Attempting to answer 15 key roster questions about the 2022 Phillies

In honor of FanSided’s 15th birthday, we’re asking the 15 biggest questions the Philadelphia Phillies face in 2022!

This year, our parent company, FanSided, turns 15! To celebrate, sites all over the network are leaning into the numerical theme.

In terms of the Philadelphia Phillies, so much has changed this offseason, for better and worse. So to celebrate FanSided, kick off the month of April, and prepare for Opening Day next week, here are 15 of the biggest, key questions the Phillies are facing and will eventually answer this season.

The Phillies Starting Rotation

1. Will Zack Wheeler repeat his Cy Young runner-up season?

Zack Wheeler led MLB in innings pitched, complete games, shutouts, and batters faced, and led the National League in strikeouts, one K away from leading everyone. He was the first pitcher to strike out 200 batters last season, and the first to throw 200 innings, two benchmarks he’d never reached before in his seven-year career.

He should’ve won the NL Cy Young award, but that’s a conversation for another day.

Wheeler got off to a slow start in spring training after some shoulder soreness hindered his offseason throwing program. The Phillies haven’t officially announced their Opening Day starting pitcher yet, but unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it’ll be Wheeler, even though he’s more than deserving of the honor.

2. Can Ranger Suárez handle a full season in the starting rotation?

Ranger Suárez had one of the most impressive seasons of any pitcher last year, but unless you’re a Phillies fan, you probably didn’t hear about it too much, which is a shame.

Suárez was pitching a great season in the bullpen when manager Joe Girardi announced that he’d be moving back to the starting rotation for the first time since 2018, and even back then, he’d only made three career starts.

Many worried that it would totally derail Suárez’s season, and it would certainly hurt the bullpen to lose him. While the latter was certainly true, the former, thankfully, was not. Suárez had a 1.12 ERA over 27 relief appearances, and after moving to the rotation, posted a 1.51 ERA over 12 starts. He went from pitching 1-2 innings per appearance to throwing a complete-game shutout on less than 100 pitches in his penultimate start of the season.

It feels unlikely that Suárez’s numbers will be this good over a full season in the starting rotation. He already more than doubled his innings count for a season last year, and fatigue is a legitimate concern for the modern pitcher. Factor in that more hitters will be studying footage of him to prepare, and it feels likely that his numbers will get worse, though hopefully only a little.

3. Will Aaron Nola rebound in 2022?

Aaron Nola was more detrimental than helpful to his team last season. He gave up too many earned runs and pitched too few innings, which only further exhausted the already-struggling bullpen.

This season, Nola is in a contract year. Next fall, the Phillies will either pick up his club option for 2023 or make him a free agent for the first time in his career.

Thankfully, spring training games don’t count towards the record, as Nola has gotten rocked in his first three starts. It’s only nine total innings of work, but he’s allowed eight runs, all earned, including five homers. Hopefully, he gets it all out of his system in Clearwater.

4. Is Zach Eflin going to have a comeback season?

Like Nola, Eflin is in a contract year; 2022 was his final year of arbitration eligibility, so he’ll be a free agent in the fall.

But unlike Nola, who was ineffective, but healthy last year, Eflin missed most of the second half of the season when he required knee surgery. He’s looked good so far this spring, pitching two scoreless starts, but the key for him is staying healthy.

5. Which Phillies starters will get contract extensions?

Nola, Eflin, and Kyle Gibson are all free agents at the end of this season, and if I had to be right now, Eflin would be the one they bring back. He’s younger than Nola, and was having a better 2021 season before he got hurt.

The Phillies Bullpen

6. How many save opportunities will the bullpen blow in 2022?

Last year, the Phillies blew 34 saves to tie the record set by the 2004 Colorado Rockies. They led MLB in the unfortunate metric for almost the entire season, only to be surpassed by the Washington Nationals at the very, who set a new record when they blew their 35th save opportunity.

7. Can Corey Knebel handle the closer role?

Corey Knebel hasn’t pitched a full season since 2018, and hasn’t been a full-time closer since then. He spent the 2021 season backing up superstar closer Kenley Jansen in Los Angeles, so Knebel only finished three games and earned three saves. He’s finished five games over the last two seasons, compared to 77 games finished between 2017-18.

Knebel made 27 relief appearances last season, but the Phillies are going to need more from him this year.

8. Will Connor Brogdon find his velocity again?

Connor Brogdon has been the talk of Phillies spring training, and not in a good way. His fastball velocity, which sat in the mid-90s last season, has been in the low 90s this spring. He says he feels fine physically, but the results just aren’t there, as opposing lineups are teeing off him.

The Phillies need Brogdon to find his form, and fast.

9. Does Brad Hand have anything left in the tank?

Brad Hand is only 32 (as of 12 days ago), but it feels like he’s been in the league forever, probably because he debuted when he was only 21, making this his 12th season in the majors.

Last season, he bounced around between the Washington Nationals, Toronto Blue Jays, and New York Mets, and pitched well for the first and third teams he was on.

I don’t think the Phillies have high expectations for him, per se; it seems like they just hope he’s steady enough. Between 2016-20, his ERA was 2.70 over 306 appearances, including 165 games finished and 104 saves, so there’s plenty of reason to believe he could bounce back from a rough 2021.

10. How much will we see of Bailey Falter?

Bailey Falter debuted in April of last year, and made 22 appearances, including one start. He finished six games, but didn’t earn any saves.

His 5.61 ERA last season is misleading, as Falter allowed 0-1 earned runs in 17 of his 22 appearances. A few three-run outings and a five-run shelling tanked his ERA.

Falter’s first two games of the spring were both starts, and he only allowed one earned run over four innings of work, which is promising.