Phillies Name Jeremy Hellickson 2017 Opening Day Starter
By John Town
For the second straight season, righty Jeremy Hellickson will be on the mound on Opening Day for the Phillies in Cincinnati.
Prior to Sunday’s spring training game in Port Charlotte, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin named Jeremy Hellickson the Opening Day starter for the second year in a row. Once again, Hellickson will face off against the Cincinnati Reds to start off the season.
“He opened up for us last year and he had a real good year for us,” Mackanin told reporters. “I have a lot of confidence in him. I think he earned the right after last year.”
Hellickson is excited for the opportunity to start on Opening Day again, telling Paul Hagen of MLB.com:
More from Phillies News
- Bryce Harper’s absence should lead to Phillies lineup tinkering
- Pirates’ bizarre Vince Velasquez hype video will make Phillies fans laugh
- Acquiring Brandon Marsh gave the Phillies flexibility
- Former Phillies starter Zach Eflin shares heartwarming goodbye message
- Is Rhys Hoskins the future at first base for the Phillies beyond 2023?
"“Everyone wants to take the ball on Opening Day. You never take it for granted. Last year being my first one, it was something I’d dreamed of and Cincinnati was an awesome place to do it. I think the parade woke me up at nine o’clock in the morning. They put on a good show Opening Day, so it’s going to be exciting.”"
There was some question about who was going to get the ball on Opening Day for the Phils.
Some, including myself, thought the start could wind up going to Jerad Eickhoff. The 26-year old was arguably the team’s best pitcher last season alongside Hellickson, finishing the year with a 3.65 ERA and 2.9 fWAR.
Even Hellickson himself thought that Eickhoff should start Opening Day. He told Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice:
"“There’s another guy on our staff that probably deserved it a little more than me, in my opinion – that’s Eick,” Hellickson said. “What he did last year was pretty remarkable for his first full year. I would love to have seen him get it. It would have been awesome but I see plenty of Opening Day starts for him in the future.”"
Mackanin said the coaching staff considered handing Eickhoff the Opening Day start, but they went with Hellickson “for a number of reasons.”
More from That Balls Outta Here
- Prospect Andrew Baker could help Phillies bullpen in 2023
- Bryce Harper’s absence should lead to Phillies lineup tinkering
- Phillies rumors: Club targets Seth Lugo for possible bullpen role
- Pirates’ bizarre Vince Velasquez hype video will make Phillies fans laugh
- Acquiring Brandon Marsh gave the Phillies flexibility
The way the rotation is set currently during spring training, Eickhoff is slated to start the second game of the season with Clay Buchholz following him up. Vincent Velasquez would start the home opener with Aaron Nola pitching the fifth game of the season.
However, Buchholz’s wife is set to deliver the couple’s child at some point during the month of March, which could very well alter the rotation slightly.
For now, the order is as mentioned above, and Mackanin is okay with that.
“I feel good about the rotation,” Mackanin told Hagen.
“Especially with Velasquez and Nola at four and five, whichever way they go. We just have to be careful with both of them. We don’t want to baby them, but it’s a nice rotation when you have those two guys at the end.”
Next: Phillies 40-Man Roster Limits Major-League Spots
With Mackanin naming the Opening Day starter, one of the question marks heading into spring training is now answered. As long as everything stays as is, the Phils should have a fairly solid rotation this season.