The Braves announced they have signed an outfielder Jordan Luplow. It’s a one-year deal worth $1.4 million.
Luplow, 29, has appeared in the past six MLB seasons, spending time in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Tampa and Arizona. He has occasionally served as a valuable part-time player, but his production has been quite inconsistent.
He made brief major league appearances with the Pirates in 2017 and 2018, but had his longest season with Cleveland in 2019. His 85 games this season is still a career high and he posted a whopping .276/.372/.551. That performance was 41% above the league average as evidenced by his 141 wRC+. Most of that damage came against lefties, however, as right-handed Luplow hit .320/.439/.742 with the draw advantage and just .216/.274/.299 without it. This led to extremely one-sided production: a 205 wRC+ against lefties, but only 52 against righties.
He couldn’t carry that over to 2020 as his batting line slipped to .192/.304/.359 for an 84 wRC+. He rallied in 2021, which included a trade to the Rays. He finished this campaign with a line of .202/.326/.454, 116 wRC+. Oddly enough, his penchant for lefties reversed this season as he posted 95 wRC+ against them but 143 against Northpaws.
Prior to 2022, the Rays traded him to the Diamondbacks, but he hasn’t hit any pitchers this year. He finished the campaign with an overall line of .176/.274/.361. That was 78 wRC+, 85 of them with a move advantage, but 69 without.
Across 323 major league games, Luplow’s total work amounts to an approximate league average. He’s run at a healthy 11.8% rate and has hit 45 homers for a career .213/.313/.432 batting line. That equates to 102 wRC+, or 2% above the league average, with 125 against southpaw and 76 otherwise.
Luplow is considered average or better defensively on the field. Defensive Runs Saved has given him a +4 for his outfield work, with an Ultimate Zone Rating of 10.3 and Outs Above Average of zero. He has played more in the corners but is able to play decent midfield in a pinch.
Atlanta’s outfield mix will consist of Ronald Acuna Jr. in the right field and MichaelHarris II in the middle. The left field is more of an open question since both Eddie Rosario and Marcell Ozuna have underperformed in each of the last two seasons, despite Rosario’s postseason exploits. It’s possible that Luplow and the left-hander beating Rosario could form a move on the left, but it’s also possible that Luplow serves as a fourth outfielder, occasionally taking on certain left-handers. Rosario’s career platoon splits are notable but not drastic as he has a wRC+ of 108 against righties and 85 otherwise. Harris also hits from the left and could occasionally get a clear while yielding to Luplow down the middle.
2022 was Luplow’s first arbitration season and he earned a salary of $1.4 million. He was earmarked for a raise of up to $2 million by MLBTR staffer Matt Swartz, but the Diamondbacks picked him for the November assignment. Luplow is now staying with Atlanta for 2023, earning exactly the same salary as this year. He will complete 2023 ahead of the six years of MLB service required to reach free agency, meaning Atlanta could keep him through arbitration for 2024 if they so choose. He also has an option year left and could be sent to the minors to serve as a depth.
Although the salary is modest, it brings the club closer to luxury tax territory. Roster Resource is currently setting the club’s payroll at $197 million, with a competitive balance sheet tax calculation of just under $230 million. That leaves them just over $3 million off the $233 million CBT threshold.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.