Phillies bullpen power rankings going into the 2024 season
By Matt Grazel
The Philadelphia Phillies have several players competing during spring training for a maximum of three spots in their bullpen. Yunior Marte, Luis Ortiz, and Nick Nelson will be competing for a role in the bullpen once again, as will some new additions.
Kolby Allard, Michael Rucker, Max Castillo, and Michael Mercado are the new additions who will also be seeking a spot with the Phillies over the next month before the start of the regular season at the end of March. Allard and Castillo have some starting experience as well. Marte represents one of the top players from this group of seven who could appear in the bullpen in place of the relievers who are ranked No. 7 to 9 in the power rankings.
Here are the Phillies bullpen power rankings for the 2024 season.
No. 9: Spencer Turnbull
Newcomer Spencer Turnbull has a chance to grab a long relief role in the Phillies bullpen entering 2024. The team signed the right-hander to a one-year, $2 million deal on Feb. 14 and added him to the 40-man-roster, designating McKinley Moore for assignment in the process.
Turnbull, who is now 31, was at one time a highly-touted prospect with the Detroit Tigers (a 2014 draft pick of then Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski). His MLB career has been inconsistent since being ranked as high as No.7 in the Detroit system in 2015 and 2016.
After a couple of rough years to start his big league career, going 3-19 with a 4.76 ERA across 2018 and 2019, Turnbull turned things around in 2020 and 2021 — including a no-hitter — before going down with an elbow injury that led to Tommy John surgery. Over the shortened 2020 season and through his abbreviated 2021, he went 8-6 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 106 2/3 innings.
He struggled again last season, battling injuries throughout. Now Dombrowksi and the Phillies are giving the former second-round pick another kick at the can. He doesn't have any options remaining, and with over five years of MLB service time, will have to agree to be sent to the minor leagues if he's unable to break camp with the team on Opening Day.