The Fan Hub

For all of their talent and production from the starting rotation, the Philadelphia Phillies were not nearly as formidable once opposing teams got into the bullpen last season. The Phils’ relievers had a collective ERA of 3.45, which is by no means horrible, but certainly a downgrade from the starters’ mark of 2.86. More troubling was the strikeout/walk ratio of 2.01 and WHIP of 1.31, both of which were much worse than that of the starters.

Part of the problem was a lack of consistency in the personnel, due in large part to injuries suffered by veterans Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge, each of whom served stints as the setup man to closer Ryan Madson, who also had a brief injury spell of his own. The ninth inning role should have no issues this year (aside from overpayment) with newly-signed Jonathan Papelbon, which will allow manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee to focus on cultivating the rest of the arms.

Youngsters Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes were both asked to perform in more pressure-packed roles than was originally expected of them last year, but the experience will pay off this season if Contreras is unable to make it through another full season. Philly also has plenty of other youngsters such as September call-up Justin De Fratus, who could force his way into a more significant role this season.

And of course, what would a Spring Training be without a bullpen experiment? This year’s wild card will be former phenom Dontrelle Willis, who signed a one-year deal with the team back in December in hopes of resurrecting what was once an extremely promising career. If he’s able to put his control and mental issues behind him, he could be a great asset in any number of roles in the pen, be it as a long-reliever or a 7th/8th inning guy.