OAKLAND, Calif. -- It's not a matter of if Jesús Luzardo pitches for the A's this season, it's a matter of when.
MLB Pipeline recently ranked the 21-year-old left-hander as the second-best pitching prospect in all of baseball. Last season, Luzardo soared through the A's farm system, moving from Single-A all the way to Triple-A in a matter of months.
With Oakland's need for starting pitching, it would seem like a foregone conclusion that Luzardo should make the A's Opening Day roster. But there are several factors the team must take into account.
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"It's really up to us to try to identify when he's ready," A's manager Bob Melvin said. "You look at the stuff and you would say he's probably right now. But we're the custodians of his career too, so we want to make sure once he's at the big league level, we don't throw too much at him and have to send him back down and mess with his confidence."
"We're not going to rule it out," added general manager David Forst. "If he's good enough, there's no reason not to have him in the rotation. It's obviously a big leap for someone who's only thrown a few innings at Triple-A, but he's going to get a nice, long look in spring training."
Luzardo went 10-5 with a 2.88 ERA last year between Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, striking out 129 batters in 109 1/3 innings. While he obviously hopes to start the 2019 season at the Major League level, he is willing to be patient, understanding he has a long career ahead of him.
"In an ideal world, I would like to be up as soon as the team needs me, as soon as possible," Luzardo told NBC Sports California. "But at the end of the day, I'm not the one who makes that decision and whatever happens, I'm going to be okay with. That's part of God's plan."
Oakland Athletics
Many have speculated Luzardo's service time clock could also factor into the decision. Basically, if the A's keep him in the minors for the first part of the season, they could gain an extra year of team control, postponing his arbitration and free agency. But Forst shot that theory down quickly.
"We've never weighed service time clock," he stated. "I don't think you can point to anybody who's been here where we've made decisions based on service time. The decision will be whether he's one of our best five guys versus if it's better for him long-term to get some Triple-A time. Those are the only two factors."
Luzardo will get a chance to make his case next month at spring training, where he is a non-roster invitee for the second straight year. Last spring, he pitched tossed shutout innings, recording six strikeouts against just one walk.
"You just kind of take it day by day and not focus on the future," Luzardo added. "You focus on what you're doing now."
[RELATED: Luzardo's prospect breakdown]
Added Melvin: "I think anything's open. He could potentially start for us, he could potentially go down and get a little more seasoning in Triple-A. We'll just have to take that day by day. But I know we're awfully excited about having him this year and I would be shocked if he's not with us at some point in time."