Five Phillies in need of a major bounceback in 2018
The 2017 Phillies season saw several players step forward, but others took a step back. They need to bounce back in 2018 to remain relevant.
Very little has remained consistent the last few years for the Phillies. Countless players have come through the clubhouse since everything got torn down and the major pieces of the team were traded away.
Very few players have remained consistently good, struggling for significant stretches of time. Some have even had poor seasons altogether after showing a lot of potential prior. Several are in need of a bounceback this year after struggling for much of 2017; these are just five.
Jerad Eickhoff
After the 2016 season, many penciled in Jerad Eickhoff as the team’s No. 3 starter, and why shouldn’t they? Through his first 41 starts, Eickhoff had a 3.44 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 3.93 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He used a mix of control and strong secondary pitches to keep hitters off balance, exactly what a typical mid-rotation starter does.
2017 didn’t go nearly as well for Eickhoff as he dealt with injury. He tried to pitch through weakness and numbness in his right hand that ultimately led to him ending the season on the disabled list. He finished the year with a 4.71 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 24 starts.
Eickhoff told Meghan Montemurro of the Athletic ($) that he struggled to be consistent last year, which led to his struggles:
“Not being my healthy self affected things a little bit,” Eickhoff said. “I think the biggest thing is just I wasn’t clicking, I wasn’t consistent in my own personal delivery or how I was attacking hitters. Just very inconsistent. Being inconsistent whether it’s the mentality or the physical part is going to contribute to walks.”
A return to 2016 form will be key for Eickhoff as the Phillies still haven’t acquired any help in the rotation, leaving its fate up to Eickhoff and the other young starters. If what he is saying is true and he is able to find his control, a bounceback could be in the works for the 27-year-old.
Vince Velasquez
Vince Velasquez has been chasing the ghost of his 16-strikeout game ever since it happened. He has struggled with command and has run up high pitch counts in nearly every one of his starts trying to get as high of a strikeout total as possible.
Velasquez’s 10.8 percent walk rate was 14th-highest among pitchers with 70 or more innings last year, while his 5.52 fielding-independent pitching was 20th. He dealt with injury throughout the year, making just 15 starts. His season ended Aug. 10 when he was removed from a game against the Mets after just one inning. He eventually underwent surgery to correct a circulation issue in his hand.
The team and fans both know what kind of potential Velasquez has; all they have to do is look at the 16-strikeout game and several others with double-digit strikeout numbers. However, it doesn’t mean a whole lot if his control is non-existent and he can’t make it past the fifth inning. Velasquez needs to bounce back and then some this year to stay in the rotation. Otherwise, he may wind up moving to the bullpen.
Maikel Franco
For the second straight year we are looking for a bounceback season from Maikel Franco. Instead of improving in 2017, things got only worse. Franco managed a .230/.281/.409 line with 24 home runs and 76 runs batted in. His 76 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR were both league-worst among qualified third baseman.
Franco’s issue wasn’t striking out or not walking enough; he had a 6.6 percent walk rate and 15.2 percent strikeout rate. Both were actually improvements compared to 2016. However, his ground-ball rate was slightly above league-average at 45.4 percent and his line-drive rate was well below-average at 17.9 percent. Franco doesn’t have the speed to run out ground balls and relying on fly balls will lead to a lot of outs.
The Phillies are still willing to give Franco another chance this season, but that chance may not last for long. Scott Kingery is waiting in the wings to be called up to the majors, and the team is preparing him to play all over the diamond, including third base. J.P. Crawford took time away from Franco when he was called up last year, and if Franco continues to struggle, he could lose time to Kingery.
If Franco still can’t figure things out after this season, better options will be there in the offseason. Manny Machado and Josh Donaldson will both be free agents, and Philadelphia will likely take a run at each of them. Both would certainly be upgrades, even at a significantly higher salary. Franco will need a major bounceback to try and compete with either of these players.
Zach Eflin
Just when things started to look good for Zach Eflin last year, things instantly fell apart. He had a 2.81 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 4.25 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his first five starts of the year. He then got shellacked for 22 runs in his next three starts before heading back down to Triple-A.
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Eflin’s numbers in Triple-A weren’t anything special after he was sent back down, posting a 4.57 ERA in eight starts. He missed a few weeks with elbow soreness, but there wasn’t any damage. After returning to the majors and making two starts, he left the game early in his third with shoulder discomfort. Eflin was diagnosed with a shoulder strain that eventually put him on the 60-day disabled list.
Injuries and inconsistency go hand-in-hand with Eflin at this point.
At times, he looks like the No. 3 or 4 starter people thought he could be as a prospect, but those times are fleeting. Now, Eflin needs to bounce back just to remain on the 40-man roster, let alone be an everyday major-leaguer.