Nathan Lukes turns 31 next week. He’s played a handful of games for the Jays in each of the last two seasons. This year, he’s been on the roster (except for a few days on the IL) all season.
He’s easy to cheer for. He’s put in his time in the minors and is finally getting a chance in the majors.
He’s been decent, 102 OPS+. For a fourth outfielder, I’m good with that. If he’s an everyday corner outfielder, I’d like better.
| Age | WAR | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS | OPS+ | GIDP | HBP | SH | SF | IBB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 0.7 | 59 | 178 | 150 | 21 | 39 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 22 | .260 | .356 | .360 | .716 | 102 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
Baseball Reference lists him at 0.7 WAR, while FanGraphs lists him at 0.6.
He’s played all three outfield spots, and is at a -1 outs above average. I’m not a fan of him in center field, but he’s just fine in right and left. If I were him, I’d invest in a first baseman’s glove to give him another spot he could play.
Baseball Savant has his range at the 41st percentile, but likes his arm strength, which is at the 80th percentile.
He doesn’t hit the ball hard (21st percentile in hard-hit%), and he’s not barreling the ball up much (16th percentile). But he doesn’t strike out much (94th percentile), and he takes a walk when offered (84th percentile).
His BABIP is a bit low, .280, but then he isn’t hitting the ball hard, so that’s to be expected.
Baseball Savant tells us he isn’t fast, ranking in the 27th percentile, which surprises me a bit. I thought he was a bit above average as a runner. FanGraphs has him at a -0.7 runs above average on the basepaths. He has a steal and two caught stealing.
To me, he’s what I’d like in a fourth outfielder, other than the fact that we have several left-handed hitting outfielders, who are younger and have more upside. I figured we’d see Joey Loperfido by now, who could also play all three outfield spots, and would be a little better in CF, with more speed and power. However, the Jays see more of the two than I do, so they likely have their reasons.
Anyway, the poll: