Last season was a mixed bag for the Phillies. After an eventful offseason in which they acquired an unprecedented three all-stars in one offseason- including superstar slugger and MLB cornerstone Bryce Harper- the Phillies began the season with incredibly high hopes.
The Phillies, benefitting from the fruits of $403M worth of offseason
investments, were surging out of the gate. On the back of an explosive
offense, the team quickly took control of the NL East and remained atop the
division well into May.
Unfortunately, like virtually every other offense, the Phillies’ bats
would run hot and cold, exposing their biggest weakness- starting pitching.
Without the ample run support provided early in the season, the Phillies
rotation failed to consistently string wins together and the team’s title hopes
quickly imploded alongside their performance.
In truth, things don’t figure to be much better for the rotation in 2020.
Sure, the addition of Zack Wheeler is an impactful one and could positively
alter the team outlook this season. However, even if newly-acquired hurler
does make strides towards being the ace the team paid him to be, that
would really only give the Phillies two reliable rotation arms- the other being
Aaron Nola, of course.
One thing that could help mitigate the team’s rotation issues that they
didn’t have last season, however, is a dominant bullpen.
When things were going south for the Phils’ starters last season, the
bullpen was oftentimes too deep in their own struggles to aid them. In 2019,
they allowed the 13th most runs of any bullpen in the league and offered
very little in the way of consistency.
In their defense, though, a large reason why they didn’t perform very
consistently is that they hardly had a consistent cast taking the mound. After
marquee free-agent signees Pat Neshek, Tommy Hunter, and David
Robertson were knocked out for the year with varying arm injuries, the team
relied on a makeshift, alternating slew of pitchers to try to fill the void.
Predictably, this strategy didn’t amount to much success and the
Phillies fell from the pinnacle of the division to the cellar as a result.
Under new management, the Phillies are cautiously optimistic that
their pitching will be one of their strengths this season. In order for that to
occur, the bullpen will almost assuredly have to be on the top of their game.
Let’s examine five things that would likely need to happen in order for the Phillies bullpen to prosper in 2020.
Continued on the page below.
Neris Stays Hot
In a rather disappointing season for the Phils, Neris stood out as one
of the few bright spots. Known around Philly for his infectious smile and
jubilant personality, Neris was all business on the field last season. The
Dominican Republic native converted 28 of 34 save opportunities, doing so
with an impressive 2.93 ERA. This marked the third time he’s pitched 60+
innings and recorded a sub-3.00 ERA in the last three years. Well, he
actually carried a 3.01 ERA in 2017, but I won’t hold it over him. The point
is, since entering the league at just 24-years-old, Neris has been very
productive and seems to be thriving now that he has more experience under
his belt.
The Phillies will need Neris to continue his upward trajectory this
season if the bullpen is to bounce back. It appears as though the Phillies
have confidence that he is capable of doing so, as freshly-minted skipper Joe
Girardi has already announced that Neris will be the team’s closer to begin
the season.
Vince Velasquez...Reliever?
Ah yes, it wouldn’t quite be baseball season unless a write an excerpt
begging and pleading the Phillies to dispense Velasquez out of the bullpen
instead of the rotation. A tradition some three years old now, I once again
pine for a role reversal for the hard-throwing righty.
We got a sneak peek of such a move last season when Velasquez
made ten relief appearances. The results left a lot to be desired, but I’d still
contest that if he is to serve the team in any capacity it should be as a
reliever.
The primary reason for this belief is rather obvious. He simply has not
shown the ability to moderate his pitch count enough to pitch deep into ball
games- a staple for successful starting pitchers- despite being given ample
time and opportunity to correct that flaw.
Secondly, the Velasquez is a power pitcher that relies on his
overwhelming velocity more than a strong array of plus pitches, such
characteristics that make him much better suited for a reliever role.
Partnered with Seranthony Dominguez and Hector Neris out of the
pen, Velasquez would give the Phillies some much-needed heat late in ball
games and could change his career outlook dramatically under a new role.
Dominguez Returns to Form
Speaking of Seranthony Dominguez, his presence in the late-innings
was sorely missed last year and a return to form could greatly impact the
Phillies season.
In 2018, his rookie as well as his last fully healthy season, Dominguez
was phenomenal. Behind a devastating fastball that routinely sits in the
upper 90s, Dominguez carried an 11.5 K/9 ratio and even racked up 16
saves en route to a 2.95 ERA.
Unfortunately, we hardly got a glimpse of his sophomore status before
he was lost for the year with a severe elbow injury. An elbow injury that
seems to be behind him if the stories out of spring training are to be
believed.
In his premiere outing of the spring, Dominguez recorded two
strikeouts in a 1-2-3 inning against the Toronto Blue Jays. Additionally, his
fastball registered around 94-95 on the stadium radar gun, a sign that he’s
headed in the right direction and should be ready for Opening Day.
After his outing against Toronto, Girardi spoke glowingly of his
progress and expressed caution with his early-season usage.
"That was a bright spot today," Girardi said. "The fact that he's able to get quick outs, throw strikes with all his pitches. The gun up there says 95. I don't know how close that is, but it looked like it came out pretty good."
"I really don't know if we'll use him [on] back-to-back early in the year," Girardi said. "That's something, we'll have discussions -- our medical team, pitching coach Bryan, Matt Klentak,
Ned and everyone involved. But my inkling is to be
careful using him back-to-back at the beginning."
With the bullpen already consisting of so many other question marks,
a triumphant return of Dominguez really can’t be understated. Hopefully, his
early spring success will translate into the regular season.
Defined Roles
Girardi has already expressed his desire for defined roles in the bullpen
since being brought on as manager in Philly but acknowledged that it is often
easier said than done to make it happen.
After announcing Neris as the closer so early in the spring, though, I
think Girardi will be able to sell his guys on the remaining roles, once he
figures out what he wants each of them to do.
While roles don’t necessarily translate to success on the field, I do
think having defined roles will help the staff and players hold each other
accountable, which was a big team issue under ex-skipper Gabe Kapler.
Lefty Specialist
Similarly to the all right-handed rotation, the Phillies' current crop of relievers is very right-hand dominant, a trend that has confusingly been going on for a few years. In order to generate the level of success they want from their pen, the Phillies will have to find a lefty specialist or two to deploy throughout the season. Whether it be Adam Morgan, who was solid last season before being shelved with injury, or Francisco Liriano, who was invited to spring camp following a minor-league pact, or an outside arm that has yet to be contacted, the Phillies need to have at least one southpaw in the bullpen mix.
If the Phillies are able to do all of, or at least most of these things, they could oversee their bullpen unit go from shaky to stable in 2020, which would go a long way towards helping them compete for the division pennant.
Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
