5 Phillies Bullpen Arms Ricky Bo Is Excited to Watch
We are now inching closer to Opening Day 2024 at Citizens Bank Park! The Phillies went into the spring with not many questions about their club. The lineup ….check…..the rotation…..check…..the bullpen… Let’s take a look at the Phillies bullpen and why people have doubted who they are.
Seranthony Dominguez
He only threw 50 innings for the Phillies in 2023. His era rose from a 3.00 to a 3.78 from ’22 to ’23. That doesn’t seem too big of a problem. The one issue he did have was his strikeouts, strikeouts were way down for him (10.8 to 8.6 per.. 9ip).
I think Seranthony steps it back up in a big way. Velocity was there, movement was there, it all comes back to location. If he is able to locate those 1-2, 0-2 pitches, these numbers change… And so do confidence levels. He can do many jobs, anything late in the game is a go… No fear type with ice in his veins.
Jose Alvarado
He flat-out puts up crazy numbers. He can be the best in baseball when he is on point. As we know he can strike hitters out at an unrelateable pace. 13.9 K’s per 9 innings. Alvarado has a fastball that reaches triple digits and a wipeout slider. The team doesn’t really have a closer yet….but if needed he is the choice for this team, a guy who could flat out finish the job.
Jeff Hoffman
What an interesting case, this guy came out of nowhere to become a large part of the 2023 Phillies bullpen. Hoffman, a righty, has the two pitch stuff you love to see in a short reliever. His WHIP was an impressive 0.917, keeping people off base in big key situations late is huge! He has a tremendous slider that he controls very well.
Location has been a big key for his rise. If he spots the ball he gets good results. His major rise to being a good reliever was just that, being able to put the ball where he wanted to. You look back on years past, he struggled at times with command… NO MORE!
Gregory Soto
A hard-throwing left-hander. Last year was interesting for him. He had moments where he was unhittable and then moments of the past creeping back in on him (losing the zone and being wild). I think the struggles came when he got a bit overworked when Seranthony and Alvarado went down. He held the fort down and should be praised for what he did in 2023. I think he slowly ran out of gas and had nothing left late.
Orion Kerkering
An interesting addition to the Phillies last season, a young pitcher with not much experience came to the Bigs and held his own. From A ball to the bigs in one season, wow…but the experience is priceless.
He was brought up with expectations of a nasty slider, but he has more than that. He has a big arm and can throw mid to upper 90’s. If he can set up that slider with the heat a little better he will be nasty. Also, I admire him for going home and adding to his pitches by throwing in a sinker to go with the slider and heat. Smart move by a young pitcher.
Final Thoughts on the Phillies Bullpen
All these pitchers can be valuable in the Phillies bullpen. They all have something in common which is different than most if not all MLB teams. All, I believe, can close out games! Rob Thomson has a nice little good problem on his hands. I think the Phillies bullpen can be very good. Their depth in the back innings is strong. but as always, health will be key.
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Cup Of Coffee: 10 People You May Forget Have Played For the Philadelphia Eagles
Danny Amendola
Tom Brady made so many dudes like Amendola into stars. Julian Edelman and Wes Welker also fit the bill. But do you remember Amendola’s cup of coffee with the Eagles? I was before Brady made people know his name. He caught passes in the preseason from Kevin Kolb, A.J. Feeley, Mike Vick, and here is a name for you, Adam DiMichele.
He was a star in New England, but it feels unlikely he would have been that here. At best he would have been what he was with the Rams, which is an okay slot WR.
Haloti Ngata
For years Haloti Ngata was a stud NT for a great Ravens defense. He made 5 All-Star teams, 2 All-Pros, and won a Super Bowl. Then late in his career, he signed on with the Eagles who were coming off the Super Bowl win. It did not work out here. He played one season, barely made an impact, and retired afterward.
He is an All-Time Raven. Not quite Hall of Fame worthy, but is already in their Ring of Honor. But no one besides Eagles fans will ever remember his stint with the Eagles.
John Madden
John Madden was mostly known as a Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster. But did you know he started his NFL career with the Eagles. They drafted him in the 21st round of the 1958 draft. But a injury in training camp ended his playing career before he ever played a regular season game.
He turned to coaching and now is one of the most legendary figures in NFL history. His name is synonymous with Football thanks to his legendary career, and the video game series being named after him. But it all started with him being drafted as an Eagle.
Mike Ditka
Another guy more known as a legendary coach. But unlike Madden, he also had a great playing career. He made 2 First team All-Pros, and 3 2nd teams, while winning a Super Bowl with the Cowboys. But he did not make much noise In Philly as a player.
After the Eagles traded a 4th round pick to the Bears for him, he had two of his worst statistical seasons. In both seasons another TE on the roster, first Jim Kelly and then Fred Hill, outperformed him. The Eagles traded him to Dallas for WR Dave McDaniels, who they later flipped for a 7th round pick, and Ditka’s unremarkable stint with the Eagles came to an end.
Tim Tebow
This one most people probably remember because of the mania that always followed Tebow. But even then his time here was so short an unremarkable some people may have forgotten about it. He spent a pre-season here trying to outduel Matt Barkley for the 3rd QB spot. He did not win the job, and was cut before the regular season.
Terry Crews
This one is cheating a bit because no one thinks of Terry Crews as a football player. But he spent a ton of time on various teams, with just 3 tackles across 32 games. And his final spot was with the Eagles, but he never played in a game here. His time spent with the Eagles was bleak enough for him to call it a career, and eventually find far more success as an actor on shows like Everybody Hates Chris and Brooklyn 99.
“For two weeks, I stayed at the Holiday Inn across the street from Veterans Stadium. I just remember it was Christmas Day. It was the saddest thing ever, that Holiday Inn. I was eating old sausage and two little pancakes. It was so sad,”- Terry Crews told The Philadelphia Inquirer
Raheem Mostert
After 9 seasons in the NFL, Mostert had his first 1000-yard season last year. But he started out with the Eagles. They signed him as an Undrafted free agent back in 2015. And that year, he was the Pre-Season standout. His 351 total yards led all players in yards from scrimmage. But alas, he did not make the final cut. Chip Kelly kept Demarco Murray, Darren Sproles, Ryan Matthews, and Kenjon Barner instead.
He landed on the Eagles practice squad. From there bounced around between several teams, but finally found a long-term home with the Niners, for whom he had several solid seasons. But he has played his best Football in the last 2 seasons with the Dolphins.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
When talking about big-name corners who sucked for the Eagles during the “Dream team” era, most people talk about Nnamdi Asomugha. But DRC was a huge disappointment as well. The Eagles sent the Cardinals Kevin Kolb for DRC and an 2nd round pick. And he got here, and just did not live up to the hype.
He was far from the worst player on that “Dream Team.” But he did not play as well here as he did for th Cardinals. His 2nd season here, the last season for Andy Reid in Philly, went a bit better. But still, the Eagles thought they were getting a elite CB duo. Instead, the team imploded and brought an end to the Andy Reid era.
Mike Wallace
Wallace was supposed to be the Torrey Smith replacement coming off the Super Bowl. He had 1,800 combined yards the prior two seasons. At the time, it felt like the perfect fit. He never caught a ball for them. He suffered a fractured fibula in week 2. He never played for the Eagles, or anyone else, ever again.
And his absence could be felt the rest of the year. The sorely missed having a deep threat. Torrewy Smith may not have been the most productive player in 2017. But the threat of him alone was enough to open things up. And the 2018 Eagles just lacked that all season long.
Ryan Kerrigan
Kerrigan was a force for Washington. Nearly 100 sacks in 10 seasons. No one expected that guy when he came to the Eagles. But we maybe expected more than 3 tackles in 16 games. Kerrigan was not just some guy on the end of the bench. He played a lot of snaps for the Eagles in 2021. But he had just 3 tackles and no sacks in the regular season.
He did manage 1.5 sacks in the playoffs. But he was a complete no show the rest of the season. There were thimes that seaosn i forgot he was on the team. So a fan forgetting he ever played here, would be enitrly understandable.
