Coonrod Isn't the Same Pitcher He Was Last Season

Midway through the 2022 season, Philadelphia Phillies fans had a moment of realization. The Phillies bullpen was, dare I say it... good?

After years of blown saves, late-inning losses, and close contests that turned into tire fires, Philadelphia finally had a strong core of relievers who could effectively close out ballgames. 

Over the past few weeks, unfortunately, things haven't looked quite so rosy. Seranthony Domínguez hit the injured list for a three weeks with triceps soreness and struggled in one of his first games back. Corey Knebel is done for the season. David Robertson has been showing signs of fatigue. 

One reason for optimism was the return of Sam Coonrod. Coonrod had been on the IL all season with a shoulder strain. He returned on Aug. 19, and the Phillies hoped he could resume his role from last year as a solid middle-innings reliever. 

Across his first four appearances, it looked like that might be the case. In five innings, he held the opposition scoreless, striking out six and allowing just one hit. 

Since then, however, he has given up eight runs in seven games. In his most recent outing, he allowed two runs to the Atlanta Braves. His ERA has ballooned to 5.40. 

Sad to say, it looks that Coonrod has not yet returned to full strength. His two primary pitches, a four-seam fastball and a sinker, have lost both velocity and movement. His four-seam in particular has been a far less effective out-pitch. 

Meanwhile, he seems to have replaced his slider with a cutter. The new pitch is a few miles-per-hour faster than his slider, and so there is significantly less of a difference between Coonrod's fastballs and his go-to secondary pitch. The new cutter, therefore, has been less successful at generating swings and misses.