Comedian Joe Conklin made a joke at the expense of former Philadelphia Phillies closer Craig Kimbrel at Wednesday’s Philadelphia Sportswriters Association banquet, which drew laughs from those in attendance.
But for as badly as Kimbrel pitched in the postseason, he had stretches during what proved to be his lone season with the Phillies that he pitched at a very high level. That helped the Phillies to overcome a summer where José Alvarado had two stints on the injured list, and Seranthony DomÃnguez was just generally ineffective. Above all else, Kimbrel was a workhorse out of the bullpen, making 71 appearances, his most in a season since 2011.
Granted, making 71 appearances during the regular season probably contributed to a postseason meltdown for the 35-year-old Kimbrel. But now that Kimbrel is a member of the Baltimore Orioles, manager Rob Thomson will have to make up for the 69 innings Kimbrel logged in 2023. Some of that could still come externally, although both Josh Hader and Robert Stephenson signed elsewhere Friday. One way or another, there will need to be multiple somebodies who step up internally to help make up for Kimbrel’s loss.
“It’s tough, because there were times … well, for most of the year, he pitched very well,” Thomson said of Kimbrel before Wednesday’s PSWA dinner. “But it was just a situation where we’ve got [Orion] Kerkering … we’ve got some other guys that don’t have [minor-league] options that have been really good for us in the past. So I think we can fill that void, although Craig was very good for us.”
Kerkering, like Kimbrel, hit a wall in the NLCS. Had one of the two been able to come through against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phillies probably would have played in the World Series for the second consecutive season.
There’s every reason to think the 23-year-old will play a key role in the Phillies bullpen in 2024, although it would probably be wise to remember he began last season at Single-A and made just four regular season appearances between Triple-A Lehigh Valley and the majors. In other words, hope for the best, but don’t plan like there’s no possibility that he struggles at some point this season.
One veteran reliever the Phillies absolutely need to be able to rely on more consistently in 2024 is Gregory Soto. Acquired in a trade last offseason from the Detroit Tigers, Soto had an uneven first season with the Phillies. His 4.62 ERA would lead you to believe he struggled. The reality is 23 of the 31 earned runs he gave up last season came across eight multi-run outings. Those outings were bad, no question. But Soto was often dominant in his 61 other appearances in 2023. Left-handed batters hit just .127 off of the southpaw. If he can limit the blowups, Soto could take on some of the eighth and ninth-inning opportunities now available because of Kimbrel’s departure.
Thomson said this week that the Phillies believe visa issues that caused Soto to be three weeks late to Spring Training last year won’t be a problem this time around. That’s among the factors that the Phillies hope will help the 28-year-old pitch at a higher level this season.
“I think it’s going to help immensely,” Thomson said. “And the fact that it’s his second year here, so he’s a little more comfortable. He knows the guys, knows Clearwater, knows the complex. I think you’re going to see an uptick with him.”
One reality facing Thomson and the Phillies in 2024 is that they have quite a few players out of options, particularly in the bullpen. Injuries will always happen, but it’s possible the Phillies will have to ride out some tough stretches with certain relievers, or designate them for assignment and risk losing them to waivers.
“Yeah, it could be a challenge,” Thomson acknowledged. “It depends on who makes the club … what we have in Triple-A or Double-A, and how we maneuver those guys. But it’s always something that we talk about every year going into Spring Training.”
Alvarado, DomÃnguez, Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm aren’t eligible to be optioned to Triple-A. Soto has one remaining option, but it would take a disaster for the Phillies to utilize it. Kerkering has three options, but the Phillies want him to be part of the team. That’s already six spots, and it’s possible that in the name of preserving organizational depth, Andrew Bellatti and Dylan Covey will make the Opening Day roster because both are out of options. The Phillies would probably lose either one if exposed to waivers — certainly Bellatti would be claimed. Even if you don’t love either pitcher, you want to have as many arms as possible going into the season.
That leaves another group of pitchers likely destined for Triple-A Lehigh Valley even though they’ve been contributors over the last two years because they have remaining minor-league options. Think Nick Nelson, McKinley Moore, Yunior Marte and Luis Ortiz.
Connor Brogdon also has a remaining option, which may mean he spends a good chunk of 2024 in Allentown also. But of the five names mentioned, he’s the most difficult to figure out. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has flashed back-end-of-the-bullpen stuff. He had. a 3.27 ERA across 47 appearances in 2022, and ultimately played a key role in the run to the World Series in 2022. In 2023, though, Brogdon had a 4.03 ERA and 5.15 FIP in 27 games for the Phillies, not appearing in the Major Legues at any point after June 4.
So what went wrong for Brogdon in 2023?
“Yeah, it was just, he got out of the strike zone quite a bit,” Thomson said of Brogdon. “And then probably got to the point where he tried to do a little bit too much instead of just being himself, relaxing and going out and pitching. He’s got great stuff, but he’s gotta run it through the strike zone. He’s got to throw strikes.”
Having a remaining option will likely make it hard for Brogdon to break camp with the big league club. Nonetheless, he’ll be an interesting person to monitor in Clearwater, because he’s shown to be capable at times of taking down high-leverage innings. And even if it’s not in April, there’s a good chance the Phillies will need him at some point in 2024, as they try to make up for the loss of their most-used reliever from a season ago.
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