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Phillies Shut Down Rookie Pitcher Jake Thompson

By John Town

Mar 3, 2016; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jake Thompson (75) warms up before the start of the spring training game against the Houston Astros at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2016; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Jake Thompson (75) warms up before the start of the spring training game against the Houston Astros at Bright House Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a horrendous final start, Phillies pitcher Jake Thompson will skip his last start of the year. Thompson threw more innings this year than any other in his career.

Following the recent trend among MLB teams, the Phillies will shut down rookie right-handed pitcher Jake Thompson. He was scheduled to pitch in Saturday’s game against the Mets, the penultimate game of the season. Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice reported that Saturday’s game will be a bullpen one for the Phillies.

Thompson finished the season with 183.1 innings between Triple-A and the majors. He dominated Triple-A with a 2.50 ERA, but struggled in the major-leagues, posting a 5.70 ERA in 53.2 innings.

The former second-round draft pick made 10 starts in the majors this year. Thompson attributed -0.2 rWAR with a FIP of 6.16 to go along with his poor ERA.

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Overall, Thompson struggled with both strikeouts and walks. He struck out just 13.5% of opposing hitters and walked nearly 12%. Both are considered “awful” by Fangraphs, with the latter number going beyond the scope of their table.

Pitching coach Bob McClure eliminated the part of Thompson’s windup where he brought the ball over his head, instead keeping it at his waist until he reaches back.

Dan Farnsworth of Fangraphs noted before the season Thompson’s mechanics can get out of whack. After simplifying Thompson’s McClure noticed significant improvement, saying, “He simplified everything. Too many moving parts…So that, with the simplified mechanics, I think, helped him a lot.”

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Afterwards, Thompson put together a nice stretch of starts. In five appearances between August 29 and September 20, Thompson had a 2.97 ERA and 72 ERA-. He left more than 87% of runners on base in that stretch.

Thompson was fare more effective in the minor-leagues this season. In 21 starts with Lehigh Valley, Thompson went 11-5 in 129.2 innings. Opposing hitters had just a .222 average. His 7.2% walk rate was the best of any season in his minor-league career.

Manager Pete Mackanin believes Thompson will succeed in the future. After Sunday’s 17-0 loss to the Mets, he said:

"“For a 22-year old pitcher, first time in the big leagues, he’s made a good impression. He’s got a ways to go with command of his pitches, but he’s got enough stuff to be successful.”"

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The Phillies will certainly use Thompson in the major-league rotation when 2017 rolls around. He could fall into a similar role that Jerad Eickhoff did this year as a workhorse starter. Hopefully, this extra offseason time will help Thompson succeed next season.

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