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2019 Phillies in Review: Hector Neris

The physical embodiment of “yin” and “yang”

Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images

The Numbers

67.2 IP, 28 SV, 22 ER, 2.93 ERA, 89 K, 24 BB, 1.020 WHIP, 1.0 fWAR

The Good

Neris did have a relatively good season, for him. In 68 appearances he tallied a career-high 28 saves. His 22 earned runs were also a four-year low.

At times, he was fantastic.

He was successful even when called upon to pitch more than one inning, getting the save or the win in seven of his nine multi-inning appearances.

The Bad

I just sighed heavily. Hector Neris never makes anything easy. Along with the really good games there are always really bad ones. In 2019 he blew a career-high six saves. His previous career-high was four in 2016. He also earned a career-high six losses.

He even makes the wins as difficult as possible, often giving up runs or allowing multiple baserunners before recording the final out. When he does finally record a save, we all feel like this Andrew McCutchen tweet:

The Future

Neris is arbitration-eligible for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Despite the ever-present frustrations with him, when it comes down to it, he’s a serviceable closer and the Phillies’ priorities will lie elsewhere this winter. Because of that, he will almost assuredly be back for at least 2020, and may sign an extension that runs through 2021 as well. Meanwhile, you may want to buy stock in either TUMS or Pepto Bismol.