Bossier Superstar Shines in Scoreless All-Star Appearance

There were a LOT of memorable moments during last night's MLB All-Star game in Arlington, Texas. Especially for us here in Louisiana.

Former LSU star Paul Skenes was throwing smoke and making some of the best hitters in the American League look foolish. Former Northwestern State Demon David Fry knocked in an RBI for the American League, helping them pick up the victory.

But, if there's one local that deserves a post dedicated to celebrate what he's accomplished this year, it without a doubt belongs to former Parkway Panther, Centenary Gent and Shreveport-Bossier Native Seth Lugo.

Seth Lugo is Proving Everyone Wrong

It wasn't all that long ago that Seth Lugo was just a really good reliver for the New York Mets. He was never an All-Star. He was just the guy that showed up, put in a solid inning or two of work and that was it. He didn't get the crazy paydays. He never had a 'signature moment'. He was just kind of there. You can read interviews with Seth where he was always talking about being more than a bullpen arm or occasional swingman. It just never materialized for one reason or another.

Then, Seth feeling like he was a bit underutilized, decided he wanted to be a starting pitcher. The Mets went "we really like you, but we want you in the bullpen not the starting rotation". So Seth bet on himself, entered free agency and signed with the San Diego Padres for the 2023 season.

In his first year as a starter since 2017, Seth had a respectable 2023 with the Padres. He went 8-7 with a 3.57 ERA. The Padres weren't very good last season, he didn't get a lot of run support or defensive help...so much like his career with the Mets, he was just kind of a guy.

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This off-season, he signed with the upstart Kansas City Royals. And man, has it made a WORLD of difference. He has proven he can be 'the guy'. This year so far, he's leading the American League in wins (11) and in games started (20). He's near the top in lowest ERA with a 2.48. Oh, and he just made his first All-Star team. And, arguably, he's been good enough where some would argue he should have started the game over Corbin Burnes.

With that said, Lugo had a pretty good showing during his one inning of work during the 7th inning of All-Star game in which his AL team won. It wasn't a clean inning as he let on a couple runners, but he did what he does best - struck out one and induced some weak contact to get out of the inning unscathed.

Could Seth Lugo Win a Cy Young This Season?

Seth Lugo is 34 and having a career year. There are some online rumors that Kansas City may think about 'selling high' - meaning trade him while Lugo is at his peak. Whether they do that with the season he's having remains to be seen.

BUT, if he remains on the Royals or at the very least in the American League, he has a real shot at winning some end of year hardware - specifically the Cy Young Award which goes to the best pitcher in each league. And this year, it's hard to deny that Seth has been on of the absolute best in the American League.

As I've mentioned above, he's leading the league in wins. He's top 3 in ERA. Guy is just stacking a statistically great year. Can he keep it up in the 2nd half of the season? That's always the million dollar question. But, outside of two rough starts, he's been dominant and pretty much untouchable. So, if he can keep it going through September, there's a real chance he could win it.

There's may 3 or 4 other guys that you could argue deserve it - Corbin Burnes from the Orioles, Tarik Skubal from the Tigers...maybe Tanner Houck from Boston. But, it's a REALLY short list when you start talking about guys in the conversation through the first half of the season.

Where Does Seth Lugo Go From Here?

Like I said, there are some rumors floating around that the Royals could consider trading him at the deadline for some pieces they feel could help long term. Again, those are just rumors and nothing solid has been reported. And, honestly, if you're a Major League General Manager, you probably should at least listen to and consider every possible move. I get it.

Seth is 34 and it's the first time he's ever produced these kinds of numbers. Is this a one-off or is this just what happens when you give a talented guy a chance on a good ball club?

But, regardless of if Seth gets moved or not, he's going to be locked in for a little bit. He signed a two year contract with the Royals with a player option for a 3rd year in the off-season. So, he won't be a free agent until at least next off-season.

And, if the Royals can earn a playoff spot, they're pretty dangerous. You got a really good lineup and two pitchers that opposing hitters are struggling to square up in the form of Cole Ragans & Seth Lugo. In a short playoff series, that can lead to a deep run.

What happens and how things play out will probably rely heavily on whether or not the Kansas City Royals are still in playoff contention in the next two weeks.

No matter how things playout, I hope Seth is enjoying this moment and taking it all in because he has more than earned it.