Philadelphia Phillies get big upgrade for 2022 bullpen

In 2021, the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen blew 34 saves. The Phillies are hoping Corey Knebel can change their fortunes in the late innings.

Just hours before the Collective Bargaining Agreement was set to expire, it was reported that the Philadelphia Phillies were in agreement with Corey Knebel, bringing the right-hander across the country with a one-year, $10 million deal after spending the 2021 campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his time in the Dodger bullpen, Knebel appeared in 27 games, posting an 0.974 WHIP and holding opponents to a .176 batting average.

Here’s how Corey Knebel could improve the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen in 2022

Last season, Philadelphia’s bullpen ranked 11th in the 15-team National League in ERA, while finishing 12th in batting average against, WHIP, and home run rate, as well as 13th in FIP. There is obviously plenty of room for improvement, and that’s where Knebel enters the mix.

The 30-year-old Knebel has experience as both a setup man and as a closer, racking up 39 saves during his All-Star season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017.

There’s also this nugget to remember about Knebel coming to Philadelphia: Dave Dombrowski, Philadelphia’s president of baseball operations, was president and general manager for the Detroit Tigers when that franchise drafted Knebel out of the University of Texas with the 39th overall pick of the 2013 MLB draft. Knebel would see action in just eight games before being traded to the Texas Rangers, who eventually traded him to the Brewers where he would begin to flourish.

Dombrowski also mentioned in his end-of-season press conference that Philadelphia’s next closer would come from outside the organization. He could well have just signed him in Knebel.

One thing for Phillies fans to watch with Knebel is a recent history of injuries as he missed three months of the 2021 season with a right lat strain, missed time in the pandemic-shortened season of 2020 with a hamstring issue, and didn’t pitch in 2019 because of Tommy John surgery.

However, when healthy, Knebel can reach 97 mph with his fastball and has an above-average spin rate on his curveball, a pitch he threw as an effective secondary pitch last season. That could be enough to change Philadelphia’s late-inning problems from recent seasons, something the Phillies need to address in order to reach the postseason.