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CLEARWATER, Fla. — One of the main goals for the Philadelphia Phillies and their front office this offseason was to bolster starting pitching depth.
More specifically, they wanted starting pitchers with short-term deals who could eat up innings and take the pressure and workload off their relatively young and blossoming bullpen — one of the few strengths of the 2014 Phillies. Plus, if Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee end up being traded before the July 31 deadline, the club didn’t want to end up dangerously thin at the position.
The first move of 2015 — signing right-hander Aaron Harang to a one-year, $5 million contract — helped accomplish that goal.
Last season, his only one with the Atlanta Braves, Harang, at 36, recorded a career-best 3.57 ERA, started 33 games and threw more than 200 innings for the first time in seven years.
He allowed only two hits over 62/3 scoreless innings in his first start of the season, which began a five-game stretch when Harang was nearly flawless. He went 3-1 with a 0.85 ERA and threw at least six innings in each outing before getting lit up by the Miami Marlins for nine runs in 42/3 innings on April 30.
The rest of the way, Harang (12-12) gave up more than four runs just three times, allowed two or fewer runs in 15 starts and recorded a 1.63 ERA over his final four starts of the season.
So, coming off one of the best years of his career, why would Harang come to a team that is rebuilding?
One reason was because of how strongly the Phillies pursued him, and another was that Harang wanted to avoid repeating what happened last year.
A free agent coming off a season in which he struggled, Harang was without a job the entire winter. On March 24, exactly one week before Opening Day for the Braves, and nine days before he made his first start of the season, Harang signed a one-year contract with Atlanta.
This year, he secured a job Jan. 5.
“I didn’t want to go through the whole offseason again being indecisive on where I was going to be,” Harang said. “The Phillies came in — I had a few other clubs, too, that we were talking too — and basically [it took] a couple days. [General manager] Ruben [Amaro Jr.] was really aggressive in wanting to get me here and that was kind of a big factor in it.”
What also helped make Harang’s decision was the proximity of Philadelphia to New York and Washington, D.C. — places his family has roots. And with a combined 19 road games against the Mets and Nationals, who are in the same division, he’ll also find himself in those cities quite often.
Part of the reason Harang felt like he bounced back so well from a 2013 that saw him split time between the Mets and the Mariners, while going 5-12 and compiling a 5.40 ERA, is because he thought he had something to prove.
“I maybe kind of felt — there weren’t doubts on my part — doubt just from other people, you know, ‘Oh, he had a bad year so he’s not good enough to pitch anymore,’” Harang said. “And I maybe went out there with a little chip on my shoulder, like ‘Hey, you know what? I can still do this. I know I can and here’s what I got.’ I just laid it out there.”
Harang, who also has spent time with the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers and eight years with the Cincinnati Reds, has a career ERA of 4.21 over his 13-year major league career.
He’s only surpassed 200-innings four times, citing minor injuries as a reason he came close a few times but was unable to reach the plateau more often.
Tuesday, before even making a start for the Phillies. Harang suffered a setback. He told reporters that a mechanics issue will cause him to miss his first turn in the rotation, today’s scheduled start against the New York Yankees. Pitching coach Bob McClure, however, hinted that it was for health reasons and just a precaution.
While there’s no telling if Harang can repeat the success he had last season and stay healthy once meaningful games begin, he definitely sounds like someone who wants to help the Phillies meet their goal of limiting innings for their bullpen.
“Ever since I came up [to the majors], I’ve always had the mind-set of ‘I want to try to throw a complete game every time I go out there,’” Harang said. “I want to try to make it so nobody has to worry about getting up, it’s just an off day for the bullpen and that’s my goal. Even if it takes me 120 pitches, I want to try and throw a complete game.”