Phillies on the Bubble
By Tal Venada
Sorting through the records of hurlers and hitters shows why a GM has directors under him to delegate the duties of reports, statistical analysis and good old-fashioned eye tests. On the other hand, this basic review lacking Klentak’s information leads to questions of production at a lower level after the 2016 mid-season break, in the first half of 2017, and due to the affect of injuries. Ergo, a maze!
Over time, the faithful have questioned the Phillies regarding the return on their trades. But no local complained after some expected right-hander Alberto Tirado to be a triple-digits closer in ’17. Who? He is one of two acquired flamethrowers from the Toronto Blue Jays still in the pipeline. Meantime, a minor leaguer with a name like Ranger Suarez gets mentioned regarding a solid performance, and some fans picture him in the Philadelphia Phillies’ rotation of tomorrow.
With the immediate future in mind, Klentak’s moves indicate righty Drew Anderson and Tirado are strong possibilities. Anderson–they say–has the best stuff in the organization, and he went 9-4 with a 3.59 ERA for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. As for Tirado, he started 12 contests last year with a 3.64 ERA for 59 1/3 frames with the Single-A Advanced Clearwater Threshers. But Reading switched the hard thrower to the bullpen after his promotion. Translation: The Fightin Phils didn’t need a starter at the time, the decision-makers don’t see him being a rotation arm, or they wanted to accelerate his progress with an increased workload.
With a possible seat or two in the pen, Klentak held auditions last summer for right-handers Victor Arano and Yacksel Rios. But even though Arano produced a 1.69 ERA with the red and white, he’s a slider-tossing reliever who only had a 4.19 ERA at Reading. Meanwhile, Rios has mid-90’s smoke and recorded under 2.00 ERAs at both Triple-A and Double-A, but he only finished with a 4.41 ERA for the hometown nine. Have they done enough for the GM?
MiLB Relieving Stats:
- Arano: 32 AA Gms., 38 2/3 Inn. and a 4.19 ERA.
- Rios: 13 AAA Gms., 18 1/3 Inn. and a 1.96 ERA.
- Rios: 24 AA Gms., 38 Inn. and a 1.89 ERA.
MLB Relieving Stats:
- Arano: 10 Gms., 10 2/3 Inn. and a 1.69 ERA.
- Rios: 13 Gms., 16 1/3 Inn. and a 4.41 ERA.