Phillies Bullpen Ranked As The Best In The MLB For 2024

Author and Dylan MacKinnon

March 24th, 2024 10:59 AM

Go just a few years into the past, and the Phillies bullpen was amongst the worst in the MLB. In 2020, their bullpen became the first in the expansion era to have an ERA over 7. That came in a season with only 60 games, but it was still historically bad. By then bad bullpens had become a reoccurring problem for the Phillies.

But that has actually changed in the past few years. Last year in the playoffs their bullpen had an ERA of 2.23. The 2nd best of all the playoff teams, and the only team ahead of them was the Blue Jays who only played 2 games. In the 2022 playoffs, their bullpen had an ERA of 2.62.

Now? Their bullpen may be better than it has ever been. Which is why they came in at the top of the MLB’s recent bullpen rankings.

They based these rankings on WAR projections. The Phillies bullpen is projected to have a WAR of 4.8. That is .6 higher than the next-best team, the Braves at 4.2. And if you go off of what they did last year, they were 3rd in fWAR at 6.8.

The Arms in The Phillies Bullpen

• Jose Alvarado
• Seranthony Dominguez
• Jeff Hoffman
• Matt Strahm
• Gregory Soto
• Orion Kerkering
• Connor Brogdon
• Yunior Marte

The bottom two guys might not be worth getting excited about. But the rest of the bullpen can be pretty formidable. Jose Alvarado, when healthy, has been among the most dominant relief pitchers in baseball. Jeff Hoffman broke out in 2022, as did Matt Straham.

Then you have guys like Seranthony Dominguez and Gregory Soto. They had down years last season but had great numbers in 2022. Both of their bad seasons can be explained. Dominguez threw about 26 innings combined between 2019 and 2021. In 2022 that jumped to 51. A down year was probably to be expected using hindsight. And the Phillies simply overused Soto in early 2023 while they tried to overcome injuries elsewhere.

All 5 of those guys could be in store for a great season. If you then throw in the wildcard that is Orion Kerkering, it makes for a formidable bullpen. Kerkering will miss the start of the season as he recovers from a bad flu. But earlier in the off-season MLB Execs voted him as one of the best future closers in the league.

Will Closer By Committee Hold The Phillies Bullpen Back?

The Phillies bullpen has the arms. But will the way Rob Thomson uses them hold them back? Brad Lidge joined Bob Cooney earlier this week. While he does not love the closer-by-committee method, he did admit it seems to work with the Phillies.

“I’m not a big fan of it… You have to have a special type of bullpen, with a lot of buy-in from the guys in order for it to work… Rob Thomson is not afraid to do it, and he knows how to do it… Closer-by-committee is probably necessary for the team right now…

I think it just gives Rob Thomson a ton more flexibility to be able to get the matchups right. And when you have 6 guys who are pretty nasty, closer-by-committee is not the worst thing. I don’t think anyone in that bullpen is opposed to it. If they have the buy-in, and they are all really good at what they do, you might as well do it.”

Ideally, they would have an actual closer. Rob Thomson has alluded to the fact he might name one eventually. But for now, they will do what they did the past two seasons. Play matchups. He likes to save Alvarado for late-game moments when they are facing the meat of the other teams’ order. And he likes to use Hoffman on clean-up duty. If it is working, why change it?

The Phillies bullpen is primed to be great this season. Add that on top of them already having a top 5 rotation, and a star-studded lineup, there is good reason to be excited for 2024.

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The All-Time Roster of Homegrown Phillies Players

• Catcher) Carlos Ruiz

  .264/.350/.391/.742 

  71 HRs, 405 Runs, 415 RBIs, 25 Steals 

  This was tough between Darren Daulton and Carlos Ruiz. Daulton was the better hitter, but Ruiz was better behind the plate and accomplished more in his time here. I went with Chooch as my pick. He caught 4 no-hitters, including a perfect game. There are a few catchers better at the plate than him, but none can touch what he accomplished behind it.

  Also, he was part of the greatest commercial ever.

• First Base) Ryan Howard

  .258/.343/.515/.859 

  382 HRs, 848 Runs, 1194 RBIs, 12 Steals 

  The answer was obviously Ryan Howard. Over a 5-year period few players were more terrifying at the plate than him. He got called up too late, and an injury ended his career too soon. So his career numbers look less impressive than they should. But Howard is one of the best hitters in Phillies history. His 2006 season was magical.

  I did consider Dick Allen, who also got his start here, and who by the end of his career played more at 1st than anywhere else. But he was mostly a 3rd baseman in Philly. And I think I’d pick Howard over him even if he did play 1st here, just for the sheer impact of Howard’s prime years. 

• 2nd Base)- Chase Utley

  .275/.358/.468/.823 

  259 HRs, 1103 Runs, 1025 RBIs, 154 Steals 

  The Infield is going to be way too obvious for these choices. It is debatable if Utley is the best player of the bunch from those late 2000s Phillies teams. But Utley is far and away the best second basemen in Phillies history, homegrown or not. The next guy down would probably be Juan Samuel. Samuel gets underrated a bit. But he doesn’t come close to touching what Utley did.

  Utley had a pretty good debut in the Hall of Fame vote this year. It gives him a decent chance to be the one member from that 2008 team to get into the Hall of Fame.

• SS)- Jimmy Rollins

  .264/.324/.418/.743 

  231 HRs, 1421 Runs, 936 RBIs, 470 Steals 

  For my money, the best player from that team. He was the heart and soul of the Phillies. He also leads the franchise in hits. People who look at spreadsheets instead of baseball games are going to keep him out of the Hall of Fame. Which is a shame. Jimmy Rollins is one of the greatest Phillies players ever, arguably the 2nd best shortstop of his era behind Derek Jeter, and among the most fun players to watch on a baseball field.

  The guy had a season with 30 homers, 41 steals, 20 triples, and 38 doubles. He won an MVP. Jimmy Rollins was a damn good baseball player who gets overlooked for some reason.

• 3B- Mike Schmidt

  .267/.380/.527/.908 

  548 HRs, 1506 Runs, 1595 RBIs, 174 Steals 

  Again, the infield was way too obvious. Mike Schmidt is not just the greatest Phillies player ever, he is the greatest 3rd Baseman period. 548 HRs, 10 Gold Gloves, 3 MVPs, and the MVP of the Phillies first ever World Series.

  There are other great Phillies 3rd Basemen. We already mentioned Dick Allen, but there is also Scott Rolen. Both were tremendous players for the Phillies, even if the teams they were on weren’t so great at times. But neither comes close to touching the greatness of Schmidt.

• LF- Greg Luzinski

  .276/.363/.478/.840 

  307 HRs, 880 Runs, 1128 RBIs, 37 Steals 

  Finally, another position where there is some competition. It came down to The Bull, vs Pat “The Bat” Burrell, vs Del Ennis. I find it hard to put Del Ennis on here when not even my father got to see him play. T least when there are more modern players who are just as good of options. I grew up with Pat, and there are plenty of people I can talk to who watched Luzinski play. It was very close, but I went with Bull.

  It might be understated just how good he was for them in the 70s. He was a bit past his prime by the time they won the World Series. But he finished 2nd in the MVP race in 1977. From 75 to 78, he was top 5 in RBIs, HRs, and Slugging. So I went with him. But I love Pat, and won’t argue with anyone who puts him here instead.

   

• CF) Richie Ashburn

  .308/.396/.382/. 778 

  29 HRs, 1322 Runs, 586 RBIs, 234 Steals 

  Centerfield was another one without much debate. They have one homegrown Center Fielder in the Hall Of Fame. It kind of takes the choice out of it. Richie didn’t have much in terms of power. But he is a .300 career hitter who got on base nearly 40% of the time. He is also a legendary broadcaster.

  There is also the fact the Phillies dont have very many other homegrown centerfielders who rose to greatness. Garry Maddox started with the Giants. Shane Victorino with the Padres. Cy Williams with the Cubs. You’d have to go back to the 1800s to find another name even worthy of mentioning. Maybe Johan Rojas, or eventually Justin Crawford, will change that.

  Shibe Vintage Sports on Twitter: "Harry Kalas reads a poem he wrote in honor of his longtime broadcast partner Richie Ashburn on the day Whitey passed away. pic.twitter.com/BEYHGNv5SQ / Twitter"

  Harry Kalas reads a poem he wrote in honor of his longtime broadcast partner Richie Ashburn on the day Whitey passed away. pic.twitter.com/BEYHGNv5SQ

   

• RF- Chuck Klein

  .320/.379/.543/.922 

  300 HRs, 1168 Runs, 1201 RBIs, 79 Steals 

  The history of homegrown right fielders for the Phillies is as bleak as centerfield was. All the notable right-fielders you can think of from recent history started somewhere else. Werth came up with the Blue Jays. Bobby Abreu with the Astros. Callison with the White Sox.

  I had to go back to the 20s and 30s. I can’t really say much about Klein. There is not even much footage of his playing days. But he won a triple crown and hit over 300 career HRs, 243 of which came in Philly. He is also in the Hall of Fame and hit over .300 with over 300 HRs. Kleinm is also one of a few players to hit 4 HRs in one game.

  He is deserving of the spot. It just feels disappointing to include someone on the list pretty much no one reading this will have seen play. But he was the obvious choice here given the next best option was from the 1800s.

  National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ on Twitter: "Chuck Klein's 1930 season was one for the books. His 158 runs scored were the most by a National Leaguer in the 20th century, and no hitter in the last nine decades has topped his 445 total bases. He was elected to the Hall of Fame #OTD in 1980. https://t.co/6yd7zWw9gG pic.twitter.com/VJ6R4wD3nS / Twitter"

  Chuck Klein's 1930 season was one for the books. His 158 runs scored were the most by a National Leaguer in the 20th century, and no hitter in the last nine decades has topped his 445 total bases. He was elected to the Hall of Fame #OTD in 1980.

• SP) Robin Roberts

  3.41 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 286 Wins, 2357 Ks 

  The Phillies two greatest starters, Steve Carlton and Roy Halladay, did not begin their careers here. Leaving Robin Roberts and Ferguson Jenkins the only homegrown pitchers from the Phillies to make the Hall of Fame. But Jenkins only pitched two seasons here.  So Robin Roberts was the obvious choice to be the Ace of this staff.

  Philly Sports By Number on Twitter: "Phillies #36 (RETIRED)- Robin Roberts, P (1948-61)- 7x All-Star- 7x MVP Nominee- 529 Games, 234-199, 3.46 ERA, 1871 K pic.twitter.com/MyPLDhveDQ / Twitter"

  Phillies #36 (RETIRED)- Robin Roberts, P (1948-61)- 7x All-Star- 7x MVP Nominee- 529 Games, 234-199, 3.46 ERA, 1871 K pic.twitter.com/MyPLDhveDQ

• SP) Cole Hamels

  3.43 ERA, 163 Wins, 1.18 WHIP, 2560 Ks 

  Pitching with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee makes us forget how amazing Cole Hamels actually was. He is not a Hall of Famer, but is not too far off that mark.

  His ERA here was 3.30. He was an Ace in every season except 2009, and his rookie season. Without Cole Hamels, the Phillies would not have won their second World Series. Cole is a Phillies legend, and should arguably be held up there with Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Chase Utley as a Phillies legend.

  Paul Hembekides (Hembo) on Twitter: "Cole Hamels 2008 postseason4-0 W-L | 1.80 ERANLCS & WS MVPMost pitcher WAR, 2010-14Clayton Kershaw (34.6)Félix Hernández (27.4)Cole Hamels (26.8)Most K, Phillies historySteve Carlton (3,031)Robin Roberts (1,871)Cole Hamels (1,844)He was such a stud. What a career. / Twitter"

  Cole Hamels 2008 postseason4-0 W-L | 1.80 ERANLCS & WS MVPMost pitcher WAR, 2010-14Clayton Kershaw (34.6)Félix Hernández (27.4)Cole Hamels (26.8)Most K, Phillies historySteve Carlton (3,031)Robin Roberts (1,871)Cole Hamels (1,844)He was such a stud. What a career.

• SP) Aaron Nola

  3.72 ERA, 90 Wins, 1.129 WHIP, 1582 Ks 

  The only modern player to make this list. Mostly because the current team has little in the way of homegrown talent. It is Nola, Bryson Stott, Johan Rojas, Seranthony Dominguez, and Orion Kerkering. Everyone except Nola is way too early in their career to be worthy of a place on this list.

  Nola is one of two homegrown All-Stars in the past decade. The other is Odubel Herrera, who we don’t really want to talk about. Nola has been great at times, baffling at others. But he is still easily among their best pitchers drafted by the team. Id have to go back to the 1800s to find a better pitcher. Nola is now here for 7 more seasons. He will likely pitch his entire career in Philly. As frustrating as he can be, he is worthy of being on this list.

  PhilliesNotes on Twitter: "With his 1,555th career strikeout, Aaron Nola has moved into sole possession of 5th place on the Phillies all-time strikeout list, passing Curt Schilling (1,554). Nola now trails Steve Carlton (3,031), Robin Roberts (1,871), Cole Hamels (1,844) and Chris Short (1,585). / Twitter"

  With his 1,555th career strikeout, Aaron Nola has moved into sole possession of 5th place on the Phillies all-time strikeout list, passing Curt Schilling (1,554). Nola now trails Steve Carlton (3,031), Robin Roberts (1,871), Cole Hamels (1,844) and Chris Short (1,585).

• Closer) Ricky Bottalico

  3.99 ERA, 116 Saves, 1.39 WHIP, 575 Ks 

  I am not just putting him here because he is my co-worker. Nor am I putting him here because I have to see how hard he still throws balls when he whizzes a Nerf ball down the hall and past my head during every commercial break. He genuinely is the best reliever who came up as part of the Phillies.

  Brad Lidge, Ron Reed, Tug McGraw, Billy Wagner, Gene Garber, and Steve Bedrosian all started their careers elsewhere. As did Mitch Williams, Larry Anderson, Jonathan Papelbon, and many others. Not only is Ricky the best RP who came up through the system, but there is not too much competition. At least not among people who eventually got a chance to close.

  Ricky Bo was an All-Star in 1996. He is 9th in Phillies history in saves. Oh, and the guy many people would agree is the greatest hitter in MLB history, Barry Bonds, has a slash line of .091/.231/.182/.413 against Ricky. Most pitchers pitched around Bonds. Ricky only ever allowed 1 hit to him, and struck him out 5 times.

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Author and Dylan MacKinnon

Category:

• Phillies // MLB

Tags:

Bullpen,MLB,Philadelphia Phillies