This was going to be the next generation of Phillies starters: Nick Pivetta, Jerad Eickhoff, Zach Eflin, Vince Velasquez.
Slot in Aaron Nola at the top; add Jake Arrieta as a veteran presence, and the Phils seemed to have the makings of a rotation capable of battling for a pennant.
Now, they couldn’t even win a backyard dodgeball game.
Through Sunday, that Quartet of Disappointment has made 53 starts this season. They’ve combined for a 5.01 ERA, 16-23 record and 69 home runs allowed — an ungodly 2.1 homers per nine innings.
What happened? How did all that potential drown down a well of disappointment?
I’ve been on record here criticizing the work of Chris Young, the Phillies’ young pitching coach, who just seems to make guys worse. And injuries have been a factor, at least with Eickhoff’s regression from a solid 2016.
But it goes beyond that. Usually, athletes must look in the mirror to overcome their failures. This group of twenty-somethings seems loath to do that.
Let’s start with Eflin, whose 4.25 ERA actually puts him at the head of this class. After getting bombed by the Pirates Saturday night, Eflin blamed his poor performance on “heavy body.”
“It’s felt heavy for a little bit,” said Eflin, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 215 pounds. “It’s something you go through during a season.”
Really? I’ve covered baseball for decades, and heard every excuse — but never this one. Eflin said he has no major health problem, adding, “Sometimes you wake up, you don’t feel great.”
Okay, I guess that means we list his ailment as “logy.” That malady also affected Eflin against Atlanta last week, when he said a 13-pitch at-bat by Ronald Acuna Jr. wore him out. In the first inning.
I hate to be the iconoclast, so I won’t refer to Lefty Carlton days to cite when starting pitchers were tougher. Let’s just imagine how Eflin’s “heavy body” defense would go over in a meeting with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt.
Eflin’s not alone in his immaturity. Nick Pivetta, touted for stardom by so many, was busted to the bullpen last week after his ERA reached a stratospheric 5.70. It was Pivetta’s second demotion this season, including a six-start stint at Lehigh Valley.
He did not take adversity well. Interviewed by beat reporters in Pittsburgh, Pivetta gave a sulking response. “They had their explanation,” he offered, “and I’m in the bullpen. That’s all I have to say. It’s their decision.”
Pivetta has lost effectiveness on his curveball this season, particularly to right-handed hitters. And he tires quickly — according to the analytics site FanGraphs.com, his fastball loses 1.2 mph after his 50th pitch.
Perhaps Pivetta and Eflin can still mature into capable starters. Eickhoff’s issue seems to be overcoming injuries. As for Velasquez, I gave up on him a long time ago.
Let me pause to praise Arrieta, who’s pitching through bone spurs in his throwing elbow. Arrieta has fallen far short of the level the Phils thought they were paying for, but give him credit for gutting it out.
Management had enough confidence in these young starters that they left the rotation alone last winter while committing $440 million to new position players. In hindsight, that appears a terrible decision. The Phils had to add bottom-feeder Drew Smyly to the rotation Sunday. He rewarded them with a solid start.
Any success from Smyly is an unexpected bonus. It would be preferred if one of the young starters would step up — and grow up — to reach his potential.
