ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Jordan Luplow liked his place in Atlanta Braves camp in Sarasota County, Florida.
The right-handed batter hit left-handed pitchers, as usual, during Spring Training but fared even better against righties. He felt like he had a good shot to head to Atlanta with a reserve outfield wrapped up, until a familiar face returned.
On March 14, the Braves signed outfielder Adam Duvall, who’s played parts of five seasons and won the 2021 World Series with the team. Luplow got the message, and Atlanta released him on the same day “to allow him to pursue other opportunities.” He signed with another National League East club in the Phillies two days later.
“They made it a pretty easy decision for me,” Luplow said of the Braves.
Jordan Luplow’s first Home Run with the Phillies! pic.twitter.com/SeerGMK91j
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) March 17, 2024
Luplow, a veteran with parts of seven major-league seasons with six teams under his belt, enjoyed a successful Spring Training at the plate. He slashed .351/.455/.703 with four home runs, three off right-handers, in 16 Grapefruit League games. In Luplow’s eyes, he made a strong case for himself with the Braves. But once Duvall entered the mix for $3 million — an “understandable” business deal on Atlanta’s side, according to Luplow — he looked elsewhere. He signed with Philadelphia on March 16 and will start the season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
“I obviously started with the Braves, and I was having a really good spring,” Luplow said in a conversation with Phillies Nation on Wednesday afternoon at IronPigs media day at Coca-Cola Park. “They ended up signing someone that was in my spot that they liked more, so the Phillies took a chance on me and I continued my good spring. It just wasn’t enough, or they were heading in a different direction, it looks like. But if I just keep doing my thing, I think I’ll end up back up there pretty soon.”
At age 30, Luplow knows where he stands within baseball and what he brings to a team. He’s pleased with some of the developments in his game and he’s comfortable against anyone, but he knows he’s there to play a role and — most importantly — hit lefties. He has a career .830 OPS with 33 homers against left-handed pitching against a .630 OPS with 14 homers against righties. Luplow is solid depth for an organization and can bring an advantage in a platoon with another outfielder for stretches. He wants to provide that for a contender that’s willing to play the matchups to win.
“I feel like I’m at a point in my career where it’s a lot of the winning teams that need an extra piece,” he said, “especially a guy like me who hits lefties — someone, when a guy goes down, to plug in and not lose a lot of value at that position.”
Luplow, after not breaking camp with the Phillies, headed the Lehigh Valley as one of a few veteran depth position players with the IronPigs as they prepare to open their season against Worcester on Friday night in Allentown. Six-year big leaguer and former Rockies first rounder David Dahl is with the team as a left-handed-hitting outfielder as well. Those two serve as outfield depth as first-year members of the Philadelphia organization, while utility men Rodolfo Castro, Kody Clemens and Weston Wilson and first baseman Darick Hall are back after spending time with both the Phillies and IronPigs last season.
“I’m excited for those guys to kind of revamp themselves and see what type of energy they bring to the ‘Pigs,” manager Anthony Contreras said of his veteran newcomers. “We lean on those veteran presences to help guides a lot of the younger players.”
Luplow is hoping his stay in Lehigh Valley is short. He’s confident he can keep hitting those lefties, perform in the minors and show that he can contribute in Philadelphia as it looks to make the postseason for the third season in a row.
“Hopefully, I just keep what I did in the spring rolling,” Luplow said. “If I stick with my routine and stay consistent, hopefully within a couple weeks I’m back up.”
