LHP Luebke's Chances To Make Pirates Just Got Better
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - Fighting back from Tommy John surgery for the second time, 31-year-old lefty Cory Luebke's chances to make the Pittsburgh Pirates got better Sunday after Eric O'Flaherty was traded to the Atlanta Braves for cash considerations.
"It doesn't really change anything. I think all along if I'm healthy and feeling good, I belong somewhere in this league," Luebke said.
Luebke hasn't thrown in the majors since 2012. At one time, he was a highly-regarded prospect in the San Diego Padres' organization after being a supplemental first rounder out of Ohio State in 2007.
Last year, Luebke was able to throw in only seven innings total in seven games at three different minor-league levels, but says he's eager to show he has a lot left in the tank.
"I just have to be realistic and know it's been quite a while. There's going to be quite a bit of rust to knock off," Luebke said. "I've shown flashes of everything, it's a point of just getting a little more consistent with everything now."
He also dealt with a hamstring injury at the start of camp that has limited his time to five games, giving up five earned runs over 5 2-3 innings.
It's the first time he's come into a camp not knowing what may happen in the end of it and said the rub of Spring Training is you are trying to work on something, yet also trying to show results to a new team.
The Ohio native has an opt-out clause in his contract. If he's not on a roster on Tuesday, he could become a free agent and Luebke says he wants to remain with the Pirates, saying the Bucs, "are everything he's hoped for."
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