Philadelphia Phillies Veteran Predicted To Become Superstar on New Team

The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher could become a superstar when he joins his next team.

Jun 21, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Spencer Turnbull (22) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies brought in a veteran pitcher this past offseason that turned into one of the most reliable arms in the bullpen. Now, that player looks to finally establish himself in free agency.

As Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report searched for players that could potentially rise into superstardom on a new team, Phillies reliever Spencer Turnbull was on the list.

"Turnbull's stuff got significantly better this season. This had much to do with his new sweeper, though he also boasts a pretty good curveball and changeup," said Rymer. "Clearly, the 1.67 ERA that Turnbull posted in six starts out of the gate in April didn't come out of nowhere. A team should sign him in hopes that there will be more where that came from if he can stay healthy. Ideally, that team will have a home park that is less punishing to pitchers than Citizens Bank Park."

Though the 30-year-old is entering his seventh season of MLB ball, he's never really been given the chance to establish himself.

He has still only pitched at least 57 innings during his career once and that came all the way back in 2019 as a rookie when he led all MLB pitchers with 17 losses for the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers selected Turnbull in the second round of the 2014 MLB draft after an intriguing final year of ball with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

He was not a guy that generated very many strikeouts, but his stuff was real. Batters had a hard time getting contact, he averaged just 5.9 hits per nine innings during his final season. The problem is that he also had a bit of control issues, so he walked enough batters that the few hits he did give up were punishing.

The Alabama native continued a similar trajectory in the minor leagues, while slowly raising his strikeout numbers and lowering his walk rate.

By the time he finally made it to the major leagues at 25 years old, the hype was dying down but there were still hopes that he could become a solid option.

He would go on to battle plenty of injury issues throughout the rest of his time with the Tigers. He had shown flashes of being great, but those flashes were usually met with something that would keep him out.

Philadelphia brought him in on a one-year, $2 million deal this past offseason and gave him another chance to prove that he can still pitch.

Though he dd end up on the 60-day injured list yet again this season, he was stellar when he was on the mound. He split time between the starting rotation and bullpen, overall posting a 2.65 ERA over 54.1 innings.

Perhaps he can shine in another new home with more opportunities to start. If he can put together a healthy campaign, he has All-Star potential.