Which Phillies relievers will lead the pack for roster spot?

Spring training is coming to a close, which means the regular season is right around the corner. The Philadelphia Phillies have just nine games remaining in March before games start to count on April 1. The bullpen is easily the group on the roster to watch.

Had the Phillies bullpen been just a little bit better in recent years, they probably would’ve ended their postseason drought already. Yet, here we are a few September collapses later.

Which Phillies relievers will secure a spot in the 2021 bullpen?

The blame doesn’t entirely fall on the bullpen in recent years, but last year it was evident that they were mostly to blame. With a few new additions, the Phillies hope that it won’t be as much of a problem in 2021. They could’ve done a bit more to ensure that it wouldn’t be an issue, but for now, this is the group they are rolling with.

While spring training should not be weighed too heavily, some of the Phillies relievers are making strong cases for roster spots. The Phillies will soon have to make some difficult decisions. The big question will be if any of these relievers can perform in the regular season, or if they just end up being the same as all of the other bullpen additions in recent years — non-factors.

We recently released our projected 26-man Opening Day roster, but figured that it would be best to take an in-depth look at the bullpen alone. With that said, let’s look at who is currently leading the race for roster spots.

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.