PHILLY SPORTS CORNER

The take on the current Philly sports scene..

PHILLIES- I'm not a big Obdubal Herrera fan. But I get why the Phillies signed him to a 5 year contract, which is very team friendly. He's not that great of a defensive center fielder; he makes too many base-running mistakes and chases too many bad pitches at the plate; but most alarming is the fact he dogged it last summer after making the all-star team. He got full of himself, and even refused to sign autographs. Herrera is only 25, so hopefully he continues to develop. In two years, when CF Mickey Moniak is ready to make the jump to the majors, the Phils can trade Herrera., especially if he becomes complacent after getting his big money.

The trade for starting pitcher Clay Buchholtz was OK. It's an insurance policy in case Aaron Nola and/or Zac Efflin don't come back from their injuries. The logjam with the starters- Hellickson, Buchholtz, Thompson, Efflin, Nola, Valasquez, and Lively- will work itself out in spring training, through injury or demotion to triple A. At least the team has depth at starting pitching compared to only two years ago when the Phils struggled to find competent starters.

With so many players on one-year contracts ( Hellickson, Buchholtz, Blanco, to name a few), the team will have bargaining chips for trades in late July. Meanwhile, they need to let their prospects play to see who can and cannot play before diving into the free agent market over the next two off-seasons. Watching kids like Crawford, Williams, Couzens and Alfaro play this summer will give the fans some much-needed excitement and hope for the future.

EAGLES- There is no way the Eagles fire Doug Pederson after one season/.They knew he would be a  coach going through on-the job training. They also knew the team was still rebuilding and wouldn't be very good this season. Firing Pederson after one season, even if he finishes 5-11, would admit the front office made a mistake. So look for Pederson to get at least one more year to prove he is the future coach for the Birds.

FLYERS- The winning streak couldn't last forever. Now, after losing two in a row, the Flyers need to right the ship before going on their annual Christmas road trip. Sean Courtier should be back soon, which will help. Regardless, the squad continues to play fun, exciting hockey, and the 10 game winning streak put them in the mix to at least make the playoffs again this year.

SIXERS- They need to resolved the 3-headed center problem sooner or later. Look for Nerlens Noel to be traded. Again, the key is the upcoming NBA draft in the spring, where the Sixers could conceivably have 2 picks in the top 5. Taking two of the best guards in a guard-rich draft would keep the progress rolling. Add a free agent or two, and suddenly the Sixers are contenders for a playoff spot in 2018.