Hendriks believes Luzardo will win multiple Cy Young Awards

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Free-agent closer Liam Hendriks likely is moving on from the A's, but he believes the future is bright in Oakland. Especially for young left-hander Jesús Luzardo. 

"There's multiple Cy Youngs in that guy's future with the stuff that he has," Hendriks recently said to Rob Friedman, aka PitchingNinja. "It's just him putting it all together and getting to that point where it doesn't matter what happens, he's gonna go out there and dominate whatever team."

Luzardo, who didn't turn 23 years old until Sept. 30 of last year, entered the season as the A's top prospect. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and had a 1.50 ERA in six appearances out of the bullpen. Luzardo looked to grow off that in 2020 as a starter, and he certainly showed his sky-high potential. 

The future ace finished his rookie year with a 3-2 record and had a 4.12 ERA over 12 appearances, nine starts. He struck out 59 batters in 59 innings, but also walked 17 and gave up nine home runs. 

What really impressed Hendriks was how mature Luzardo clearly is for such a young player. 

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"I don't think I've ever met a more mature 21-year-old with the ability he has and the hype he's had coming through the system," Hendriks said. "He didn't let it get to his head at all. It's just one of those things where he's constantly trying to get better, constantly trying to figure out what can be that separator between him and your average top prospect who's coming up.

"He wants to be not only the guy who's meant to be something, he wants to be the guy who is something."

Luzardo was far from perfect as a rookie, but with a fastball that reaches the upper 90s and more than one wipeout off-speed pitch, his potential is off the charts. Add in his mental side of the game, and the A's should have a true star in their starting rotation. 

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