José Alvarado hasn’t had the season the Phillies were hoping for. The big left-hander is struggling with command and the fans are getting restless. Yet manager Rob Thomson is hanging onto hope that the 29-year-old can return to his dominant self.
It’s safe to say Rob Thomson’s plan for Phillies' José Alvarado hasn’t been working
Alvarado is 1-5 with a 4.47 ERA across 50 ⅓ innings pitched in 2024 out of the bullpen. He’s allowing too many hits, runs, home runs and walks for a pitcher that's almost always tasked with pitching for one inning or less in each appearance.
Thomson, like many Phillies fans, is hoping that Alvarado can figure it out on the mound. After all, he remains an important piece in the back end of the bullpen, especially with the playoffs approaching.
“I’m trying to get as much confidence into Alvy as I possibly can,” Thomson said, during his postgame press conference after the team's loss Tuesday night. “I’m just hoping he makes an out.”
“I’m trying to get as much confidence into Alvy as I possibly can. I’m just hoping he makes an out.”
— Crossing Broad (@CrossingBroad) August 21, 2024
Rob Thomson on why he didn’t pull Jose Alvarado earlier pic.twitter.com/jwwPi2xugB
Thomson brought Alvarado in from the bullpen to start the bottom of the eighth inning against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. The Braves were up 2-1 to start the inning. Alvarado allowed a walk to Marcell Ozuna to begin the frame and ended up walking three more batters before he'd concluded operations, including a bases-loaded walk that brought a run home for the Braves.
Thomson took him out after ⅔ innings pitched, during which he threw 34 pitches and only 14 strikes. This appearance perfectly summed up Alvarado’s season to this point.
The Phillies need Alvarado to get back on track, and it needs to happen fast
Alvarado’s numbers are down in 2024, especially compared to the last two seasons. Last year, Alvarado had a 1.74 ERA, let up just eight earned runs, walked 18 batters, recorded 64 strikeouts and had a .196 batting average against. In 2022, he struck out a career-high 81 batters and allowed just two home runs.
The Phillies signed Alvarado to a one-year deal prior to the 2021 season, and he’s been with the team ever since. They got a hard-throwing lefty with good movement on his pitches. Alvarado has always had his moments, but he’s not perfect. The difference this year is that he’s been unable to get himself out of jams, and it’s costing the Phillies. The Phillies signed Alvarado to a three-year extension in 2023 with a club option in 2026.
Alvarado’s arsenal is elite. He throws a fastball that can reach over 100 mph with sink, as well as a cutter. He’s a hitter’s nightmare when he’s on. For the majority of this season, he’s been off.
Alvarado is one of those guys that when he’s on, he’s dominant. Unfortunately, he’s also one of those guys that when things aren’t going so well, he’s missing with his pitches by a lot. The latter is how his 2024 season has by and large transpired, and fans are frustrated.
Regardless, Thomson is going to continue to use Alvarado in high-leverage situations. He’s proven that he can be a dominant pitcher in those situations. Everyone is frustrated with his level of play this season, but the Phillies need to get Alvarado going quickly.