Philadelphia Phillies need some internal bullpen help.
Outside of acquiring a semi-injured Jose Alvarado, the Philadelphia Phillies have done absolutely nothing to address their league worst bullpen. There’s still time for Dave Dombrowski and company to add relievers this offseason, but the clock is definitely ticking. As of right now, it looks like the organization is banking on some internal options.
The Phillies had two young relievers stick out last season: Connor Brogdon and JoJo Romero. Both have their flaws and both have a level of excitement to them. Ultimately speaking, both will have to contribute in a big way this season.
Connor Brogdon: Madson 2.0?
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After a shaky first three outings in the MLB, Connor Brogdon actually ended up dominating the month of September. He went 8.2 innings without allowing a run, and only allowed one hit during that span as well. He struck out 14 during this stretch, posting a stunningly low opponent batting average of .037.
This month long stretch of elite bullpen work may actually be playing a factor into the Phillies lack of bullpen moves at the moment, as their could be some internal belief that Brogdon is poised to develop into a lockdown reliever. His stuff was definitely impressive during that final six game stretch, and his velocity was surprisingly high. All good stuff for a guy who could genuinely end up being the Phillies best reliever in 2021.
Brogdon is only 25 years old, but I’m super high on the right-hander’s ability. Thrusting him into a closer/set-up role might be premature, but it could also help showcase his best stuff when it’s all said and done.
JoJo Romero: Lefty #2 out of the ‘pen
For a moment there, it looked like the Philadelphia Phillies had really stumbled onto something special with JoJo Romero. He entered the big leagues with shockingly high velocity (97-98 MPH fastball), and eight of his first nine appearances out of the bullpen were good ones. Throw in his Red Bull can crushing antics, and he quickly engrained himself with the Phillies faithful.
However, things tailed off for Romero later in the year. As his role heightened, his play started to decline. He allowed six earned runs over the course of his final 1.1 innings pitched, and he actually finished the 2020 season with a 7.59 ERA. Not great.
Romero is still just 24 years of age, so there’s little reason to bail on him quite yet, however, he’s definitely going to have to find a way to take a step forward this upcoming season. For better or for worse, the Phillies are likely going to be relying on him as their #2 lefty out of the bullpen, a role that will really put JoJo to the test over the course of a full 162 game season.
Ultimately speaking, Brogdon and Romero probably aren’t ready for such crucial roles. However, sometimes being chucked into the deep end is good for young pitchers. If the two youngsters can rise to the occasion in 2021, it would go quite a long way in terms of helping the Phillies build a playoff caliber bullpen.