The Philadelphia Phillies made their first post-lockout move today, signing right-handed reliever Jeurys Familia. Familia is being given a one-year, $6 million deal that can become $7 mil.
A long-time Met and one-time Oakland A, Familia has been a rollercoaster in recent years. In 2019, he was flat-out terrible. That season he posted a 5.70 ERA in 60 IP. 2020 was an improvement for the righty, posting a 3.71 ERA. In 2021, he was fairly average. He had a 3.91 ERA, but he did shine in one regard.
Familia had a strike-out renaissance. He struck out 72 in 59.1 IP. That’s good for a 10.9 K/9 ratio, the highest of his career. He provides the Phillies’ bullpen with even more high heat than 2021. His fastball averaged 97 MPH in 2021.
He was above average in every Statcast metric except for walk % and hard-hit %. He was in the 91st percentile in fastball velocity, 77th percentile in K%, and 74th percentile in xSLG (expected slugging percentage).
For comparison’s sake, he’s the right-handed Jose Alvarado with better control. Alvarado had a 7.9 BB/9 ratio last season and Familia had a 4.1 BB/9.
Jeurys Familia was at his best from 2014-2016. In that span, he saved 99 games for the Mets with a 2.20 ERA. He has appeared in a single All-Star game.
Don’t expect too much from Familia. He could be a good signing but most likely his ERA will be just below 4. This signing could mean the Phillies are no longer pursuing Mychal Givens. Givens (while he had a better 2021), would’ve been signed for the same role as Familia, 7th/8th inning set-up man.
The Phillies moved reliever Jojo Romero to the 60-Day Injured List, opening up a spot on the 40-man for Familia. Their 40-man roster is now currently full.
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire
