Phillies: Late-spring 2021 Opening Day roster projection
Projecting the 2021 Phillies bullpen
Bullpen
- CL: Archie Bradley
- SU: Hector Neris
- SU: Jose Alvarado
- MR: Brandon Kintzler
- MR: Connor Brogdon
- MR: Sam Coonrod
- MR: JoJo Romero
- LR: Vince Velasquez
Archie Bradley was brought to Philly for a reason, which is to anchor the bullpen and be that reliable arm in the ninth when the game remains close. Jose Alvarado has looked nasty, and he’ll be a bargain if he can harness a breaking ball anywhere near the strike zone; a 100 miles per hour sinker with depth isn’t something you see very often.
Brandon Kintzler was another great find. He’ll eat up plenty of the middle innings, going two at a time if needed. Hector Neris is the only other sure thing in this bullpen, as the Phillies seem to have found themselves in a great position in terms of finding relief pitching and will have plenty of tough decisions to make. JoJo Romero has an advantage as an in-house lefty option, and he’s had success this spring. Connor Brogdon is another home-grown arm that the Phillies hope can build off of his 2020 rookie campaign.
The Phillies have taken a serious look at a multitude of guys to round out that bullpen, both veterans and younger arms, so those last couple bullpen spots are up for grabs. Hopefully, there will be some clarity, as I’m sure Girardi will want to start building some sort of idea for roles this season.
Position Players (13 total)
Infielders (4)
- 1B: Rhys Hoskins
- 2B: Jean Segura
- SS: Didi Gregorius
- 3B: Alec Bohm
The starting infield should remain essentially the same, especially given the contract handed to Didi Gregorius this offseason. Rhys Hoskins needs to improve at the dish, but the real x-factor here is Alec Bohm. He’s drawing comparisons to Juan Soto in terms of putting the Phillies over the edge and into the postseason.