Philadelphia Phillies: Phillippe Aumont’s First Impression

Phillippe Aumont’s struggle with control was evident in his major league debut Thursday night against the Cincinnati Reds.

Most notably, on two 2-2 counts, Aumont failed to get a breaking ball across the plate—not by a little bit, either. When he threw balls, he may as well have missed by a mile.

Those are the kinds of mistakes that will keep him in the minor leagues. In such situations, when the pitcher makes that mistake, he forces himself into a 3-2 fastball count.

If it wasn’t for a spectacular play by Jimmy Rollins, Aumont would have found himself in some trouble.

Why did he struggle?

Granted, it was only one inning, but Aumont’s delivery looked inconsistent. That’s probably why he has the issues he does.

However, it wasn’t all bad. Aumont’s velocity was definitely there—something he can build on.

In fact, a few of his fastballs had quite a bit of bite on them.

Nonetheless, Aumont needs to have better control—especially with his breaking ball. Otherwise, his time with the big club will be short-lived.

As it stands, based on Aumont’s performance, the Phillies will have to seek bullpen depth via free agency. 

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