Phillies: Five pitchers to keep an eye on in spring training

Pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks. Who should Phillies fans watch in the spring? Five noteworthy names will have lots of eyes on them.

It’s February 1st, and that means it’s spring training month, with Phillies pitchers and catchers set to report on February 13th. Plenty of players are already there, getting ready for what will surely be an intriguing season

Today’s article will not feature Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. Rather, it will focus on four fringe-roster pitchers on which to keep an eye over the next month and a half before the rosters really cut down towards the end of March.

There have been many acquisitions involving pitchers this winter, and the Phillies brass may not be done (see Kimbrel, Craig). However, there will be many new names this time around, including David Robertson, Jose Alvarez (traded for Luis Garcia), James Pazos, and Juan Nicasio (part of Jean Segura trade). Notable departures include Garcia and Luis Avilan.

That’s a pretty solid improvement, which means that some pitchers from a good-but-not-great bullpen will have to compete for roster spots. Plus, if Dallas Keuchel does not land here in free agency, another starter may be considered.

Names that should be set in stone include Robertson, Victor Arano, Tommy Hunter, Seranthony Dominguez, Edubray Ramos, Pat Neshek, Pazos, Nicasio, and Alvarez.

That doesn’t leave a whole lot of room for dark-horse candidates, especially if the Phillies turn to the likes of Craig Kimbrel. Assuming everything holds suit, here are five pitchers that fans should watch during spring training with a shot to make the roster.

Jerad Eickhoff

I know this seems like the easy way out, but I beg to differ. Eickhoff lost almost all of last season after experiencing back stiffness and nerve irritation in his right hand in 2017, a strained lat muscle in March 2018, and more tingling in his fingers as the 2018 season progressed.

Eickhoff appeared in only three games in September of 2018, starting one, allowing four earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched. He had a mediocre 2017 season after posting a solid year in 2016.

Eickhoff will be competing with the likes of Nick Pivetta, Vince Velasquez, and Zach Eflin for one of the starting pitching spots. I’d argue that out of the four of them, two will get the nod. I don’t think the Phillies are done making acquisitions on the pitching end quite yet. This group is a good collection of 4th and 5th starters, with Eflin leading the way.

The clock is ticking on Eickhoff. He is going to have to really prove that he is better than Eflin, Pivetta, and Velasquez because he will turn 29 in July and has not shown any reason for Gabe Kapler and the front office to believe he is the right choice moving forward. Granted, he hasn’t really had a chance the last two years, but that certainly does not help him.

Ultimately, I do not believe Eickhoff will make the roster, but it will be intriguing to see what kind of performance he puts on once pitchers and catchers report in a few weeks.

Cole Irvin

Swirvin’ Irvin just turned 25 and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 Amateur Draft out of the University of Oregon. He has moved quickly through the minor league system, as is expected for a high draft pick after spending four years in college refining his skill set.

In 2017, he split time in both High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading, posting a 9-9 record with a 3.39 ERA in 151.1 innings. In a full 2018 season with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, he posted a 14-4 record with a 2.57 ERA in 26 games. Unlike any Phillies pitchers last year, he did pitch a complete game and dominated with a WHIP of 1.054.

Ask anyone, that’s pretty impressive. I had been rooting for him to receive a call up and get a look at the end of the year after the Phillies struck their way out of the playoff race.

The Phillies gave him a non-roster spring training invite, so he will have some time with the team. The problem is that he is not currently on the 40-man roster, so if he were to impress by all means and make the team as a back-end starter, the Phillies would have to take someone else off the 40-man.

Irvin is a left-handed starter, something that the Phillies have not seen for real in a long time (sorry, I don’t count Ranger Suarez’s spot starts). If they ultimately decide not to go after Dallas Keuchel, Irvin could turn out to be a pretty nice long-term solution. If the team does sign another starter, Irvin would make a solid trade chip moving forward.

Austin Davis

Austin Davis was drafted by the Phillies in 2014 in the 12th round out of Cal State Bakersfield. He made it to the majors for the first time last year and stuck around for the rest of the season. Davis appeared in 32 games and had an ERA of 4.15 in 34.2 innings pitched. He walked 12 batters and stuck out 38 out of the 151 batters he faced.

Davis was a serviceable left-hander to come out of the bullpen. Did anyone really believe he was going to be the lockdown situational lefty? Probably not. Did the Phillies really have to go out and get Aaron Loup from the Blue Jays to cover up for him? Not at all. I thought he did a fine job with the opportunity he was provided.

With the acquisitions of Jose Alvarez and James Pazos, Davis falls two spots on the organizational depth chart in the bullpen. It is now extremely crowded with the possibility of a trade from this position of strength increasingly likely. Ultimately, unless there is an injury, I don’t see him making the opening day roster.

That’s not to say that Davis does not have a chance at all. It will be interesting to see how he competes with these guys. Pazos and (especially) Alvarez are just better, though. I think he starts the season in Lehigh Valley, but I certainly hope that the Phillies brass gives Davis a solid look. His position on the 40-man roster will help his chances of returning to the majors during the year.

Hector Neris

You might be surprised that I placed Neris here. He improved significantly at the end of the year after a midseason demotion to Triple-A, but there are flaws in his game that make him a wary option.

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Neris, at the beginning of the 2018 season, had no command of either his fastball or his splitter, and he gave up a lot of gut-wrenching home runs in games that may have helped the Phillies just a little bit down the stretch.

In 2017, Neris had a runs-above-average (RAA) of 12. In other words, he was about 12 “runs” better than the average major-leaguer. In 2018, that number dipped down to -1.

If I had the choice, I would keep Neris on the roster just because of how he improved his game at the end of last year, but the Phillies acquired Juan Nicasio in the Jean Segura trade. Nicasio, who appeared in two games for the Phillies in 2017, did not have a good year last year, posting a 6.00 ERA in 42 innings. He is on the final year of a 2-year, $17 million contract and will most definitely remain on the big-league roster throughout the season.

If Kimbrel is signed, it’s highly unlikely Neris makes the big-league roster. Now, I believe he has a slim chance, going up against Edubray Ramos. Like Eickhoff, the clock is ticking on Neris as well. He turns 30 in June. Ultimately, I see Neris as a “win-and-you’re-in” scenario in spring training. Not that he has to win, but if he pitches very well, he will get a roster spot. If he doesn’t, he could still wind up on the roster in the event of an injury.