Philadelphia Phillies: 4 In-House Names to Replace Kyle Kendrick in the Rotation
July 2, 2012 by Marilee Gallagher
Filed under Fan News
It has always been known that, when you go somewhere, it is not polite to “overstay your welcome.” Well, unfortunately for the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher Kyle Kendrick does not seem like the courteous type.
It should be obvious to all fans, media and anyone else that Kendrick has overstayed his welcome in Philadelphia. It is time for the team to cut their losses and move forward with a new pitcher to anchor the rotation.
In the past few years, Kendrick has been given chance after chance to stick with the big league club. He has been used as a spot starter and long reliever in the bullpen with some success, but when it comes to cracking the starting staff, KK just can’t seem to put it together.
That’s not to say he’s been completely useless with the Phillies. He has had good seasons in the past, including a stellar rookie campaign in 2007 which helped push the Phils into the playoffs. Kendrick went 10-4, winning 13 of his 18 starts. In the postseason, he was the No. 2 pitcher on the roster.
Ever since then, however, Kendrick has been up and down. He has been to the minors and back more times than one should care to count, and has never been particularly effective.
In all his years though, he has not been as bad as he has in 2012.
Kendrick’s season, as has been his career, is marked with incredible inconsistency. He is 2-8 on the season with 52 strikeouts and a 5.35 ERA. The 2012 season also saw him throw his first ever complete game shutout.
With as many issues as the Phillies have had with their starting staff this year, they need to supplant someone in the fifth spot that can give them consistency and a chance to win—something Kendrick has not done in recent starts.
If they hope to make the playoffs, they need to seek pitching help from someone else, perhaps an arm in the minor leagues.