Player Review/Preview: Jonathan Pettibone
By Mike Lacy
Jonathan Pettibone
Key 2013 Stats: 5-4 W-L, 4.04 ERA, 66 K, 38 BB
What happened in 2013
When John Lannan went down with an injury in late April, the Phillies called up Pettibone to take his spot in the rotation. Pettibone may not have been the team’s most highly rated prospect, but he was viewed as the most major league ready of the Phillies AAA starters.
Despite his lack of hype, Pettibone performed admirably. Like most rookies, he had some shaky starts along the way, but he did a solid job overall. Unfortunately, Pettibone also fell victim to the injury bug, and a back injury and strained shoulder ended his season in July.
What to Expect in 2014
With the recent signing of Roberto Hernandez, Pettibone appears to now be the sixth starter on the Phillies’ depth chart and will probably begin the season in the minors. Considering the unlikelihood of all five starters making it through the season unscathed (and especially considering the unknown status of Cuban import Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez), it wouldn’t be surprising if Pettibone spends most of the 2014 season as a member of the Phillies’ rotation. If he wants to improve on his modest rookie success, Pettibone will need to improve his strikeout to walk ratio. He walked 3.4 batters per nine innings, while only striking out 5.9.
Pettibone may not have a future as an ace, but he showed that he could be a reliable option for the back of the rotation. He may not be in the roation for the entire season, but while he is, it would be a great help to the team if he could at least deliver quality starts in the majority of his outings.