We are at the All-Star break, unofficially the halfway mark in the baseball season, and the Phillies are surprisingly in 1st place, 1/2 game ahead of Atlanta in National League East. Most experts had the Phils finishing third or fourth in the division, not a solid 11 games over .500 as they stand now.
The following is my own personal assessment of the season and the roster heading into the second half...
Catchers-
Jorge Alfaro-
Overall, our catchers have been the worst defensively, giving up way too many passed balls. Alfaro's arm is one of the strongest in baseball, and teams are becoming reluctant to run on him, as his reputation grows. He has shown tremendous power, but, like sop many Phillies, he strikes out far too much. Alfaro swings too hard. He is a big guy, and making more contact wouldn't reduce his power but would make him a better overall hitter. C+
Andrew Knapp-
Knapp has just recently started hitting like he did in the minors. He had one of the more memorable at-bats of the season when he hit a 13th inning pinch-hit home run against Washington. Defensively, he doesn't have a strong arm like Alfaro and allows too many passed balls. He is a switch-hitter, which increases his value. I can't see Knapp being an everyday catcher in the big leagues. Maybe a competent back-up .C-
Infielders-
Carlos Santana-
A huge disappointment in my eyes. He walks ( he easily will gather over 100 walks this season) but his average is .209. He has power but doesn't have nearly enough power to justify his paltry average. Kapler is batting him clean-up, which is a mistake. He would rather walk then hit, and seems content to do so. not aggressive enough. Defensively he isn't as good as i expected. He has made at least two crucial mental mistakes that have cost the Phillies dearly. he has another year left on his contract. If the Phillies can trade him back to the American League after the season they should do it. Santana's presence has meant Rhys Hoskins is playing left field, which make the defense weaker. D-
Cesar Hernandez-
A solid player but is he the kind of guy who will take you to a championship? Is his ceiling a .275 average and consistent, if not spectacular defense? Hernandez has speed but needs encouragement to run on the bases. He walks OK for a lead-off hitter but strikes-out too much. To me, he's a more ideal No. 2 hitter. He can bunt and move runners. Will the Phillies decide this winter to trade Cesar and move Kingery back to second base, or will they go with the sure bet of Hernandez for the foreseeable future? B
Scott Kingery-
Kingery is playing shortstop after J. P. Crawford got hurt. Scott was mostly a Ben Zobrist-type super utility player in the beginning of the season. I think not playing a regular position has hurt his development, especially at the plate. He should be the second baseman, period, where he is a Gold Glove caliber player. Klentak deserves criticism for now making room for guys like Kingery to play at their normal positions. Unless he is included in a trade for Machado this week, I still think Kingery will be a solid player. he has speed, power and will hit .280 or so. He should be batting near the top of the line-up. he's not Chase Utley, but he shows similar intensity. Once he gets settled in a regular position (second, or third base if Machado is obtained and plays shortstop),it will be easier to assess his real potential. C
Mikail Franco-
Franco will probably be traded, if not before the July 31 trade deadline, then in the off-season. After a wake-up call recently, he makes a stupid mental mistake by tossing a live ball into the stands. He is what he is- a guy with great potential to be a 30 home run, 100 RBI guy, who has a strong arm and plays solid third base. Maybe a fresh perspective with another club with do it. He is still young, and if traded, hopefully he doesn't come back to haunt the Phillies. Despite numerous hitting coaches, he still flails at balls in the dirt or swings wildly, often trying to pull the ball way too much. He should be a slasher, a guy who gets 30 doubles a year. Like the others, he strikes out too much. C-
J.P. Crawford-
Another lost season when he ended up on the disabled list. Even before that he looked over-matched in the big leagues. He is still young but he sure doesn't look like the overall No. 1 prospect the Phillies thought they has. once again they have over-evaluated one of their kids. Include him in the Machado deal.I would've kept Freddie Galvis for his glove, but management wanted to see what they had in Crawford, once and for all. Ironically, they still don't know. F
Outfield-
Nick Williams-
Finally getting a chance to play everyday. When he does play he is an RBI machine. He will hit 20 home runs, play average defense and always plays hard. Even if the Phils sign Bryce Harper during the off-season Williams has a place in the future. He can play all three outfield positions. B
Rhys Hoskins-
Should be playing first. He has had an up-and-down sophomore year. He strikes out more than I thought he would. Another streaky player. The real building block on the team offensively. He should only get better, if used correctly. he has a great approach at the plate, with a good eye. must be aggressive .B
Odubel Herrera-
Overall, he;s had a streaky year, with long stretches of brilliance and equally long stretches of awful baseball. When he's good he's a slasher, can run, plays good defense in CF. He makes circus catches but often misjudges balls and has to catch up with his speed. gets lazy in the outfield and on the bases. Doesn't always hustle, but better this year at playing harder. Has 15 homers, but that';'s not always a good thing. He often over-swings and tries to pull the ball to hit home runs instead of making contact and putting the ball in play. At one point I thought he should be traded. Now I think the Phils should keep him but not make him the centerpiece of the line-up as he will disappoint often. Fun to watch but frustrating for the fans .B
Aaron Altherr-
He hasn't played everyday as he did last season when he hit 19 homers and was hoping to have an even more breakout year in 2018. When he has played, for the most part, Altherr has failed. Strikes out too much ( it's a repeated theme with these Phillies). I still love his defense in the outfield. Another guy who may benefit form a change of scenery. D
Dylan Cozens-
Hasn't play a lot when with the big club. We know he has all the tools. Could he be strictly a minor league player? When with the Phils he also looked over-matched. Must make more contact and cut down on strike outs. Could be including in a future trade. Hope he doesn't turn out to be the next Aaron Judge. But when he plays, even as a pinch-hitter, he must produce to earn more playing time. D-
Pitchers-
Aaron Nola-
All-Star, 12-3, as been outstanding ace. Think of it- only a few years ago he hurt his elbow and there were concerns of his future ability to pitch . Was he injury-prone? Even after drafted as the No. 7 overall pick, Nola was thought of as a 3 or 4 starter. Now it appears Nola will be an ace for years to come. A+
Nick Pivetta-
From 13 strike out games to not being able to get out of the second inning, he has been inconsistent. Still learning to pitch. C
Vince Valasquez-
Brilliant at times and pitching longer into games. Still think he would be great in back of bullpen. I like his stuff, as long a she stay healthy. C+
Jake Arrieta-
Inconsistent and not worth his $30 million he is making this season. Still, his presence stabilizes rotation and gives a sense of calm, that he may throw a great game each time he pitches. He has experience and is a big-game hurler. I expect him to be even better down the stretch as Philly battles for the playoffs. C
Zach Eflin-
A pleasant surprise. The best of the young pitchers outside of Nola. Has learned to use his stuff- especially his sinker and slider- effectively. I would hate to see him included in any trade. B+
Siranthony Dominguez-
When used the right way- as a closer in the 9th inning for one inning, he has been terrific. He has been utilized as a Swiss Army Knife as well, pitching two innings at a time, especially facing key hitters. Making the bullpen stronger thru trades will allow Dominguez to be strictly a 9th inning closer down the road. A
Victor Arano, Adam Morgan, Tommy Hunter, Luis Garcia, Pat Neshek, Yacksel Rios, Edubray Ramos, Jake Thompson, Hector Neris-
A mish-mosh. Some better than others (Arano generally good, Hunter generally bad). Average or below-average bullpen. Not reliable. Klentak still needs to work on bullpen. D
Coaches & Front Office-
Gabe Kapler-
After a shaky start, has stabilized. Still believes in analytics too much. has been lucky as well with some unorthodox moves. He does have his young team in first place. He needs to make players more accountable. I do like his positive approach. Disagree with his line-ups at times and use of bullpen. Seems like a good communicator with his young players. B
Matt Klentak-
What has he done/ This may be his important week as general manager. Whether he gets Machado or not, he must improve his 1st place team. The pressure will be on Klentak now, and even after the season when free agency starts. Now begins the time Klentak must prove he is a competent GM, and a leader for a young team into the future. D
Andy MacPhail-
The groundhog known as MacPhail finally emerged from his burrow last week. He is surprised at the team's success and growth. Hopefully he guides the inexperienced and laid-back Klentak thru the week and during the off-season to make the team better. MacPhail has been very conservative as well in his approach to rebuilding. He needs to think out of the box more. D
John Middleton-
The principal owner of the team is in a sticky situation. He has money to burn and wants to win badly. Yet he wants to allow his GM do his job. But that does mean Middleton can't push things along. There are rumors that he wants both Harper and Machado long-term. that's great news for Phillies fans. I'm glad Middleton is on board compared to past ownership ( Montgomery, Giles) who were slow to rebuild and hesitant to pull the trigger on deals and free agency .Hopefully we will see the influence of Middleton this week. B
No comments:
Post a Comment