MLB.com Ranks The Phillies Rotation as the 5th Best in Baseball

Opening day is here. While Trea Turner may be what Phillies fans look most forward to seeing, the rotation should not be overlooked. Andrew Painter’s much-anticipated debut has been put on hold while he recovers from an injury. And Ranger Suarez is starting the season on the shelf as well. So we may have to wait a bit to see this rotation in its full glory. But make no mistake, this team’s rotation is going to be great once they get everyone healthy. How great? MLB.com ranked all the rotations in the MLB, and the Phillies came in at 5th on the list, despite the injuries.

It all starts with the 1-2 punch at the front of the rotation. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler have both been Cy Young finalists in the past. Nola in a contract year will be looking to ensure himself true Ace money. And Zack Wheeler has been money for the Phillies ever since he signed here. These two are a huge reason why they came in at 5th on MLB.com’s list.

“The Phillies boast one of the best one-two combos in the game in Wheeler and Nola, as either of whom is capable of a Cy Young season. Nola’s entering a contract year and coming off a 2022 in which he posted a career-best 0.96 WHIP in 205 innings. Wheeler’s 149 ERA+ over the past three seasons is the fifth-best in MLB among those with at least 400 innings.”

[Source: MLB.com]

But the rotation does not fall off there. Ranger Suarez may be hurt now, but anyone who watched him last year, especially in the playoffs, knows he can hold his own with those other guys. Since moving into the starting rotation, Ranger Suarez boasts a 2.72 ERA. Last season he had a 3.62 ERA. And in the playoffs, it went all the way down to a 1.23 ERA. Ranger is legit. He faced the Braves, Padres, and Astros lineups in the playoffs, and he didn’t blink. He sometimes gets overlooked among Nola and Wheeler. But he has more than proven that his name belongs among theirs.

After those 3, they added Taijuan Walker. His signing has gone under the radar a bit. Which is understandable in an offseason where they added Trea Turner. But he is their 4th starter and had an ERA of 3.49 last season.

Walker showed just how good he can be when he pitched for Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic.

Last year the Phillies lacked a 4th starter they could trust in the playoffs. Leading them to overuse Wheeler, Nola, and their bullpen. In Walker, they have a 4th guy they can hand the ball to and trust he can give you solid innings come playoff time.

And then finally the wild card is going to be Andrew Painter. The young phenom is considered the top pitching prospect in all of baseball. Currently, he is on the mend. But that could be a small blessing in disguise. Painter was always going to be on a pitch count. Now he may have more in the tank later in the season.

Here are the 4 rotations that came in above them:

1. Mets
   1. Max Scherzer
   2. Justin Verlander
   3. Kodai Senga
   4. Carlos Carrasco
   5. David Peterson
   6. Jose Quintana
2. Brewers
   1. Corbin Burnes
   2. Brandon Woodruff
   3. Freddy Peralta
   4. Eric Lauer
   5. Wade Miley
   6. Adrian Houser
3. Braves
   1. Max Fried
   2. Spencer Strider
   3. Kyle Wright
   4. Charlie Morton
   5. Jared Shuster
   6. Michael Soroka
4. Rangers
   1. Jacob deGrom
   2. Martín Pérez
   3. Nathan Eovaldi
   4. Jon Gray
   5. Andrew Heaney
   6. Jake Odorizzi

The Phillies don’t have the 6th guy many of these teams have. Bailey Falter flashed at times last year. But he looked bad in Spring, and he looked worse in the Playoffs. But the Phillies’ top 5 guys could be as good, if not better than any of these other 4 teams. There are many reasons to be excited about the Phillies season. The rotation is definitely one of them. Especially once they get healthy.

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Meet The 2023 Phillies (Probable) Opening Day Roster

• Catchers:

• JT Realmuto

  Realmuto will once again be the starting catcher. BCIB.

• Garrett Stubbs

  Stubbs played a solid backup to Realmuto last season, and is expected to again this year.

• Infielders:

• Darick Hall

  Hall will most likely be the main starting 1^st baseman with Rhys Hoskins’ ACL injury.

• Bryson Stott

  Stott shifts to 2^nd for the 2023 season with a new addition at shortstop, he’ll start in the middle for the Phils.

• Trea Turner

  The Phillies’ biggest offseason addition, and arguably the best shortstop in baseball, Turner starts his tenure as a mainstay in the middle of the Phils’ infield.

• Alec Bohm

  Bohm had an awesome spring, and the Phillies will be looking for their young starting 3^rd baseman to make a big jump this season.

• Edmundo Sosa

  Sosa is a utility player extraordinaire, who could probably start on some MLB teams. For the Phillies, he’ll be the first infielder off the bench and may even see some outfield time.

   

• Josh Harrison

  The wily vet of the infield, Harrison is a defensive specialist who will see a share of innings as either a spot starter or a defensive replacement late in games.

• Outfielders:

• Kyle Schwarber

  Schwarber will be starting for the Phils again, whether it’s LF or DH. The NL home run champ from last year is looking for another big year.

• Brandon Marsh

  With a strong offseason behind him, Marsh looks for an improved year as the Phillies’ everyday starter in center.

• Nick Castellanos

  With Bryce Harper injured, Nick Castellanos will start in RF for the Phils, and he is looking for a bounce back year from a forgetful 2022.

• Jake Cave

  Cave had an outstanding spring training, and earned a spot as an outfield depth piece on this roster. He may also DH with Darick Hall starting at 1B.

• Dalton Guthrie

  Guthrie may not have made this roster without the Rhys Hoskins injury, but the team still has confidence in the young outfielder to be a serviceable defensive backup.

• Starting Pitchers:

• Aaron Nola

  Your opening day starter for the 6^th straight year.

• Zack Wheeler

  Wheeler is back for hopefully another dominant season.

• Taijuan Walker

  Walker comes to Philly from the NY Mets via free agency, and is one of the more underrated offseason acquisitions in all of baseball.

• Bailey Falter

  With Ranger Suarez’s injury setback, Falter is set to slot into the 4^th spot in the rotation to start the season.

• Matt Strahm

  Strahm, who was signed this offseason as a bullpen piece, will be forced into the 5^th starter role due to the Suarez injury. The last time he was a bona fide starter was with the San Diego Padres back in 2019.

• The Bullpen:

• Seranthony Dominguez

  Armed with a contract extension, Dominguez has a chance to be the team’s set closer this season.

• Gregory Soto

  Soto is probably the other guy in contention for the closer role this season after the Phillies traded for him from the Detroit Tigers.

• Jose Alvarado

  Also extended this offseason, Alvarado looks to build on an outstanding 2022 campaign.

• Craig Kimbrel

  The long time closer may not close for the Phillies, but he’s still a more than serviceable bullpen arm.

• Connor Brogdon

  Brogdon is back, and this year he has a mustache. Can’t have a bad year with a mustache.

• Andrew Bellatti

  Bellatti was the breakout bullpen arm of 2022, and has now solidified his roster spot for 2023.

• Yunior Marte

  Marte was acquired this offseason from the San Francisco Giants, and he will be pushed into a bullpen role, at least until the starting rotation turns to strength.

• Andrew Vasquez

  Vasquez is unproven, but had a solid spring and showed off some good stuff. He’s the least proven of this year’s staff.