Could he be a bullpen answer?
The Phillies have officially moved starting pitching prospect Seth Johnson to the bullpen. Johnson, who was acquired last summer in the Gregory Soto deal with the Orioles, appeared in 8 games across the Phillies organization last year following the trade. All of those were as a starting pitcher, including one start in the Majors where Johnson allowed 9 runs in just 2.1 IP.
Johnson made four starts this year in Triple-A and had a 4.42 ERA across 18.1 IP. He made his debut out of the bullpen Tuesday night and went two hitless innings while striking out two and walking two. The Phillies believe his fastball that got up to 98 MPH as a reliever and averaged around 96 MPH last season along with his slider will play in the bullpen. The key for Johnson will be limiting walks, as he walked 11 batters during his four starts in Triple-A after posting a 12.5% walk rate in the minor leagues last season.
The Phillies bullpen could certainly use all the help it can get, as they entered play yesterday with the second worst bullpen ERA (5.70) in all of baseball. Just about every pitcher has struggled outside of Matt Strahm and José Alvarado, with offseason acquisition Jordan Romano struggling the worst. The Phillies definitely need bullpen help, especially from the right-handed side.
So, do you approve of the Phillies decision to move Seth Johnson to the bullpen? Or should they have left him as a starting pitcher? What do you need to see from him before you give him a shot in the MLB bullpen? Or if he struggles, would you move him back to being a starter?