It feels like eons ago when Ruben Amaro Jr. told us pitching wins championships. The same mantra was preached by Phillies president Andy MacPhail before the arrival of pitchers and catchers in Clearwater.
When asked what the organization’s plan is going forward, MacPhail said, “After improving the pitching, the next thing we should do is improve the pitching, and then after that, we should improve the pitching.”
Looking over the past couple of seasons, Philadelphia really did need more pitching. When Charlie Morton went down with a torn hamstring in the first month of the season Zach Eflin became a necessary cog in the starting rotation.