The Phillies announced a series of roster moves on Tuesday, selecting the contracts of right-handers Connor Brogdon en Blake Parker. In matching moves of 40 men, Philadelphia designated foreign player / former top prospect Nick Williams and right-hander Trevor Kelley for assignment. Lawyer Nick Pivetta was also optional on the Philadelphia alternative training site.
Williams, 26, was considered one of the game’s 100 best prospects for several years, but has yet to put things in the Majors. The second round of 2012 went from Texas to Philadelphia as one of the center pieces in the Cole Hamels blockbuster, but the club never seemed to be fully sold on its capabilities. Williams did reasonably well on the record in 2017-18, hitting a combined .269 / .330 / .446 (105 wRC + and OPS +), but defensive deficits outweighed the respectable output on the record.
Once, the Phillies signed both Bryce Harper en Andrew McCutchen in the same offseasons, writing turned out to be on the walls for Williams. He stuck with the club through the 2019 season due to the fact that he had a few options left for less competition, but playing time was disappointing – even after Odubel Herrera was expelled and McCutchen tore his ACL. Williams in just 67 games and took only 112 appearances from records, and batted a sad .151 / .196 / .245 in that very limited role. A club looking for a cheap outfield floor could do less than speculate about Williams, but it may also tell him that he’s been a largely redundant piece in Philadelphia for more than a year and still needs to be traded.
Kelley, 26, appeared in four games this season with the Phils, but was tagged for four runs on eight hits and a walk in 3 1/3 frames. He has appeared in each of the past two seasons in the Majors – with the Red Sox in 2019 – but struggled in a small number of games. The former pick of the 36th round has a sharp minor league game in terms of ERA, but he has never missed a whole lot of bats as he demonstrates particularly strong control. The Phils picked him off from whom when the Red Sox appointed him in December.
With Pivetta, the 27-year-old is running in his final option year and could be good with chances with the Phils. He has long been praised for his raw abilities, but Pivetta has yet to prove he can effectively command what looks like a solid arsenal of pitches. He is envious not only for walking, hitting colleagues and wild pitches, but also for the long ball.
At its best, Pivetta sits almost 95 km / h with its fastball, drops a curve with elite spin, generates swinging strikes at a strong clip of 12 percent and averages nearly 11 punchouts per nine frames. However, those appealing traits are still fueled by inconsistencies and results that fall short of what one might otherwise expect from a pitcher with his game. Philadelphia has tried him both as a starter and reliever, and he has offered glimpses of his potential at various points without settling as a constant participant.
As for today’s two new additions, Parker is a well-known reliever who spent half of the 2019 season with the Phils. The former Angels and Twins closer has a 90s heater and a big splitter that can act as an outside pitch when he is at his best. Consistency has also been an issue for him, but the 35-year-old has a career-high 3.56 ERA, 10.1 K / 9 and 2.8 BB / 9 in 285 2/3 frames.
The 25-year-old Brogdon will make his MLB debut the first time he takes the hill. Picking up the Phillies’ 10th round pick in 2017, Brogdon skyrocketed across three levels last year, eventually setting a combined 2.61 ERA with 106-to-24 K / BB ratio (12.6 K / 9, 2.8 BB / 9) in 76 innings of relief.
