No. 3: Matt Strahm
Strahm made 10 spot starts and 46 relief appearances in his first season with Philadelphia last year. He finished with 108 strikeouts, the most of his career since 2019 when he was a member of the San Diego Padres.
The left-hander finished with a 9-5 record — Strahm's nine victories were a new career-high for him. He had a 3.29 ERA in 87 2/3 innings. His 1.02 WHIP was his lowest since the 2020 season when he had a 0.87 WHIP.
One of the top moments, arguably the biggest, was securing the final three outs in Game 4 of the NLDS against the Braves last year. The contest was perhaps the best Phillies game factoring in both the regular season and playoffs.
The moment the @Phillies punched their ticket to the NLCS 👏#RedOctober pic.twitter.com/qgsuxoS12z
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 13, 2023
ZiPS DC and Steamer predict Strahm will participate in 68 contests, 12 more than last season but will pitch in 68 innings, which is 19 2/3 innings less than his total in 2023. His WHIP is projected to be slightly higher than last year, as ZiPS DC has him finishing with a 1.14 WHIP compared to Steamer's 1.11.
Strahm finished with a K/9 of 11.09, a 2.16 BB/9, and a 5.14 K/BB in 2023. ZiPS DC predicts the lefty to finish with a 9.99 K/9, which is lower than Steamer's 10.51. Both projections are lower than his actual total in the category from last year. Both systems predict him finishing with a higher BB/9 in 2024.
The West Fargo, North Dakota, native demonstrated his flexibility in being used as a spot starter, middle reliever, in the setup role, and as a closer for the Phillies in 2023. He may be used in multiple roles in the bullpen for the club once again this season.