Call to the pen
Fansided

The Phillies’ 26th Man

By Tal Venada

Jun 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ben Lively (49) is doused with ice by first baseman Tommy Joseph (19) after a victory against the San Francisco Giants in his first MLB start at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Ben Lively (49) is doused with ice by first baseman Tommy Joseph (19) after a victory against the San Francisco Giants in his first MLB start at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Lively Made a Memorable Debut for a Phillies’ Victory. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports.
Lively Made a Memorable Debut for a Phillies’ Victory. Photo by Bill Streicher – USA TODAY Sports. /

The watching and waiting was over for the first new moundsman, while the second pitcher promoted is joining the rotation of the Philadelphia Phillies on June 5.

The Elimination Process:

Sometimes, people are like inventory: Businesses use them to replace a broken or ineffective cog in their machinery.

When an injury befalls an organization or a sudden case of ineffectiveness occurs, the 26th man receives a call-up for a day, a series or an extended time period. And if he impresses the general manager, the skipper and the coaches, he can inch his way onto the roster permanently even after the starter returns. But many hurlers find these situations to be temporary due to the competition, the pressure and/or the mental part of the game. That’s baseball.

Although successful pitchers in Double-A have the talent necessary for the majors, being consistently accurate is different. The norm for a major league hurler is 70 percent, while the Double-A starter hits the catcher’s target 40 percent of the time. And if you’ve recently watched Jerad Eickhoff and Aaron Nola, you’ve seen them missing their spots too often. In other words, If a pitch misses the plate, it’s a ball; but a missed location in the strike zone is a mistake and gets hit.

In the cases of Vince Velasquez and Zach Eflin, the former will return after the All-Star break, and the latter was not effective recently: walks and hits. But MiLB numbers can be deceiving if the fan or writer doesn’t dig deep enough, but using sabermetrics isn’t necessary.

When the season began, the five-man staff was very promising, and some youngsters opened the campaign with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Two months later, Phillies at the top are faltering and are even receiving competition from minor leaguers not considered before.

"FOOD FOR THOUGHT:   “Some of these guys wear beards to make them look intimidating, but they don’t look so tough when they have to deliver the ball. Their abilities and their attitudes don’t back up their beards.” – Don Drysdale"

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