Cliff Lee: Where Does the Philadelphia Phillies Starter Fit Into the Team’s Plans for the Future?
Now that he’s in his second stint with the Philadelphia Phillies, Cliff Lee is here to stay. He signed a five-year, $120 million deal with the Phillies in the 2010 offseason, turning down a seven-year, $148 million contract with the New York Yankees in the process, and thus establishing himself instantly as a Philly faithful favorite.
Lee was everything the team hoped he would be in year one, turning in probably his best season as a pro. Lee went 17-8 with a 2.40 ERA in 32 starts, finishing third in the NL Cy Young award voting. He led the league with six shutouts, struck out 238 batters in 232.2 innings pitched, and posted a ridiculous 5.67 strikeout to walk ratio.
Lee bombed in the playoffs though, blowing a four-run lead in his only start in Game 2 of the NLDS, one that ultimately led to the Phillies’ early exit in the 2011 MLB playoffs.
Lee is still a top five or ten pitcher in baseball, and he teams with Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels to give the Phillies arguably the greatest top three starting pitchers in the game’s history. To pick a weakness of Lee’s would be to focus on his inconsistencies; he was too often a hit or miss for the Phillies last year. Four times Lee gave up five or more runs (plus one more in the playoffs), and three times he gave up six runs.
After giving up one earned run in 44 innings in June, Lee followed that up by posting a 4.91 ERA in five July starts. He then gave up just two earned runs again in 39.2 innings in August, and posted a 1.42 ERA in September. More consistency would be nice, but it’s tough to argue with a pitcher that averages a shutout per month and strikes out six hitters for every one that he walks.
Lee is 33 years old and he can’t pitch forever, but he should be a Cy Young candidate for the next several seasons still. He has just 1,600 career innings on his left arm, and he has an unbelievable work ethic that should enable him to pitch through his deal. His contract is set to pay him $21.5 million in 2012, $25 million in 2013, 2014, and 2015, and $27.5 million if he meets his vesting option for the 2016 season.
The Phillies have important financial decisions to make in the new two years regarding the futures of Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels, and Hunter Pence, but with the money they are dishing out to Halladay and Lee, GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. has stated loud and clear pitching is a priority to winning.
One hundred plus million is a lot to pay a pitcher, and as good as Lee was during the regular season last year, his inability to protect a four-run lead in the postseason is what many people will remember heading into the offseason. If he keeps pitching like he’s been pitching and delivers a World Series championship to the city, Lee’s contract is worth it.
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