Call to the pen
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Philadelphia Phillies: Acing the Rotation

By Tal Venada

Teammates Dump Powerade on Eflin After His First MLB Victory. Photo by Eric Hartline - USA TODAY Sports.
Teammates Dump Powerade on Eflin After His First MLB Victory. Photo by Eric Hartline - USA TODAY Sports. /
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Hellickson’s Acquisition to Head the Young Staff Has Been a Solid Move for the GM. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports.
Hellickson’s Acquisition to Head the Young Staff Has Been a Solid Move for the GM. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports. /

By moving their number one and their closer, the front office acquired five possible starters for 2017, while other arms came to the Philadelphia Phillies via additional trades.

The Final Decision:  

If someone has three excellent choices or more, this good problem does not exclude challenging situations.

Keep in mind, plans require time and patience for completion, but annual improvement is a reasonable expectation. Rebuilding an entire 25-man roster is a major undertaking, which every organization views as a last resort. And the reason is financial: Attendance dictates the available resources to pick up and keep talent for the long haul. In other words, fans will come to see a gem from Cole Hamels or Ken Giles‘ 100-mph smoke, not Adam Morgan.

Between the deals for Hamels and Giles, the franchise acquired Vince Velasquez, Jerad Eickhoff, Jake Thompson, Alec Asher and Mark Appel. This group contains two studs: Velasquez and Appel. But if you expected an ace through a swap, realize no executive will part with a future Hamels. Injury-risk Velasquez and a former number-one overall draft pick like Appel are the closest options.

While manager Pete Mackanin and pitching coach Bob McClure are enjoying their time away from the grind, general manager Matt Klentak is reviewing the hurlers for his five-man staff. He jots down Jeremy Hellickson as the veteran leader from last summer and also pencils in Eickhoff because he earned his keep from April to season’s end. In other words, both moundsmen will give the team a chance to win on most nights.

In early December, as management strives to improve the club at the Winter Meetings, you can almost hear the first powwow in February between Mackanin and McClure. Who slots third? Well, Aaron Nola has worked some bullpen sessions and is healthy, while Velasquez might be a bit short of a 200-frame campaign. Third? Nola.

Besides good health, Velasquez must complement his heater by developing his secondary pitches to be a number one. On the other hand, Nola needs to reprise the consistency of his first 12 starts to front a rotation.

IN OTHER WORDS: 

“The concentration and dedication: the intangibles are the deciding factors between who won and who lost.” – Tom Seaver

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