The Phillies in recent years have tended to eschew traditional roles in their bullpen and instead opt for a more matchups-based approach. Still, that usually led to players more or less falling into roles where they tended to know exactly when and in what situation they were going to enter a game. However, the Phillies now have an alpha at closer since the acquisition of Jhoan Duran. That has led to a bit of reshuffling to see where the rest of their relievers fall into place now that the ninth is taken
care of.
Matt Strahm and Jose Alvarado have been in the traditional leverage setup roles. David Robertson has done some leverage and some middle relief. Tanner Banks has primarily been middle relief but has seen some leverage. Orion Kerkering has been either high leverage or the fireman, the latter of which being the task to enter a game with runners on base and to escape the inning. It’s a difficult job, as it leaves a pitcher with little to no wiggle room as they try to get a feel for their pitches after entering the game.
That fireman role hasn’t gone too well for Kerkering. On the season, he’s allowed 14 of 30 inherited runners to score entering play on Thursday. He’s still struggling to strike hitters out on a consistent basis with a K% and whiff rate that are right around league average. Getting strikeouts when you absolutely need to is something that is a necessity to be in the fireman role.Kerkering has shown the ability to pitch to contact and to induce weak contact, but it’s hard to repeatedly escape jams if you can’t get whiffs. Sometimes those bloop hits drop in and it only takes one to cause a disaster when you enter a game with men on.
Kerkering’s sometimes-erratic command has also led to times where he either pours gasoline onto the existing fire, such as in the series in Citi Field when he allowed three inherited runners to score in an eventual 6-5 loss, or starting his own fires like when he left the game on Sunday night against the Braves after loading the bases with back-to-back walks and leaving without recording an out.
The fireman is an important role come postseason time, as he will be asked to enter the game on relatively short notice and at any point in the game to escape a situation that could lose the game. The Phillies have given Kerekring this opportunity for now and he hasn’t exactly run with it. Tanner Banks has cleaned up some of Kerkering’s messes, giving some faith that perhaps he is better suited for the role. But he will likely become the second leverage left hander in the postseason due to Alvarado’s ineligibility. He’s been fantastic this season, but he isn’t a particularly high strikeout guy either.
So, who should be the Phillies’ fireman? Should they stick with Kerkering? Or is it time to try someone else? Is that someone else Banks? Or should it be someone entirely different like Robertson?
