Back in 2019 when general manager Matt Klentak acquired Mike Morin, Blake Parker and Jared Hughes mid-season the people of Philadelphia clamored for velocity.
“Screw soft contact,” we said. “Screw throwing 92 mph.”
So when Dave Dombrowski headed up the front office and acquired Sam Coonrod, Gregory Soto and Corey Knebel, it seemed as if the organization had turned a corner and caught up with the baseball world.
Of course, we learned, velocity isn’t all it takes to be a great reliever. Sure José Alvarado has been great primarily due to his fireballing sinker/cutter combo—most pitchers can’t survive without a true breaking ball—but compared to soft-tosser Matt Strahm, his swing-and-miss numbers in 2024 are merely pedestrian.