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Is Bastardo Close To The Majors?

Jim Salisbury reported the Reading Phillies have lined up Antonio Bastardo’s starts with Adam Eaton’s. Salisbury points out that this could mean Bastardo is the first on the list of possible replacements for Eaton, who hasn’t exactly been awesome this season.

Bastardo started the season in A+ Clearwater, and climbed out quickly after five starts (30.2 IP, 20 H, 4 ER, 47 K, 10 BB). He’s been in Reading since, and after five starts, has come down to Earth a bit (28 IP, 24 H, 11 ER, 22 K, 14 BB).

If the Phils were to promote Bastardo to the Majors, comparisons to Kyle Kendrick would then be made. With Reading last season, Kendrick went 4-7 (81.1 IP, 82 H, 29 ER, 50 K, 18 BB). His K/BB ratio was good, but his K/9 ratio wasn’t. Bastardo is on close to the same path this year.

At 22, Bastardo is the right age for Reading, and the same age as Kendrick when he was promoted.

It seems Bastardo will need a bunch more starts in Reading to solidify himself as Major League-ready. He needs to improve his K ratios a bit. Why the Phils wouldn’t go with the more established JA Happ makes little sense to me.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.