The Phillies finished at a 66-96 record for 2017. They played better baseball after the all-star break, and ended with a .500 record against their rival NL East foes.
Manager Pete Mackanin will not return, and the front office has begun the search for his replacement. There is hope for the future, as young players such as Hoskins, Williams, Alfaro and Crawford came to Philadelphia and did well.
The following is a review, player-by-player, of the Phillies' key players:
Catchers-
C. Rupp- An average player who played average. He was questioned by the pitching coach ( who should be fired immediately) about his ability to call pitches and handle the Phillies' hurlers. Rupp may return in a three-catcher rotation. More likely he will be traded this winter.
J. Alfaro- Defensive liabilities, but Alfaro showed he can hit with power. He is the catcher of the futre-for now. Will probably platoon with Andrew Knapp in 2018.
A. Knapp- Played well when he played. Was hurt for a lot of the summer. A switch-hitter, he should play more next season, along with Alfaro.
Infielders-
M. Franco- Despite having a very inconsistent year, he still hit 24 homers and knocked in over 70 RBIs. Imagine if he had a little plate discipline. Too young to give up on, only 24. Will be the Phillies' third baseman next year, at least until the club signs Manny Machado in the off-season as a free agent.
C. Hernandez- had a solid year. Still makes too many base-running blunders. If the Phils trade him this off-season, should get a good package in return. Scott Kingery is the second baseman of the future, unless the organization moves him to third. Hernandez is a good lead-off hitting, can bunt, but still doesn't walk enough or steal enough bases.
F. Galvis- Great defensive year. Slacked off at the plate. Not as many homers, which isn't a bad thing, but he didn't compensate power for hits. Still doesn't get on base enough. A free agent after next season, the team may trade him now and start Crawford at short.The Phils will miss his glove if he goes.Not a two-hole hitter, more like 8th.
T. Joseph- Trade-bait. Had a decent year, but can only play first base. Average player. Still young. Hopefully will bring pitching back in any deal.
J.P. Crawford- Brought energy to the majors, but still only hit below .220 and hit zero home runs. Showed a good glove wherever he played in the infield. In the Phillies' future.
A. Blanco- Won't be back.
Outfielders-
N. Williams- Hustled, played well, although he did strike-out too much. His RBI production was great. Should be a good 5-hole hitter. Hit 12 homers in less than half a season. Opened eyes and should be in the outfield mix next spring.
A. Altherr- Played well right out of Clearwater last spring. Had a solid year but got hurt again. Hit 19 homers. Plays smooth defense. Should be the Phils' center fielder of the future, if not for Herrera. I like him in the 2 or 3 spot in the batting order.
O. Herrera-
What an up and down year! Fell as low as .218 at one point during the summer. Got hot and ended up around .280. Hit 40 doubles. Still too inconsistent, both at the plate and in the field. Didn't always hustle at times, and made numerous base-running mistakes. Would the team trade him? He's still young. Will he mature into an annual all-star or is he just another Rule 51 player?
R. Hoskins- Should play first base in 2018, but good to know he can play a decent left field if need be. Brought power and excitement and hope to Philadelphia. Looked tired toward the end of the year, but hit 18 homers in 7 weeks. He walks and should have an even better perspective on the strike zone in the future. The is the face of the franchise now.
Pitchers-
A. Nola- Looked like an ace at times. Didn't have arm problems, but was again on the disabled list. Still projects to be a 2 or 3 in a rotation. I look for him to win between 15-18 games next season.
N. Pivetta- Showed lots of upside with a good fastball, yet at other times got shelled. Gave up too many home runs. In the mix for a spot in the rotation in the spring.
J. Thompson- Showed enough promise not to give up on him.
Z. Eflin- Hurt again over the summer. Needs to have a healthy year or else he will be viewed as a bust.
J. Eichoff- A real disappointment. Was counted on as a workhorse and having a promising future Now must be considered a question mark. His heath is a concern, but so is his pitching. When he was healthy, too inconsistent.
A. Morgan- Found a niche as a left-handed late inning reliever. Fills a role for the Phils out of the bullpen.
H. Neris- Finished the seasons strong after a shaky spring. To me, he is still an 8th-inning set-up guy. But unless the team trades for a veteran closer, he projects as the closer coming out of spring training,
H. Milner- A surprise as a side-armed left-handed specialist guy. Deserves a long look in Clearwater. Threw strikes.
E. Ramos- Young and has great stuff but too inconsistent for me.
V. Valesquez- Should be the closer of the future. Injured for most of the summer. Prior to the injury to his pitching hand, he was wildly inconsistent. Can;t get past 5 or 6 innings. Still has electric stuff but needs to learn how to pitch.
L. Garcia- Throws very hard and had great moments this year. But what is he? A closer? A set-up man? Look for Garcia to get another look next season.
In the mix in 2018-
S. Kingery- "Jet-Pack" will come to Philadelphia May 1 if not sooner. The second baseman of the future. Has all the tools to be a perennial all-star.
D. Cozens- He also has all the tools- raw power, speed, a terrific arm. Strikes-out way too much, the only reason why he wasn't given a September shot in Philly. Bad attitude as well.
T. Eiselman- A right-handed pitcher with great control. Should get a look next season.
Mackanin is gone and most, if not all, of his coaches should be gone as well. A fresh approach is needed. The young players need experience and leadership. With added pitching via free agency and trades, no reason why this energetic, young group can't at least compete next summer. .500 is a good start.
The team needs to take the second-half momentum and carry it over into the spring. The team needs to establish a home field advantage and play better on the road.
This fun group hopefully will get off to a good start in the spring. With success the crowds at Citizens Bank Park will grow. Good times are ahead for Phillies fans. Now the front office must do their part and not screw-up (are you reading this, Matt Klentak?).
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