Pop quiz- Is Phelps starting or relieving in this picture? Courtesy of Getty Images
(The following is being syndicated from An A-Blog for A-Rod)
Or perhaps the more appropriate question to ask would be, IS there a plan for ? Despite performing admirably as both a starter and reliever for the Yankees this year, Phelps has been unable to nail down a set position and role on the staff, and has been shuttled from bullpen to rotation and from the Majors to the Minors almost non-stop since the season began on April 6th. Making the transition to the show is almost never easy for young players (unless you’re ), and as a pitcher with an ever-changing role it has probably been even more difficult for Phelps. Yet Phelps currently sports a very good 2.78/3.95/3.62 slash line on the year, and his 9.73 K/9 is tops on the team for pitchers who have thrown more than 45 innings this season.
At this point, the questions surrounding Phelps should have moved from the “what CAN the Yankees do with him?” to the “what SHOULD the Yankees do with him?” variety. The problem in trying to answer that question is that the Yankees don’t seem to have a clue, and the constant changing of Phelps’ role is starting to make me a little nervous. Check Phelps’ usage timeline from the start of the regular season:
- Worked as the teams’ primary long reliever from the start of the season through April 28th, allowing 7 earned runs on 12 hits and 7 walks while striking out 14 in 17.1 innings pitched over 6 appearances.
- Replaced in the rotation on April 30th and made 2 starts on May 3rd and May 9th, allowing 2 ER on 9 H and 4 BB while striking out 8 in 8.2 IP. Was on a pitch count in both outings.
- Moved back to the bullpen on May 11th to make room for ‘s return to the rotation. Made 5 more relief appearances from May 14th through June 2nd, allowing 2 ER on on 10 H and 2 BB while striking out 7 in 7.1 IP.
- Optioned to High-A on June 14th after not pitching in a game since June 2nd to make room for ‘s return to the bullpen. Planned to be stretched back out as a starter.
- Made 2 MiL starts for High-A Tampa on June 21st and 25th, allowing 0 ER on 7 H and 1 BB while striking out 5 in 5.1 IP.
- Recalled by the Yankees on June 29th. Made a 3.1-inning relief appearance of and allowed 2 ER on 4 H and 1 BB while striking out 5.
- Replaced Adam Warren in the rotation and made the next start in Warren’s spot on July 4th, allowing 1 ER on 2 H and 3 BB while striking out 8 in 4.1 IP. Was on a pitch count again.
- Optioned to Double-A on July 5th to continue to stretch back out as a starter. Made 2 MiL starts, 1 each for Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Empire State, allowing 0 ER on 5 H and 4 BB while striking out 18 in 13.1 IP.
- Recalled by the Yankees on July 19th. Made 2 relief appearances since then, allowing 0 ER on 0 H and 0 BB while striking out 7 in 4.0 IP.
By my count, that’s 6 swaps from starter to reliever or vice versa in less than 4 months. Phelps has a relatively clean injury history, and built up a solid innings count in his earlier MiL career, but that’s still a little too many role changes for my liking. The Yankees have a very poor recent track record when it comes to shuttling their young pitchers between roles, one littered with uneven performance and serious injuries. Phelps is now looking like the latest Yankee pitching prospect to break into the Majors via this yo-yo strategy and it’s getting to the point that the logic in making these decisions is starting to become questionable.
Phelps being sent down the first time in June to work as a starter made sense. The Yankee rotation was on a hot streak, the bullpen was performing well, and Phelps is obviously more valuable to the organization as a starter than a reliever. To a certain degree, bringing him back up to cover for Warren was a good move too. There was no way Warren could be allowed to start again after he got beat up the way he did, and with Garcia already in the rotation and CC and Andy on the shelf, Phelps was the next best replacement option, fully stretched out as a starter or not.
This recent pair of send down/call up moves is where the train starts to come off the tracks. After having his best 2 outings of the season, at any level, in his starts for Trenton and Empire State, Phelps was recalled by the Yankees last Thursday to once again get thrown into the bullpen mix. The argument could have been made that Phelps was a better starting option than Garcia at the time, and it would have made sense to insert him into that spot given that he was already on the same schedule as Freddy. Garcia helped support that argument by throwing his second straight “meh” outing in Oakland on Thursday. Phelps threw 27 pitches as Garcia’s caddy that night, and then just 19 in 1.2 innings of extra-inning relief on Sunday to effectively undo all the work he did in the Minors to get back up to a starter’s workload.
I understand that the most important thing at the Major League level is to win games, and the players on the 25-man roster should be used in a way that gives the team the best chance to do that. I also agree with the idea that any Major League experience gained by a rookie is valuable, and Phelps has surely gotten tons of good on-the-job training this season. But in looking at Phelps, I see a pitcher who has steadily improved as the season has gone on, be it as a starter or reliever, in the Majors or in the Minors, and is pitching absolutely lights out right now. In 5 July appearances, Phelps is pitching to a 21.1 IP, 7 H, 1 ER, 7 BB, 33 K line. That kind of production is worthy of more than a caddy job to Garcia or an early yank from an extra-innings game to match up with a lefty.
The fact that Phelps was sent down to begin working as a starter again only to be called up and used as a short reliever again makes me question why he was even sent down in the first place. The Yankees don’t seem to have an idea of how they want to use Phelps right now, and the message being sent by the way they are using him is that they don’t see Phelps as a better staring option than Garcia, despite the numbers suggesting otherwise, and that Joe Girardi doesn’t see him as a better relief option than Rapada or , despite recent performance suggesting otherwise.
Phelps is seemingly being undervalued by his own team at the moment, and I’d hate to see this flip-flopping usage of him negatively affect his career. Phelps can be a key contributor to the Yankee pitching staff, but utilizing him in this way limits his possible contributions. Phelps also could very well be the biggest trade asset the Yankees have right now, if they are serious about making another move, and whether they brought Phelps back up to showcase him to potential trade partners or not, the manner in which they have used him in the past 5 days likely did nothing to help his value as a trade piece or a member of the current pitching staff.
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7 Responses to What’s The Plan For David Phelps?
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TIQ IQ
Great article. You brought out some points that were bothering me and hit them right on the head.
Phelps, right now, gives me a lot more confidence coming in games than Eppley, Wade, or Rapada, and lately even Boone.
It is obvious that Phelps hasn’t completely gained Girardi’s confidence in the pen, yet. Or that he was gaining it, then lost it, a little.
Also, it is obvious that Girardi prefers the veteran Garcia over the youngster Phelps, in starting, despite any numbers indicating otherwise.
However, my biggest concern is that the Yankees are keeping him from filling a niche, because they see him as a trade chip to get some needed piece, at the deadline.
I think this would be a big mistake, and I would very much miss seeing Phelps pitch as a Yankee for the next couple of years. I think that he has what it takes to be a winner and a solid contributer to a winning team.
I would hate to see Phelps join the club of Tyler Clippard, Aceves, etc. Good pieces getting away–some for almost nothing.
Aceves is a completely different situation than Clippard, and what Phelps would be. I also see nothing really special in Phelps, so while I don’t want to see him traded for a middle reliever I wouldn’t be hurt if they traded him for someone who can contribute.
I believe I recall hearing this same old song before when it came to Ivan. There seems to be a lockstep mindset by too many about how a prospect “projects” and a resistance to admitting that initial projection was flat out wrong. Phelps already IS contributing This article is spot on. His career as SP is being wrecked and his value is undermined by burying him in the pen — and swapping him back and forth between the two is counterproductive to his long-term success in either role. Personally, I DO see something special about him and I think he’s an obvious upgrade to Freddy. But for the love of Brian, if we’re going to insist on riding Freddy as a SP to the end of his contract then send the kid down once and for all to continue his development as a SP. Well done, Brad.
I never said I didn’t think he could be a starter in this league, or that he hadn’t contributed. He just doesn’t have enough upside for me to get too upset if he gets traded at some point. He has 3 upside but I think he’ll probably settle in somewhere lower in the rotation as a likely 4, but even if he becomes a 3 that doesn’t make him untouchable. Before the season started people were upset about trading Noesi because he had so much upside, so not every prospect we have in an untradeable asset we’ve undervalued.
Chris, there very little perfect analogies in life, but a lot of similar ones.
Yeah, I know the whole story about how Aceves was let go. His dumb reinjurying himself on the bike, his troublesome ways lobbying the yankees constantly for a try at starting, etc. etc.
The bottom line was that he was a good pitcher undervalued by the Yankees. His “projections” weren’t that hot. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
He was a good pitcher, he still is a good pitcher for the Sox, and he saved the Yankee middle relief in the 2009 WS run. Let go for nothing.
I agree with you said. HOwever, I think it may be Phelps continued improvement that has made the Yankees indecisive with him. As you said, hes pitched much better than alot of the Yankees bullpen guys and Freddy. I dont think the Yankees expected that and are now probably hoping it works itself out (poor performance or injury) before they have to get rid of someone or move Freddy, thereby forfitting some depth.
It does seem that he has pitched well enough to force Freddy back to the pen. It seems silly to let their 36yr old junk baller, number 5 starter to stand in the way of Phelps much longer. I think they are just riding out the situation as long as they can to keep depth. As Petite and Joba’s return get closer, I think they will give Phelps a definative roll in the next week or so. Sending Freddy back to the pen makes the most sence as thats where hes going when Petite comes back anyway. If he keeps pitching as well as he has, he has nothing to worry about.
I think the Yankees and their fans need to exercise a little patience with Phelps. He came into the season as a promising prospect, and established himself as a dependable middle reliever and 8th starter (behind CC, Nova, Pineda, Kuroda, Hughes, Garcia, and Pettitte). And he’s slowly working himself up through the depth chart.
And I think the reason the Yanks have sent him down a couple of times is to get him enough work, because he was languishing in the crowded bullpen for weeks at a time without pitching.
My hope is that the Yankees will hang onto Phelps, and that next year, he will continue his progress as a solid middle reliever, and hopefully the 5th or 6th spot starter, and eventually become a permanent starter in the Yankee rotation.