Predicting the Phillies Starting Rotation in 2022

There's an old saying in baseball that you'll commonly hear around late September to October that goes, "pitching wins championships."

Whether or not this is true is up for debate, but it's certainly no secret that the Philadelphia Phillies need to upgrade their pitching staff this offseason in order for them to even dream about going deep into the postseason next year.

So, what could a new and improved Phillies starting rotation look like in 2022?

RHP Zack Wheeler

Wheeler has pitched to Cy Young-caliber levels in 2021, so it's natural to expect a bit of a regression in 2022. Either way, he will still be at the top of the Phillies rotation and helping them to make leeway in the National League East come next year.

Let's hope he can replicate what he has accomplished in 2021, which consists of a 14-10 W-L record, 2.78 ERA, three complete games, two shutouts, and a major-league leading 247 strikeouts in 213.1 IP. Needless to say, he's been worth every penny of his 5 yr/$118M contract thus far.

RHP Aaron Nola

To say that Nola has had a disappointing season in 2021 would be an understatement. He's had difficulty finding any type of consistency except completely falling apart come the fifth or sixth inning in repeated starts.

Opposite of Wheeler, it's safe to assume that Nola would bounce back somewhat in 2022. Despite his struggles, he's also showed flashes of greatness this season. On April 18, he tossed his first career nine-inning complete game shutout versus the St. Louis Cardinals, and on June 25, he struck out ten consecutive New York Mets to tie the all-time record held by Hall-of-Famer Tom Seaver.

The thing is, Nola was either reaching new heights, or sinking hard and fast in his appearances. There was no in-between for the 28-year-old, and that's what he needs to work on for 2022: finding consistency and regaining his command in order to produce quality starts.

RHP Marcus Stroman

The Phillies should highly consider acquiring free agent Stroman from the Mets this offseason because he would be a solid #3 starter. In 33 starts this season for New York, he's produced a 3.02 ERA, 1.145 WHIP, and 158 strikeouts in 179.0 IP.

Stroman would be a bit of an upgrade from Zach Eflin as a #3, as Eflin, whose 2021 season was cut short due to injury, was 4-7 in 18 starts, produced a 4.17 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 1.249 WHIP, and 99 strikeouts in 105.2 IP.

This article further explains why the Phillies just may decide to move on from Eflin, and therefore, a vacant spot would remain in the rotation. Stroman could potentially fill that opening and do so with flying colors.

RHP Kyle Gibson

Gibson, acquired at the 2021 trade deadline by the Phillies from the Texas Rangers, has largely fulfilled his role for the club. The 33-year-old was never meant to be a top of the rotation piece, and that's okay. Gibson satisfies being a #4 just fine.

Although he knows how to work up a pitch count rather fast, he does supply the Phils with innings, which is something they desperately needed and was a big part of why he was acquired. He's not a big strikeout pitcher and relies on groundballs more often than not, which is another reason why improving the defense in 2022 is crucial.

LHP Ranger Suárez

Probably the biggest success story surrounding the 2021 Phillies is Suárez. He has been absolutely fantastic for Philadelphia this season, as both a reliever and starter. And typically, when the Phils have bounced players around to different roles, it hasn't worked out, but Suárez has transitioned into the rotation seamlessly.

In 11 starts, he is 2-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 58.2 IP. On Sept. 25, he went above and beyond, tossing a "Maddux," a complete-game shutout against the Pittsburgh Pirates, in which he needed just 97 pitches.

Suárez has certainly impressed as a starter, and it would be wise of the Phillies to let this be his permanent role come next season. His success continuing well into 2022 would tremendously help the Phils' playoff hopes.

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