Phillies: Extra-pen-arm ripples
Adding a reliever to the Phillies’ 25-man squad and subtracting a position player will not be the minor detail it was at first blush, and general manager Matt Klentak will have powwows with his skipper and coaches near camp’s end for this particular decision.
Roster wrinkles:
After the Philadelphia Phillies signed three free agents during the offseason, questions regarding most spots ended. But the new manager didn’t take long to toss a complex statement into the mix and open the door for other competitive opportunities.
IN OTHER WORDS: “But once you throw a stone, there are ripples in the pond, even if you remove the rock.” – Jodi Picoult
Over the winter, Klentak and Kapler had meetings to address spring training, and they reviewed many players competing in Clearwater who are on the bubble of the active 25. But carrying a long man to save the bullpen from a poor starting performance means a four-man bench.
If an injury occurs to the hometown nine, the dynamic would barely change. However, the loss of a catcher with another organization could lead to a trade of either backup receiver. One problem solved!
On the Internet, fans absorb the belief of many national writers: The main thing making sense to them is buying free agents. And the faithful on Phillies sites take this as gospel, but a writer covering 30 franchises instead of one produces surface-level articles.
If you look, you’ll find discrepancies. For instance, one recent piece had the Miami Marlins as a possible destination for Bryce Harper in 2019. But having room to spend up to the competitive-balance threshold of $197 million doesn’t guarantee big dollar signings. Baseball is a business, not a fantasy league.
Unfortunately, fans want to believe. To illustrate, one local is expecting disappointment if the Phils don’t ink one of those starting pitchers. Then, he’ll conclude the GM’s a failure, the team is cheap, and the scribe like him is without a doubt 100 percent correct.
For the Phils, paying more for a free-agent rotation piece is not a problem if the contract is for three summers with a mutual option for 2021. They are only willing to overpay or outbid dollarwise. So, while clients of the Boras Corporation remain available, the odds for the red pinstripes improve.
Questions and consequences:
Based on 2017, Klentak has closer Hector Neris, setup men Luis Garcia, Tommy Hunter, Pat Neshek, southpaw Adam Morgan, Edubray Ramos and lefty specialist Hoby Milner. Their jobs to lose!
That stated, the original nine-man pen voiced by Kapler at the beginning of camp didn’t even fool the club’s broadcasters because a receiver with two other reserves isn’t workable. The players, no doubt, reached the same conclusion and realized management’s strategy.
For an eighth seat in the pen, Jake Thompson, Mark Leiter, and Drew Hutchison can pitch multiple frames, make spot starts, and work extra innings or frames after a rain delay, an injury or a poor outing from a rotation arm. Those hurlers could also be starting-staff considerations due to injury or ineffectiveness from the top candidates for those roles.
Adding a third left-hander to the relief corps is a possibility for veteran Fernando Abad, but his only appearance on March 3 was disastrous: no outs and three earned runs. However, if he struggles or isn’t healthy, he will require a 40-man spot to be on the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs roster. An unlikely move!
Unless one of the seven relievers who earned jobs or signed during the offseason has difficulty or can’t go, Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriquez might be a temporary fix. Last season, though, was his worst MLB campaign. Additionally, the red pinstripes have a handful of extra bullpen pieces who auditioned for Klentak in the second half last year to earn roster protection.
As for the reserves, Nick Williams or Aaron Altherr will be the left- or-right-side bats coming off the pine to pinch hit, while the other will start the game. And the three utility men could be a backup catcher, an infielder and an outfielder. However, the eighth reliever would probably replace one of the backstops.
APPLIES HERE: “A wise man makes his own decisions; an ignorant man follows the public opinion.” – Grantland Rice
Coming into camp, the Phillies had seven relievers for seven jobs, but Kapler could prefer an eight-man bullpen. And competition for another role could mean a long man or another portsider. Additionally, a shorter bench also increases the urgency to produce. Ergo, motivation!
The Numerical Bible:
This review is not a sabermetrics article, which means no heavy statistical analysis. But because some readers rely on stats, this is only a reference: no reason to articulate the importance of these numbers.
Phillies relievers:
- Neris, 28.5: 74 Gms., 74 2/3 Inn., 26 Saves, 3 BS, 4 Holds, a 3.01 ERA, a 3.71 FIP, a 4.21 xFIP, a 3.53 SIERA, a 1.1 fWAR and a 1.26 WHIP.
- Garcia, 31: 66 Gms., 71 1/3 Inn., 14 Holds, 2 Saves, a 2.65 ERA, a 3.12 FIP, a 3.89 xFIP, a 3.90 SIERA, a 1.2 fWAR and a 1.22 WHIP.
- Morgan, 28: 37 Gms., 54 2/3 Inn., 6 Holds, a 4.12 ERA, a 4.22 FIP, a 3.47 xFIP, a 3.30 SIERA, a 0.3 fWAR and a 1.26 WHIP.
- Ramos, 25: 59 Gms., 57 2/3 Inn., 9 Holds, a 4.21 ERA, a 2.91 FIP, a 3.68 xFIP, a 3.55 SIERA, a 1.2 fWAR and a 1.47 WHIP.
- Milner, almost 27: 37 Gms., 31 1/3 Inn., 7 Holds, a 2.01 ERA, a 4.50 FIP, a 5.54 xFIP, a 5.13 SIERA, a 0.1 fWAR and a 1.47 WHIP.
Signed relievers:
- Hunter, 31.5: 61 Gms., 58 2/3 Inn., 25 Holds, a 2.61 ERA, a 3.07 FIP, a 3.29 xFIP, a 3.07 SIERA, a 1.2 fWAR and a 0.97 WHIP.
- Neshek, 37.5: 71 Gms., 62 1/3 Inn., 23 Holds, a 1.59 ERA, a 1.86 FIP, a 3.26 xFIP, a 2.70 SIERA, a 2.5 fWAR and a 0.87 WHIP.
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Other candidates:
Thompson, 24:
- Phillies: 11 Gms., 8 Starts, 46 1/3 Inn., 3-2, a 3.88 ERA, a 5.92 FIP, a 5.54 xFIP, a 5.23 SIERA, a -0.1 fWAR and a 1.55 WHIP.
- AAA: 22 Gms., 118 1/3 Inn., 5-14, a 5.25 ERA, a 4.40 FIP, a 4.59 xFIP and a 1.55 WHIP.
Leiter, 27:
- Phillies: 27 Gms., 11 Starts, 90 2/3 Inn., 3-6, a 4.96 ERA, a 5.14 FIP, a 4.19 xFIP, a 4.14 SIERA, a 0.2 fWAR and a 1.33 WHIP.
- AAA: 7 Gms., 5 Starts, 30 Inn., 2-1, a 4.20 ERA, a 3.67 FIP, a 2.49 xFIP and a 1.10 WHIP.
Hutchison, 27.5:
- AAA: 26 Gms., 24 Starts, 159 1/3 Inn., 9-9, a 3.56 ERA, a 4.13 FIP, a 4.79 xFIP and a 1.29 WHIP.
Other non-roster invitees:
- Abad, 32: 48 Gms., 43 2/3 Inn., 1 Save, 2 Holds, a 3.30 ERA, a 3.68 FIP, a 4.37 xFIP, a 4.09 SIERA, a 0.3 fWAR and a 1.24 WHIP.
- Rodriguez, 36: 28 Gms., 25 1/3 Inn., 7 Saves, 6 BS, a 7.82 ERA, a 7.38 FIP, a 5.71 xFIP, a 4.70 SIERA, a -0.7 fWAR and a 1.66 WHIP.
Next: Phillies: 1st rotation clues
Klentak’s auditioned relievers:
Arano, 23:
- Phillies: 10 Gms., 10 2/3 Inn., a 1.69 ERA, a 1.85 FIP, a 3.35 xFIP, a 3.18 SIERA, a 0.3 fWAR and a 0.94 WHIP.
- Double-A: 32 Gms., 38 2/3 Inn., a 4.19 ERA, a 4.54 FIP, a 3.80 xFIP and a 1.29 WHIP.
Rios, 24.5:
- Phillies: 13 Gms., 16 1/3 Inn., a 4.41 ERA, a 5.91 FIP, a 5.13 xFIP, a 4.49 SIERA, a -0.1 fWAR and a 1.47 WHIP.
- AAA 13 Gms., 18 1/3 Inn., a 1.96 ERA, a 4.26 FIP, a 3.68 xFIP and a 0.76 WHIP.
- AA: 24 Gms., 38 Inn., a 1.89 ERA, a 2.38 FIP, a 2.77 xFIP and a 0.84 WHIP.
Pinto, 24:
- Phillies: 25 Gms., 29 2/3 Inn., a 7.89 ERA, a 6.36 FIP, a 5.39 xFIP, a 5.01 SIERA, a -0.5 fWAR and a 1.89 WHIP.
- AAA: 11 Gms., 20 2/3 Inn., a 0.00 ERA and a 0.58 WHIP in relief.
- AAA: 8 Starts., 40 Inn., 3-3, a 5.85 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP.
Curtis, 25.5:
- MLB: 6 Gms., 8 1/3 Inn., a 1.08 ERA, a 5.08 FIP, a 5.65 xFIP, a 4.71 SIERA, a 0.0 fWAR and a 1.08 WHIP.
- AA: 41 Gms., 51 1/3 Inn., 13 Saves, a 3.51 ERA, a 3.20 FIP, a 3.63 xFIP and a 1.21 WHIP.