Murphy: Here's how the Phillies pitching staff looks heading into spring training
Lotta talk about the Phillies offense the last few weeks with the signing of Michael Saunders and appearances by Tommy Joseph and Maikel Franco at promotional events.
But what about the pitchers?
With 15 starters on the 40-man roster, the Phillies have a lot of work to do in figuring out the bottom of their depth chart. Here's a rough approximation of how it will look on the first day of spring training, with some notes on current projected starting position and other miscellany:
1. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, SP1
2. Aaron Nola, RHP, SP2
3. Clay Buchholz, RHP, SP3
4. Jerad Eickhoff, RHP, SP4
5. Vince Velasquez, RHP, SP5
6. Adam Morgan, LHP, SP6
7. Jake Thompson, RHP, AAA/SP7
8. Alec Asher, RHP, AAA/SP8
9. Zach Eflin, RHP, AAA/SP9
10. Ben Lively, RHP, AAA/SP10
11. Nick Pivetta, RHP, AAA/SP11: Acquired in the Jonathan Papelbon trade, the 2013 fourth-round pick of the Nationals logged 124 innings in 2016 with a 3.45 ERA and solid strikeout and walk rates (8.4 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9) in 22 starts at Reading and five at Lehigh Valley.
12. Mark Appel, RHP, AAA: A lot will depend on his health. Elbow surgery in late June ended the 2016 season of this one-time No. 1 overall pick, whom the Phillies acquired last year in the Ken Giles trade.
13. Ricardo Pinto, RHP (AA/AAA): 22-year-old has seen his strikeout numbers dip as he's climbed through the minors. Logged 156 innings in 27 games at AA last year but struck out just 5.8 per nine.
14. Drew Anderson (A+/AA): Late-round pick in 2012 missed all of 2015 but came back with a vengance, posting a 2.48 ERA, 10.2 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and no home runs in eight starts at Clearwater after seven starts with similar results at Lakewood.
15. Elniery Garcia, LHP (AA): A 2012 signee out of the Dominican, he appeared in just 28 games in his first three seasons in the system, never reaching 40 innings. But in full seasons at Lakewood (2015) and Clearwater (2016), he has averaged 119 innings and 20 starts. Last year at Clearwater: 2.68 ERA, 7.0 K/9, 2.8 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9. 21 years old.
As for the bullpen, there are eight relievers on the 40-man roster, plus non-roster invitee Joaquin Benoit, who should slot into the back of the big-league bullpen assuming he is healthy:
1. Hector Neris, RHP (MLB/RP1)
2. Edubray Ramos, RHP (MLB/RP2)
3. Joaquin Benoit, RHP (MLB/RP3)
4. Joely Rodriguez (MLB/RP4)
5. Pat Neshek (MLB/RP5)
6. Jeanmar Gomez (MLB/RP6)
7. Sean Burnett (MLB/RP7)
8. Luis Garcia (AAA/RP)
9. Alberto Tirado, RHP, (A/A+): Big strikeout numbers, big walk numbers at Lakewood last year. 21 years old. Was Baseball Prospectus' No. 76 prospect in 2014. Acquired from Blue Jays in 2015.
Two questions:
1) Who's the odd man out of the rotation?
Assuming the Phillies do not look to move somebody such as Vince Velasquez to the bullpen, which wouldn't make any obvious sense at this point, Jake Thompson could be headed back to triple A after a wildly ineffective five-start cameo at the end of last season. This assumes a healthy spring for the top five on the list. Thompson will get a chance at some point this season, but he certainly appeared to have some refining to do. He'll get a chance to dispute that notion this spring.
2) Who's the long man?
Not the most compelling issue in the world of baseball roster construction, but given the Phillies' glut of young arms who have maxed out their development, it will make for an interesting spring for guys such as Adam Morgan and Alec Asher. Asher pitched well in his short stint in the majors, with a 2.28 ERA, 1.3 BB/9 and 0.3 HR/9, albeit with a dismal 4.2 K/9. Morgan's strikeout numbers improved last year, but he finished with a 6.04 ERA in 21 starts and two relief appearances.
Whoever looks better in the spring could very well earn that final spot in the bullpen. There's a chance none of them make it, given the signings of Benoit, Pat Neshek and Sean Burnett.