Jordan Luplow Signs Minor League Contract With Braves……
According to his MLB.com transaction record, outfielder Jordan Luplow was signed by the Braves to a minor league contract last Wednesday. Luplow, an ALIGND Sports Agency client, also signed with Atlanta during the previous summer, but before making an appearance for the major league team, he was assigned. He played for both the Twins and Blue Jays organisations for the remainder of the season.
Having been selected by the Pirates in the third round of the 2014 draft, Luplow started his career with them. The 30-year-old outfielder was dealt three times in three years, first to the Guardians, then to the Rays, and last to the Diamondbacks, following two seasons with Pittsburgh in 2017 and ’18. In 2019, the right-handed hitter’s best year since joining Cleveland, he slashed.276/.372/.551, with 15 home runs in 85 games. Sadly, he had a difficult season due to the pandemic, missed a significant portion of the next year due to an ankle injury, and then had what was maybe the worst season of his career the following year. The veteran was DFAd by the D-backs in 2022 after hitting.176 with a.634 OPS in 83 games.
Soon after, Luplow decided to exercise his right to free agency and agreed to a $1.4 million, one-year contract with the Braves. But after just three games at Triple-A Gwinnett, he was cut five days into the season. After being claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays, Luplow had limited big league action—48 games at Triple-A Buffalo and just 7 with Toronto. After the trade deadline, Luplow was designated for assignment by the Jays, and the Twins called again. During the latter two months of the season, they gave Luplow more chances, including 32 big league games, but they did not include him on the postseason roster in October. In 39 MLB games last season, he hit.208 overall with a.647 OPS, slashing.237/.342/.418.
Luplow has always drawn walks at a high rate despite his offensive numbers being unimpressive for a number of years. His career splits against left-handed pitching are also quite impressive (33 home runs and a.833 OPS in 565 PA), even though his 2019 season is doing the majority of the heavy lifting in that area. His excellent arm and little faster than average speed also make him a viable choice at the outfield corner.
Although Atlanta possesses one of the best rosters in the league, Luplow might be able to find a position if he performs well in Spring Training. Forrest Wall, a veteran minor leaguer with just 15 MLB plate appearances under his belt, is now slated to start as the fourth outfielder. Additionally.