How Rotation Depth Will Get the Philadelphia Phillies into the Postseason

Rotation depth was once an area of concern for the Philadelphia Phillies, but it has turned into strength.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Aug 27, 2022 5:00 PM EDT

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Heading into the 2022 season, rotation depth was a bit of a problem for the Philadelphia Phillies.

No one doubted the starting rotation's potential. Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Zach Eflin, Kyle Gibson, and Ranger Suárez were an encouraging five-some.

But promising as they were, there were a litany of concerns regarding the health of that group. Wheeler was coming off a career-high workload in 2021, and he dealt with shoulder soreness in the offseason. Nola was looking to bounce back from a down year. Eflin was returning from his third patellar tendon knee surgery, and Suárez was still, in many ways, an unknown commodity.

The depth starters on the 40-man roster were Bailey Falter and Cristopher Sánchez. Those two had thrown a combined 46.1 IP with a 5.44 ERA in 2021.

Neither had much experience starting at the big league level. Most of their work in 2021 came out of the bullpen.

Falter made one start that year, going two innings and allowing three runs. Sánchez, in his one start, managed to record just one out while allowing four to cross the plate.

So the Phillies came into 2022 with different-sized question marks surrounding four of their five starters. Their two depth options were inexperienced, and the experience they did have gave no reason for optimism.

But fast forward a few months, and things are looking a whole lot better.

Nola has put his struggles from last year far behind him, Suárez has proven his breakout season wasn't a fluke, while Gibson is pitching like the reliable number four starter the Phillies hoped he would be.

Eflin, unfortunately, went down with more knee troubles, but Dave Dombrowski found a solid replacement in Noah Syndergaard. Wheeler has dealt with both shoulder and forearm soreness this season, but he has still given the team 138 great innings, and after a quick IL stint, he should be back at full strength for the final month.

Zack Wheeler was placed on the 15-day injured list with forearm tendinitis.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia felt comfortable placing Wheeler on the IL instead of asking him to pitch through his forearm tendinitis because of their improved depth. Both Sánchez and Falter have delivered during their last few starts.

In his last two spot starts, Sánchez has gone 11 innings with a 2.45 ERA and 4.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Falter, in his last two outings, has pitched 12 innings with a 3.00 ERA and 4.50 K/BB. The Phillies have won all four games.

Neither one is likely to keep pitching quite that well going forward, but they don’t need to. They are depth starters, and they have proven themselves capable of doing exactly that — providing depth.

But the depth doesn’t stop there.

There is a non-zero chance Eflin returns to Philadelphia before the season is done. Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation reported on Friday that Eflin is feeling good and gearing up to throw off a mound for the first time in months. It’s far from a given he’ll be back this season, but it is a real possibility.

Finally, there is the Griff McGarry of it all. It remains unlikely the Phillies will call up the top prospect this season, but he is having a phenomenal year and he is more than capable of coming up for a spot start in a pinch. It is a luxury to have a pitcher like McGarry available, and it is an even bigger luxury to let his budding talent build in the minors.

When Wheeler returns, the Phillies will have a strong, playoff-caliber starting rotation. They have two competent options to bolster that rotation in Falter and Sánchez, a possible late-season boost in Eflin, and a secret weapon waiting in the wings in McGarry.

Rotation depth was an area of real concern heading into the season, but it has transformed into a true strength for this team. Hopefully, the Phillies won’t need to rely on their depth once Wheeler returns. But it’s nice to know that it’s there.