Phillies: Three young relievers who could crack the roster
The 2020 season will feature household names returning to the bullpen. With plenty of young talent in the pipeline and several players approaching the downslope of their careers, we look at three potential pitchers who could make the Phillies roster.
First, let’s look at the veterans that are projected to be in the bullpen for the Phillies in 2020:
Theoretically, that leaves one or two spots open for someone to step into. Two guys on my list made their marks last year, while one is a newcomer on the rise. The Phillies will need to replace a lot of innings, with the departures of Juan Nicasio, Mike Morin, Jared Hughes, and Blake Parker, who all logged at least 20 innings out of the bullpen.
These suggestions are made keeping in mind that the Phillies just added three veteran relievers on minor league contracts, with invites to spring training (Drew Storen, Bud Norris, and Francisco Liriano), who will also be vying for spots on the roster.
Cole Irvin
Cole Irvin made his biggest impression in his first two major league starts, where he managed to pitch pretty well while not necessarily dominating. His role then transitioned to the bullpen, where he logged 24 innings in 13 games.
Irvin could slip into the Nicasio role of pitching at basically any part of the game, with a low walk% of 7.6% last season. He will have to show improvement in not giving up the long ball, where he struggled last year giving up 1.5 HR/9, and he won’t be expected to come in for high leverage situations.
All of Irvin’s numbers trended down (in a good way) as the season progressed, which leads me to believe that Irvin grew more comfortable in his relief role. Irvin’s experience as a starter would allow him to be stretched over multiple innings when needed, yet his mindset will need to be adjusted to pitching on a more regular basis.
The Phillies don’t need any more specialists or end-of-game pitchers, and Irvin would fit well in the middle reliever position.
JD Hammer
JD Hammer was an instant fan favorite, with his Wild Thing-style glasses and his goofy demeanor. His on-field performance was not as electric as Ricky Vaughn, but the 25-year-old held his own appearing in 20 games, with at least one strikeout in half his appearances.
Hammer also fits the bill with the Phillies trying to improve their inability to keep the ball in the yard, only giving up two home runs. Hammer’s MLB stint in 2019 only lasted two months, but he managed to strand 100% of runners in 16 of his appearances.
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One of the biggest areas that needs to be addressed is his walk numbers, with the fifth-highest walk rate on the team (14.8%). Yet, paired with his ability to leave runners on, Hammer induced ground balls over 40% of the time, which is huge for a pitcher coming out of the bullpen.
Pitching 19 innings in 20 of the 44 games over two months showed that the Phillies had confidence to go to him when necessary. In contrast to Cole Irvin, who would be an inning-eater, Hammer would be a reliable piece to turn to when the Phillies need to prevent the long ball, or maintain a lead against the meat of the order.
Hammer could prove to be reliable in higher leverage situations, and could bridge the gap between starter and late-game relievers.
JoJo Romero
I really wanted to put Francisco Morales here, but he’s just too young, and has limited experience against professional hitters. However, JoJo Romero is the perfect candidate for someone who could force themselves on the roster.
Romero is currently the number 8 prospect in the organization, and was a dominant force in Double A in 2018 and 2019. In 29 career starts, Romero logged 152 strikeouts in 163.1 innings, allowing 155 hits and walk percentages at 9.1% and 5.1%, respectively. Romero was on the fast track to the majors, until he stumbled in Triple A ball.
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Over 13 starts and 53.2 innings, his ERA blow up to 6.88, while his walk% ballooned to 13.4% and his strikeout% dropped to 15.3%. There are obvious problems with his numbers as Romero transitioned to higher ball, but his abilities that he displayed at the Double A level are a sign of optimism.
Romero has the opportunity to prove his worth at spring training this year, as he did in 2019, where he gave up four hits, four walks, and one earned run while facing 32 batters. He will most likely see an increase in quality of opposition this spring, which will go a long way in determining if he can handle the load of facing big league hitters, given that he faced Double A quality hitters last year.
Yet, of the current pitching prospects, Romero probably has the greatest shot at being called upon as a reliever, with the Phillies seemingly unwilling to adjust the roles of top pitching prospects Spencer Howard and Adonis Medina.
He’s still a long shot to make the team, but I’d love to see him break into the league with a dominant spring training.