In the early 2020s, the Phillies’ bullpen set historic records for ineptitude. In the abridged 60-game season in 2020, their 7.07 bullpen ERA was the second-worst in baseball history. One year later, they tied a major league record in blown saves with 34.
While their bullpen has had its share of imperfections in the years since, it has largely stabilized, with new members emerging each year as key components of the relief corps. Even still, the team often lacked a dedicated closer, opting for a closer-by-committee operation.
On July 30, 2025, everything changed when the Phillies acquired closer Jhoan Duran from the Twins. Entering Philadelphia with an already established track record (267 games, 2.74 ERA, 74 saves), Duran finally gave the Phillies a stable force in the ninth inning.
Not only has Duran done that, but he’s also now upped his game in 2026. He’s pitching some of the best baseball of his career and has become one of the best closers this year.
Jhoan Duran Is On Pace for a Career Year
Jhoan Duran has pitched in 24 games this season, missing a chunk of April into early May with an oblique strain. Still, he’s made his mark with a season that is on pace to be a career best.
Duran has struck out an eye-popping 38.6% of batters, while walking just 5.7%. Batters are hitting just .217 against him with an equally dismal .289 slugging percentage. All of these stats have factored into a 1.99 ERA that would just be over his career best 1.86 mark in 2022. Based on Fangraphs season projections, Duran is on pace for a number of career-best marks, including:
- Saves (40)
- Walks (12)
- Hits (43)
- K/9 (13.50)
- Fangraphs WAR (2.8)
More importantly, Duran has been almost perfect in save situations. 18 of his 24 games have come in these moments, and he’s responded by allowing just two runs. In save situations, Duran has struck out 24 batters while walking just two and holding opponents to a minuscule .468 OPS. His frequent availability, especially since returning from injury, has played a large part in helping stabilize the Phillies’ pitching staff.
Up Among the Best Relievers This Year
Stacked up against all relievers, Duran more than stands his ground among them. The dominant righty sits squarely in the top 10 in several crucial stats:
- FIP: 1.34 (3rd)
- K%: 38.6 (3rd)
- Saves: 17 (tied 4th)
- fWAR: 1.2 (4th)
Duran holds steady among all relievers, but how about some of the best closers? Mason Miller and Cade Smith, who have excelled this year in the closer role, stack up closely to Duran statistically.
- Miller: 0.94 ERA, .122 AVG, 0.84 WHIP, 50.9 K%, 18 saves, 1.8 fWAR
- Smith: 2.67 ERA, .235 AVG, 1.05 WHIP, 38.3 K%, 21 saves, 1.7 fWAR
- Duran: 1.99 ERA, .217 AVG, 1.01 WHIP, 38.6 K%, 17 saves, 1.2 fWAR
In save situations, the numbers remain very close.
- Miller: 18 games, 0.00 ERA, .108 AVG, .334 OPS, 0.88 WHIP, 38 K, 10 BB
- Smith: 23 games, 1.90 ERA, .230 AVG, .531 OPS, 1.01 WHIP, 40 K, 4 BB
- Duran: 18 games, 1.08 ERA, .197 AVG, .468 OPS, 0.84 WHIP, 24 K, 2 BB
Duran is as steady as it gets when the lights get bright. What’s even scarier for hitters is that he still has more to offer.
Jhoan Duran Has Been Hit Hard (And It Hasn’t Mattered)
In a season full of career-bests, Duran has one category that he’s struggled greatly with. Duran has been getting hit harder than ever, with career-worst marks in:
- Average exit velocity (92 MPH)
- HardHit% (49.0)
- Groundball rate (57.1%)
Duran has been allowing much more contact in the air this year compared to his career. His AIR% (a Baseball Savant statistic that covers any contact that is not a groundball, including line drives and popups) of 42.9% is four percent higher than his previous career high.
Pulled airballs, a statistic tracked by Baseball Savant with other types of batted ball contact, produce a large amount of offensive production and are considered the most desirable type of contact for hitters. Duran’s 18.4 PullAIR% sits right at the league average. However, it also represents the highest mark of his career by over five percent. Though all these numbers should be a cause for concern, why haven’t they been?
Philadelphia’s strongest fielders this year have primarily been in the outfield. Adolis Garcia has been one of baseball’s best fielders by the range-based outs above average stat (+4) and fielding run value (+5), while Brandon Marsh has contributed with +2 defensive runs saved and +1 OAA. Even Justin Crawford, who has struggled on both fronts, still provides value with his 97th percentile sprint speed.
While Duran’s groundball rate is the lowest of his career, it’s still considerably above the MLB average of 41.7%, and his 57.1% rate places him 15th among all relievers this year.
Next Priority: A Long-Term Extension
Since Jhoan Duran joined the Phillies in July 2025, he’s been one of baseball’s best relievers. He ranks top 10 in WAR (2.1), K% (36.1), and BB% (3.6%) in that time. A free agent after 2028, it is imperative that the Phillies secure him to a long-term extension.
What would that look like? After the 2022 season, Edwin Diaz signed a five-year, $102 million extension with the Mets. That contract stands as the largest for a relief pitcher, and Diaz certainly earned it after a lights-out year in Queens.
For a free agent reliever, Josh Hader’s five-year, $95 million contract with the Astros set the open market record as well as the market for present-day value. Diaz’s historic contract had $26.5 million deferred, which gave it a current figure closer to $93 million.
Duran is currently making $7.5 million this year and has another year of arbitration before becoming a free agent. A salary closer to Diaz or Hader will make the most sense, and a similar five-year deal is likely too. While Duran will be older than either was when signing their contracts (Diaz 28-years old, Hader 29) at 30 years old, he’s shown no signs of slowing down.
Philadelphia hasn’t had a long-term closer like Duran in a very long time. With his electric entrance and dominant ninth-inning presence, there’s no better player to prioritize for an extension.
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