Phillies Star-Studded Bullpen Shows Potential

The Philadelphia Phillies entered the 2023 season with a much-improved bullpen. After having one of the worst bullpens in baseball each season for the past decade, the midseason improvement in 2022 was a large part of the reason why the team was able to come within two wins of a world championship.

In the 2023 off-season, the Phillies added to that bullpen. Gregory Soto, Matt Strahm, and Craig Kimbrel were all added to the already impressive group. These acquisitions formed on paper one of the best groups in the Major Leagues.

The group started 2023 looking like the ones of the past seasons.

Gregory Soto started his Phillies career horrifically. In his first appearance, he did not record an out and gave up three earned runs. Since that start, he has been the pitcher the Phillies thought they traded for.

In nine appearances since, he has given up just one run and one hit.

Soto is one part of the left-handed flame-throwing duo the Phillies possess. The other half is Jose Alvarado. Alvarado has picked up right where he left off last season. Alvarado has a 1.08 ERA this season with an absurd 19.4 SO9.

Manager Rob Thomson likes to use relievers in different roles and never sets a true label on each player.

Alvarado has two saves and three holds in eight appearances. He is on an all-star pace and is truly the star of the group.

Seranthony Dominguez has been somewhat shaky to start the season but seems to be hitting his stride. Dominguez has had too bad appearances, but besides those has seen success similar to what he was able to do in 2022.

His first appearance in Texas was as bad as it can get. He gave up four runs on three hits and didn’t record an out. After three scoreless appearances, Dominguez had another bad day against the Reds, giving up three runs.

Dominguez was a key piece of the bullpen last season and will continue to be the best right-handed option for the Phillies in 2023. For the group to be one of the best in the league, Dominguez will have to be at the top of the game and perform similarly to his 2022 self. 2022 was an overall great season as he had a 3.0 ERA.

Another key piece to the puzzle will be Craig Kimbrel. Kimbrel is regarded as one of the best closers of his era but is far from that player today. The Phillies signed Kimbrel to a one-year ten-million-dollar deal in the offseason. His veteran presence and championship and experience could be huge for the team.

While Kimbrel isn’t expected to look like the pitcher he once was, he has done his job other than a few poor performances. Kimbrel has had five consecutive scoreless appearances and has had great strikeout numbers. Kimbrel won’t be used as a closer all the time but obviously has the ability to close if needed. The right-handed option gives Thomson multiple ways to attack the opposition.

Along with these four big names to attack the late innings, the team also has great middle-inning options like Connor Brogdon and Andrew Bellatti. Both players broke out in 2022 and will be used in similar roles in 2023.
Matt Strahm has also been used in the rotation because of the injury to Ranger Suarez to start the year. Once Suarez returns, Strahm or Bailey Falter could be moved to the bullpen, ultimately bolstering the group.
Statistically, the bullpen isn’t the best, but it has the players to get the job done. In the final game of the White Sox series, the bullpen showed exactly what it can do. After 6.1 innings from starter Taijuan Walker, Gregory Soto came in and retired two batters. Craig Kimbrel then came in and retired three out of four batters. Jose Alvarado came in to close the game with a perfect inning.

If the Phillies are able to have more games like this where they can set up their bullpen to whatever matchups Thomson desires after their starter goes deep into the game, the bullpen will eventually be among the best in the league.