Phillies: Is there Such a Thing as Too Much Pitching?
Phillies president Andy MacPhail may be wrong about overloading on pitching
It feels like eons ago when Ruben Amaro Jr. told us pitching wins championships. The same mantra was preached by Phillies president Andy MacPhail before the arrival of pitchers and catchers in Clearwater.
When asked what the organization’s plan is going forward, MacPhail said, “After improving the pitching, the next thing we should do is improve the pitching, and then after that, we should improve the pitching.”
Looking over the past couple of seasons, Philadelphia really did need more pitching. When Charlie Morton went down with a torn hamstring in the first month of the season Zach Eflin became a necessary cog in the starting rotation. Even years before that the organization was forced to use players such as Severino Gonzalez, Sean O’Sullivan, Dustin McGowan, and Tyler Cloyd on the mound.
Philadelphia Phillies
This organization looks to be past the days of John Lannan, Roberto Hernandez, and Kyle Kendrick thanks to several major trades. Despite adding prospects Nick Pivetta, Ben Lively, Jake Thompson, Vincent Velasquez, Alec Asher, Zach Eflin, Jerad Eickhoff, Mark Appel, and Alberto Tirado the Phillies are continuing to push for more and more pitching.
The ultimate question becomes, when do you stop adding pitching and look to find a long-term solution (not Howie Kendrick or Michael Saunders) to the worst offense in baseball?
While a completely different sport, we see the 76ers with a logjam of centers in an unusual situation. They need to move one, if not two, centers and continue to be cautious with Joel Embiid’s health. The locker room has some bad vibes with Jahlil Okafor saying goodbye after the last home game, and being forced to sit at home while he waits to find out where he’ll play next.
Philadelphia has, in fact, too many top-tier starting pitchers and it COULD be a major problem. Opening Day expects to bring several interesting roster moves for the Phillies, except in the rotation. Jeremy Hellickson, Clay Buchholz (both brought in by trades), Aaron Nola, Eickhoff, and Velasquez will be the group barring any injuries.
That leaves someone like Eflin, who had a 2.08 ERA from June 19th to July 22nd, left to play in Lehigh Valley. How Eflin, who is clearly ready to pitch with the Phillies, will handle the demotion is key. While he may be the first name the organization looks towards if a starter goes down, his ultimate fate this season lies in Lehigh Valley until Hellickson or Buchholz is traded.
Even after one or the other is moved, the Phillies will have too many arms needing quality innings. What becomes of Lively, Pivetta, Thompson, Appel (if healthy), and Tirado when they’re ready to make the jump? Will they be left steaming on a minor league bus when they could be making their major league paycheck?
And what is scary will be the continued addition of even more pitching, which may or may not be better than the names mentioned above. Meanwhile, we have a second baseman in left field, and a major question regarding whether or not Maikel Franco can be “the guy” at third base. Can Cesar Hernandez continue to get on base, or will Scott Kingery flub once he moves into the higher reaches of the minor leagues?
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Between the possibility of unhappiness possibly accumulating within the minor leagues, to the uncertainty of what you have in the majors, the idea of just adding pitching and not addressing the offense down the road is frightening.