Breaking Down Pre-Breakout Phillies

Based on expectations for each player and overall by management, 2017’s goal is .500 ball for the Philadelphia Phillies, who have plugged last summer’s holes with veterans: two outfielders, two relievers and a starting pitcher.

The Stat Ceiling:

In life, you can either go forward, backward or enjoy the plateau you have reached because reality has dawned on you.

As Opening Day appears on the horizon, Double D, a poster from another site, asked about the growth of some future stars. These ticket sellers are the ones fans come to root for and see hit, run, pitch and field. And while the rebuilding efforts are beginning to bear fruit, the paying customers want to experience rallies, comebacks, homers, saves and more victories than defeats.

With 136 innings last season, Vince Velasquez increased his workload by 47 1/3 frames or 54.3 percent. So, adding 60 innings would equal 196 frames, but the front office of the Philadelphia Phillies may prefer a limit of 180 innings. Yet if he can achieve a 12-6 record with a 3.30 ERA, what would you call that, Double D? A breakout year!

During bullpen sessions, pitching coach Bob McClure keeps reminding Velasquez to improve his secondary offerings. And even though the fireballer – who will only be 25 in early June – loves his 95-mph smoke, he probably parrots the right words during interviews, but his youthful mentality takes over when his fingers find the fastball grip by force of habit. And coach makes a mental note. Later, McClure will meet with the battery on the mound to point out the lapses he noticed from the dugout.

"IN OTHER WORDS:     “I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.” – Sandy Koufax"

Pitching:

• Velasquez: 24 Gms., 131 Inn., 8-6, a 4.12 ERA, a 2.2 fWAR and a 1.33 WHIP.
• Nola: 20 Gms., 111 Inn., 6-9, a 4.78 ERA, a 2.8 fWAR and a 1.31 WHIP.

From the finesse half of this one-two punch, Aaron Nola has allayed fears of a major elbow problem and didn’t pitch as if his job was at stake. In other words, Double D, his main concern was his health and McClure reinforced that thinking. Last summer, Nola was 5-4 with a 2.65 ERA for his first 12 outings, which is 40 percent of a 30-start campaign. And if he can stay healthy with just a few difficult patches for 30 games, he could finish with a 12-8 mark and a 3.50 ERA.

Nola’s stats before his struggles:

• 3-2 with a 1.98 ERA for 41 innings versus the Reds, Padres, Brewers and Braves.
• 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA for 37 frames against the Nationals, Cardinals, Marlins and Tigers.