That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies: Who’re the odd-men out of the starting rotation?

By George Stockburger

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 28: Pitcher Jerad Eickhoff #48 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves won 10-2. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 28: Pitcher Jerad Eickhoff #48 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the second inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on September 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Braves won 10-2. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 03: Vince Velasquez #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on September 3, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 03: Vince Velasquez #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on September 3, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

Vince Velasquez

This might be the biggest question mark in the Phillies bullpen going forward. We’ve seen flashes of greatness from Vince Velasquez, but we’ve also seen him throw 80 pitches in two innings.

Arguably the headliner in the Ken Giles trade, Velasquez has the stuff to be a top half of the rotation pitcher. He can strike out guys at a ridiculous rate (see the note on the prior slide) but he struggles when it comes to pitching a good game. He can bring really good stuff, but he hasn’t shown the ability or the control to dial it back and command a game.

Velasquez failed to pitch five full innings in 13 of his 30 starts last year, and he only pitched seven complete innings once.

Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies /

Philadelphia Phillies

Because of injuries, Velasquez failed to qualify for some of the starting pitcher stats, but among starting pitchers with at least 140 innings (Velasquez had 146.1) he finished 33rd in pitches/plate appearance. at 3.92. He finished just under 17 pitches per inning, tied for 13th in baseball.

Velasquez can twirl some spectacular games when he’s on, like when he threw seven two-hit shutout innings against the Padres in July. A lot of fans still have his home debut from 2016 when he struck out 16 batters in a complete game shutout (once again against the Padres) stuck in the back of their heads.

Projections for Velasquez are all over the place, as some see him as a top of the line starter and others place him as a closer long-term. He’s had some great stretches, like when he had a 2.30 ERA in May and a 0.95 ERA in July. The righty had a seven-game stretch with a 1.35 ERA in the middle of the summer.

In most situations, Velasquez remains with the Phillies as a starter, but he’s a potential trade candidate. I could see him and Eflin fighting for the last starting job in spring training.

A lot of teams will be intrigued by Velasquez this offseason, but I think he returns and loses a starting job out of camp. He could be a very good set-up man whose sole purpose is to punch guys out, something he is very good at doing.

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