2022 Player report card: Chris Devenski and Damon Jones

When the video of the Phillies’ 2022 run to the World Series is released, I have a feeling that neither Chris Devenski nor Damon Jones will be heavily featured. Years from now, when you’re naming the members of the 2022 team, you’re probably going to list a lot of names before you get to either of them. Actually, if you named the members of the 2022 team right now, my guess is that about 95% of people wouldn’t remember them. But Devenski and Jones were indeed members of the 2022 Phillies, even if they provided overall negative value to the team.

Jones was drafted by the Phillies in 2017, and slowly rose through their system. He made a cameo appearance in the 2021 season, appearing in one game in which he allowed one hit and two walks in just 0.1 innings.

With pitching rosters expanded in April due to the lockout, Jones started the season with the big-league team. Due to his infrequent usage, it was clear that he was rather low on the bullpen hierarchy, and when he appeared in a game, it soon became clear why. He allowed runs in his first three appearances, and despite avoiding any damage in the fourth, he was returned to the minor leagues. His season came to a close in May when he suffered a shoulder injury that ended his season.

Unlike Jones, Devenski experienced success at the beginning of his big league career. He broke in with the Astros in 2016 and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. He was a stalwart for the Astros’ World Series winning team in 2017, getting named to the All-Star team.

Things went downhill after that. He had a poor showing in the 2017 playoffs, followed by two straight subpar seasons. He bottomed out with a 14.73 ERA in four appearances in 2020 and missed a chunk of the season due to elbow surgery.

He signed a two-year deal with the Diamondbacks before 2021, but things got worse upon arriving in the National League. He struggled until continuing elbow woes forced him to undergo Tommy John surgery in June 2021. He made a relatively quick recovery, returning to action in July of 2022. However, his return wasn’t good, and the Diamondbacks eventually ran out of patience. He was designated for assignment and opted to become a free agent.

The Phillies thought he might be worth a look with their bullpen a bit shorthanded at the end of the season. His first appearance was fine, but in the next two, he came into semi-competitive games, and quickly made them completely uncompetitive.

2022 stats

Jones: 4 games, 4.2 IP, 4 hits, 5 ER, 5 K, 5 BB, 9.64 ERA

Devenski (with Phillies): 3 games, 4 IP, 7 hits, 5 ER, 3 K, 0 BB, 11.25 ERA

The good

There was almost zero positive for either man this year. They both only made a few appearances, and very few of those appearances were good.

The bad

One guy made four appearances and ended the season on the 60-day IL. The other guy pitched horrendously for two different teams.

The future

Jones was outrighted off the 40-man roster but remains in the organization. He had good strikeout numbers in the minors, so maybe there’s a remote chance he can turn into a viable reliever one day. But he’s 28 years old and coming off a major injury, so the chanes are slim.

Devenski was granted free agency. Perhaps some team - maybe even the Phillies - will offer him a minor league invite to camp, hoping that another year removed from surgery will allow him to regain his former All-Star form.