After Lengthy Minor-League Career, Nathan Lukes Vying for First MLB Opportunity with Blue Jays
Grinding through the minor leagues is a journey most professional baseball players must endure to reach the “The Show” one day. And while outfielder Nathan Lukes’ quest began in 2015, his relentless efforts may soon prove worthwhile.
Lukes, still awaiting an opportunity to make his major-league debut, has compiled seven minor-league seasons – including 626 games – since being drafted by the Cleveland Indians, now Guardians, in the seventh round almost eight years ago. He is, however, currently the closest he’s ever been to earning a spot on a big-league roster.
Coming off a career year with the Buffalo Bisons, the Toronto Blue Jays’ triple-A affiliate, Lukes was added to the organization’s 40-man roster last November, protecting the 28-year-old from the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
The decision was shocking at first, especially considering much of Toronto’s fan base wasn’t familiar with Lukes. But management knew an outfield shakeup was about to ensue and needed to preserve one of its internal players.
External additions, of course, were also made by general manager Ross Atkins, who reshaped his outfield by acquiring Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho. In doing so, the Blue Jays GM surrendered Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and cut ties with Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer, vacating the team’s fourth outfielder role.
Initially, it seemed Toronto’s front office would ultimately fill that position with another external acquisition. But as the weeks passed, potential targets like A. J. Pollock, Adam Duvall, Tommy Pham and Robbie Grossman signed elsewhere – picking the free-agent market clean.
The Blue Jays didn’t come up empty, at least not entirely, signing veteran outfielder Wynton Bernard – who also enjoyed a career season in 2022 – to a minor-league deal. But unlike Lukes, the 32-year-old would need to be added to the 40-man roster before being recalled to the majors.
Roster battles will be few and far between for the franchise this spring, with most of the roster already intact. There is, however, one bench spot still up for grabs and is likely to be decided by a three-way competition involving Lukes, Bernard and Otto Lopez.
Each player will receive an equal chance to showcase themselves during Toronto’s exhibition schedule, which begins Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. But at the moment, Lukes appears to be leading the chase for the club’s 26th roster spot.
For starters, the 5-foot-11 lefty made a solid first impression during his spring training performance with the Blue Jays a year ago, hitting .400/.467/.680 with five extra-base hits – including one home run – and four RBIs across 25 at-bats. His plate discipline was also noticeable, registering four walks compared to seven punch-outs.
Lukes wasn’t included on the 40-man roster back then, though, meaning he didn’t receive serious consideration for a major-league opportunity. And that resulted in another trip to the minors. Instead of being discouraged, he kept grinding and delivered a second straight standout performance.
After slashing .303/.352/.456 with a 115 wRC+ in 85 games with Tampa Bay’s triple-A affiliate in 2021, the left-hander flourished in an elevated role with the Bisons, posting a .285/.364/.425 slash line with career-highs in home runs (11) and RBIs (61) over 111 contests.
The Blue Jays’ minor-leaguer also finished with a .352 wOBA, .336 BABIP, .140 ISO, 9.7 percent walk rate and an 18.4 percent strikeout rate, serving as a reliable on-base and contact-oriented threat.
Much of Buffalo’s success in 2022 was made possible because of Lukes, who led the team in home runs and RBIs, ranking second in stolen bases (20), third in wOBA and wRC+ and fourth in BABIP, according to FanGraphs.
In doing so, Lukes was honoured by the Bisons for his efforts, receiving the team’s Most Valuable Player Award, becoming the first outfielder since Socrates Brito (2019) to earn the accolade. He was also among Toronto’s organizational All-Stars selected by MiLB.
Coming off an award-winning performance, Lukes will be looking to pick up where he left off last season in hopes of breaking camp with the Blue Jays in 2023. And barring a disappointing spring, his long-awaited MLB debut appears to be on the horizon.
As a left-hander, Lukes would offer sizable upside at the big-league level, particularly from an offensive standpoint. He can hit for contact, both to the pull and opposite sides of the field, reach base consistently and doesn’t strike out at a concerning rate.
The Portland, Oregon, native also tapped into his power even further last season, turning many of his hits that went for doubles in 2021 into round-trippers. If that continues, it could help him provide some pop off the bench within the Rogers Centre’s enhanced hitter-friendly confines.
Lukes would be an option for the Blue Jays versus right-handed pitching, as he slashed .268/.344/.411 in those situations last season. Interestingly, his reverse splits were even more impressive, which saw him hit .333/.417/.465 versus lefties.
It’s worth noting that the veteran left-hander’s sample size was much larger against righties (314 at-bats) than it was against lefties (114 at-bats). Still, it would be tempting to test his skills versus more established southpaws.
Though Lukes isn’t considered an elite defender, he can play all three outfield positions, with most of last season’s reps coming in centre, where he logged 504.2 innings. He also compiled 344.1 combined innings in the corners as well.
There are a few weaknesses in Lukes’ defence – like his outfield reactions and arm strength – but he certainly makes up for them athletically, which was on full display with the Bisons – including an early-season home run robbery in right field.
Toronto’s newly-formed outfield trio will consist of Varsho, Kiermaier and George Springer this season – assuming all three stay healthy. But beyond them, without a traditional fourth outfielder, manager John Schneider will have to mix and match depending on the situation.
In most cases, Whit Merrifield will shift to right field against left-handed pitching, pushing Varsho or Kiermaier to the bench. There could be opportunities for Lukes in those matchups, though, especially if Merrifield is needed in the infield.
On days when the Blue Jays are facing a right-hander, and Varsho or Kiermaier require rest, Cavan Biggio will likely be called upon to fill in off the bench. Then again, the 27-year-old was unreliable offensively in 2022, slashing .202/.318/.350 with a 97 wRC+ over 97 games – so Lukes could potentially eat into Biggio’s playing time if his woes return.
At the very least, Schneider could utilize Lukes’ quickness as a pinch runner during high-leverage situations. And for a team striving to be more aggressive on the base paths, featuring a speedster of his calibre – whose 5.3-speed score would’ve been tied for second on Toronto’s roster last season – could be a difference-maker.
So while Lukes isn’t among the club’s flashiest attendees in camp, unlike Ricky Tiedemann or Yosver Zulueta, the left-handed outfielder is worth watching over these next four-plus weeks.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Len Williams. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.