The first edition of this trust ranking included the declaration that the Phillies’ bullpen went “Alvarado, then everyone else.” Well. Everyone else, it is.
It’s too early to tell whether the Phillies will be able to weather the storm without José Alvarado, their best-performing reliever, during his 80-game suspension. So far, they’ve managed — their bullpen ERA is eight-tenths of a run lower without Alvarado than it was with him — but it’s happened against the Pirates, Rockies, A’s and Braves.
A few have taken some notable steps forward, though. So here’s a list of the non-starting pitchers (minus right-hander Brett de Geus, the 27th man for Thursday’s doubleheader) on the Phillies’ roster, ranked by how much I’d trust them to get their actual job, which is retiring hitters, done.
Last edition’s rankings are in parentheses.
8 — Carlos Hernández (8)
A project he was, a project he remains. His Savant page tells his story: His 97.7-mph fastball is some fine-tuning away from viability, but his command is shoddy and he finds too many barrels. His lack of minor-league options could save him once the Phillies inevitably make an addition, but that might not be enough, barring some strides.
7 — José Ruiz (NR)
Enough pitchers complained about the mound in Sacramento that I’m willing to ignore the entire A’s series, including Ruiz’s three-hit showing on Saturday. But that followed a three-hit showing in Colorado, and that’s all we have to work with since he missed 17 games while on the injured list.
6 — Joe Ross (7)
Ross threw 10 2/3 scoreless innings from April 19 to May 4, and I rewarded him with the penultimate spot in the last bullpen ranking. Being so right so often is hard. Ross has allowed four runs, eight hits and three unintentional walks, with two homers to boot, in seven innings since.
5 — Max Lazar (NR)
Lazar might’ve shown something on that Sacramento mound, navigating a zombie runner and a one-out walk (after a dropped foul pop error) for his first career save. The stuff isn’t wipeout, but the command is strong. Maybe “No. 3 righty in the bullpen” is a bit premature, but that’s kind of where things stand, and I wouldn’t count Lazar out as a regular contributor this summer, maybe even in leverage.
4 — Tanner Banks (4)
Banks was one Matt Strahm blown save on Tuesday from leapfrogging him as the top lefty in the Phillies’ bullpen. He’s retired his last 12 hitters, including four high-leverage ones in Sacramento, earning the save Friday and sending Saturday to extras. Lefties are slashing .147/.194/.265 against him this year. I still can’t explain it. Just bank on him while you can. Clearly, manager Rob Thomson banks on him. (I’m done.)
3 — Matt Strahm (2)
The Phillies summoned Strahm in a five-run game against the Pirates on May 17, and, since then, he’s allowed two hits and zero runs in five innings at major-league ballparks, with six strikeouts and one walk. Without Alvarado in the mix, the Phillies need Strahm to be Strahm again, and he’s looking more the part.
2 — Orion Kerkering (5)
If anyone has answered the bell in the post-Alvarado era, it’s the guy who made up the second leg of a strong 1-2 punch across the season’s first three weeks. His fastball usage is up and his sweeper usage is down in May, about 4.5% each. While it’s not manifesting in strikeouts, he’s allowing softer contact; Kerkering hasn’t allowed a barrel since April 27, and he’s allowed four hard-hit balls in 144 May pitches after allowing 16 in 200 tosses through April.
1 — Jordan Romano (3)
Still — like we’ve always said — it’s Romano, then everyone else. Sacramento out the window, he hasn’t allowed a run across nine May innings, with 13 strikeouts and one walk. Romano, who’s relying much more on his slider lately, is in the 91st percentile across MLB in whiffs, despite a velo dip (on each pitch) of about half a mile per hour since the April 27 outing that began his early turnaround. He has six saves since his last blown one.
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