Lehigh Valley IronPigs' starting pitcher Tyler Cloyd has been named the International League's Most Valuable Starting Pitcher for the 2012 season.
Cloyd, 25, has posted a 12-1 record with the IronPigs, the Phillies Triple-A affiliate, with a 2.35 ERA, 93 strikeouts and 38 walks in 142 innings pitched. He began the season in Double-A Reading, where he was 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in 25 innings pitched.
With all five spots in the Phillies 2013 rotation apparently spoken for, it will be interesting to see how the Phillies handle Cloyd, who does not have the swing-and-miss stuff that would necessarily play well in the bullpen. Given his relatively advanced age, it is unlikely that we will see much upside improvement from the right hander.
Nevertheless, it has been a hell of a season for Cloyd, and there are really much worse problems for a franchise to have than figuring out what to do with guys like him.