\/a>. He began his Triple-A tenure with dominant displays.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s the Matthew Lugo home run. The Boston Red Sox prospect had 11 in Double-A pic.twitter.com\/0Ul1oYvvpE<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Hunter Noll (@Hunter_Noll) June 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n