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It’s About Damn Time the Phillies Got a Closer
By Sean Barnard
Published:
The MLB trade deadline has come and gone with plenty of action across the league. While the Phillies may not have gone “all-in” in the way some hoped, the addition of Jhoan Duran changes this team for the better in a major way.
Rob Thomson has been non-committal to having a closer for just about the entirety of his tenure as Phillies manager. He leans on phrases like “high leverage innings” or “playing the matchups” as justification for cycling through the best bullpen arms before the ninth inning. While there’s some credence to leaning on the analytics, my pushback has always been that baseball games are always nine innings regardless of what the pitching staff may look like.
In theory, the game can change, and the offense can put up runs to improve the outlook late. But it is a tough sell to lean on guys you only kind of believe in for the biggest inning. This all changes with the addition of Jhoan Duran.
“We liked quite a few closers, quite a few relievers, there weren’t very many available as time went on,” Dave Dombrowski told reporters Wednesday night. “So we just thought he was the best guy out there that is available to be acquired.”
“I talked to Topper and he’ll talk more about him but he’s a legitimate closer so we feel he’ll fit into that role for us,” said Dombrowski of the plan for Duran.
Thomson shared the same sentiment, and was quick to point to the flexibility it gives the rest of the bullpen. “This guy is one of the best closers in baseball,” he said after Wednesday’s game in Chicago.
To be fair to Thomson, the Phillies have not had a true closer for him to rely on during his tenure. Corey Knebel led the team in saves during the season he took over with seven different players recording the last out in at least 10 games. The Phillies attempted to go this route by adding Craig Kimbrel the following year, but his 6.76 postseason ERA did not allow this plan to be effective. Philadelphia pieced together their best bullpen of this current era last year with Jose Alvarado, Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman, and Orion Kerkering headlining the late game pitching attack. Carlos Esteves came over in a midseason trade, but also did not grab the closer role in its entirety.
The Phillies simply may not have operated with a closer because they didn’t have one.
Duran checks every box for what you want in a closer, from the four-seam fastball that can reach 102 mph, to the 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings he averages over his career, to the walkout song that will absolutely get Citizens Bank Park rolling:
The Phillies bullpen has not exactly inspired confidence this season. They rank 24th in the MLB in ERA, 24th in WHIP, 21st in home runs allowed, are tied for 16th in saves, and rank 15th in earned runs allowed. Jordan Romano has pitched himself out of any save opportunities but still leads the team with eight saves despite his 6.81 ERA.
But with Duran as the ninth inning lock, everything else in this Phillies bullpen makes more sense. Assuming the starting pitching can get you through six innings, with this being the strength of the team to this point, going from Strahm to Kerkering to Duran is as good as you can ask for. Both Strahm and Kerkering are excellent as bullpen pieces but have been overexposed in their expected roles at times. Tanner Banks has also shown plenty in his expanded role following Jose Alvarado’s suspension. David Robertson has given the Phillies some good innings in the past and the expectation is he will fill a postseason role, 40 years old or not. Jesus Luzardo also seems likely to be added to the bullpen come playoff time and Andrew Painter’s future role and timeline remain one of the larger questions following the trade deadline.
There is a significant mindset shift when the bullpen management is the thought process of “How to get to the ninth inning” instead of “How to get through nine innings.”
It also should be made clear that this is no long Dave Dombrowski digging in the rental bucket of relievers the Phillies will have for half a season. Duran is under team control for two more seasons after this year.
For what it’s worth, Jonathan Papelbon is the Phillies franchise record holder for most saves with 123. Duran has tallied 74 across his first four seasons and is still just 27 years old. He is not the Phillies closer for the rest of the season but the closer moving forward.
You can nitpick about Dombrowski not doing more in addition to the Duran trade. But this is a move that turns a weakness into a strength by changing expectations for a number of players surrounding him. This all has to work out in actuality and not just in theory, but for the time being, start injecting the “El Incomprendido” walkout song into you veins and be ready for Duran to slam the door shut in some of the biggest moments the rest of this Phillies season.
Sean Barnard has covered the Philadelphia 76ers and general Philly Sports for over six years in a variety of roles and for multiple outlets. Currently works as a Content Writer for DraftKings Network, Sixers/NBA Insider for Philadelphia's Fox Sports the Gambler, and co-host of Sixers & Phillies Digest on Youtube. Forever Trusting the Process.