4 Phillies the fans have already lost their patience with

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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