Joe Beimel certainly isn’t a household name, or a name that strikes fear in opposing batters. But he is an seasoned pitcher with nine years of experience between six teams, and he has proven to be effective against left-handed batters over his career.
The Phillies clearly need bullpen help and are still looking for a left-handed specialist. Beimel is nothing more than a left-handed specialist, seeing that lefties hit .221 against him in 2010 while right-handed batters hit .329.
He creates a good amount of ground ball opportunities for his defense, which would benefit a Phillies bullpen that struggled to keep the ball around the plate.
Over his career, Beimel has compiled a 4.16 ERA, but hasn’t eclipsed a 4.00 ERA since 2004 (he finished with a 43.20 ERA because he only pitched in three games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2004). He struggled early on his career, with multiple seasons of a 5.00 ERA or higher.
However, Beimel accounted for one of his best seasons last year with the Colorado Rockies, finishing with a 1.36 WHIP, 20 holds, and just 15 walks.
If Beimel were to be interested in joining the Phillies, he would command relatively the same amount as Dennys Reyes asked for (one-year, $1.25 million), according to MLB Trade Rumors.
He also boasts a respectable track record against the Phillies’ NL East opponents (aside from the Nationals):
Atlanta Braves: 2-1, 23.3 IP, 3.42 ERA
Florida Marlins: 2-1, 21.2 IP, 1.66 ERA
New York Mets: 0-0, 16 IP, 2.25 ERA
Washington Nationals: 0-2, 20.2 IP, 6.53 ERA
What’s your opinion on Beimel? Do you think he would be a good fit with Philadelphia?
