• March 29, 2024

Phillies Midseason Review: Surprising Players

With the baseball season at its midpoint, the Phillies have had several players surprise them with excellent play. Antonio Bastardo, Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson, Mike Stutes, and Vance Worley have all more than surpassed expectations that the team had for them at the beginning of the season.

Antonio Bastardo: The young hurler made the final roster out of necessity with J.C. Romero as the only other lefthanded reliever on the team. Bastardo was used sparingly early in the season, primarily in a mop-up role, or as a left handed specialist. Injuries in the bullpen forced him into larger roles throughout the season, and he has responded to every challenge. He is 3-0 on the season with an ERA of 0.82, and has allowed just three runs on 11 hits in 33 innings of work. With Ryan Madson on the disabled list, Bastardo is now the team’s closer, and is a perfect 5/5 in save opportunities. He has been a godsend to the bullpen.

Cole Hamels: It may seem a little strange to list Hamels as a surprise. Everyone expected the former World Series MVP to perform well, but he’s far exceeding his expectations. Right now, the two-time All-Star is pitching as well as any other pitcher in baseball, and is an early season candidate for the Cy-Young award. He already has 11 wins, his career high is 15. His 2.32 ERA is 5th best in all of baseball.

Ryan Madson: Everyone knew that Madson could thrive in the eighth inning, but few believed that he would ever be an effective closer after his past struggled in the role. The reliever surprised many by finally proving that he can have consistent success as a closer. The righthander has gotten over the problems he has had with his mental approach to the ninth inning, and has converted 15 of his 16 save opportunities. His success has been so great, he has earned the right to be the primary closer for the remainder of the season.

Mike Stutes: Stutes made a name for himself with an excellent Spring Training, allowing just one run in 11 innings. While his performance wasn’t enough for him to earn a spot on the roster to start the season, he wouldn’t have to wait long for an opportunity. Injuries in the bullpen forced the Phillies to call up Stutes, and he’s emerged as one of the team’s most dependable relievers. He is 3-1 with a 3.26 ERA, allowing 11 earned runs in 30.1 innings.

Vance Worley: Worley has done his best impersonation of Roy Oswalt, filling in admirably for the injured starter with a 4-1 record, and a remarkable 2.20 ERA in 10 starts. His most impressive outing of the season came against the Boston Red Sox, pitching seven innings and allowing just one run on five hits. With every impressive start, he continues to gain confidence and establish himself as a legitimate major league starter.

Denny Basens

Read Previous

NFL Player: “As for Goodell, he needs to drop his nuts”

Read Next

Phillies Midseason Review: Disappointing Players

0 0 votes
Article Rating
4 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
BigE
BigE
July 11, 2011 9:29 pm

WHY DO MY POSTS KEEP BEING ELIMINATED. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME.
USE YOUR EFFORTS WISELY AND WRITE ABOUT THE PHILLES BRAVES SERIES.

BigE
BigE
July 11, 2011 9:29 pm

BigE
July 11, 2011 – 9:29 pm
WHY DO MY POSTS KEEP BEING ELIMINATED. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME.
USE YOUR EFFORTS WISELY AND WRITE ABOUT THE PHILLES BRAVES SERIES.

vricchini
vricchini
July 12, 2011 1:48 am

Notice all players are pitchers.NONE mentioned on offense.

DDCar
DDCar
July 12, 2011 5:40 am

vricchini, exactly, none of the offense need to be mentioned. The three kid pitchers are a very pleasant surprise. I hope they keep it up.