Phillies player feature: Rookie reliever Seranthony Dominguez
A relative unknown coming into the 2018 season, what does the future hold for rookie Phillies reliever Seranthony Dominguez?
Coming into the 2018 Phillies season, there were many debates on who would have a major impact on the team. Whether it was Rhys Hoskins, Odubel Herrera, Jake Arietta, or countless others, everyone had their opinion on who would be the X-factor this year.
One name that likely wasn’t mentioned in those conversations, was relief pitcher Seranthony Dominguez.
The 6 ‘1 185 lb righty was signed by the Phillies organization in 2011. After beginning as a starter, he was eventually converted to a reliever. The move would jump-start his push to the Major Leagues.
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Dominguez obviously wanted to stay as a starter, but he decided to go along with it to help the team: [quote via Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia]
"“Any pitcher wants to be a starter,” Dominguez said. “But I thought about it and decided I’m going to put it in God’s hands and if that’s what he wants me to do and that’s what the coaches want me to do, I’m going to do it because I’m here, really, to help the team win. I’m here for them.”"
Throughout his minor-league career, Domínguez had a win-loss of 23-22, an ERA of 3.03, and 299 strikeouts in 326.2 innings.
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Since his call-up on May 7th, Dominguez has been nearly unhittable, and the steadying force in the back half of the Phillies bullpen that they desperately needed. Through 11.2 innings pitched over the span of 10 games, Domínguez has a 1-0 record, 1 save, 6 holds and 13 strikeouts while allowing only 2 hits and no runs.
It remains to be seen how exactly Kapler will use Domínguez throughout the rest of the season. What would seem to be the obvious answer, would be to convert him into the full-time closer. However, while on the surface this seems obvious. It may not be the best option.
The league is changing. In the past, the team’s best reliever has almost always been the closer. The current MLB landscape has seen a shift in this philosophy through the likes of Milwaukee’s Josh Hader, Cleveland’s Andrew Miller, and Arizona’s Archie Bradley.
The three mentioned above are arguably the best relievers on their respective teams, but not the full-time closer. They are all instead used in different situations depending on the flow of the game, and this could be an approach used by Gabe Kapler.
Kapler’s comments echo this sentiment stating: [quote from Aaron Kasinitz of Penn Live]
"“We’re still trying to figure out who he profiles best against,” Kapler said. “The cool thing is because his ball sinks sometimes and cuts sometimes, and because the velocity is there and because the slider has the potential to be so devastating, it probably doesn’t matter. As long as he continues to develop as a pitcher, as long as he continues to be durable and athletic, we can probably use him in any game situation.”"
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It cannot be predicted at this time what exact role Domínguez will have, or how long his scoreless streak will last. One thing that is for certain is that the Phillies have a strong asset in the bullpen, which will be essential to help the team continue to win as the season creeps into the summer months.