Man, I started wondering about our Phillies pitchers this season after hearing some sports talk radio guys argue. They kept going back and forth on whether our rotation was actually strong or just lucky early on. So I figured, why not dig into the stats myself? Let’s see what the numbers really say.
Where I Started – Total Chaos
First, I gotta tell you – baseball stats are a mess. Government websites have all datas scattered everywhere like my kid’s Legos. I opened three different tabs: MLB’s official stats, FanGraphs, and Baseball Reference. Each one showed different numbers! No idea why. Almost quit right then, but brewed another coffee instead.
The Struggle Was Real
Decided to focus only on starting pitchers. Relievers got their own mess. Found ERA first – looked pretty good. Wheeler at 3.08? Nice! But then remembered ERA ain’t everything. Looked up strikeouts… and walks. Oh boy, Walker’s walk rate? 4.5 per nine innings! Nearly spit my coffee. Why didn’t they mention that on TV?
-
What tripped me up bad:
- Win-Loss records meaning nothing. Sanchez has 5 wins but his FIP is over 4. Meaning he’s getting lucky.
- Innings pitched totals didn’t match across sites. Gave up and used the middle number.
- Dumb me forgot about injuries. Ranger Suarez was hot then got hurt. Stats look weird when you include his last 3 starts.
Finally Found the Gold
Took hours but I compared last year’s numbers side by side with 2024. Wheeler is consistent as heck – just throws fire. Nola? Got hit hard early but last 6 games? ERA under 2.5! That’s Ace stuff hiding behind April’s disaster. Biggest shock? Cristopher Sánchez. Dude’s got the lowest hard-hit rate in the league. No joke.
Here’s what clicked:
- They pitch deep: Wheeler and Nola average over 6 innings. Bullpen doesn’t have to cover early exits.
- Strikeouts save runs: K% up, especially in tight spots. That’s skill, not luck.
- Weak contact: Team-wide ground ball rate is way up. Double play city.
And that shaky Walker? Guy gives up homers like candy on Halloween. Probably shouldn’t face lefty sluggers late in games. Surprise surprise.
Wrapping This Mess Up
So is the Phillies rotation strong? Heck yeah – top three are legit. Better than last year? Absolutely. Depth beyond them? Ehh… praying no injuries. But stats don’t lie: when Wheeler, Nola and Sánchez start, Philly fans can relax. Mostly.
Moral of this story? Never trust hot takes on the radio. Or neat little graphics on TV. Grab the numbers yourself – even if it ruins your Saturday morning. Worth it though. Now I actually know stuff instead of just yelling at clouds.
