Which Phillies relievers will lead the pack for roster spot?
Who are locks, or likely bets, to make the Phillies bullpen?
To start, Jose Alvarado and Archie Bradley are locks for roster spots. Alvarado, 25, has been consistent throughout his four seasons at the major league level and has been on top of his game this spring. Bradley brings veteran experience to the club at 28-years-old. The past four seasons have also been pretty kind to him. He quickly became a fan favorite by embracing this city and fanbase.
Outside of Bradley and Alvarado, two other pitchers are very likely to make the active roster. Whether fans like it or not, Hector Neris will likely be in this bullpen again. The expectation should be for him to make the Opening Day roster. The 31-year-old is on a $5 million deal (ninth-highest paid Phillie) suggesting that he will still be sticking around. He has pitched fairly well this spring, but has also hit two batters already. Neris’ continual struggles with command have made it difficult for him to be consistent at the major league level.
David Hale is also likely to remain on the 26-man roster. After giving up an earned run in his first spring training outing, he has pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings since. Like Neris, he has also hit two batters. Hopefully, that isn’t a sign of things to come. Hale really found a rhythm with the New York Yankees from 2018-2020. In 28 appearances with New York, he posted a 2.98 ERA and 1.8 walks/nine innings ratio. Hale isn’t expensive ($850,000 deal). The Phillies are hoping he can pitch like he did in New York after acquiring him midseason last year.
Will one of the Phillies starters be forced to come out of the bullpen?
Depending how the Phillies configure the rotation, one or two starters could be moved to the bullpen. Spencer Howard has never pitched a full season before, which lead the Phillies to wait to put him in the rotation. At the same time, an argument could be made he needs to pitch most of the year and get experience. The problem is that the Phillies might have to shut him down before the end of the season; then, they would have to figure out what the plan B is from that point on.
Howard is too valuable of a prospect to overuse. The Phillies can’t afford to risk injury this early in his major league career. It’ll be interesting to see how they handle that situation. If he doesn’t make the starting rotation, the guess would be that Matt Moore and Chase Anderson will take the last two spots. If Howard does make it, Moore and Anderson are on $3 million and $4 million deals, respectively. We would guess that one of them would still get a spot in the bullpen. Both have had experience coming out of the bullpen, Moore more so than Anderson. However, they’ve both been red hot this spring, making it difficult for the Phillies to not reward each for their efforts.
Vince Velasquez could also be considered a possible starter. He has had limited appearances this spring due to a recent oblique injury. That could put him out of the running, and Phillies fans will likely be happy to hear that. All too often, we have seen Vince either implode early in starts or run up his pitch count early. Both outcomes led to long days of work for the bullpen. Velasquez is tied with Anderson as the 13th highest-paid player on the team, which could mean they keep him in the bullpen, even though the fanbase probably prefers for him to elsewhere.
The race for the last few spots in the Phillies bullpen is tight.
Depending who makes the rotation and how many players they keep on the bench, there are likely one to three spots left in the bullpen. Connor Brogdon, Sam Coonrod, JoJo Romero, Ramon Rosso, and Ranger Suarez remain on the active roster. Let’s not forget minor-league invitee Brandon Kintzler, who is older but has still performed at a high level in the back-end of his career. Even as a non-roster invitee, he has been lights out this spring and deserves a spot on the roster.
For those who remember, Brogdon spent time in the big leagues last year. After a rough MLB debut, he settled in the rest of the season with 8 2/3 scoreless innings in September. Brogdon has a very reliable track record in the minor leagues and the Phillies might want to reward him for his performance. The lack of experience at the major league level is concerning, but the Phillies have him on the active roster for a reason.
Coonrod has been on a roll and could take Velasquez’s spot if the Phillies finally decide to let him go. Coonrod has more experience than Brogdon, but isn’t exactly a veteran. He’s pitched in just 51 games over the past two seasons and struggled mightily in 2020. We will have to see how he and Brogdon finish out the spring to make a fair case for or against them getting roster spots.
Romero and Suarez are both options if the Phillies want to add another lefty to the bullpen, alongside Jose Alvarado. There were growing pains in Romero’s first MLB season and the inexperience is a concern with him as well. He also showed that he has the stuff to be an electric reliever with more time. Suarez pitched well in 2019 through 37 appearances out of the bullpen. Both lefties have been impressive this spring, giving the Phillies front office another tough decision to make. Rosso has pitched well, too, but has only logged 9 2/3 career innings with seven earned runs allowed.
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