4 Phillies the fans have already lost their patience with
Philadelphia Phillies fans aren’t known for their patience. Even if this is a franchise that took an incredibly long time to win its first championship, keeping calm isn’t an attribute we normally think of when it comes to the Philadelphia sports fan.
That’s what makes everyone who cheers for the Phillies so wonderful. No one can say Phillies fans lack passion. Patience, on the other hand, is something thinner than the seats at the old Spectrum.
It’s okay if the Phillies are giving you heartburn. You’re not alone if any of these four players have already tested your patience and lost.
1) Phillies fans have already lost their patience with Taijuan Walker
Starting pitching was a major need for the Phillies this offseason. The big addition was Taijuan Walker, an arm the Phillies got to see regularly over the last two seasons where he represented the New York Mets. Philadelphia inked him to a four-year contract worth $72 million. Six starts into his tenure, fans are rightfully losing their patience.
Walker is 2-2 with a 6.91 ERA after 28.2 innings. In the absence of Ranger Suarez, they needed him to be a number three. He has been far worse.
The Phillies have already seen the ceiling and floor of what Walker can offer. His two wins were solid albeit against the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox. He went 6+ innings in each of them and didn’t give up more than 2 earned runs.
It’s the other four appearances where Walker has failed to get through five. His most recent appearance versus the Los Angeles Dodgers was the worst beating of all. Walker exited after 3.1 innings and 8 earned runs against him.
Patience for Walker has already run thin. There isn’t much the team can do other than improve the pitching staff around him.
Meanwhile, this other pitcher is looking like he’s already well on his way to a roster demotion as soon as they find a better option.
2) Phillies fans have already lost their patience with Bailey Falter
Bailey Falter had a chance to win a rotation spot for the entirety of the 2023 season. Unfortunately, after six starts, it hasn’t been pretty. It hasn’t even been cute in a fat bulldog kind of way.
Falter is 0-5 with a 5.01 ERA. Coming off of a strong finish in the 2022 regular season, it’s a huge disappointment to see him revert back more closely to the emergency starter option for the club than an actual pitcher Rob Thomson can turn to every fifth day.
Falter does have minor league options and could be someone to demote when Suarez comes back. Matt Strahm was recently knocked around a bit himself. The decision for the Phillies will come down to whether or not they want to continue to see what Strahm can offer as a starter or move him to the bullpen where he was originally signed.
Considering the team has gotten much more from Andrew Vasquez than expected and Jose Alvarado has been terrific, they may want to keep riding Strahm’s success for as long as they can. Sending Falter to Triple-A to keep him stretched out to start is probably the wiser plan. The Phillies don’t have much starting pitching depth at all within the organization.
When Strahm wears out his welcome in the rotation, maybe then we can revisit Falter starting.
3) Phillies fans have already lost their patience with Gregory Soto
While Alvarado pitches brilliantly in relief for the Phillies, Gregory Soto has taken over as the lefty in the bullpen we know is certain to implode. He’s 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA after 15 appearances. He has averaged 6.1 walks per 9 while striking out batters at a rate of 11.5 per 9. We knew this was possible when the Phillies acquired him from the Detroit Tigers over the offseason. We just didn’t anticipate he’d be this awful.
An All-Star for the Tigers in 2021 and 2022, Soto was one of the American League’s better closers during the last two seasons. His 2022 season was a bit unusual, though. Despite saving 30 games and pitching to a 3.28 ERA, he somehow managed to come away as the losing pitcher 11 times.
Less of an anomaly and more of a weakness he can’t seem to shake, Soto has never finished a season with a walk rate lower than the 5.1 per 9 he had last year. Those who are already losing their patience because of all of the free passes better buckle in. It won’t get all that much better than this.
A deeper dive at his season numbers, we do find Soto excelling against lefties. They’re hitting just .111/.273/.111 against him. He has also allowed just a single hit in 7 innings at Citizens Bank Ballpark.
Soto has been a frustrating ball player. Maybe not quite as much as this next pitcher.
4) Phillies fans have already lost their patience with Craig Kimbrel
The swagger. The unintended arrogance. Craig Kimbrel was once the league’s most intimidating closers. When the Phillies signed him this offseason, many were hoping for the best while preparing for the worst. The preppers are looking smart right now.
Kimbrel has a 5.40 ERA in his first 11.2 innings this year. A 1.45 WHIP is horrendous and much worse than what Soto has delivered. Kimbrel’s first impression with the Phillies was a bad one. He allowed 3 earned runs and retired just a single batter.
April actually did turn out to be a much smoother month than expected. Kimbrel allowed at least one earned run in three of his first four appearances. His latest beating against his former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, humbled us all into remembering what he is: maybe another Jeurys Familia.
Kimbrel has time to win back the fans’ trust. So does everyone else in this bullpen that loves to tease us all into thinking they’ve finally figured it out. Will Seranthony Dominguez get on track? Patience for him hasn’t disappeared quite yet simply because he has earned our trust in the past.
The first few weeks of the 2023 season have included some massive overachievements at the plate and some sloppy pitching from the mound. Bryce Harper’s return should hopefully make some sort of a positive difference. After a Joel Embiid MVP and Jalen Hurts trip to the Super Bowl, Harper’s own impatience when it comes to sitting out and watching his team during Tommy John recovery should be the kick in the pants these players need.
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