Did the Phillies just acquire the next Andrew Bellatti?
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The heavy offseason lifting is over for the Phillies, but the 2022 National League champions made a minor yet interesting trade Wednesday, and it cost just cash. The Phillies acquired right-handed pitcher Erich Uelmen from the Chicago Cubs.
Uelmen, 26, appeared in 25 games with the Cubs in 2022 as a rookie. He posted a 4.67 ERA, collected eight saves and struck out 21 batters but walked 12 in 27 innings pitched.
Vinny Nittoli was designated for assignment to make room for Uelmen on the 40-man roster.
On its face, the Uelmen acquisition appears to be a minor move. He has three minor league options remaining -- which gives the team flexibility -- and could simply be bullpen depth, a reliever that comes and goes throughout the marathon of a baseball season.
But could there be more to it? Let's break it down.
Who is Uelmen?
Uelmen was a fourth-round pick by the Cubs in the 2017 MLB draft. He was drafted out of Cal Poly State University -- two rounds after the Phillies selected his college teammate Spencer Howard with the 45th overall pick. Howard has since been traded to Texas.
Last season was the first since 2017 that Uelmen was used exclusively as a relief pitcher.
The Phillies have acquired RHP Erich Uelmen from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash considerations, President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski announced today. To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Vinny Nittoli was designated for assignment.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) January 4, 2023
The righty was especially strong against same-handed hitters. Right-handed batters hit just .210 with a .665 OPS in 71 plate appearances off Uelmen. Lefties hit .308 with a .848 OPS in 51 plate appearances off him
He had a 2.84 ERA in 23 of his 25 games. His overall ERA jumped to 4.67 because of back-to-back three-run outings in August.
Slide on me
Uelmen throws four pitches, according to Baseball Savant. He throws a four-seam fastball, sinker, slider and changeup. He was mainly a four-seam, sinker and slider pitcher -- he threw the changeup just 8.9% of the time in 2022.
Uelmen's Baseball Savant page paints a picture. His fastball isn't very good. Its spin rate ranks in the 14th percentile and its velocity is in the 50th percentile. His fastball and sinker were roughly the same speed -- 93.7 and 93.3, respectively.
New Phillies reliever Erich Uelmen threw his slider 29.2% of the time in 2022, allowing three hits (two HR). Batters hit .130 against it. The whiff % was 50. So, I’d imagine they’re going to preach throwing it more.
— Tom Dougherty (@todougherty) January 4, 2023
But, his best pitch was easily his slider. Batters hit just .130 off it with a whiff rate of 50%, which was 18th best in the majors among sliders with a minimum of 25 plate appearances. He threw it 29.2% of the time.
Expect the slider usage to significantly increase with the Phillies, and here's why.
Diamond(s) in the rough
A theme emerged during the 2022 season under the tutelage of pitching coach Caleb Cotham and assistant pitching coach and director of pitching development Brian Kaplan: Sliders and cutters are kings but throw your best pitch the most.
Two under-the-radar moves last offseason turned into contributors, with one establishing himself as a key part of the bullpen.
When the Phillies signed Andrew Bellatti to a minor-league contract and acquired Nick Nelson from the New York Yankees on Nov. 19, 2021, not much was made. Both were written off as pitching depth.
But both Bellatti and Nelson contributed to the 2022 Phillies, with Bellatti emerging as a middle-innings weapon.
In the end, Bellatti posted a 3.31 ERA in 54 1/3 regular-season innings. He struck out 78 batters and opponents hit .234 off him. He had a 1.29 ERA in eight postseason games.
Nelson posted a 4.85 ERA in 68 2/3 innings across 47 appearances. Nothing spectacular, but he gave the Phillies innings -- and at times valuable ones. He had a 1.59 ERA in eight games in July and a 4.09 ERA in the first half.
What the Phillies did with Bellatti and Nelson, though, could be a blueprint for their plans with Uelmen.
The blueprint
By now, the story is known about Bellatti's success. Bellatti had a very good slider and the Phillies preached him to throw it more. He did (38.6% in 2021 to 52.4% in 2022), and with it, he stuck in the majors.
The same goes for Nelson. Nelson's best pitcher was a slider and he too saw his usage spike with the Phils (8.3% to 24.2%). Success followed.
Uelmen's best pitch is his slider. He had a pretty even split in usage between three pitches last season: four-season fastball (31.5%), sinker (30.5%) and slider (29.2%).
Given the blueprint the Phillies laid in 2022, it's safe to project Cotham and Kaplan will preach to Uelmen to significantly up his slider usage in 2023.
The thinking behind it is simple. Use the best weapon in your arsenal as much as you can.
After the Phillies made the Craig Kimbrel signing official Tuesday, the bullpen is nearly a finished product.
Righties: Bellatti, Connor Brogdon, Seranthony Dominguez and Kimbrel
Lefties: Jose Alvarado and Matt Strahm
That likely leaves two spots up for grabs in Spring Training. Uelmen and Nelson will be among those fighting for the final two spots.
Uelmen might be a contributor in 2023, or he might prove to just be depth.
But the Phillies unlocked two valuable relievers in Bellatti and Nelson last season.
Maybe Uelmen is next.