© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
What Should the Phillies Expect from Alvarado?
When the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jose Alvarado from the Tampa Bay Rays in Dec. 2020, it seemed like a solid pick-up.
The acquisition appeared even more promising when the left-hander was pumping out 98-100 mph during 2021 spring training, especially following a season where the Phillies had one of the worst bullpens in major league history.
During the regular season, though, it started to become much more clear why the Rays were willing to part with the Venezuelan reliever. His walk-rate was a whopping 7.6 through 55.2 innings, and he pitched to a 4.20 ERA and 4.80 FIP in 2021.
Alvarado walks an unseemly amount of batters, making for agonzing high-leverage appearances. However, Manager Joe Girardi has stuck by Alvarado in 2022—having already appeared in 13 games thus far—including entering back-to-back games with the bases loaded vs. the New York Mets earlier in the month. Girardi was rewarded with a strong performance the first occasion, but second was tenuous at best. He allowed a passed ball and hit that gave the Mets the lead.
Alvarado was shaky in his outing on Wednesday against the Seattle Mariners, allowing a run, a hit, two walks and nearly surrendering the Phillies 4-2 lead. That's what made it all the more curious on Thursday when Girardi decided to bring in Alvarado to face the heart of the Los Angeles Dodgers' fearsome lineup. Alvarado allowed four runs on five hits that tied the game at seven, and he was unable to get more than one out.
Alvarado is unpredictable; If there's one thing Phillies fans have learned during his tenure here, it's that. His ERA rests at 7.45 on the season, while his FIP is 2.19. Although he throws hard, his command seems to change each time he's out on the mound.
This could be due in part to the change in his pitch arsenal—the usage of his cutter is up this season, he now uses the same grip for that and his primary pitch, the sinker.
When Alvarado is in-form, he's dominant, as represented by his 11.1 career K/9 and .290 wOBA in 198 career innings pitched. His lefty arm out of the bullpen is probably one the Phillies would like to keep around, too. However, his ever-changing command and inconsistency might not make him the best candidate for high-leverage spots moving forward.
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