In 2016, injuries forced the Phillies to trot out below-average pitchers in the starting rotation. In 2017, they have far more pitching depth to work with.
There was no shortage of injuries for Phillies pitchers in 2016. Charlie Morton, Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin each suffered injuries that cut their respective seasons short. In addition, Vincent Velasquez and Jeremy Hellickson both suffered injuries that caused them to miss time. Alec Asher being suspended for 80 games due to PED use didn’t help their pitching depth either.
By the end of the season, the rotation was a patchwork of Hellickson, Asher, Jerad Eickhoff, Adam Morgan, Phil Klein, and Jake Thompson. Morgan was the winner of the TBOH “Cy Yuk” award for those who don’t remember, and Klein isn’t on the roster anymore. Meanwhile, both Thompson and Morgan finished with ERAs well above 5.00.
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After Eflin and Thompson were promoted, there were few starters still at Triple-A that instilled any excitement in fans. However, looking towards 2017, there are plenty of starters on the 40-man roster to compensate for the inevitable pitcher injuries that still will garner attention from fans.
For starters, the Phillies actually have a solid rotation heading into camp.
Four of the five spots are locked down with Hellickson, Velasquez, Eickhoff, and recent acquisition Clay Buchholz already penciled in. The last spot is Nola’s if he is healthy, but there are questions about if that will be the case. If Nola isn’t ready, Eflin would then likely have the last rotation spot, and he has already said he is throwing “pain-free”.
If Nola is healthy, Eflin will start 2016 back in Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He would be the first picther called up to the majors when injury strikes. Thompson would also likely be a promotion candidate if an injury strikes, but he would have to prove he is better than his rookie season indicates.
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Turning towards other pitching prospects, Lehigh Valley will have even more prospects that could be ready to fill in. Ben Lively is the first name that comes to mind after his monster 2016. He went 18-5 with a 2.69 ERA and 0.938 WHIP in 28 starts between Double-A and Triple-A on his way to prospect of the year honors. If he continues to post those numbers in 2017, it will impossible to keep him down now that he is on the 40-man roster.
Even Nick Pivetta, acquired in the Jonathan Papelbon trade, had a solid season in 2016.
Pivetta allowed opposing hitters a .230 batting average, posted a 1.20 WHIP, and struck out 22.4% of opposing hitters between Double and Triple-A. Like Lively, a solid 2017 could force Philadelphia’s hand.
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With those pitchers now on the 40-man roster and primed to fill in at the major-leagues, we may not have to see Morgan or Asher again in 2017 unless the injuries run truly deep. Both are serviceable starters, but neither instill excitement like any of the pitchers mentioned.