Jeremy Hellickson's Opening Day Start Positive Move For Philadelphia Phillies

Not very many teams have an opening day starter who was 9-12 the previous season, but the Philadelphia Phillies are pretty much unlike any MLB team. Still, manager Pete Mackanin’s decision to hand veteran Jeremy Hellickson the ball is a positive development for at least a couple of reasons.

One, it was a clear signal to the rest of the team that meritocracy is the order of the day in Mackanin’s first non-interim year as a manager. Presumed opening day starter Aaron Nola did not perform as well as Hellickson this spring, therefore Hellickson earned the job with a 1.29 ERA this spring against Nola’s 5.28. Expect that concept to expand to every other position on the team as well, fostering the kind of competition that the team needs to get better. The Phillies need to evolve from a team that penciled in players like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard every year because of those last names to a team playing men who have put up the necessary numbers to earn their spots.

The second reason is that Nola is two years removed from being a 10-1 pitcher for LSU in 2014 and the Phillies might want to slow down that fast track. Without the pressure that comes with being an opening day starter, Nola might not thrive, but he might not wilt, either. Nola was hit around his first two starts in spring training and only recently has shown signs of coming around. Mackanin might be reading that Nola needs extra time.

Hellickson is a veteran who will not let the moment be too big for him, and the Phillies are hoping he can flip the 9-12 record of last year to 12-9 or better this season. Baby steps, but steps forward nonetheless.