Is the Phillies Rotation Set for 2017?
With recent additions to the roster, and the hopes of gaining more power in the lineup, the unit with the least amount of change has been the pitching rotation.
During the 2016 season, the rotation served as the main strength of the Philadelphia Phillies, until that momentum was squandered.
Injuries plagued the team, as pitchers, Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin, and Vincent Velasquez were placed on the DL.
Over the course of the season, a rotation of various starting pitchers earned the team an ERA of 4.41, which placed them as ninth overall in the league.
While some pitching performances may have caused fans to think otherwise, the Phillies rotation was extremely effective last season.
This offseason, one of the biggest additions came when the Phillies acquired pitcher, Clay Buchholz from the Boston Red Sox.
Though his overall statistics from last season were less than stellar, Buchholz showed many signs of improvement in the second half of the season. After a rough beginning to the season, he finished strong, with an ERA of 3.22.
Those numbers more greatly reflect the pitcher with two all-star appearances and a no-hitter to their name, rather than the decline that Buchholz was showing in the beginning of the season.
The biggest improvement came in the amount of home runs allowed. In the first half, Buchholz allowed 17 home runs, while in the second half, thanks to a few alterations in mechanics, he allowed only four. Overall, he should add much-needed stability to the starting rotation.
Next, since having his season end early in 2016, many believe that the only remaining “question mark” in the rotation is the health of pitcher, Aaron Nola.
The right elbow strain ended up costing Nola his first full season at the major league level. Nola earned himself 4.78 ERA over 111.0 innings, due to the inconsistencies in his delivery. Nola was averaging 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, and as long as his health holds up, he should be on track for similar, if not, better numbers this season.
According to MLB.com writer, Todd Zolecki, Nola is back to 100 percent health and will be ready when pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in 27 days.
With Nola’s health no longer being called into question, the rotation looks set for the 2017 season, with Jeremy Hellickson, Vince Velasquez, Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Clay Buchholz.
Unfortunately, Jake Thompson, who performed very well in his brief time with the team, will most likely be demoted. However, on the bright side, this could very well be the best starting rotation that the Phillies have had in a long time.
Furthermore, the best part about this potential rotation is that Hellickson and Buchholtz are both signed on one-year deals. This means that if they’re performing well, and the Phillies feel that someone in the trio of Alec Asher, Elfin, and Thompson are able to step in, without missing a beat, then either Hellickson, Buchholz or both players can be traded without worry.
These moves should place the Phillies in an interesting position come mid-season, especially since quality starting pitchers are hard to come by on the market.
In the end, with the potential starting rotation set, along with the addition of Michael Saunders and Howie Kendrick to the lineup, the 2017 season is gearing up to be quite the exciting year for the Phillies. A year in which they could ultimately contend and make some noise throughout the league.
So, what do you think? Do you like the way things are looking for the rotation and lineup? If so, do you believe the Phillies will be contenders in 2017?
Photo: WEBN-TV (via: Flickr)
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Categorized:Phillies