Phillies 5th Starter Controversy: The Great Debate of 2024
Philadelphia sports fans thrive on controversy. The backup quarterback is the most popular guy in town. Eagles fans have debated Carson Wentz versus Nick Foles, Michael Vick versus Kevin Kolb, and Donovan McNabb versus pretty much anyone behind him.
The fifth starter for the Phillies doesn’t usually draw as much scrutiny. Spencer Turnbull and Taijuan Walker have changed that narrative in 2024.
Taijuan Walker
A slow ramp-up during spring training pushed Walker to the injured list to begin the 2024 season. The Phillies expected him to spend some time in AAA through the month of April regaining his velocity, but the veteran right-hander will make his final minor league start on Sunday.
“I thought my stuff was pretty sharp. Got outs, you know. I mean, I believe that in a different environment — a little more adrenaline — my stuff just plays up a little bit more.” -Taijuan Walker (via The Athletic)
The Phillies signed Walker to a lucrative four-year, $72 million contract entering the 2023 season.
He posted a 4.38 ERA in 172 ⅔ innings in his first season in Philadelphia, but he lost favor down the stretch. Walker did not make an appearance during the postseason, and he directed his frustration unwisely on social media.
While the 31-year-old didn’t finish 2023 on the best terms, he logically warrants a spot in the starting rotation with a sub-4.00 career ERA and 194 MLB starts.
What’s the problem then?
Spencer Turnbull
The Phillies signed Spencer Turnbull on a one-year deal worth $2 million on Feb. 14. They didn’t expect him to begin the season in the starting rotation, but the absence of Taijuan Walker forced the former Detroit Tiger into an expanded role.
Turnbull has sparkled in four starts. He’s allowed just three earned runs in 22 innings pitched. His hot streak reached a new level when he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.
The right-hander has mixed off-speed pitches well to complement a fastball in the low 90s. He’s posted a 1.23 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP (MLB average in 2023: 1.30).
- April 2 vs. Cincinnati Reds: 5 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 3 H, 7 K
- April 8 vs. St. Louis Cardinals: 6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K
- April 13 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates: 6 IP, 3 R, 4 H, 3 K
- April 19 vs. Chicago White Sox: 7 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 6 K
Could the hot start from Spencer Turnbull force a fifth starter controversy in Philadelphia? Rob Thomson said after Turnbull’s gem on Friday that the Phillies haven’t made a decision about what will happen when Taijuan Walker returns.
WOOOOOO!
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) April 20, 2024
Spencer Turnbull gets initiated by the Wet Bandits after his fantastic start 😂 pic.twitter.com/1YA5sQP0gr
The Fifth Starter Debate
As much fun as quarterback controversies are, they don’t translate to the fifth starter role in baseball. Thomson spoke during the offseason about his plan for the Phillies starting rotation in 2024.
“You’re going to need eight or nine starters over the course of the year. Most teams do, anyway. That rotation depth is really important.” -Rob Thomson
MLB starting pitchers also need to conserve their stamina over a 162-game season. Spencer Turnbull hasn’t pitched in a full-time role the past three seasons.
- 2021: 50 innings in nine starts
- 2022: Missed entire season due to injury
- 2023: 31 innings in seven starts
The promising start from Turnbull doesn’t mean he has the durability to supplant Walker and stay in the rotation the rest of the regular season. He could play a role in the bullpen as the longman. He could be a spot starter. The Phillies could even use a six-man rotation.
“We don’t know what the decision is, but again, it’s …an innings limit (for Turnbull). That’s just what it is, and I don’t know what that limit is. Usually, you go up 30 or 40 from the year before, but with our diagnostics and what they can do with the arm now, who knows? But we’re going to not put him in jeopardy.” -Rob Thomson
An Unexpected Possibility
Jayson Stark spoke on The Best Show Ever about the possibility of the Phillies taking two trips through the rotation with six starters. The schedule includes 12 games in 12 days from Turnbull’s last start until the next day off on May 2.
Walker could join the rotation and make it easy for Thomson to use the stopgap solution.
If Stark’s hypothetical scenario plays out, the Phillies would most likely send Turnbull to the bullpen as the longman beginning May 3. He likely would have made six starts and eclipsed his 2023 total of 31 innings at that point.
Stark cited the 54 million remaining reasons why the Phillies would like Taijuan Walker to rejoin the rotation.
“Taijuan is going to get time to build arm strength and show them he is the guy he was in the middle of last season.” -Jayson Stark
The Phillies have plenty of off-days throughout the month of May leading up to their trip to London to face the New York Mets on June 8 and 9.
If they suffer injuries to any starting pitchers during that time span, Thomson’s estimation of using eight or nine starters then starts to look more accurate. MLB teams don’t usually stay fully healthy for long periods of the season.
It’s conceivable that Turnbull spends a few weeks in the bullpen and moves right back into the rotation because of other circumstances.
Both pitchers will have plenty of opportunity to prove themselves in the meantime. Sports radio hosts will also have plenty of opportunities to debate who deserves that fifth starter role for the rest of the season.
Watch Kincade & Salciunas On The 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube Page For Discussion About The Latest Breaking Sports News In Philadelphia.
The All-Time Roster Of MLB Players From the Philadelphia Area
1. Joey Wendle (SS)
Wendle grew up in Chester County before attending West Chester University. He’s put together a solid major league career as a reliable infielder for four different teams. He finished fourth in voting for the AL Rookie of the Year and made an All-Star appearance in 2021. Wendle was born in Wilmington, DE.
2. Mike Trout (OF)
Phillies fans have been calling for Mike Trout to return “home” since he broke out as the AL Rookie of the Year in 2012. The pride of Millville, NJ has won three AL MVP Awards with the Los Angeles Angels, and his statistical prime was as good as any major leaguer in the history of the game. He won three MVP awards in six seasons from 2014-2019.
Catch Mike Trout as a celebrity fan at Eagles home games.
3. Reggie Jackson (OF)
Mr. October was one of the best playoff performers in MLB history. Jackson won five World Series and made 14 All-Star appearances in 21 major league seasons, most notably with the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees. He entered the Hall of Fame in 1993. Jackson was born in Abington, PA.
4. Paul Goldschmidt (1B)
Goldschmidt established himself as one of the hardest-hitting sluggers of the 2010s. The first baseman spent eight years with the Arizona Diamondbacks before moving to the St. Louis Cardinals in his 30s.
He won his first National League MVP with the St. Louis Cardinals after previously finishing sixth or higher in voting five times. He was born in Wilmington, DE.
5. Mike Piazza (DH)
Mike Piazza grew up in Phoenixville, PA. The Los Angeles Dodgers found an all-time steal in the 62nd round of the 1988 MLB Draft.
He built the basis of his Hall of Fame resume in seven seasons with the Dodgers and eight with the New York Mets. He was the best offensive catcher in the league during the 1990s and early 2000s.
8. Christian Walker (3B)
The pool of third basemen isn’t very deep, so a Gold Glover at first base would need to make the transition. Christian Walker grew up in Norristown and attended the former Kennedy-Kenrick before his MLB career began.
Phillies fans remember his contributions to the NLCS upset in 2023. Walker was a key piece of the National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
9. Phil Gosselin (2B)
The utility infielder isn’t the most accomplished baseball player in this hypothetical lineup. However, he earned a spot with a respectable career as a journeyman who recognized his role and mastered it.
Phil Gosselin became a high school star at local powerhouse Malvern Prep. He dropped one of the best feel-good lines in Philly sports history after a bases-clearing double early in his first season with the Phillies in 2019.
“I’ve been up with the bases loaded a lot for the Phillies. It was just in my backyard as a kid, and it didn’t really count.” –Phil Gosselin
SP- Zac Gallen
Every soul in South Jersey seems to have a connection to Zac Gallen or his family members. The Arizona Diamondbacks ace has flirted with an NL Cy Young Award in the prime years of his career.
His role with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 sticks in the heads of Phillies fans. Gallen was the top starter for an Arizona team that stunned the Phillies in the NLCS.
SP- Jamie Moyer
The Phillies acquired Jamie Moyer in 2006 as a veteran deadline acquisition at age 43. He remarkably pitched in parts of five seasons into his late 40s and even pitched for the Colorado Rockies at age 49.
The Souderton, PA native and Saint Joseph’s University graduate became one of the feel-good stories of the 2008 World Series as the local kid who returned home to win the title. He famously dug up the mound at Citizens Bank Park after the Game 6 clincher.
SP- Mark Gubicza
Mark Gubicza spent the better part of the 1980s in the starting rotation for the Kansas City Royals. He won 132 games over a 14-year MLB career. He grew up in Philadelphia and attended Penn Charter.
Gubicza came to the Royals just after they faced the Phillies in the World Series in 1980.
Closer- Joe Kerrigan
Philadelphia will always celebrate a graduate of Father Judge and Temple University. Joe Kerrigan spent only four seasons in major league bullpens.
Kerrigan returned to Philadelphia for a stint as the Phillies pitching coach in 2003 and 2004. He managed Larry Bowa’s staff well during his short tenure.
Middle Relief- Mo’ne Davis
She didn’t make it to the major leagues. We’re aware. However, Mo’ne Davis surprisingly took the sports world by storm during the 2014 Little League World Series. The memorable novelty of a Little League team playing just off South Street deserved acknowledgment in a look back at local baseball history.
Manager- Joe McCarthy
McCarthy won seven World Series in 16 seasons from 1931-1946 as the skipper for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees must’ve thought highly of him if they ignored interest from Babe Ruth to become their manager. The decision certainly paid off.
He grew up playing baseball in Germantown.
