The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen? It’s a disaster. They lost Brad Keller for the season. Every other reliever has been inconsistent or worse. It’s time to stop waiting and give Alex McFarlane a real shot. The team needs help now, not later.
A Killer Strikeout Rate
McFarlane has the stuff to get big league hitters out. He’s posted a 2.06 ERA across 32 appearances this season. That’s an incredibly low number for a pitcher. According to MLB.com Phillies, he’s struck out 47 batters in just 35 innings. That’s more than one strikeout per inning. He’s the No. 17-ranked prospect per reports. The talent is clearly there. The team has called him up twice but only used him for one inning. That’s not a fair test of his ability.
One inning.
How can you judge a prospect on a single frame when he’s dominating the minors with 47 strikeouts?
The Walk Problem Is Real
There’s one major issue holding him back. He walks too many batters. McFarlane has issued 18 free passes in his 35 innings of work. For his minor league career, he’s posted a walk rate of at least 12% every year since 2023. The team hasn’t promoted him to Triple-A because of this. But the Phillies have run out of other options. They’ve churned through many names on the 40-man roster. The trade deadline is coming fast. They can’t afford to keep him on the bench while the bullpen burns.
Time To Take The Risk
The Phillies must decide what they need most. They could trade prospects for a reliever, but their farm system has few blue-chip prospects left. They might have to look for a modest upgrade to the lineup instead. Or they could just count on McFarlane to step up. He’s already started his service clock since they carried him on the major league roster twice. The time may be approaching where the Phillies will have to give him a bigger role. They should see what he has with extended use in the Majors right now. The risk of walking a few batters is worth the reward of getting strikeouts.
Do you think McFarlane can handle the pressure of the Phillies bullpen? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
