Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 19 we preview, Antonio Bastardo.

Antonio Bastardo – The 26 year old Bastardo quickly became the lefthanded ace of the Phillies bullpen in 2011, in his first full season in the big leagues. Bastardo was signed as a free agent in the 2005 amateur draft. He’s was being used primarily as a starter in the minor leagues until 2009 and he was good. In 2010 he was a combined 10-0 at Lakewood and Clearwater with a 2.14 ERA. Bastardo made his major league debut on June 2, 2009 and contributed a 2-3 record with a 6.46 ERA in 6 games for the Phils. He was also 3-2 with a 2.15 ERA between Rookie League, Clearwater, Reading and Lehigh Valley. In 2010, Antonio again split time between the minor leagues and the Phillies. He continued to contribute at the big league level as he gained experience. He had a 2-0 record with a 4.34 ERA in 25 appearances. In 2011 Antonio Bastardo arrived! He became the “go to” lefthander that the Phillies relied on throughout the season. He finished the season with a 6-1 record and a 2.64 ERA in 64 games. He finished 15 of those games and recorded 8 saves. The most impressive statistic for Bastardo was that in 58 innings of work he only gave up 28 hits while striking out 70 batters. Antonio has already pitched in 5 post season games for the Phillies, he’s yet to give up a run.

Personal Analysis:

Bastardo needs to be just as good if not better for the Phillies in 2012. He ran out of gas late in the season in 2011 but that can’t take away from his outstanding season. He pitched in big games and he pitched well. With a week of camp remaining the bullpen situation is still unclear, however, Bastardo may go north as the only lefthanded reliever again in 2012. We expect that Manager Charlie Manuel and Pitching Coach Rich Dubee will use Bastardo differently this year to keep him from overuse. When he got tired he lost the strike zone and struggled because of it. Big things are ahead for Bastardo as the youngster continues to mature in the big leagues.

Tomorrow we will preview Ty Wigginton.

The series: Day 1, Charlie Manuel. Day 2, The Coaching Staff. Day 3, Roy Halladay. Day 4, Cliff Lee. Day 5, Cole Hamels. Day 6, Vance Worley. Day 7, Joe Blanton. Day 8, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz. Day 9, Ryan Howard. Day 10, Chase Utley. Day 11, Jimmy Rollins. Day 12, Placido Polanco. Day 13, John Mayberry, Jr. Day 14, Shane Victorino. Day 15, Hunter Pence. Day 16, Brian Schneider. Day 17, Jim Thome. Day 18, Kyle Kendrick.

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