Seranthony Dominguez got off to a great start to the 2018 Phillies season before stumbling towards the end, along with the rest of the team.
The Phillies called up Seranthony Dominguez in May and made his first appearance out of the bullpen on May 7. After that, he didn’t allow a run for a month and seemed entirely unstoppable, giving up just two hits in that span, walking none, and striking out 15 batters. For a large portion of the following month and a half, he was terrific.
Dominguez came into the ballgame in key situations just about every time that he pitched, and he largely did not disappoint. Entering the month of August, he had a 1.91 ERA. However, he had nine walks and 12 strikeouts in July, showing signs of a loss of command.
As with the rest of the team, the floodgates opened in August. Dominguez blew three saves in the span of 6 appearances and on August 25, his ERA ballooned to a season-worst 3.22 after giving up three runs to the Blue Jays.
Seranthony has since recovered in terms of ERA, which is down to 3.00, but his walk to strikeout ratio in September is 7:9, which is still troublesome and might be something he wants to work on this offseason.
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Positives
Dominguez experienced a plethora of great moments this season. From the hot start to the big strikeouts and the great saves, there are so many times a fan could look at Dominguez and say “wow, he is really good.” He is just 23 years old and has struck out 72 batters in 57 innings, which is a great statistic for a late-inning bullpen guy.
Dominguez’s 2.3 WAR (in just 57 IP) is tied for third-best on the team.
His 2.92 Fielding-Independent Pitching (FIP) is best among all qualifiers on the team. His WHIP is the best among qualifiers on the team. It is clear that Dominguez has some serious talent, and we were lucky to see that display this season.
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Negatives
With the great moments that we saw from Dominguez this season, we also saw some things that he needs to work on. Numbers 1, 2, and 3 on that list are command.
Dominguez allowed 22 walks this season (with none in his first 12 appearances), which is tied for most among all relievers on the team. He had 10 wild pitches, which trails only Jake Arrieta’s 11 (and in 115 fewer innings pitched).
Dominguez essentially got lucky in many situations or was able to pitch out of jams.
The lack of command throughout July caught up to him in a rough August that saw him acquire a 7.45 ERA. He needs to work on that, especially with his fastball, because opposing hitters just can’t beat it.
Will he be back?
This does not require an advanced analysis. Seranthony Dominguez had one of the better overall seasons of any Phillies pitcher, is under team control for a while, and will certainly be a member of the Phillies bullpen for a while to come. At just 23 years of age, he has shown moments of poise, a solid arm, and the signs of an elite bullpen pitcher.
Dominguez just needs to work on his command, but he has the stuff to be a great pitcher.