The Phillies’ rebuilt bullpen is full of hard throwers, and may be a team strength in 2021

Last season's bullpen finished with the worst ERA in 90 years. The Phillies dumped most of the cast and brought in hard throwers.

Jose Alvarado throws almost routinely around 100 mph. He could be the key acquisition.Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer

by Matt Breen

Published March 31, 2021, 11:00 a.m. ET

Hector Rondón and Tony Watson have a combined 18 years of major-league experience. They’ve pitched in the bullpen for winning teams, recorded key outs in the World Series, and are accustomed to handling the pressure of the late innings.

They went to spring training on minor-league deals, had fine camps, and put themselves in position to earn roster spots with the Phillies.

If they were with the team last summer, Rondón and Watson probably would’ve been asked to close games. But this spring, all they got was a handshake before leaving Clearwater, Fla. with their release.

Such is life this spring in the Phillies’ bullpen, a unit that appears to be bolstered after last season’s historic disaster. The real games have not yet started, but six weeks in Florida provided indications that the team’s relief options are much improved by an offseason centered on rebuilding the bullpen.

“I think in a normal year, it would’ve been tough to turn it around as much as it seems like we have,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “But this offseason, there were so many relievers out there who were available. The organization did a great job of finding the guys that they liked. They pinpointed those guys and went out and got them. It’s just a testament to our front office and the work they did in the offseason because guys were out there and they didn’t lay back. They went out and did their job.”

The Phillies spent $6 million to sign Archie Bradley, traded for hard-throwers Sam Coonrod and Jose Alvardo, and invited three accomplished veterans — Rondon, Watson, and Brandon Kintzler — to camp on minor-league offers. Kintzler, who had the second-most saves last season in the NL, made the team with a strong spring.

Héctor Neris, the team’s closer for most of the last three seasons, and Connor Brogdon, one of the few bright spots in last season’s bullpen wreck, return to form a unit that suddenly looks dependable. David Hale and Vince Velasquez will work primarily as long relievers.

The bullpen finished last season with the highest ERA (7.06) in 90 years. The Phillies missed the postseason by one game and their relievers had 14 blown saves.

It’s safe to assume the team’s postseason drought would’ve ended last October — and their front-office would’ve avoided an offseason restructuring — had the Phillies assembled a bullpen that was just slightly better.

Last season’s cast of relievers are mostly gone as the bullpen rebuild started by moving on from the past. Brandon Workman signed with the Cubs, David Phelps joined the Blue Jays, and Heath Hembree is pitching for the Reds.

Of the 16 relievers who appeared in at least four games last season, just five remain with the organization. It’s a new bullpen.

“Last year, we were really inexperienced in the beginning and then when we brought in the experienced guys, for whatever reason, they struggled,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I know that they’re better than what they pitched, I know that deep in my heart. But it was just one of those years. But the guys we brought in have a pretty good track record, have been successful, and should really help our bullpen.”

Last season’s struggles were steeped in the bullpen’s inability to throw hard. Phillies’ relievers last season threw fastballs at the sixth-lowest rate in the majors. And when they did throw fastballs, they fired them with an average velocity of just 92.5 mph, the 22nd-fastest speed in baseball.

Unable to blow anyone away, Phillies’ relievers totaled the fourth-lowest strikeouts, the fourth-most home runs, and the highest batting average against. Opponents found it easy to tee off, which is why the Phillies injected the bullpen with velocity.

“You just see the stuff that we’re bringing out of there. There’s a lot of plus-plus stuff,” Realmuto said. “A lot of guys that aren’t that comfortable to catch and that’s a really good thing. Because I know if they’re uncomfortable to catch, then they’re way more uncomfortable to hit. We have a few guys like that out there who throw really hard and the ball moves all over the place. As long as we keep them in the strike zone, I feel like our bullpen can be really good.”

Coonrod’s four-seam fastball last season (98.4 mph) was the fifth-highest among all pitchers. He’s touched 100 this spring. Alvarado’s sinker reached 100 mph so often this spring that it no longer seemed noteworthy. Bradley’s velocity dipped last season, but he touched 95 mph this spring.

Brogdon threw the hardest pitch last season by a Phillies reliever (97 mph) and reached that velocity in spring training. Neris and Velasquez both throw around 95 mph, while Hale — the long man — and Kintzler — the veteran with a track record of getting outs — throw in the low 90s.

The Phillies, after watching other teams stockpile hard throwers in their bullpen, finally injected their bullpen with velocity.

“That’s what you need in the back end of the bullpen,” Realmuto said. “You have to have guys who can strike guys out because the more balls you put into play, the more chances you’re getting weak hits. I feel like that was part of our problem last year. We just didn’t strike enough guys out. There were some lucky hits that cost us over the course of the season.”

Bradley was the big-ticket acquisition, but Alvarado may be the move that ends up being the defining transaction of the winter. The Phillies have chased players like Alvarado the last few seasons, but never seemed to turn over the right stones to find them.

They traded Garret Cleavinger — a 26-year-old with one game in the big leagues — to land Alvarado in a deal that seemed inconsequential at the time. But that was before Alvarado lost 50 pounds and reported to camp with a determined outlook.

His sinker regularly zips at 100 mph and it moves with a sharp drop that makes it nearly unhittable when the left-hander can control it. If the Phillies’ bullpen is truly rebuilt, it will be because of savvy moves like finding Alvarado.

He started camp by breaking Realmuto’s thumb in a bullpen session with a pitch that got away. It was an inauspicious start for the new pitcher. A month later, he was the talk of camp. And it wasn’t because he sidelined the team’s $115.5 million catcher.

“So good I can’t catch him,” Realmuto cracked. “He’s good. He’s awesome. He’s one of those guys where it’s not a comfortable at-bat, at all. He can do anything, righty, lefty. Everything is coming in 95 to 100. He’s throwing a 95 mph slider so that’s not fun for anyone. I think he’s going to be huge for us. He’s one of those guys that if we just keep him on the plate and he gets ahead of guys, he’s going to get a ton of swing and miss.”

It would’ve been hard for the Phillies to build a worse bullpen than last season. Even a marginal improvement would’ve been an upgrade. But there were glimpses this spring that the bullpen could actually be a strength just one season after it cost the Phillies a postseason berth.

It’s a good sign that there was no room for accomplished veterans like Rondón and Watson. The bullpen’s level of competition — and the velocity — has increased this spring. The actual games will provide the answers.

“I did play on the Marlins last year and before that they were the worst team in baseball,” said Kintzler, who helped Miami reach the postseason last year. “I think it’s just a mentality switch. That’s all we did over there was switch the mentality and focused on winning and playing as a team. As a bullpen, just focus on doing your job and embrace doing your job or whatever your role is. With the talent we have in the bullpen, as long as we stay on the course and not put too much on ourselves and not be afraid to fail, I don’t see why we can’t turn it around just like that.”