JT Realmuto had a vision as good as any of the historically bad Phillies bullpen in 2020. Finally, he had a chance to share his thoughts on Monday about why things went so terribly wrong for the Phillies at the end of the games and because he is hopeful has been resolved.
He was behind the plate to watch the implosions of just about anyone the Phillies used in the eighth and ninth innings, from starters like Hector Neris and Adam Morgan to the Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree and David Phelps acquisitions to young people experiencing their first taste of the greats alloys. The Phillies were unable to find a formula that would work in the 60-game season and it cost them a playoff spot, even on an expanded 16-team field.
The new president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, worked to improve the pen in his almost two months at work, signing a one-year contract with Archie Bradley for $ 6 million and exchanging little for the brave José Alvarado and the powerful Sam Coonrod . There are still plenty of relievers at the free agency and the Phillies could add a few more before opening day.
An obvious theme in the Phillies’ bullpen additions at this point was speed. Alvarado and Coonrod have fast balls ranging between 97-98 mph. Bradley doesn’t rely so much on speed, but he averages 95-96 with his heater.
This is a stark contrast to how the Phillies bullpen was built in recent seasons around guys like Neris, David Robertson, Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek. None of them had great speed. Neris relies on his divider, Robertson and Hunter on his cutters and Neshek on his funky / speedy delivery. The fastest reliever Phillies during this stretch was Seranthony Dominguez, who has not shot since May 2019 due to elbow problems.
The elimination potential that the Phillies added can only help.
“We didn’t hit many players and at the end of the games, they put the balls in play more than they should have,” said Realmuto on Monday. “With that said, we gave up a lot more strokes of soft contact than anyone in the league, especially at the end of the games. We were really unlucky, so a lot of things were not in our favor. Hopefully, with a little bit better luck you can change next year, but obviously there are a lot of adjustments that need to be made on the hill.
“We have to hit the area better. We can’t put the guys on the base for free. We had a lot of free passes last year. We have to keep the guys out when we take them in two strokes and not make that mistake to shoot and give them a chance to put it at stake. “
The Phillies’ bullpen is not fully repaired, but they have a more impressive core (Bradley, Alvarado, Connor Brogdon, Neris, Coonrod) now than a year ago, when the relief corps derailed a talented cast. It is true that the Phillies may still be the third or fourth best team in their division, but they have a better chance of competing at the end of the summer after keeping their top two agents free and pledging to increase their pitch.
With Realmuto, so many attributes are mentioned – speed, defense, your baton, your pitch structure, your leadership – but a vitally important aspect of your skill set is calling a game behind the plate. It is a responsibility that he does not take lightly and it is something that he has been thinking about for months in relation to the bullpen.
“As a receiver, that’s part of your job,” he said. “You take it personally when any of your pitchers have a hard time, so being there and going through this with our bullpen last year, it was definitely difficult for me. I thought about all of that out of season for a long time. I’ve been trying dive into things and think about things that we could have done differently, so I definitely take it personally. It’s something I have to improve on. I want to work better with these guys and help them become the best pitchers they can We can do this in a variety of ways. We just have to start spring training, work and make it happen. “
It will be here soon. Players are gearing up as if spring training starts in time in mid-February, despite the league’s proposal at the weekend to postpone everything.
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