Former Philadelphia Phillies reliever Connor Brogdon has had quite the fall from grace after being one of the team's best postseason bullpen weapons during their magical run to the World Series in 2022. The right-hander now finds himself with an opportunity to make it back to the big leagues after signing a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels, according to his transaction tracker on MLB.com.
Brogdon, who will turn 30 before the end of January, has been assigned to the Angels' Triple-A affiliate Salt Lake Bees. It's unclear if he will get an invitation to spring training, but odds are good that he'll join the Angels' major league camp in Arizona in February.
Connor Brogdon signs with Angels after fall from grace following 2022 postseason heroics with Phillies
After being a 10th-round pick of the Phillies in 2017, Brogdon made his debut in 2020. In 145 career innings, he has a 3.97 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. He showed some nasty stuff in 2021 and 2022, pitching 57 1/3 innings and 44 innings, respectively, out of the Phillies bullpen. He posted a 3.36 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over those two seasons combined, with a 10.23 K/9 in 2022.
Brogdon pitched 8 2/3 innings in the 2022 postseason, allowing two earned runs while striking out 13 and with two walks. He threw four innings in the World Series against the Houston Astros, striking out seven with zero walks. Overall, he finished with a 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with a 39.4 percent strikeout rate for the playoffs, and it looked like the Phillies had a legitimate bullpen piece for their contending window.
Connor Brogdon, K'ing the Side pic.twitter.com/81O4J90RzV
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 21, 2023
From there, things took a turn for Brogdon. He appeared in 27 games in 2023, posting a 4.03 ERA. And then things really fell apart for him early last season. He only appeared in three games to start the season for the Phillies in 2024, getting lit up for seven runs (six earned) in two innings of work. The Phillies gave up on the struggling righty and shipped him to the Los Angeles Dodgers for left-handed pitching prospect Benony Robles.
Brogdon appeared in only one game for the Dodgers before going on the IL with plantar fasciitis. He got himself a World Series ring for his efforts but hit the free agent market after refusing a minor league assignment in November. We wish the former postseason stud all the best in his endeavor to earn his way back to the big leagues in 2025.