Phils bolster bullpen with controversial Coonrod acquisition
The Phillies have acquired an underachieving but hard-throwing righthanded reliever, and his conservative views regarding Black Lives Matter might have lent a hand to the deal.
The San Francisco Giants Saturday dealt reliever Sam Coonrod to the Phillies, who in return sent them pitching prospect Carson Ragsdale.
Coonrod, 28, regularly lit up the guns with a better than 100 mph four-seam fastball last season while averaging 98.7 on it. He also lit up the media when he was the lone player on either team who refused to take a knee during a “moment of unity” prior to the season opener between the Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers last July 23.
Afterward, according to a story Saturday by the San Jose Mercury News, Coorod subsequently told reporters: “I’m a Christian, I can’t get on board on a couple of things I’ve read about Black Lives Matter, how they lean toward Marxism and said some negative things about the nuclear family.”
He added he’d feel hypocritical by kneeling “before anything but God; Jesus Christ,” according to the story in the Mercury News, which is owned by MediaNews Group.
The story added that when asked if any of Coonrod’s up-front conservative views played into the trade, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi answered, “None at all.”
Perhaps with a nod to Coonrod’s 9.82 ERA last season in 18 appearances for the Giants, Zaidi added, “It was really a trade we made for baseball reasons.”
Coonrod lost his only two decisions during the shortened 2020 season, picking up three saves but striking out 15 batters in 14.2 innings of work. He had a much better 2019, going 5-1 with a 3.58 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 27.2 innings.
He had 20 strikeouts then against 15 walks in 33 appearances.
Coming off a season where their bullpen finished with an average ERA above 7, one of the worst collective relief performances in baseball history, the Phillies have added five relievers in recent weeks.
Coonrod is the second since new team president Dave Dombrowski came aboard in December. His other move was bringing in lefty reliever Jose Alvarado from Tampa, sending minor leaguer Garret Cleavinger to Los Angeles in a threeway deal.