Phillies 2015 Report Card: Starting Pitchers
By Matt Veasey
Oct 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA;
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Eickhoff (48) in a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won 3-0.
(Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
Jerad Eickhoff – B: since I don’t do the ‘plus’ thing, Eickhoff gets this grade, but his performance was ‘A’ caliber. Only the fact that the 25-year old rookie righthander made just eight starts keeps him from a higher grade. For me, you need to perform at this level over at least half the season to earn an ‘A’ grade.
Obtained as part of the Hamels deal with Texas, Eickhoff received the call to make his first big league start on August 21st. He won that outing vs the Miami Marlins with an impressive six inning stint on the road. Seven of his eight starts were of the ‘Quality Start’ variety: at least six innings, no more than three earned runs allowed.
Overall, Eickhoff went 3-3 with a 2.65 ERA and 1.039 WHIP, allowing just 40 hits in 51 innings pitched. He registered an outstanding 49/13 K:BB ratio as well. He appeared to get stronger as the year moved along, going seven innings in each of his final four starts.
In his final outing on October 1st, Eickhoff shut down the eventual NL champion New York Mets on four hits, striking out 10 batters. Undoubtedly, Eickhoff is one of just two pitchers receiving grades here who are still with the team and have fully earned a role in the 2016 starting rotation entering spring training.
Next: 13 Starts: O'Sullivan