It took a little longer than expected for the Philadelphia Phillies to clinch a playoff spot, but thanks to a lopsided 12-2 victory over the rival New York Mets last Friday, the Phillies are now set to compete in the postseason for the third year in a row. With milestone No. 1 out of the way, the Phillies turned their attention to locking up a division title when they faced the Chicago Cubs on Monday night, and finally got over the hump with a 6-2 victory and the Phillies' first division title since 2011.
Like every other team that punches a ticket to the postseason, the Phillies will have a handful of interesting decisions to make when it comes to playoff roster construction, with players like Weston Wilson and Kody Clemens likely in consideration for a final roster spot. Following Taijuan Walker's benching in the playoffs last season, the Phillies front office will be tasked with not repeating the same mistake this postseason.
Phillies Bullpen Rankings: Is there a weak link heading into the postseason?
While playoff roster construction is a fun thing to dissect, the Phillies are still over a week away from having to finalize those decisions, and that gives us a chance to analyze other storylines on the roster, like the revolving door that's been the fifth spot in the rotation, and whether or not the bullpen finally has achieved a semblance of order with questions of who is handling the ninth inning no longer a daily concern.
However, there are still some interesting storylines to keep an eye out for in the Phillies bullpen down the stretch. To properly gauge how the Phillies could construct a postseason bullpen, we'll take a look at some power rankings based on some recent trends.
No 8: Tyler Gilbert
The final spot in the bullpen is up for debate and could change, but right now Tyler Gilbert has been the first choice to mop up innings for Rob Thomson in games where the Phillies are behind and don't want to use other more established bullpen arms. Sounds like a job for Walker, and like it or not, that could still be the case when final roster decisions are due.
In four games for the Phillies this season, Gilbert has mainly pitched in a middle relief role and hasn't really established himself as a name to follow in his first 6 1/3 innings pitched for the big club this season. In a small sample size, Gilbert has a 2.84 ERA to go along with three strikeouts and two earned runs while allowing eight hits and one walk. Gilbert is likely not a candidate for the postseason, but a solid final week could easily change things.