Joaquin Benoit is New Phillies Closer

[LoneStarPhan]

Joaquin Benoit is new Phillies closer

I believe a change had to be made.

I hope Gomez will get things sorted out and pitch effectively in a different role in the bullpen.

[Austinfan]

This week.
Neris by July. I think they want him to develop more confidence in his splitter.
Ramos as the darkhorse.

[phillychuck]

Not after the shenanigans last night. Firmly entrenched in the doghouse now.

[Austinfan]

Things change.
It's April, by July everything will be different.

[andyb]

Neris is probably our most effective reliever but since he can get more outs than Benoit (and probably pitch more often) the team is probably better off with him in the more flexible setup role which often requires different types of uses. Benoit is a 1-inning, 3-4 time a week guy at most and the team might be hesitant to go to him too often in back to back games.

This is a good move though the reality is this team does not really have a dominant back end arm. Even Neris has some issues with throwing his splitter too much and the league adjusting a bit. It is still working, but it is also likely that he will be a little less effective compared to last year.

This team really needs a couple more hard throwing pitchers. Most teams send out a couple of pitchers who work in the 96-98 range and frankly we don't have any since we dealt Giles and Diekman. I was hoping Arano might be an arm like that though we might be waiting for Tirado. I will say that with Tirado if things click and they do move him to the bullpen he could advance really quickly and even be in Philadelphia by the end of the year. Not as a closer, but as a closer in waiting like Giles was.

[bkeich]

more often) the team is probably better off with him in the more flexible setup role which often requires different types of uses. Benoit is a 1-inning, 3-4 time a week guy at most and the team might be hesitant to go to him too often in back to back games.

This is a good move though the reality is this team does not really have a dominant back end arm. Even Neris has some issues with throwing his splitter too much and the league adjusting a bit. It is still working, but it is also likely that he will be a little less effective compared to last year.

This team really needs a couple more hard throwing pitchers. Most teams send out a couple of pitchers who work in the 96-98 range and frankly we don't have any since we dealt Giles and Diekman. I was hoping Arano might be an arm like that though we might be waiting for Tirado. I will say that with Tirado if things click and they do move him to the bullpen he could advance really quickly and even be in Philadelphia by the end of the year. Not as a closer, but as a closer in waiting like Giles was.

Ramos is one of those types of guys, although his speed is a notch lower he throws a "heavy" pitch in my opinion and has been successful. Now we just need him to not do silly things like he did yesterday, but lets not get too down on him, it was one silly action and if there hadnt been a walk, HR (and ejections) no one would have commented.

[andyb]

Ramos does at least throw 95 and I agree that whether it is heavy or if his secondary pitches are good - he does have late inning potential. I actually think I like him more long term than Neris because everyone who throws a splitter as much as Neris does tends to blow out their arm.

Which is probably as good a reason as any to have Neris be the closer eventually this year even if the flexibility he gives the manager in the setup role is also good.

Just wish we had some guys that throw in the upper 90s. Last year I would guess we were in the bottom quarter or third of bullpen velocity. We might be a little better this year with Benoit, but we still have below average velocity back there. Like it or not, the bullpen today is evolving into a bunch of pitchers that throw really hard (and probably blow out their arms in 2-3 years only to be replaced by more pitchers that throw really hard).

[David_Criss]

It has been well documented that Gomez hasn't been good since July last year. There was a reason why a closer with a super cheap price tag couldn't not find a home at the trade deadline as many saw the decline beginning.

I'm hoping Benoit pitches lights out and nets the team a couple prospects in July and then Neris takes over.

[Philsmania]

I would have preferred Neris or Ramos but it sounds like they want Neris to be their Andrew Miller put out the fire whenever and wherever it burns guy.

[LoneStarPhan]

I have favored for a long time, using the best reliever in a fireman role and for multiple (usually only 2) innings if he is capable of that. We don't know if Benoit will work out, but for now, I think this move is in the right direction.

At some point, they will want a lights out closer, but that can be addressed after this season, whether they find him in-house, trade, or free agent.

I was very hopeful last July that Gomez could be traded for a nice prospect or two. I think that he was not just validates that most scouts saw him pitch and knew he did not have the stuff to continue his success of the first half of the season. As we have often seen, many relievers have a good season here or there mixed with mediocre performances in other seasons. I don't expect that he will do anything in the next few months that will increase his trade value, which I see as nil at the present time. Now if Ed Wade were to get a GM job, maybe there would be hope.