P Cory Luebke (Official Thread)

[Buckskin86]

The Unlikely Success of Cory Luebke
By Marc Normandin - Contributor

Cory Luebke was supposed to be a back-end starter, but as last night's start shows, the Padres have something more here.

Sep 20, 2011 - Cory Luebke tossed five no-hit innings against the Colorado Rockies last night, and did so in Colorado. He finished the outing after seven innings, striking out nine Rockies while walking three and allowing one hit. This start came roughly a year after his major-league debut against Colorado, in which he lasted just five frames while allowing two walks to three strikeouts, as well as two homers -- but did so in pitcher-friendly Petco Park.

Luebke's first career start was much like what many expected from him. He pitched like a fifth starter would, not striking out a ton of hitters, giving up some big hits, but generally keeping his team in it. Baseball America rated Luebke the #6 prospect in the system heading into 2010, and labeled him the fifth starter for the projected 2013 lineup. Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus ranked Luebke the #12 prospect in the organization, saying he "could fit in the back of the rotation down the road."

Luebke had fantastic command in the minors, but his stuff was merely average. Many pitchers with quality command can thrive in the high minors but fail in the majors, once they are facing the top hitters on the planet night after night. The lack of a true out pitch dooms these pitchers, as they can put the ball anywhere they want, but they have trouble putting hitters away as they tend to have to nibble to avoid having their average stuff go yard.

Luebke's used his pitches even more effectively than anyone could have imagined, though, and has now punched out 10 batters per nine in his 151 MLB innings, and against just 2.7 walks per nine. It's clear something has clicked for him -- he struck out 7.5 batters per nine with a 3.6 K/BB ratio in the minors.

cont...

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/9/20/2437726/the-unlikely-success-of-cory-luebke

 

[brodybuck21]

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/9/20/2437726/the-unlikely-success-of-cory-luebke

Way to go Cory!!!!

 

[Buckskin86]

LHP Cory Luebke allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks over six innings Sunday. He finished the season with a 5-8 record and a 3.31 ERA in 17 starts since being moved into the rotation from the bullpen on June 26. Opponents hit .218 against Luebke as a starter and he had 111 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings against 29 walks.

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/national/sns-rt-bbo-padresmtze79q3p80ll-20110926,0,6383458.story

 

[Buckskin86]

Luebke ready to take next step in 2012
By Corey Brock / MLB.com | 02/11/12

SAN DIEGO -- Cory Luebke had no sooner finished an autograph session on Saturday at Petco Park, when a female fan in her 60s approached him and offered him but two words.

"Do better," she said.

Luebke, who is expected to be a key member of the Padres' starting rotation, smiled, though he wasn't entirely sure these were words of encouragement or a succinct review of his 2011 season.

This much is certain: It would be hard to poke too many holes in the season the 26-year-old left-hander had a year ago, as first Luebke proved his worth in the bullpen and then after moving into the starting rotation for good in late June.

Luebke, the 63rd overall selection in the 2007 Draft, become something akin to a sabermetric legend in 2011 with a 9.92 strikeouts-to-innings pitched ratio as well as a stunning 3.02 xFIP (the expected fielding independent pitching, which Fangraphs rates as a good metric to rate future performance).

Only Zack Greinke, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Clayton Kershaw had better xFIP than Luebke, who was tied with Cole Hamels for pitchers with 130 or more innings.

"I thought the second half of the year he really came on," Padres manager Bud Black said of Luebke during Saturday's FanFest.

"Going from a reliever to starter, he made that transition really well. We saw some strides in his pitch development, too. I think this year he's primed to keep that going."

And here's the kicker for Luebke: You can't pin his success on pitcher-friendly Petco Park. In fact, Luebke had a 4.04 ERA at home in 69 2/3 innings and a 2.55 ERA in 70 innings away from San Diego.

Luebke, who was 6-10 overall with a 3.29 ERA in 139 2/3 innings, will likely slot behind Tim Stauffer as the No. 2 pitcher in the starting rotation pending any major developments during six weeks of Spring Training, which begins on Feb. 19 when pitchers and catchers arrive in Arizona.

cont...

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120211&content_id=26663092&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

 

[darbypitcher22]

Nice to see another Buckeye doing Big Things in the Big Leagues.

Hopefully he improves on the year he had last year.

 

[Buckskin86]

Luebke eyeing increased use of changeup
By Corey Brock / MLB.com | 02/23/12

PEORIA, Ariz. -- There was a lot to like from the Padres' perspective on Cory Luebke's first full season in the Major Leagues, as the left-hander went 6-10 with a 3.29 ERA in 139 2/3 innings.

The Padres would like to see him continue to develop into a frontline starter and think that getting Luebke to throw his changeup more will help him achieve that.


According to FanGraphs, Luebke used his changeup only 6.8 percent of the time in 2011, well behind the use of his fastball (64.3 percent) and slider (25.8).

"I think the changeup is going to be critical for Cory as it is for a lot of pitchers. I think he knows that with the fastball and slider that the change a lot of times is a separator from guys who end up having successful, long careers," manager Bud Black said.

Luebke, who after moving into the rotation midway through the season often ran into some high pitch counts, said that he would like nothing more than to be more efficient in 2012.

"I think that it's something that I'll use more of this year," he said. "I rang up some pitch counts that got pretty high in the early innings and I want to be out there more to eat up some more innings. Maybe I can use [the changeup] to get a quick out here or there and save some pitches."

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp...notebook_id=26825320&vkey=notebook_sd&c_id=sd

 

[Buckskin86]

Cory Luebke Future Ace of the Padres
Mar 9th
by Justin Hunter

In most cases, players are given too much praise and too high expectations based on either a small sample size or simply no professional sample size. These prospects are evaluated based on limited minor league action or amateur success. However, in some cases, there?s very little hype when there should be a lot more. Sometimes, a small sample size is all that?s needed to get excited, even I?d the world outside of the Padres couldn?t care less.

In the case of Cory Luebke, not much was expected of him. He was drafted in the supplemental portion of the first round by the Padres as the 63rd overall pick. He played his college ball at Ohio State University, and had a great deal of success. Once he was drafted, Luebke found moderate success. Over the course of four minor league seasons, he posted a 3.49 ERA. His stuff wasn?t spectacular, but it was enough. In 2010, his pedestrian 7.0 K/9 ration coupled with expanding rosters and need was enough to get him to the majors.

In 2010, Luebke started three games for the Padres and appeared in one more. He had a 4.08 ERA and a much higher 9.2 K/9 ratio. In 2011, the Padres started him off in the bullpen, and he excelled. He appeared in 29 games from the pen and eventually earned a starting job thanks to numerous injuries. He would go on to start 17 games and in all he posted a 3.29 ERA in 139.2 innings pitches. He struck out an average of 9 batters per 9 innings pitched and walked just 2.8 per 9 innings. Of course, much of this was due to the limited pitch selection and strikeout mentality a bullpen pitcher must have.

Now, Luebke is a lock for the starting rotation out of camp, but many want to know how much more he can do. The 27-year old lefty has tossed two innings of shut-out ball this spring, and he?s looked good doing it. He?s allowed two base runners (a walk and a hit) and he picked them both off at first. In addition he struck out four batters in his two innings of work. It was a strong showing indeed.

cont...

http://chickenfriars.com/2012/03/09/cory-luebke-future-ace-of-the-padres/

 

[Buckskin86]

Now established in starter's role, Luebke continues to impress
Written by
Chris Jenkins
March 12, 2012

SCOTTSDALE Ariz. ? It?s way, way, way too early to start projecting who might be the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Padres, especially given the balance among the candidates. The popular presumption is that it?ll be Tim Stauffer, based on seniority and the fact that he had the honors last year, plus the facts that the Padres open at home and he?s solid at Petco Park.

Still. There is something about Cory Luebke that?s got him looking like a No. 1 starter for years to come.

Understanding that it?s only the second week of Cactus League play, Luebke again was highly effective Monday, keeping Colorado scoreless over his three innings of what became an 11-2 blowout loss by the Padres. Over his total of five innings, Luebke?s yet to give up a run while surrendering just two hits and striking out six, all the while showing the same strong mound presence that was so impressive during his rookie season of 2011.

?I?m just going out there and throwing,? said Luebke. ?Whatever they decide, we?re gonna go with. The nice thing about our rotation is that we have five guys who are pretty similar. Our guys are all going to compete. It isn?t going to matter where we?re slotted.?

A year ago, Luebke was a youngster with only nine AAA starts (and a 5-0 record) and four outings with the Padres, three of those starts. He made the Opening Day roster, pitched well enough out of the bullpen that he was moved into the rotation, finishing with a 6-10 record, 3.29 ERA and 154 strikeouts over 139 2/3 innings.

?It?s a little different,? said Luebke of his situation a year later. ?I?m going to pitch against teams we?re going to see a few times this year. I?m just out there working more on my off-speed stuff than I was in previous years, when I was just trying to get outs and show that I can get guys out. It?s nice to be able to go out there and work on some changes, trying to get some work in, throwing sliders on counts where I normally wouldn?t throw them.?

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/mar/12/now-established-starters-role-luebke-continues-imp/

 

[Buckskin86]

Posted: Wednesday March 14, 2012
Ben Reiter>INSIDE BASEBALL
Padres' Luebke leads group of potential breakout pitching stars

Cory Luebke was just as good as a starter as he was as a reliever in 2011.
AP

The tiny town of Maria Stein, Ohio, which is situated near the Indiana border, a two-hour drive northwest from Columbus, undoubtedly has many things to recommend it. For example, a former citizen is credited as the inventor of the world's first mechanized manure spreader. One thing that Maria Stein does not have is a temperate climate -- and that, as it does for many pitchers who do not grow up in the warmer, year-round baseball meccas, might have slowed the development of the man who might already be Maria Stein's second most famous native, the Padres lefthander Cory Luebke.

Luebke attended Ohio State, and then, after being drafted 63rd overall in 2007, spent most of his first four pro seasons in the minors. He is already 27, and has just one full year in the majors on his resume. Still, his accomplishments during his rookie year, as long in the making as it was, suggest that he might be one of baseball's best candidates to break out as a star in 2012, and even a staff's ace. "He was kind of a late bloomer, with the cold weather background," says Padres GM Josh Byrnes. "We think there's even more in there. We think what he did in 2011, he's going to build off of that."

Luebke spent the first three months of last season pitching effectively out of the bullpen, but what really opened eyes was what happened to his numbers after being given the more arduous task of starting. What happened was: they didn't change. His ERA was 3.23 in his 29 relief appearances, and 3.23 in his 17 starts. His WHIP was 1.000 as a reliever, and 1.093 as a starter. He struck out 9.9 batters per nine innings in both roles, a rate better than that of Clayton Kershaw (9.6). His numbers were not a Petco Park-created illusion, either. He pitched better in virtually every statistical way in his 23 appearances on the road than in his 23 appearances at Petco -- including ERA (4.04 at home, 2.55 away) and OPS allowed (.647 at home, .569 away).

Perhaps even more impressive is that Luebke accomplished all this with an arsenal consisting of essentially two pitches, a fastball and a slider, one or the other of which he threw more than 90 percent of the time. "I think the coaching staff talked me into moving my fastball around a little more," Luebke says, explaining his results. "I used to stay in a lot more, but I learned how to throw it down and away a little better." This year, Luebke intends to develop "something a little softer," in Byrnes' words -- namely, a reliable change-up. "Something I can use to get some outs early in the count once in awhile," Luebke says.

The addition of a change-up to his repertoire would only deepen Luebke's resemblance to Cole Hamels -- himself a San Diegan -- whom Luebke views as something of a model. "If he's on TV, I kind of get locked in on it," Luebke says. "It's hard for me to get away from the TV. He pitches aggressively with his fastball and he's got that good change, which I'm looking to establish."

Hamels, though a six-year veteran, is just 15 months older than Luebke. Both are lefthanded, both can throw mid-90s fastballs, and both are tall and lanky. Hamels is listed at 6'3" and 195 pounds, Luebke at 6'4" and 205. "Little different type of a delivery, but both lefthanded and, you know, good stuff," says Padres manager Bud Black. "That's a great model to look at for him."

"They're not just lefties that throw junk," says one scout. "They're guys whose fastballs sit in the low 90s, with good breaking pitches. I think Luebke's going to be a real good pitcher."

In the end, Luebke's long developmental curve might prove a blessing for the Padres, as he is now poised to be the long-term, team-controlled anchor of a rotation that should soon run deep, due to the impending arrivals of top prospects Casey Kelly, Robbie Erlin and Joe Wieland. (Byrnes says Wieland might reach the majors first.)

Marie Stein, Ohio, will likely never become as well known as French Lick, Ind., another small midwestern town put on the sports map by one if its native sons, and on the West Coast, the soft-spoken Luebke says, "I haven't run into anybody who's heard of it." Still, if Luebke comes through on his considerable promise, that might soon change. In San Diego, anyway.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...cory.luebke.breakout/index.html#ixzz1pBdrHPTn

 

[Buckskin86]

Saturday March 31, 2012
Padres extend lefty Luebke for three years, $12 million

CBSSports.com wire reports

Left-hander Cory Luebke, 27, signed a three-year contract extension with the San Diego Padres on Friday with club options on two more seasons.

The deal is worth at least $12 million and could cost the Padres a total of $27.75 million if the club exercises both options.

Luebke, who was already signed for this season for $500,000, will get a $500,000 signing bonus. He will make $1 million in 2013, $3 million in 2014 and $5.25 in 2015. The contract calls for Luebke to make $7.5 million in 2016 against a club buyout of $1.75 million and $10 million in 2017 against a club buyout of $250,000.

Luebke began the 2011 season in the bullpen and made 29 straight relief appearances (1-2, 3.23 ERA) before making his first start. Overall, Luebke was 6-10 over 139 2/3 innings last season with a 3.29 earned run average. He was 5-8 with a 3.31 ERA as a starter. Opponents hit .209 against Luebke last season while he averaged 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. His 154 strikeouts were the second most ever by a Padres rookie.

Luebke is the third Padre to get a contract extension this spring, following center-fielder Cameron Maybin and catcher Nick Hundley. The Padres have committed at least $46 million and possibly as much as $74.75 million to the extensions for Luebke, Maybin ($25 for five years with a $9 million option year) and Hundley ($9 for three seasons with a $5 million option for a fourth year).

"We view the three as core players," Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/18189555/padres-extend-lefty-luebke-for-three-years-12-million

 

[Buckskin86]

Friars feel Luebke's breakout just the start
Left-hander has added changeup to already nasty arsenal
By Corey Brock / MLB.com | 04/03/12

SAN DIEGO -- The very first driver's license the state of Ohio handed Cory Luebke depicts a fresh-faced teenager hardly resembling the 6-foot-4, 205-pound left-handed pitcher who a decade later is being counted on by the Padres for quality innings in 2012.

"I was about 5-foot-7 and 145 pounds," Luebke said, smiling, as he recalled that first driver's license. "I was born about two months premature so they held me back a little bit. I ended up not really maturing physically until high school."

And that photo on the driver's license?

"I think it might be floating around somewhere at home," he said. "But if you saw it, you would laugh pretty hard."

No one is laughing these days at Luebke's frame or his stuff, especially opposing hitters in the National League who, in 2011, were introduced to a pitcher who got outs in bunches with raw stuff, even as his knowledge of his trade and arsenal of pitches continued to grow and develop.

The Padres firmly believe the sky is the limit in 2012 for the 27-year-old Luebke. How high is that ceiling? His pitching coach is a staunch believer that Luebke is destined for stardom.

Luebke, who last week agreed to a contract extension that will guarantee him $12 million and could potentially keep him in San Diego through 2017, is the No. 2 starter in the rotation and will make his 2012 debut on Friday against the Dodgers at Petco Park.

What to expect from Luebke this season?

"In my opinion, and this is going to put some pressure on him, but he should be one of the elite lefties in the National League, if not baseball," said Padres pitching coach Darren Balsley, who helped Jake Peavy develop into an NL Cy Young Award winner.

cont...

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news...0330&content_id=27767156&vkey=news_sd&c_id=sd

 

[Buckskin86]

Luebke looks to get his changeup working
By Corey Brock / MLB.com | 04/15/12

LOS ANGELES -- Cory Luebke's first start of the season on April 6 certainly didn't go the way he wanted it go, as the Padres left-hander allowed five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.

Contributing to that rough start was the fact that Luebke's changeup -- a pitch that figures to be of great importance to him in 2012 -- essentially deserted him that day.

"That was frustrating because it was a pitch I worked on a lot in the offseason and then during Spring Training," Luebke said. "Then to go out your first day and not find it ... that was frustrating."

Luebke said he only threw four or five changeups in that first start against the Dodgers. He then threw what he estimates were "15 to 20 of them" in his last start against the D-backs on April 11 and fared considerably better.

Luebke allowed one earned run on four hits in 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision of a game the Padres went on to win, 2-1.

"I think [catcher Nick Hundley] put it down in counts where we really haven't used it before," Luebke said. "Behind in the count, we doubled up on it a few times. I was glad that he put it down."

http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news...notebook_id=28750250&vkey=notebook_sd&c_id=sd

 

[Buckskin86]

Cory Luebke outpitches Roy Halladay as Padres top Phils
Associated Press

SAN DIEGO -- Cory Luebke has become the San Diego Padres' stopper, twice ending four-game losing streaks for a team that has stumbled badly out of the gate.

On Saturday night, it was a big one.

Luebke outpitched Roy Halladay, and San Diego beat Philadelphia 5-1, snapping the Phillies' 13-game winning streak at Petco Park.

Luebke (2-1) held the Phillies to two hits in eight innings, struck out five and walked two.

"I think both nights the hitters went out and got on the other starter early," Luebke said. "For the guys to go out and get some early runs on Halladay, there's something to say for that. I knew it was going to be one of those games where there's always a situation where the game can swing. In a game like that, it can be anything small. The guys went out and put up some runs early and took a little pressure off me."

cont...

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=320421125

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_o5QJzPkJo"]Padres: Cory Luebke on stopping the Phillies - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dewPlh8zexI"]Cory Luebke Interview with Adam Neft on 97.1 The Fan - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Buckskin86]

Cory Luebke improved to 3-1 on the season by allowing two runs over six innings in a 5-3 win over the Giants on Friday.
Luebke scattered seven hits (including a leadoff homer by Angel Pagan) while fanning three and walking none. The 27-year-old southpaw has allowed two runs or less in each of his last four starts and now owns a 2.61 ERA on the year. While he's flying under the radar a bit by virtue of pitching in San Diego, but has quickly emerged as one of the best left-handed starters in the National League. He'll get the Brewers next week. Apr 28

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/mlb/5230/cory-luebke