The Phillies Finally Have Their Ninth-Inning Stabilizer

Behind the light show, cinematic intro, and roaring crowd stands one of the best closers in baseball.

Jhoan Duran has been nothing short of spectacular for the Philadelphia Phillies following his move to the club at the 2025 MLB trade deadline. The Phillies paid a steep price for their star closer, parting with Just Baseball’s current No. 56 in catcher Eduardo Tait, as well as righty Mick Abel.

While they forked over a pricey package, they have finally established stability and consistency in their back end of the bullpen for the first time in their contending window. Philadelphia has not had an elite closer since Jonathan Papelbon left the club over a decade ago.

Not many people would believe in trading two highly rated prospects for a bullpen arm, but the Phillies are more than happy with the deal, acquiring a top closer with multiple years of a club control.

Stats were taken prior to play on May 21.

Phillies Bullpen Before Duran

At the turn of the decade, the Phillies felt they were breaking through their rebuild finally. In 2020, the team was desperately seeking a closer. They brought in successful arms in Heath Hembree, Brandon Workman, and David Phelps, who all faltered as Phillies. The team ranked dead last in ninth inning ERA at 7.83 and blew 13 saves in a 60 game season.

The Phillies made some changes in the bullpen, but ultimately 2021 was more of the same. The club ranked 29th in ninth inning ERA and blew 34 saves that season, leading to the demise of a season where Philadelphia had stronger expectations.

Aside from 2023, where the Phillies bullpen excelled in their closer-by-committee role, the team has been a middling team in terms of ninth-inning pitching.

For many years, the Phillies have avoided naming any of their relievers as the closer. They have had productive back-end relievers, such as Seranthony Dominguez, Jose Alvarado, David Robertson, and others, but they have overall avoided the term ‘closer’ over the years.

Duran’s Instant Impact

When they acquired the flamethrower from the Minnesota Twins, Duran instantly stepped into that distinct closer role the Phillies had been lacking for the past decade.

In that role with the Phillies, Duran has been lights out. Upon his arrival in 2025, Duran finished the season with a 2.18 ERA as a Phillies, displaying his elite stuff.

The 6-foot-5 righty features a fastball that sits around 100 mph, as well as a highly rated splitter that sits in the high 90s. He also mixes in a knuckle curve, a sweeper, and a changeup.

Hitters struggle to catch up to his high velocity, which currently ranks in the 97th percentile according to Baseball Savant, while he tunnels the splitter and sweeper off it. His high velocity and strong late movement leading to a 39.2% whiff rate.

Philadelphia was ecstatic with what they saw from Duran in his first year in the City of Brotherly Love, as he posted a 0.919 WHIP, with a 27 K/BB ratio. The Phillies had found a reliable, consistent, and dominant arm to solidify the ninth-inning for years to come.

In 2026, it’s been more of the same for the Dominican closer. He currently sports a 1.42 ERA and is seeing a career-best in many categories. Duran is striking out 14.92 hitters per nine, which is the fifth-highest mark among relievers with at least 10 innings pitched, and he is allowing just 5.7 hits per nine. Those are the best marks of his career.

Duran has given up more hard contact thus far compared to previous seasons, but a lot of it has been on the ground, as he is among the highest ground ball percentage pitchers in all of baseball (62.5%, fourth among relievers).

Despite missing some time due to injury, the Phillies star has a 0.7 fWAR in just 12.2 innings of work. The advanced numbers echo his elite performance, as he sports a 0.98 FIP, with an incredible 304 ERA+.

The acquisition of a closer like Duran does not just improve the outlook of the ninth inning for Philadelphia, it allows the Phillies to have more defined roles and certainty for their leverage relievers. Players like Orion Kerkering, Brad Keller, and Jose Alvarado know their role as setup men as opposed to being thrown into the closer role for random periods of time.

What It Means in October

Another reason for excitement was Duran’s postseason performance. Albeit just three appearances, he showed poise and confidence that led the Phillies to believe he will be a shutdown closer for them in their quest to finally top the baseball world in the Bryce Harper era.

In those three appearances, Duran tossed 3.2 innings while fanning seven hitters without allowing a run. In 2023, he made one postseason run with Minnesota, where he logged five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six.

Though it’s a small sample size, he has proven to be able to handle the bright lights and the high-leverage postseason situations.

Duran has not looked back since joining the Phillies, establishing himself as one of the premier young closers in baseball, with another year of arbitration control remaining. One of the best closers to come through Philadelphia in quite some time, Duran is a name that Phillies brass will be looking to lock up long-term in the near future.