Bailey Falter
Bailey Falter started the 2023 campaign with the Phillies but was a casualty of the trade deadline. He was shipped off to Pittsburgh for Rodolfo Castro, who was less than useless with the big club last season.
If you need a refresher on Falter's contributions to the team last season, the former fifth-round draft pick appeared in eight games (seven starts) with a 0-7 record and a 5.13 ERA before the team was forced to demote him. At the time, the rotation situation was a far cry from this year's current group of excelling starters.
In his first full season with the Pirates, Falter has seen some early success. Whether it's real or just a case of smoke and mirrors is still to be determined. He's 2-2 through six starts, with a 4.22 ERA, and most of that damage came in two starts, his debut against the Miami Marlins and his most recent outing against the Oakland Athletics — two teams who aren't exactly known for their offense.
In the four outings in between those two starts, Falter had a 1.57 ERA and a 0.70 WHIP, although he still isn't striking out many hitters, with a 6.47 K/9 this season.
He seems to like his new home ballpark, PNC Park. In his two home starts this year, the left-hander has a tiny 0.69 ERA and has held opposing hitters to a .093 average and a .338 OPS.
"When I got traded over here, they told me that they thought my stuff would play really well in this park,” Falter said after the win against the Brewers, per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I think I've been doing a good job so far."
The highlight of his season has been a seven-inning, eight-strikeout performance against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 23. Then there was his visit to Citizens Bank Park when he held the Phils to one run on five hits, earning the win against his old squad.
Indeed, he has been doing a good job for his new team, and we wish him all the best this season unless he encounters the Phillies again.