The Philadelphia Phillies pitching outlook for 2024 heading into spring training is interesting. Four spots in the starting rotation are locked up while the fifth spot may be open to competition. Heading into spring training, Cristopher Sánchez is the front-runner to be the fifth starter, assuming the Phillies do not sign free agent Jordan Montgomery. Throughout the offseason, the Phillies have added pitchers with minor league options to the roster to create more flexibility. These acquisitions include signing Kolby Allard and David Buchanan and trading for Michael Rucker. The Phillies also claimed Max Castillo and Kaleb Ort off of waivers. In addition, the Phillies have reportedly signed Spencer Turnbull, though the team has not officially announced the move yet.
Two of the Phillies’ top pitching prospects, Mick Abel and Griff McGarry, have received spring training invitations. It is highly unlikely that either Abel or McGarry will make the Opening Day roster, however. But if at least one of them pitches well enough, they could move up this list of players who could come up in the event of an injury. Having depth and flexibility with the pitching staff and starting rotation is crucial. While it would be great to add Montgomery to the rotation, the Phillies already have one of the best in baseball. Giving Zack Wheeler a well-deserved contract extension to keep the starting rotation together beyond this season should be a top priority for Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski.
Phillies Pitching Outlook For 2024
Recent Offseason Acquisitions
It is unlikely that any of the pitchers acquired this offseason make the Phillies Opening Day roster. Still, their depth gives manager Rob Thomson the option to go with a six-man rotation if needed. The Phillies did this on multiple occasions last season when there were long stretches without an off day. Of those pitchers, Rucker has the most major league experience, having pitched in 96 games for the Chicago Cubs over the last three seasons. Last season, in 35 appearances, Rucker had a 2-1 record with a 4.91 ERA along with a 92 ERA+ and 40 strikeouts. Additionally, Rucker is the lone player in the group of offseason acquisitions without a start at the major league level. That is not a major issue though, given how teams use openers occasionally.
Turnbull is the player in the group with the most success at the major league level. In 61 career outings with the Detroit Tigers (including 60 starts), Turnbull has a 12-29 record with a 4.55 ERA as well as a 101 ERA+ and 280 strikeouts. One reason the Phillies signed Turnbull is due to previous connections with Dombrowski. In 2014, when the Tigers drafted Turnbull in the second round of the draft, Dombrowski ran the Tigers front office at the time. Turnbull is also the sole player in the group to have a career WAR above 1.0, with a career mark of 4.2. Furthermore, Turnbull has three seasons with an above-average (greater than 100) ERA+, in 2019, 2020, and 2021. However, in 2019, Turnbull led the majors in losses with 17 while recording three wins.
Buchanan’s Comeback Attempt
David Buchanan Stats from 2020-2023 for the Samsung Lions of the KBO:
113 GS | 699.2 IP | 3.02 ERA | 695 H | 235 ER | 539 K | 191 BBpic.twitter.com/bL1JdsYLhr
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) February 13, 2024
In 2014 and 2015, Buchanan pitched in 35 games, all of which were starts for the Phillies. During those two seasons, Buchanan had an 8-17 record with a 5.01 ERA as well as a 76 ERA+ and 115 strikeouts. 2014 was the better of the two seasons, as Buchanan had a 6-8 record with a 3.75 ERA, a 100 ERA+, and 71 strikeouts. Buchanan spent the 2016 season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and was released that offseason. Since then, he has been pitching in Japan in NPB and South Korea in the KBO. On Tuesday, the Phillies announced Buchanan had received a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. The past two seasons saw Buchanan make the KBO All-Star team. In 2021, he tied for the most wins in the KBO with 16.
Photo Credit: © Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK
