Phillies 2023 Cy Young: Ranking the top 5 Most Valuable Phillies pitchers this season

No. 5: Matt Strahm, 2.0 fWAR

Matt Strahm proved to be a Swiss Army knife, jack-of-all-trades hurler for manager Rob Thomson and the Phillies in his first season in Philadelphia and compiled a 2.0 WAR.

After signing a 2-year $15 million deal in the offseason, he jumped into the rotation in the first week of the season. He made six starts in a row with a 3.51 ERA and struck out 36 in 25 2/3 innings.

When he returned to the bullpen, the left-hander acted as an "opener" on four occasions but never got another real start. He finished the year with a 3.29 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP in his 87 2/3 innings.

The 31-year-old was money out of the bullpen. In 54 1/3 innings as a reliever, he posted a 2.82 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP, with a 10.48 K/9. He had an 82.2 percent strand rate, good for 21st among all qualified relievers. For reference, the league average was 71.5 percent.

He was even better under pressure. In 15 high-leverage situation relief appearances, Strahm gave up three earned runs, leading to a 2.70 ERA and a 1.36 FIP. He struck out 14 in 10 innings, posting a 38.9 percent strikeout rate. He held opposing hitters to a stingy .167 batting average and .233 slugging percentage.