Luis Lebron

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #21 prospect in 2011
  Lebron had positioned himself for a spot in the major league bullpen last season, but he felt elbow discomfort late in spring training, was shut down for a few weeks and had to cut short a bullpen session in early May. He had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire year. When healthy, he's a legitimate power arm out of the bullpen, pairing a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 97 with a plus slider. He gained confidence in his changeup in the last couple of seasons, making it a useful third option. Lebron has legitimate swing-and-miss stuff, though he can still tighten up his command. The Orioles hope he can follow the path of Alfredo Simon, who had Tommy John surgery in May 2009 and was closing games by April 2010. Lebron will come to spring training just looking to work himself back into pitching shape, and he'll move as quickly as his arm will allow.
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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #11 prospect in 2010
  Lebron made just seven pro starts in 2005 before the Orioles figured out his power arm worked best out of the bullpen, and he subsequently made quick progress until an elbow injury knocked him out for most of the 2008 season. He returned last season and put up the best numbers of his career, making the Carolina League all-star team before getting added to the 40-man roster after the season. His .137 opponent average ranked second among all minor league relievers last year, and his 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings ranked fifth. Lebron has lightning in his arm, with a fastball that sits at 94-96 mph and touches 97, but he's more than just a hard thrower. His slider is also a plus pitch and looked sharper than ever last year. His changeup even looked like a potentially above-average pitch after he never had shown any confidence in it in previous seasons. He generates a lot of swings and misses but needs to tighten up his command to avoid walks. Lebron showed the stuff to work at the back of a major league bullpen last season, and he should do that if he stays healthy and throws strikes. He'll likely open 2010 in Triple-A but will be an early candidate for a callup.
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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #28 prospect in 2008
  Lebron drew raves in 2006 when he moved to the bullpen full-time and overmatched hitters as a closer in the short-season New York-Penn League, but the results weren't as good last season. He didn't bring his ERA below 5.00 until the end of July. A poor final month took it back up to 5.04. Lebron struggled with his command all season, a function of his mechanics and an inability to repeat his delivery. The Orioles also think he lost confidence in his first exposure to cold weather, as he had a hard time getting a feel for the ball and subsequently lost his confidence. The stuff is still there, however. Lebron throws a lively mid-90s fastball that peaks at 98 mph. His slider is a legitimate second offering now, and he can get by with just those two pitches coming out of the bullpen, though he does mix in an occasional changeup. His control problems not only create baserunners in droves, but also drive up his pitch counts. Lebron is young and has a lot of learning to do, but his stuff means he'll get every opportunity. He should move up to high Class A this year.
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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #12 prospect in 2007
  Lebron made his U.S. debut in 2005 at Bluefield, but in seven starts there the Orioles found he usually hit a wall after about 50 pitches, losing velocity and command. He always had expressed a preference for pitching at the end of games, so Baltimore moved him to the bullpen last year and watched him blossom. He throws his fastball at 94-96 mph, touching 97-98, and the pitch has good life. He also has an average slider. He has no changeup to speak of at this point, and the Orioles think he could get to the big leagues quickly if he could add one--though it isn't essential for success out of the bullpen. Lebron has been able to get outs with his fastball so far, and he'll need to develop his slider into a strikeout pitch rather than trying to blow every hitter away to continue moving up. He'll open 2007 in low Class A and could move fast if he continues to show dominant stuff out of the bullpen.