Brogdon Will Grow Into High Leverage Role for Philadelphia Phillies

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Phillies
By Alex Carr | Last updated 6/12/22

When the Philadelphia Phillies appointed Rob Thomson as manager, a few factors of the 2022 Phillies discernibly changed:

Clubhouse morale seemed to drastically improve, the Phillies' younger players began seeing exponentially more playing time, and among the most noticeable of shifts, the Phillies; bullpen management plan seemed to flip turn.

Relievers like Andrew Bellatti and James Norwood began seeing less time on the field, each receiving just two appearances over the Phillies' last three series, while Connor Brogdon’s workload has increased drastically. In fact, it’s become apparent that Thomson has begun to slowly introduce the 27-year-old into a high-leverage role.

What makes the Phillies’ manager so sure Brogdon is well suited for later-inning appearances, one might ask?

Brogdon boasts a pitch mix which is effective against both lefties and righties alike. His changeup works exceptionally well against hitters on both sides of the plate, and he mixes in his cutter to steal strikes, or to go inside on lefties for the strikeout.

The young right-hander was also, by quite a margin, the Phillies best reliever in 2021. His 2.92 xERA and 0.8 fWAR made for the best marks on the club, surpassing even those of Ranger Suárez and Héctor Neris.

Three of Brogdon’s last four appearances have come in the eighth inning or later. His first two "holds" of the season each came during his last two appearances against the Diamondbacks and Brewers.

Connor Brogdon’s rise is timely, and has Phillies fans breathing a sigh of relief that his poor start to the season was merely a blip on the radar.

Thanks to Major League Baseball’s lockout, which ceased communication between MLB and its players, Brogdon had a hard time ramping up heading into spring training. His fastball velocity, which averaged 96.1 mph during the 2021 season and touched 99 in spurts, was hardly cresting 93, and his typically sharp command had all but evaporated.

His struggles were apparent enough that Brogdon was demoted to Triple-A on April 14. There, he worked to rediscover his command, as well as his velocity, and ended up posting a solid 1.35 ERA across 6.2 innings, striking out a whopping 13 batters.

Since his return to the majors, Brogdon has easily sat 95-97 on his fastball, and has regained form of his ever-important secondaries in his changeup and cutter. In his 11.1 innings back with the big club, Brogdon has a logged a 1.59 ERA, striking out 15 batters, and holding opponents to a measly .296 slugging percentage.

For a Phillies bullpen that is starved for premium arms, Connor Brogdon has become a true saving grace. His dependability, consistency, and impressive stuff has earned him this promotion as a stopper type, and it’s easy to see a path for him to grow into the role as he matures.