No. 9: Jeremy Hellickson
Jeremy Hellickson is one of the just two pitchers on this list from the past three seasons.
The Phillies took a low risk when acquiring Hellickson prior to the 2016 season. Matt Klentak took a chance on Hellickson hoping he would return to the form he was in when he won the AL Rookie of the Year Award with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Hellickson was a solid starter for the Phillies throughout his time with the team in 2016 and into this past season when he was ultimately dealt to the Baltimore Orioles.
The Phillies tried what they did with Hellickson with several pitchers since Klentak’s arrival, including Charlie Morton and others, but none have been as successful with the Phils as Hellickson was.
Hellickson was arguably the team’s best starting pitcher in the 2016 season, finishing with a 12-10 record and with an ERA of 3.71 in 32 starts. He has never been a guy with overpowering stuff throughout his career, but consistently gave the Phillies quality starts.
The starting pitching has been less than impressive over the past few seasons, but Hellickson was one of the few bright spots.
He’s clearly a No. 3 starter at best on a contending team, but he was asked to fill a big role and a heavy workload for the Phillies, and he did a solid job, which is why he earns himself a spot on this list.
Next up is a starter that looked to have a promising future with the club, but was eventually traded for another player on this list.