Could Joe Savery Be the Left-Handed Relief Pitcher the Philadelphia Phillies Need?

You might recall the name Joe Savery from the article I wrote earlier this season, highlighting Savery’s career in which he was a first-round draft pick in ’07, reached Triple-A last year, but struggled so much that he switched to hitting and tried a comeback this year. He’s since reached Triple-A again, but he didn’t hit well in Double-A Reading and now has turned his focus back to pitching, although it’s relief pitching this time. Savery thrived in Reading in limited appearances as a lefty reliever, pitching nine innings, while striking out 14 and not walking a batter. He has a 2-0 record and 0.69 ERA in three different levels of the minor league this year with 16 strikeouts to just one walk in 13 innings. Apparently he is reaching 94 miles per hour on his fastball after topping out at just 90 last year. Antonio Bastardo is the main left-handed reliever on the Phillies right now, and he’s everything the Phillies ever could have dreamed of – a closer, a setup man, a dynamic reliev...