Phillies 2017 season grades: Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta
Nick Pivetta made his major-league debut two years after being traded to the Phillies, but his rookie year didn’t cement his future at all.
This year, injuries defined the Phillies starting rotation. Every pitcher from their Opening Day rotation either went on the disabled list or was traded away by the end of the season.
One pitcher that remained constant for almost the entire season was Nick Pivetta. He was promoted to the majors April 30 once Aaron Nola hit the disabled list, but went back down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley for a few weeks. He came back June 5 and was a part of the rotation the rest of the year (although the team took advantage of the major-league roster rules to option Pivetta a few times).
Philadelphia acquired Pivetta in exchange for Jonathan Papelbon from the Nationals, who proceeded to choke out their best player and alienate himself from the clubhouse. You’re welcome Washington.
When Pivetta came over from the Nationals, this is what Phillies Minor Thoughts’ Matt Winkelman wrote about him at the time:
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?
In return they get 6’5″ 22 year old RHP Nick Pivetta. Pivetta throws in the 90-94 range and has touched 96. Some evaluators think that the curveball could get to plus and he does have some feel for a changeup. He has struggled in 3 AA starts but will likely go to join the Reading rotation. Overall Pivetta is a bit raw for a AA arm, but there is enough stuff and command for a backend (#4) starter. If the Phillies can get some consistency out of his curveball and changeup there is a bit more ceiling than that.
So did Pivetta show that ceiling of a back-end starter this year? Well, maybe.
Among 105 pitchers with 130 or more innings pitched this season, Pivetta had the fifth-highest ERA (6.02). His 3.86 walks per nine innings were eighth-highest and his 18.2 percent home-run-to-fly-ball ratio was 10th-highest. Certainly not the numbers you want in the rotation.
One intriguing stat of Pivetta’s was the fact that he struck out 24 percent of opposing hitters, second only to Aaron Nola among Philadelphia starters.
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
In addition, Pivetta’s expected fielding-independent pitching (xFIP), which analyzes how Pivetta should have performed based on a league-average home-run rate and how many walks and strikeouts Pivetta issued, is actually rather low at 4.26. In fact, his xFIP- was right around league-average at 99. Granted, that’s mainly because Pivetta’s home-run rate was insanely high, but if Pivetta’s home-run rate falls back towards average, he should have a better season next year.
Pivetta also flashed dominance in several starts.
His best outing came against AL Cy Young contender Chris Sale, when Pivetta held the Red Sox scoreless through seven innings while allowing just four hits and two walks and striking out nine. When the Phillies needed Pivetta to pitch like a top-end starter, he did. His last few starts were pretty good as well, giving up just two runs over 17 innings. It’s not a significant enough sample size to be worth anything, but it’s noteworthy if nothing else.
D+. . SP. Philadelphia Phillies. NICK PIVETTA
Despite these bright spots, Pivetta was not a good pitcher overall this year. I give him some credit for those bright spots and for staying in the rotation all year, but that’s about it.
Next: Phillies could show interest in John Farrell
It’s not necessarily time to give up on Pivetta as a starter just yet, but he still has a long way to go before he can even be considered a back-end starter.