*Photo from Phillies Nation*
After they lost valuable reliever Kendall Graveman to the Chicago White Sox in free agency, the Houston Astros went for a much more maddening and inconsistent version of him. The Astros and RHP Hector Neris have agreed to a two year, $17 million deal, according to Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia. The Astros have confirmed the deal.
Before signing with the Astros, Neris made his mark as an on again, off again closer for the Philadelphia Phillies. The last few seasons in particular, Neris has had periods where he is practically unhittable, and then he turns into a pitcher who looks like he shouldn't be in the major leagues. He was a big part of the Phillies bullpen that blew over 30 saves last season.
Astros GM James Click said of Neris that "I think Héctor is a key piece in the bullpen. I think he really lengthens the bullpen out. His ability to take the ball every day is an asset that we really focused on when talking to him, and we have quite a few guys out there that we feel good about, and he's one of them, so hopefully among all of them they can help us get back to the World Series."
Last season with the Phillies, Neris pitched to a 4-7 record with a 3.63 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP, striking out 98 hitters while walking 32, tossing 74 1/3 innings while making 74 relief appearances, saving 12 games for the Phillies, who finally finished with a record over .500 last season. Neris made just one save in the second half of the season, but that was because he was moved to a setup role, where he found much more success.
Across 8 seasons in the majors, all of them in a Phillies uniform, Neris has a career 21-29 record, with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP, striking out 520 hitters while throwing 407 2/3 innings, saving a total of 84 games while making 405 career relief appearances. He's the Phillies team record holder for strikeouts by a reliever.
Neris said of signing a deal with the Astros that "They told me how important I would be for the team, and for me, I take it personal. I want to be on that side because it’s a team that always has a hunger for winning and being in the championship and I want to be part of that, especially how the guys here impacted me and talked to me on a video call when I was in the Dominican. That motivates me to be part of this clubhouse."
After making two saves to wrap up 2016, Neris became the Phillies closer in 2017, when he posted a strong 26 save season, also collecting 28 saves in 2019. One hallmark of Neris has been his health, making 50 or more appearances in every full season since 2016, making 70 or more appearances in 3 of those 5 years, 2021 included.
By joining the Astros, Neris won't have to be the guy in their bullpen. He'll be a middle or late reliever used by Dusty Baker, with the potential to close games when their regular closer Ryne Stanek needs a night off. Ryne Stanek and Neris will likely be the primary setup men to bridge the gap to Pressly, with Rafael Montero likely in the mix as well.
Comments
Post a Comment