Sometimes it is tough to believe that just four years ago, the Phillies pitching rotation included guys like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt. Oh, how things change. The Phillies 2015 pitching rotation saw a lot of shuffling thanks to injuries, trades and struggles. Entering the year, it seemed as if the rotation would be Hamels, Billingsley, Buchanan, Williams and Harang. There's a good chance none of them will be in the Phillies rotation next season, with the exception of David Buchanan, who has a lot to prove after a rough season bouncing back between the bigs and Triple-A. At the end of the year, the rotation included four rookies in Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Adam Morgan and Alec Asher. In today's installment of the 2015 Season in Review, we will focus upon rookie southpaw Adam Morgan and second year starter, David Buchanan.
Morgan, once highly regarded in the Phillies system, was 17 months removed from anterior rotator interval lesion surgery on his left shoulder when he got word that he was promoted to the Phillies to make his Major League debut on June 21st against the St. Louis Cardinals. Morgan, 25, provided depth in the rotation, especially after the Phillies dealt Cole Hamels and lost Chad Billingsley to injury. While Morgan's 4.48 ERA may not turn too many heads, his fastball control improved greatly as the season progressed and held opposing teams to three runs or less in 10 of his 15 starts.
In his Major League debut against the Cardinals, he impressed, hurling 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the Phillies 9-2 victory, striking out six and walking two.
In July, he held opponents to two runs or less in three out of his six starts before posting a 3-2 record and a 4.01 ERA in August. Morgan didn't finish the season extremely well and was shut down for the year after his final start on September 18th against the Braves. He had allowed 10 runs in the previous 11 1/3 innings, but allowed just two runs in six innings during the Phillies 2-1 loss in Atlanta.
When it comes to future plans for Morgan, he definitely has showed enough to warrant competition for a spot in a Phillies rotation that is pretty open as of now for 2016. His arm surgery kept his velocity from being a big factor, with his fastball averaging at 89.58mph according to Brooks Baseball. Morgan's specialty is mixing his pitches with his best breaking ball being his slider. He threw it 290 times this season and had a 20.34% swing and miss percentage, the most of all of his pitches.
Meanwhile, David Buchanan's future with the Phillies is an unknown. His minor league stats are good from 2015, sporting a 4-2 record to go along with a 2.80 ERA, but Buchanan's role at the beginning of the year was in the Phillies rotation, not the Ironpigs. In 20 starts with the Phillies in 2014, Buchanan posted a strong 3.75 ERA but 2015 was a much different story.
The 26-year-old right-hander was demoted to Triple-A after a horrid April in red pinstripes. He went 0-5 with an ERA of 8.76. After spending some time in Triple-A and on the disabled list with a high ankle sprain, the Phillies recalled Buchanan in early July, where he started three games, holding opposing teams to three runs or less in all three outings. August proved to be Buchanan's undoing. In two starts, spanning 5 2/3 innings, he surrendered 18 earned runs, good for an ERA of 28.59. Those two performances warranted another demotion to Triple-A, where he posted four strong starts, holding teams to two runs or less in three of them.
The Phillies recalled Buchanan in September and the results were better, but still not enough to secure himself in the teams' future, beyond a long relief role. In four September starts, Buchanan went 0-2 with a 3.79 ERA, but only lasted more than five innings in one of those outings. His season concluded on a good note against the Marlins. He tossed 6 2/3 innings and allowed one earned run in the Phils 6-2 win.
While Adam Morgan looks to have a strong chance to crack the big league rotation, Buchanan will have to do a lot in spring training to prove he belongs there. It would be very encouraging to see him rebound and fight for a spot in 2016, but he'll likely begin the year in the Triple-A rotation.
Brandon Apter, Managing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
