The Philadelphia Phillies envisioned Jesus Luzardo would become a frontline starting pitcher when they traded for him ahead of the 2025 season. Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly believed the same when he managed him with the Miami Marlins in 2021-2022.
“I said it a lot, stuff-wise, yeah,” Mattingly told 94 WIP’s Dave Uram. “Stuff-wise, it looked the same in Miami. I know he’s probably brought the sweeper out; I think it was more of a slider there. But he’s always looked like this, just not enough strikes.”
Luzardo’s strike-throwing ability was on display much of the day. He landed first-pitch strikes to 24 of 30 hitters, keeping the Atlanta Braves on the back foot all afternoon. That allowed him to easily mow through the Braves lineup and complete his first career shutout.
“Just in the zone all day, forcing them to swing the bat, and then having a combination of the sweep, the change, and the fastball. You know he’s different from the standpoint of just being able to power in the zone with all of his pitches.”
In addition to throwing strikes, health had been an issue for Luzardo. He made just 36 starts and threw 195.2 innings between 2021 and 2022. However, that didn’t stop the Phillies from dealing prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd to land the left-hander.
Luzardo’s been healthy in three of the past four seasons. His next start will mark the third time in that stretch he’s made 30 starts. Luzardo was named a National League All-Star for the first time in his career in 2026.
Jesus Luzardo’s Sweeper Has Turned Into One of MLB’s Best Pitches
Since the trade to Philadelphia, Jesus Luzardo has ditched his gyro slider in favor of a sweeper. The two slider types averaged 86 MPH, so it made more sense to carry the bigger breaking ball, as that velocity is more of an outlier for a sweeper.
It has turned into a legitimate swing-and-miss offering, missing bats on 47.2% of swings. It’s also been a reliable putaway pitch, striking out hitters on 30.2% of his two-strike sweepers.
Luzardo’s sweeper has been one of the best pitches in baseball this year. It has a run value of +22, the fifth-highest total of any pitch this season on Baseball Savant. Opposing hitters are batting just .116 with a .164 slugging percentage against it.
Even though Luzardo still averages just under 97 MPH with two different fastballs, the sweeper has been the pitch to unlock his ceiling. It gives him a second offering to attack hitters with, commanding it to both sides of the plate.
He throws the pitch (38.5%) almost as often as his fastballs (43.2%), making it impossible for hitters to truly key on him. The combination of four offerings for hitters to account for allows him to stay one step ahead of hitters.
Luzardo should also factor into the National League Cy Young race. He’s firmly placed himself in the Top 4 among NL starting pitchers this season. It’s only a matter of how strong he finishes the season, especially with how well he’s pitched of late. His 1.70 ERA since June 10 could sway some voters.
Phillies Manager Makes Honest Admission on Jesus Luzardo’s Growth After Braves Series