Middle relievers get a reputation for being fungible and replaceable. In this era of hard throwing arms and shutdown bullpens that mindset may be changing. However, if you want an example of the fungible reliever the Phillies have many examples. This year they graduated RHP Colton Murray, who has already seen his time on the 40 man roster end. Murray was the Phillies 13th round pick in the 2011 draft, and made his debut in September of 2015 before starting the 2016 season in the minor leagues.
What Was Written Before the Season:
Middle relievers tend to come in a similar mold. They have above average to plus velocity (Murray throws 92-95), an above average to plus breaking ball (curveball here), and a remnant of their college starting days (a fringe average changeup). Often there is also control that you don’t really trust, making the player always live on the edge. Maybe it all works and Murray is a solid middle reliever for the Phillies, or maybe it is some heavy miles on the Northeast Extension as the Phillies take advantage of his three remaining minor league options
What Happened in the Minors:
Stat Line: 36.2 IP 2.95 ERA 0.5 HR/9 9.8% BB% 23.5% K%
Murray went to AAA Lehigh Valley and was the player he has been in the minors for a while now. He strikes out near a batter per inning with a walk rate that is more average, to a bit above. He also kept the ball in the ballpark, which is a skill he has repeatedly shown in the minors. Overall he filled a solid middle relief role for the IronPigs this season.
What Happened in the Majors:
Stat Line: 31.2 IP 6.25 ERA 1.7 HR/9 9.2% BB% 21.8% K%
Colton Murray was recalled to the majors at the end of April while the Phillies were looking to find a usable bullpen. He was decent for about a month in the majors. They then demoted him in late June after he allowed opposing batters to hit .308/.386/.590 over his last 7 appearances. The Phillies then recalled him at the beginning of September and was a disaster with an 11.42 ERA and an opposing batting line of .359/.422/.615 ub 7 appearances (8.2 innings)
In the majors, Murray showed the same velocity and roughly the same pitch mix as he did in his major league debut. The problem is much like his 7.2 innings in 2015, he was just hit hard around by opposing batters. Over his time in the majors this year opposing hitters hit line drives at a 31% rate as well as a 20% HR/FB rate leading to the high 1.7 HR/9 rate. Overall Murray looked overmatched after a solid month and contributed to the horrible Phillies bullpen to end the year.