Philadelphia Phillies 2021 player grades: Starting rotation

Philadelphia Phillies RHP Aaron Nola

Aaron Nola was the Phillies’ ace before Wheeler, peaking in 2018 as a Cy Young Award finalist. He pitched like an ace at times this season but struggled mightily in other outings.

Nola had a 9-9 record, 4.63 ERA, 1.129 WHIP, and 223 strikeouts in 32 starts. Consistency was his biggest challenge, often posting opposite performances in back-to-back starts. For instance, he shut out the New York Yankees for 7 2/3 innings in a June game, before giving up six runs in 2 1/3 innings in his following game, against the San Francisco Giants.

More recently, the right-hander gave up only one run in 5 2/3 innings against the New York Mets in a September game, before giving up six runs in six innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Despite the inconsistency, Nola surrendered more than three runs in just 12 starts and pitched five or more innings in 25 starts. He had 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.9 walks per nine innings, similar to Wheeler. It’s the bad outings that really hurt Nola this season.

2021 grade: B-

Philadelphia Phillies RHP Zach Eflin

Zach Eflin emerged as the final part of a “big three” for the Phillies’ rotation in 2020, but an injury cut short his 2021 campaign.

Eflin had a 4-7 record, 4.17 ERA, 1.249 WHIP and 99 strikeouts in 18 starts this season. He got off to a strong start, recording a 2.77 ERA in his first four starts, including a pair of seven-inning appearances. But, his ERA crept up to 4.10 by the end of May, including a stretch of four straight losses, where he gave up a combined 14 earned runs in 22 2/3 innings.

The right-handed pitcher looked to be getting back on track, giving up multiple runs in just three of his next six starts entering the All-Star break. In his first game after the break, he lasted only 3 2/3 innings, giving up six runs (five earned). He was later placed on the IL with a kneecap injury, nearly returning in late August before ultimately missing the remainder of the year.

Eflin pitched six or more innings in 14 starts while giving up more than three earned runs in six of his games. He had 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings and 1.4 walks per nine innings. Despite the rough stretch, he still had a decent season and looked to play a significant role in the starting rotation before his injury.

2021 grade: B-

Philadelphia Phillies LHP Matt Moore

Matt Moore joined the Phillies as a candidate for the back of the rotation, signing a one-year deal during the off-season, after most recently pitching in Japan. He was in and out of the rotation throughout the season, starting three games in April, six games between June and July and four games later in August.

Moore missed time in April, being placed on the COVID-19 injured list, and was also sidelined for a month, from late May into June, with a back injury. He pitched in 24 games overall, with a 6.55 ERA and 1.704 WHIP in his 13 starts, where he recorded 51 strikeouts in 56 1/3 innings.

The southpaw went five or more innings in only four games, with his best outing coming on August 14, when he struck out eight and walked two in six innings of no-hit baseball against the Cincinnati Reds. He kept the games close in half of his starts, despite giving up runs in all but two games, however, he did not provide good length or effectiveness overall.

2021 grade: D

Philadelphia Phillies RHP Kyle Gibson

Kyle Gibson looked like a needed addition for the team’s playoff push, when he was acquired from the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline. He had a 1.98 ERA through his first 16 starts with the Rangers, although he’d given up 16 runs (15 earned) in 17 1/3 innings, in three straight losses, before the trade.

Gibson had a solid month of August with the Phillies, giving up seven runs in 32 2/3 innings, across five starts, while posting a 4-1 record. The outlier was his lone relief appearance, where he followed a pair of openers and gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

September saw a turn for the worse for Gibson, as he gave up 27 runs (26 earned) in 32 innings, going 0-4 in decisions. He did have 39 strikeouts, up from 19 strikeouts in his August starts, but his 5.09 ERA and 4-6 record with the Phillies is not what the team needed.

2021 grade: C-

Philadelphia Phillies LHP Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suárez started the season out of the bullpen and was impressive right away, going 20 1/3 innings without giving up a single earned run, across 11 games. He had a 5-3 record and 1.12 ERA when he was moved to the starting rotation at the beginning of August.

Suárez continued to impress in his new role, posting a 3-2 record, 1.51 ERA and 1.081 WHIP in 12 starts. He gave up multiple runs in just three of those starts and slowly increased the length of his outings, pitching six or more innings in his final five starts. His best outing came on September 25 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he gave up just four hits in a complete game shutout, while striking out seven.

The southpaw was a refreshing addition to the rotation late in the season and exceeded expectations overall, coming off of a 2020 season where he pitched in just four innings.

2021 grade: A+

Philadelphia Phillies RHP Vince Velasquez

Vince Velasquez appeared in 21 games (17 starts) with the Phillies, before being placed on the IL in early August and being released by the team in mid-September. His first stretch of starts looked really good, where he had a 2.84 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings, across five games.

Velasquez won his next start, pitching six shutout innings against the Miami Marlins, before giving up 19 runs (18 earned) in 20 1/3 innings, across his following five starts. He pitched seven shutout innings against the Marlins in late June, before giving up 24 runs in his final 17 2/3 innings as a Phillie. With this many runs surrendered, it’s no surprise that the Phillies parted ways with their former trade acquisition.

2021 grade: D+

Philadelphia Phillies RHP Spencer Howard

One of the Phillies’ top prospects in recent years, Spencer Howard, spent the first half of 2021 between the majors, alternate training site and minor leagues, while appearing as both a reliever and starter for Philadelphia.

Howard pitched no longer than four innings in a start and appeared to be more effective earlier in outings. Opponents slashed .107/.206/.125 against him in the first time through the order, compared to .458/.576/.958 in the second time through. His strikeout to walk ratio also dropped between first and second time through the order, from 2.67 to 0.67.

Overall, Howard recorded a 4.84 ERA, 1.299 WHIP and 20 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings, through seven starts with the Phillies. He showed potential with the team, but was dealt to the Rangers as part of the Gibson deadline trade.

2021 grade: C

Philadelphia Phillies RHP Chase Anderson

Chase Anderson was signed to a one-year deal, with potential to fill a spot at the back of the rotation, but was limited to 14 games (nine starts), with 20 days on the COVID-19 injured list and a stint on the 10-day IL, with a triceps injury. He was released by the Phillies at the end of August.

Anderson had a 2-4 record, 6.94 ERA, 1.541 WHIP and 27 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings as a starter this season. He gave up at least two runs in all but one start, while going no longer than five innings in a game, which he did on just three occasions. The sample size was small, but Anderson did not look good.

2021 grade: D-

Philadelphia Phillies starting rotation

Overall, the Phillies starters had a 40-52 record, 4.25 ERA, 1.218 WHIP, 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings, and a 3.46 strikeout to walk ratio.

Depth and consistency were the biggest challenges. Wheeler and Suárez did consistently well, while Nola, Eflin, and Gibson were hit or miss. Only Wheeler and Nola started more than 18 games for the team.

The top of the Phillies’ rotation carried the overall grade, which is reflective of a staff that pitched well, but not great.

To recap, here are the individual grades:

Zack Wheeler: A+

Aaron Nola: B-

Zach Eflin: B-

Matt Moore: D

Kyle Gibson: C-

Ranger Suárez: A+

Vince Velasquez: D+

Spencer Howard: C

Chase Anderson: D-

Phillies starting rotation 2021 overall grade: B-