Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Manager Should Leave Rotation Alone

Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson shouldn't mess with his starting rotation.

Tyler Maher

Feb 25, 2024; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59).
Feb 25, 2024; Clearwater, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59). / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia Phillies have a problem -- they have too much quality pitching.

Through their first 20 games, the Phillies' rotation has been historically good, posting the best WHIP in franchise history (1.03) since at least 1900. The rotation's 2.39 ERA was its lowest since 1972, as was its opponents' .572 OPS.

Philadelphia also entered play on Saturday with zero earned runs allowed from its starting pitchers over the last 24 1/3 innings -- the team's longest streak since 2010.

Spencer Turnbull extended that streak during Friday's 7-0 win over the Chicago White Sox, spinning seven innings of one-hit shutout ball. He entered play on Saturday with the best ERA (1.23) in the National League.

And yet, Phillies manager Rob Thomson is still contemplating moving him to the bullpen to make room for Taijuan Walker, who is expected back next week from right shoulder impingement.

Thomson has several compelling reasons to do so. One is that Walker is making nine times as much money this year as Turnbull ($18 million vs. $2 million). Walker is getting paid to be a frontline starting pitcher, whereas Turnbull is not.

Walker also has a longer, more established track record as a starter. He's a former All-Star who won 15 games last year, whereas Turnbull hasn't even won 15 games in his career.

But the biggest reason appears to be workload. Turnbull hasn't thrown 60 innings in a season since 2019, and he's already at 22. Having him start every fifth day for the first time in half a decade seems like a recipe for disaster.

That said, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Turnbull is clearly in a groove right now, and moving him to the bullpen could mess with that. He's earned the right to stay in the rotation with his stellar performance thus far. It should be his job to lose.

Thomson would be better off keeping Turnbull in the rotation for now and easing Walker back in so he can ramp up. Then when Walker's ready, he can take Turnbull's spot if he's earned it, but there's no need to force a change just yet.

Until then, Philadelphia would be better off letting Turnbull do his thing and riding him while he's hot.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler is a writer for Sports Illustrated's Inside the Phillies. He grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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