Cory Luebke’s Incredible Comeback

There was a time when Cory Luebke seemed to be on the cusp of stardom. That was back in 2011, when he was still a member of the San Diego Padres. The following season, he pitched just 31 innings before falling down a rabbit hole of injury. He has re-emerged this spring, and today we received word that he made the Pirates’ Opening Day roster. That has to feel pretty spectacular.

In 2011, Luebke, then 26, embarked on his second season in the majors. His previous experience coming solely in September 2010, this would be his rookie season. He didn’t disappoint. He would pitch out of the bullpen for the first three months of the season before getting the call to start on June 26th against the Braves. Here are the lines from his first three starts:

  • 6/26/11, vs. ATL: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO
  • 7/2/11, @ SEA: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 SO
  • 7/7/11, @ SF: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 SO

Hell of a way to start a career as a starting pitcher, don’t you think? While the strikeout totals wouldn’t be as robust in his next few outings, Luebke was pretty consistent for the remainder of the season. He never allowed more than five runs in a start, and in his 17 games started, he struck out at least seven batters in eight of them. Here are the K% leaders for that season:

2011 Starting Pitcher K% Leaders
Name K%
Brandon Beachy 28.6%
Zack Greinke 28.1%
Cory Luebke 27.3%
Clayton Kershaw 27.2%
Tommy Hanson 26.3%
Brandon Morrow 26.1%
Cliff Lee 25.9%
Justin Verlander 25.8%
Michael Pineda 24.9%
Tim Lincecum 24.4%
Minimum 100 IP as a starting pitcher; 137 pitchers in sample

This table is both impressive and a cautionary tale. Neither Beachy, Morrow, Lee or Lincecum finds themselves at the top of their games any longer, and unfortunately Tommy Hanson has passed away. That all sucks. Until recently, we would have included Luebke in this category. But perhaps now we won’t have to.

Perhaps the guy who had a better K% than Clayton Kershaw in 2011 can find his way back to the mound on a regular basis, back in the bullpen once again (though his role hardly matters). That is the victory we should be hoping to see this year from Cory Luebke. If he does so, and is also good as a member of the Pirates’ bullpen, well that would be doubly awesome. But just seeing him take the mound and throw a baseball — after nearly four years remove from a major league mound — that’ll be a beautiful thing.





Paul Swydan used to be the managing editor of The Hardball Times, a writer and editor for FanGraphs and a writer for Boston.com and The Boston Globe. Now, he owns The Silver Unicorn Bookstore, an independent bookstore in Acton, Mass. Follow him on Twitter @Swydan. Follow the store @SilUnicornActon.

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yaboynate
7 years ago

Cory R Luebke
Cory R Lukebe
Cory Lkueber
Corey Kluber

Wake up, sheeple.

Shirtless Johan Santa
7 years ago
Reply to  yaboynate

Chalk one up for the Ted Williams Memorial Cloning Center in San Diego.

Manute Bol sings better than this
7 years ago
Reply to  yaboynate

Cory R. Luebke Ice Toys