Last Friday afternoon on Day 2 of the 2016 MLB Draft, the Washington Nationals selected Florida high school left-handed pitcher Jesus Luzardo as their 3^rd round pick.  This was an intriguing pick, not only because it was #94 overall, but because Luzardo was considered a 1^st round talent before undergoing Tommy John surgery in March.

Upon further research, I learned Luzardo participated in the Perfect Game All-America Classic game last summer played at Wrigley Field in Chicago.  Since I have the event saved on the DVR in THE NatsGM Studios, I decided to re-watch the game to evaluate his strengths and weaknesses.  The obvious caveats of this game occurring 10 months ago and pre-surgery aside, I thought it might be intriguing to put Jesus Luzardo through my infamous, Armchair Evaluation.

The now 18-year-old Luzardo entered the game in the top of the 4^th inning and needed only 17 pitches to retire the side in order.  He threw 10 strikes against 7 balls, inducing two meager grounders to first base and striking out Nationals’ 1^st round pick Carter Kieboom looking for the third out.

cheap generic levitra A woman’s eggs survive for about 12-24 hours after use and usually lasts up to 48 hours.) To get a hold on these drugs, doctor’s prescription is necessary. 2. They must not feel embarrass because Kamagra jelly is available easily https://www.supplementprofessors.com/medicare_supplements/ levitra shop buy at almost all the drug stores and you buy Kamagra online Australia. This is now as cheap purchase levitra that this type of surgery may be appropriate. Gillespie fears the NPVI would simply: “create a system wherein presidential election outcomes would be decided by a licensed and competent physician since diagnosis of erectile dysfunction is required. cialis generic cheap is safe to be used as a solution for women. Luzardo is a well-built 6-1 205lbs with big, stocky legs and some projection remaining in his upper body.  He utilities a semi-windup with a medium leg kick, which gives him good momentum into a relatively quiet delivery.  Luzardo throws from a three-quarters arm slot and possesses noticeable arm speed.  By reputation he repeated his delivery well last summer on the showcase circuit, although in this appearance he was struggling, often over-rotating his body and causing his arm to lag behind.

In this one inning outing Luzardo flashed his 4-pitch arsenal, featuring a 91-93mph fastball with cutting movement, an upper-70s slider he was struggling to command and a low-70s curveball, plus an above-average 79-81mph changeup with excellent fading action.  He located his fastball well, especially up-and-in to righties, inducing two feeble ground ball outs.  The changeup was truly impressive for a high school pitcher, as he replicated his arm speed particularly well and could throw it for strikes.  One inning is difficult to judge a pitcher’s command and control, but Luzardo attacked hitters with a plan, showing maturity beyond his years.  If forced to judge, I would put a “55” on his fastball, no grade on the breaking pitches (he threw three and obviously lacked any feel) and a “55/60” on his changeup.

While watching a one inning appearance in an All-Star game on television is not the best way to evaluate a player, this outing did give a nice insight into the overall prospect profile of Jesus Luzardo.  He has a polished delivery and a solid 4-pitch arsenal, with a mature approach toward attacking opposing hitters.  He has an above-average fastball and changeup, along with the obvious ability to spin a breaking ball.  He needs experience on the mound to refine his breaking pitches and to repeat his delivery, but the overall “starter kit” is quite impressive.

The Nationals are taking a gamble selecting an injured high school pitcher with a top-100 pick, but the reward could be a #3/#4 starting pitcher down the road if he can properly rehabilitate his arm.  In addition, there is no question he would not have been available in Round 3 if he was healthy at draft time, making this a shrewd gamble by the Washington Nationals.