Everyone knows someone: the guy that has the worst luck in the world, the guy that lightening always strikes, the guy that bad situations always find. For the 2013 Phillies, the race to be “that guy” was a dead heat between Cole Hamels and B.J. Rosenberg.
For a 14 appearance stretch in 2013, luck really didn’t matter for Rosenberg, as he was virtually un-hittable. Rosenberg earned his first call-up on May 18. giving up three earned against Cincinnati in his first appearance. Rosenberg would give up an earned run in his next appearance, May 21 against Miami. But then, from May 24 through September 14, Rosenberg wouldn’t give up an earned run.
Ok – so Rosenberg was sent down after his May 24 appearance and not called up again until August 17. But when Rosenberg came back, he was excellent. In his 14 appearances between May 24 through September 14, striking out 11 in 12.1 IP with a .103 BAA, allowing only four hits.
Rosenberg struggled in his final six appearances but some of that was attributed to unluckiness and the poor defense behind him. Rosenberg, who did not allow a Major League homer in 2013, was a victim of a .556 BABIP (defined here) in his final six appearances, unreasonably unlucky, albeit in a small sample size. Rosenberg ended with a 4.58 MLB ERA in 2013 for the Phillies but fared much better in the eyes of FIP (defined here), posting a 2.49 mark.
Grade: C++. Rosenberg performed well in a small sample and made marked improvement from 2012, improving his K rate and dropping his BB/9 IP by nearly a full walk. Rosenberg likely pitched well enough to earn a shot at a full-time role in the Phillies ‘pen in 2014.
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