Seranthony Dominguez Could be Philadelphia Phillies Secret Weapon

If the Philadelphia Phillies are going to end their 11-year playoff drought in 2022, it’ll happen because a bullpen that has been a disaster for years suddenly becomes an asset.

In order to accomplish such a turnaround, Phillies manager Joe Giraardi will need lots of arms to exceed expectations and outperform their previous outputs.

One of those, that Girardi hasn't had access to in the past, but can be a big asset is 27-year old Seranthony Dominguez. Dominguez hasn't appeared in a full season since 2018, when he had a 2.95 ERA, 16 saves and a 74/ strikeouts in 58 innings.

The team hopes that Dominguez helps erase some of 34 blown saves, which tied a Major League record, and turn them into wins.

“That’s a huge piece if he gets back to where he was," Girardi recently stated. "Huge piece.”

The Phillies bullpen has struggled to find roles over the past few years, they will enter this season with free agent addition, Corey Knebel, who posted a 2.45 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 25.1 regular-season innings for the Dodgers in 2021.

As for Dominguez, he made only one appearance with the Phillies during the 2021 season after rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and tossed only 20.1 innings with an 7.97 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP between three minor league stops. He walked 12 guys but he also managed to strike out 23 , showing that live arm he displayed back in 2018.

He averaged 96.2 mph with his fastball in the Phillies Spring game back in March 22nd against the Tigers and on the final day of the 2021 season, Dominguez got the opportunity to throw one inning against the Marlins and showed that he still had the velocity that made him a weapon in 2018, recording a strikeout in his only inning of work in 2021.

So far this spring, Dominguez has appeared in four games and in four inning pitched he is stuck out eight batters and walked none of the 15 he has faced, giving him a 0.75 WHIP and 2.25 ERA.

With Dominguez, the Phillies have a weapon they haven't had in their bullpen since, well, he was healthy in 2018.