Aug 26, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Ken Giles (53) reacts after striking out three straight batters in the eight inning of a game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies defeated the Nationals 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
TBOH is back at the awards and this time we pondered the Philadelphia Phillies Rookie of the Year in 2014. We’ve got our second unanimous decision. We all agree – Ken Giles is the man!
Chris Eckstine – Ken Giles
The guy finished fourth in the NL ROY vote. That’s impressive for a relief pitcher, I don’t care what you say. With a nickname like “100 Miles Giles” you expect the world from the young righty given his stellar debut, but let’s not freak out if he struggles here and there. He’s entitled to it as all rookies are! Just a year ago Giles was finishing up his time in the Arizona Fall League.
He went 3-1 with a 1.18 ERA! The “here it is, try and hit it” mentality is there and hitters aren’t a fan of Giles’ average of 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings.
I think fans wanted Maikel Franco to come up and really wow us (obviously), but Ken Giles was the top rookie performer. He’s got moxy and a wicked heater. Here’s to a bright future for a young player with lots of talent!
Matthew Veasey – Ken Giles
This is Giles’ award. The young righty reliever got the call in mid-June, and was dominant from the start. Over 45.2 IP in 44 games, Giles registered a 1.18 ERA, 0.788 WHIP, and had a 64/11 K/BB ratio.
Mike Lacy – Ken Giles
As soon as Phillies fans head about the young reliever who was throwing 100 MPH in the minor leagues, they became intrigued. As the major league bullpen struggled, it became more and more difficult to figure out why the team was reluctant to call him up.
Finally, Ken Giles joined the Phillies bullpen, and after a shaky debut, he turned out to be everything Phillies fans had hoped for. Not only could he throw a fastball over 100 MPH, but he complimented it with a devastating slider. Hitters appeared to be simply unable to hit him.
It didn’t take long for Giles to become one of Ryne Sandberg’s most trusted relievers, and at the end of the season, he was even used in a save situation when Jonathan Papelbon was unavailable.
The Phillies future may not appear especially bright, but it looks like the team won’t have to worry about late-inning relief for quite a while.
Oliver Fisher – Ken Giles
My pick goes to Ken Giles, the most reliable bullpen pitcher in his first Major League season, and I only didn’t pick him there because of his rookie status.
Posting a 3-1 record and 1.18 ERA over 45.2 innings from the setup role, Giles’ electric velocity and ever increasing confidence helped him secure one of the better seasons of any relief pitcher in the league. If Jonathan Papelbon moves on, look for Giles to state his case for the closer role.