Who’s In, Who’s Out: Which Phillies Pitchers Will Be Here in 2017?

Over the last few weeks, we’ve examined every position group and the players within them and predicted if they will be with the Phillies in 2017. We have now come to the final group – the pitchers.

Elvis Araujo: The left handed reliever came in clutch in multiple situations for the Phillies during the 2016 campaign, however, he logged a 5.62 ERA in just 27.1 innings. I feel the bullpen will have a nice-sized overhaul this offseason and I don’t think Araujo fits in for 2017.

Alec Asher: Asher is a solid, up and coming starter who pitched well in his few outings this season after returning from a suspension. I think he is part of the future and will be back in 2017.

David Buchanan: I have seen him pitch in person in Triple-A this past season and he is looking dominant at that level. He deserves a shot at the majors, consistently, and see if he can sink or swim. I think he is with the big league club in 2017.

Jimmy Cordero: The young pitcher hasn’t shown enough to get a chance at the big league bullpen in 2017. He should spend another year down on the farm, but may get a shot late in 2017.

Jerad Eickhoff: Eickhoff was a reliable starter for the Phillies in 2016 as he logged just under 200 innings. I expect him to serve in the middle rotation again in 2017.

Luis Garcia: Garcia looked good during his times up in the majors in 2016, however, I think he will be down in Triple-A again for 2017.

Jeanmar Gomez: Gomez was the biggest surprise for the Phillies in 2016, serving as one of the top closers in all of the MLB, aside from the final month of the regular season. There has been a lot of speculation surrounding his future with the ballclub, but I believe he comes back in 2017 as the set-up man, not the closer.

Severino Gonzalez: Gonzalez was a dependable reliever for the Phillies, despite his less than ideal ERA. I think he will be back for 2017, but just by the skin of his teeth.

Jeremy Hellickson: Hellickson outperformed what fans expected from him as the top of the rotation guy. There have been reports that the Phillies and Hellickson are looking to renew for the future and I think that is the right decision as 2016 was one of his best in his career. Hellickson is back for 2017 leading the starting rotation.

David Hernandez: Hernandez did a little of everything for the Phillies bullpen this season and with success as well. I think he is back in 2017.

Phil Klein: Klein was called up later in the season when the Phillies were limping to the finish of the season with its starting pitching. He did not dazzle in his outings, but this is tough as I think he will battle for a spot in the starting rotation during spring training in 2017.

Michael Mariot: Mariot showed promise, but I don’t think he has enough to experience sustained success in the major leagues. He will be down on the farm in 2017.

Adam Morgan: Morgan experienced success and a lot of tough times in the starting rotation. I think he will vie for another starting gig, but he will have competition and might find himself starting the season as an IronPig again in 2017.

Hector Neris: Neris combined with Gomez to shutdown the back end of games. His success in 2016 shows that he deserves the closer role in 2017.

Edubray Ramos: Ramos is not quite there as a consistent big leaguer. He’ll be back in Triple-A in 2017.

Joely Rodriguez: He is still a young, raw talent that got his first major league innings during September call-ups this season. He’ll head back down to the minors for 2017, but don’t be surprised if he works his way up to the big league club again by season’s end next year.

Jake Thompson: Thompson looked well during his starts in 2016 and worked his way into a spot in the starting rotation in 2017.

Vince Velasquez: He had a roller coaster 2016, but for the most part there were a lot of high points that showed promise for Velasquez. I think he get a chance to prove himself to start 2017, but he could have a short leash.