The Largest Concern (Still)
Number 1 – the starting pitchers not named Arrieta or Nola: Much has been made of this matter, perhaps so much so that undue pressure will land on a bunch of guys with losing records thus far in the majors.
It’s easy to pick on pitchers who lose more than they win, even if they’re playing for the bad offensive teams the Phillies have been for several seasons. Jerad Eickhoff, for example, pitched 248 innings in a bit more than a season when he was 24 and 25, posting a 3.45 ERA. This is a good job done for a bad team, a job suggesting he would be a valuable “workhorse.”
Then the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder ran into arm problems in ’17 at the age of 26. Hopes are semi-high he and other unproven starters on the Fightin’ Phillies will match the team’s apparent offensive potential. A quick start by Eickhoff would make “semi-high” simply “high.”
Next: Arrieta's job goes beyond pitching
Such a start would mean that with Arrieta, Nola and Eickhoff, the Philadelphia Phillies would have a legitimate shot at winning three out of every five games. That would surely make Philadelphia a destination to consider for those high-profile players who will become free agents at the end of this summer.