Personal forecast:
With excellent control of his slider and his curveball, this pitcher has been dependable when he’s healthy. Who will be the three? Eickhoff!
The righty will probably bounce back next summer because he was on his way to doing so in July before his disabled-list stint. Therefore, he must again rely on being coachable and ambitious to have a solid ’18.
Barring any injuries or unexpected events, this returning starter will again dial up a 95-mph sinker to escape a jam. But his problem in 2017 was ignoring his physical limitations, suffering a slight injury, and trying to labor through it.
Landing on the DL was the end result twice in ’17 and a hard-learned lesson. Yes, the fear of losing one’s job is common in baseball.
In his case, the right-hander–aren’t they all?–had five strong outings consecutively for a 2.81 ERA: 32 innings with 10 earned runs. Then, his next three starts were dreadful: 15 frames with 22 earned runs for a 13.20 ERA. And, finally, that balky elbow stopped the 23-year-old.
In the majors, it’s not unusual for a young pitcher to, for instance, have offseason surgery and give an all-out effort the following campaign. But too much exertion on his body can lead to the disabled list.
Typically, one sign a moundsman is compensating for an injury is an out-of-nowhere string of poor performances before a health issue. Prediction: Who will learn from 2017 and have a breakout 2018 for the Phillies? Eflin!