Steady Eickhoff a rock in Phils rotation
Righty made mark as workhorse in ’16
Entering his second full season in the majors, Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickhoff might as well be called Mr. Reliable.
Because of his pitching style — Eickhoff won’t blow 96-mph fastballs past batters or rack up scores of double-digit strikeout games — he can be easy to overlook when discussing the better starting pitchers in the National League.
It doesn’t help that when Eickhoff made his major league debut in late August 2015, the Phillies were on their way to owning the worst record in baseball. They remained among the bottom third last season.
An analysis of starts, innings pitched, ERA, strikeout-to-walk ratio, WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) and ERA+, which accounts for external factors such as ballparks and opponents, shows he was darn good in 2016.
Eickhoff, 26, was a workhorse in his first full year in the rotation. He started 33 games, tossed 1971⁄ innings (a rain delay in his penulti- mate start thwarted his shot at reaching 200 innings), posted a 3.65 ERA, a 3.98 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 1.160 WHIP and 113 ERA+. Anything above 100 is better than the league average.
Do you know how many other pitchers posted numbers better than those while throwing at least as many innings and making as many starts as Eickhoff? Four — American League Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello, AL Cy Young runner-up Justin Verlander, NL Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and Madison Bumgarner.
“I’ve always been a big proponent of slow and steady wins the race,” Eickhoff says. “It’s all about staying in that bubble. Knowing what I can do and just try to go as deep in the game as I can and keep us in the game. That’s all I care about.”
His stats show that Eickhoff stayed healthy, pitched deep into games, was typically effective in keeping runners off the bases and limited the damage when runners did get on, all without relying on strikeouts.
Only three other Phillies pitchers have had equal or better seasons judging by those same metrics — Roy Halladay (2010), Curt Schilling (1997 and 1998) and Jim Bunning (1965).
It’s worth noting, however, that all three amassed at least 205 strikeouts in those seasons. Eickhoff struck out 167 last year. So why does this matter? A consistent pitcher like Eickhoff is exactly the stabilizing force the Phillies need in their rotation. They already have two veterans, Jeremy Hellickson and Clay Buchholz, along with two high-upside youngsters, Vince Velasquez and Aaron Nola. All four of those pitchers have questions surrounding them coming into this season.
Although Velasquez and Nola have higher ceilings, it’s hard to dispute Eickhoff’s importance if the rotation is going to collectively be good in 2017. He’s on track to be slotted as the Phillies’ No. 2 starter.
“Making every start is a priority for me,” Eickhoff says. “If I’m making every start and knowing what I think I can do, I think that will get me over that 200-inning mark. I think that’s just the starting point for me every year.”
Eickhoff is the perfect complement for the four other starters, and his track record (44 career starts over 11⁄ seasons) suggests it’s not a fluke. He has been a quality start machine. His 20 starts during 2016 in which he pitched at least six innings and allowed three or fewer runs matched New York Mets star Noah Syndergaard. Fourteen major leaguers posted more quality starts than Eickhoff, led by Verlander’s 27.
Plus, Eickhoff’s teammates love playing behind him. They know what to expect every time he steps on the mound.
“He always controls the strike zone, and he knows how to go about his business,” shortstop Freddy Galvis says. “It’s easy for us to anticipate plays because we already know what he’s going to do.”
The best part is that Eickhoff can still get better. He has been working on improving his changeup, a pitch he used 5.2% of the time last year. Having a solid fourth option would allow the right-hander to mix his pitches more the third time through the opponent’s lineup, where he tended to run into trouble last year.
Eickhoff understands his approach and style of pitching might not stand out in today’s game, but he has embraced it.
“Sometimes it’s not seen as cool, but it’s cool for me,” Eickhoff says.
Montemurro writes for The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network.