Phillies: Building the team through baseball cards
By Bryce Turner
Pitchers the Phillies could use
For our purposes, let’s imagine that every other player in my two decks of baseball cards is a free agent.
Who would be a welcome addition to the current Phillies roster?
The two that stood out right away are both veteran starting pitchers.
With the Phillies’ rotation in question behind Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Jake Arrieta, of course two starters from another team would be of good use.
Masahiro Tanaka has a 75-43 career record, 3.75 ERA and 1.128 WHIP across six seasons with the New York Yankees. He joined the Yankees after seven seasons in the Japan Pacific League, where he had a 99-35 record, 2.30 ERA and 1.108 WHIP.
Philadelphia Phillies
Tanaka did not have his best year in 2019, with an 11-9 record, 4.45 ERA and 1.242 WHIP, but with solid career totals, he could certainly fit into the Phillies’ rotation.
Veteran St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright would also be a good addition, despite being 38-years-old.
Wainwright has a 162-95 career record, 3.39 ERA and 1.230 WHIP across 14 major league seasons, all with the Cardinals. The ERA and WHIP are impressive considering the length of time.
Last season, he had a 14-10 record, 4.19 ERA and 1.427 WHIP.
While 2019 was not his best season, he could provide a veteran presence and does have a wealth of experience to offer.
Perhaps a bit of a wild card is Seunghwan Oh.
Oh signed to play in the Korea Baseball Organization after being released mid-last season. Again, for our purposes, let’s say he’s a free agent pursuing an MLB opportunity.
The former Colorado Rockies pitcher has a 16-13 record, 3.31 ERA and 1.152 WHIP across four seasons in the majors.
The ERA, in particular, could be better if not for mile-high.
The infamous hitter-friendly reputation of Colorado could play into the fact that he has a 5.67 ERA in 46 games with the Rockies, compared to a 2.85 ERA in 138 games with the Cardinals and a 2.68 ERA in 48 games with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Oddly enough, he has a 5-1 record with Colorado compared to a combined 11-12 record between the Cardinals and Blue Jays.
Brought back down to a lower altitude, Oh could be an asset in the Phillies rotation or bullpen.