The best that the Colorado Rockies can hope for right now outside of a monumental collapse by the Dodgers is an NL wild card berth. Adding Pat Neshek from the Philadelphia Phillies could be a big move in helping them secure a spot in that one-game playoff.
Last night the Colorado Rockies added reliever Pat Neshek from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for three prospects.
The Rockies’ bullpen ERA of 4.53 ranks 25th in baseball, but that number should go down once Pat Neshek joins the club. The side-arming right-hander holds a minuscule 1.12 ERA this season and his 1.92 FIP suggests that he has been getting a little help but at the same time performing really, really well. That’s expert analysis right there.
Neshek is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, using his fastball (49.5%) and slider (47.7%) a combined 97.2 percent of the time. He’ll sprinkle a change-up in there now and again which sits at an average of 67.6 miles per hour, well off his average fastball velocity of 90.3. That’s one hell of a difference between pitches. Problem is, if a batter can adjust that’s like getting a batting practice fastball.
Neshek has seen his K/9 rise up to its highest level since 2008 when he was a member of the Twins, currently producing a 10.04 strikeouts per nine rate to go along with a career-best 1.12 BB/9. His 1.5 fWAR ranks ninth among relievers this season and is just a tick off of Tommy Kahnle who was acquired by the Yankees last week, and two ticks off from Anthony Swarzak, who was acquire by Milwaukee yesterday.
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Neshek will be a free agent following this season and will be owed what is left of his $6.5M contract. The 37-year-old has eight career saves including one this season with the Phils, and that could potentially come in handy with Rox closer Greg Holland currently out on paternity leave.
As for the Philadelphia Phillies, they’ll be getting a pair of right-handers in Alejandro Requena and the amazingly-named J.D. Hammer in addition to infielder Jose Gomez. Of the three, Gomez is the only one that was ranked in the top 30 of the Rockies prospects according to MLB Pipeline, coming in at number 21.
Gomez, 20, has spent the entire season in A Ball with the Asheville Tourists and is batting .324 with a .374 OBP to go along with four home runs and 18 stolen bases in 29 chances. Most of his time has been spent at shortstop, but he has also seen action at third and short.
Hammer just turned 23 and was promoted from Asheville to Hi-A Lancaster at the end of June. Between the two stops he holds a 2.36 ERA to go along with a 0.98 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 42 innings, good for a K/9 rate of 13.9. Control has been an issue with Hammer in his 12 appearances with Lancaster, as he has issued nine walks in 12 innings, but he has the looks of a live arm that could do some damage for the Phillies in a couple of years. Hammer also comes complete with glasses in the style of Wild Thing.
The last piece of this trade, Requena, is a 20-year-old that (surprise, surprise) has been with Asheville all year. Requena has made 19 starts for the Tourists and holds an 8-3 record to go along with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Strikeouts aren’t as big a part of his game as he sits with a rate of 7.5, but his walk rate of 1.9 per nine is nothing to sneeze at either.
So how did the Phillies do? Well considering that they gave up a Player to be Named or cash (player has not been named yet) back in November to acquire Neshek from the Astros for just such an occasion, this is a pretty solid deal from their standpoint.
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With Neshek on board, the Rockies now boast a bullpen with him, Holland and a resurgent Jake McGee as their own version of a three-headed monster. There are some other options in the mix that could surprise, like Chris Rusin (2.87 ERA) or Adam Ottavino could find his control again, and then the Rockies would really be in business.
Either way, the addition of Neshek should help keep some of the young Colorado starters fresh and also seal an extra victory or two, which could be the difference between a one-game playoff and sitting in the cold this October.