Phillies: Evaluating the return for Cole Hamels three years later
By John Town
Jerad Eickhoff
Jerad Eickhoff made the most immediate impact after the trade, debuting August 21, 2015. In eight starts that year, he had a 2.65 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and 3.77 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He only continued to succeed in 2016, making 33 starts with a 3.65 ERA, 167 strikeouts, 42 walks, and an opposing batting average of .246 in 197.1 innings. He was worth 3.6 wins above replacement that year according to Baseball Reference.
Problems started to emerge in 2017 as Eickhoff dealt with injury and command issues. His walk rate increased from 5.2% to 9.2%. He made just 24 starts before ending the year on the disabled list.
Eickhoff has yet to pitch this season after dealing with more injuries. He suffered a lat strain in spring training, keeping him out through April. When he started rehabbing to return from that, he felt tingling in his fingers while he pitched, the same thing that cut his 2017 season short.
Eickhoff has been rehabbing again in Clearwater, making his third appearance Tuesday night. He could return in September, but he won’t have a rotation spot. Considering he hasn’t pitched all season, the team may opt to use him in a relief role.
After this season, he could push for a rotation spot again as he has shown he can be an effective starter when healthy. The key is obviously if he can stay healthy, which he hasn’t done for two seasons in a row. He turned 28 this year, so he still has time to do so.