Phillies Report Card: José Alvarado

The Good Phight evaluated Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher José Alvarado's 2026 season, giving him a final grade of C. Alvarado served as an innings-eater for an otherwise depleted bullpen, appearing in a team-high 68 games and pitching 58.1 innings. Despite posting a modest 0.6 fWAR and allowing 38 earned runs, his durability made him the team's third-most used reliever behind Tim Mayza and Jhoan Duran.

Writer JaredRFrank argues that Alvarado's heavy workload stemmed primarily from the Phillies lacking reliable bullpen alternatives amid struggles from relievers like Orion Kerkering. Alvarado recorded a 4.78 BB/9 walk rate, a decreased 25.6% strikeout rate, and a career-worst 66% left-on-base rate. The analysis concludes that while Alvarado was far from his past peak form, his availability provided necessary coverage.