43 thoughts on “Box Score Recap; Post Season – 9/16/2016”

1. Congrats BlueClaws on a very good season. They started very poorly. They were mediocre for half a season and then put on a great second half. The BlueClaws pitching was exceptional but Rome’s was a little better. Some hitters stepped up and others didn’t. Most disappointing was ‘C’ Randolph. I thought he’d rise up in the playoffs and it didn’t happen. I think he’ll start in CLW next year but this was a very tough year for him. He’ll need to really work on things in Instructs and continue it through to Spring Training next year.

2. JP Crawford had surgery on his knee.

   I guess he really was hurt at the end of the season

   1. The site has really changed. This kind of thing would have been it’s own separate post.

      1. Sorry, a grandchild whom I haven’t seen in about two years is visiting … but it was also made very clear to me what was important on the site when I inherited day-to-day operations after most of the other contributors left – daily box score reports and weekly open discussions. Oh, and the reader top 30.

         1. Don’t shoot back at people like that, it’s unbecoming and it isn’t needed from you. Everyone knows the kinda job you do on here, no need to defend it. Just let it roll off your shoulder. The site %$#@& so much that I’m sure VOR reads it everyday, smh. I’m here at least 2x a day, apart of my daily routine which I’m sure most people are here would say the same.

            1. The site originally flagged your comment because of language. I figured I better let it post so you wouldn’t think I blocked it.

               My apology to VOR was sincere, I wasn’t “shooting back”. (I didn’t think I was shooting back. But I believe that one’s intention means less than how others interpret words or actions. So, again, I apologize if I came across that way.) It’s because I think he is an everyday visitor that I thought he deserved an explanation.

      2. Chill. It’s a full time job for him that he does for free; he writes up detailed daily box scores, plus in the heart of the season goes to two games a night.

3. It’s tough to think how good the Braves will be in four years when these pitchers are all in Atlanta. Nice season by our Lakewood pitchers though as they carried the team the 2nd half into the playoffs. We can dream on Kilome and the others aren’t bad either.

   1. Yes, their starting foursome of Kolby Allard, Mike Soroka, Touki Toussaint, and Max Fried is formidable. But, the teenagers (Allard and Soroka) are still young enough to carry extreme risk, as well as Fried with his injury history.

      But consider the other pitchers in their stable – Sean Newcomb (2014 1st round, MLB #48), Ian Anderson (2016 1st round, #81), Joey Wentz (2016, CBA), and Kyle Miller (2016, 2nd round). Still risk attached to the young, 2016 draftees, but that’s a pretty impressive group of pitchers.

      1. Not to mention Weigel, Minter, their own Sanchez, Ricardo, in Rome this year, and Sims. Three of the above, Newcomb, Toissaint and Fried, you mentioned were acquired in trades, and Sanxhez was signed as an IFA.

4. The organization’s playoff failures this year should raise serious questions about the viability of this rebuild. Just kidding of course, congrats to all these teams for having great seasons.

   Also, now is a great time to thank Jim for all his great work. This site has had many great contributors doing the daily box scores but nobody has ever put the time and detail into them the way Jim has. Thank you Jim.

   Back to the rebuild, lots of good things happened this year with a few disappointments mixed in, but I feel like 2017 will be a real big deciding factor in the organization as to whether this rebuild is going to lead to 2007-2011 all over again or something much less exciting. My thoughts on players:

   Franco – has great talent and could be an All Star but hitting approach needs work. Next year will really show whether he has capability to adapt and improve or whether he will be Mariano Duncan. My guess – big improvement, possible All Star.

   Altherr – think he deserves a chance to play every day, and I give him some slack this year after missing so much time. Next year will determine whether the Phils have a Jayson Werth level player or a 4th or 5th OF. My vote – strong breakthrough season.

   N Williams – will another season at AAA yield the same poor results or will he grow into a major leaguer with improved plate discipline? My vote – he will struggle.

   Herrera – who knows about this guy. I believe he needs to mature to become more consistent in his mental approach. Can he do it? I’m not sure. I think he may become more of a really good bench player than a top of the lineup everyday player on a good team. He really needs to demonstrate maturity and consistency in 2017.

   Quinn – love this guy so far, hope to see a lot more of him in Philly in 2017. As we all know, he needs to stay healthy. I think he’s going to be a good one for many years to come.

   Joseph – will be really interesting to see if the Phils hand him the keys to the 1B job in 2017 or not. I think he deserves the first shot at it but his approach at the plate needs improvement like so many others. Having said that, he’s missed a lot of time the last 5 years and he’s young, so I hope the Phils give him the job next year and see how he develops.

   Galvis – can he evolve to have an OBP in the 300-325 range? Not sure after all this time, but with his defense, clubhouse popularity, and pop in his bat, I hope he can but I think this might be the finished product.

   Lots of make or break seasons in 2017.

   1. BuddyB…though, did read something somewhere saying the Phillies org is the only farm system that has not won a domestic minor league championship in the last five years.

      1. Romus, since 2012 only four teams have not won a minor league title. They are the Phillies, A’s, SF Giants and the Colorado Rockies. The Phillies and Giants have come close but don’t know about the A’s or Colorado.

         1. Ok…..saw something like that somewhere.

   2. I don’t follow the Phillies as closely as I do the affiliates, so I don’t have a strong opinion on most of what you say, Buddy. However, as even just a casual follower, I am surprised by Galvis’ recent slugging upsurge. Am I alone in fearing the outcome of his next urine test? It has been stated that you can’t teach power. So, why all of a sudden all these home runs? I have always thought that Galvis swung for the fences too much. Is this just an unsustainable blip in his progression? His outlier season? Or is this the real Freddy Galvis. Regardless, I’m not comfortable penciling him in as anything more than a place holder for Crawford at short and then maybe Kingery (or some other prospect, any other prospect) at second base.

   3. Let’s hope Nick Williams progresses under Dusty Wathan who he did well for at Reading. Dave Brundage lost his job the night he publicly showed up Crawford and Williams. I wish him well but he needs to relate to younger players better if he wants to continue managing.

   4. Khris Davis 38 hr .303 obp, Marcus Semien 25 hr .295 ops .234 avg 26 yrs old .Todd Frazier .215 .298 ops 36 hrs, Adam Duvall 30 Hr .295 ops , Brad Miller 28 hr .302 ops .Jay Bruce 29 hr .304 ops., Randal Grichuk 22hr.289 ops , Jedd Gyorko 26 hr .305 ops . Javier Baez 13 hr 304 ops. Starlin Castro 21 hr .303 ops , Didi Gregorius 18 hr .304 ops.Justin Upton 24 hr .299 ops. There are many hitters that are swing for the fences this yr HR totals so far are 2nd in the history of baseball per game.Freddy playing top notch defense with the power numbers he making hard for the FO to sit him. If he can do this next yr that might be the test.

      1. Tim…I think you mean On Base Percentage (OBP) , not (OPS) OnBaseSlug%

         1. Yea your right Romus I was watching the Penn st game.

   5. Altherr is a good athlete and a very fine defensive outfielder, but has showed zero evidence that he can hit at a Jason Werth level. Zero. It’s kind of a ludicrous comparison.

5. I agree Jim, I like Freddy but I worry about this burst, and his OBP is way too low to be an every day player on a contender. He will start the season at SS, as even before the injury, I did not think we would see JP before May. Now, it may be longer. Buddy, I do not get the feeling that Altherr is more than an extra OF, and agree that TJ needs a longer shot at 1B. I also agree on Franco, and for his sake, alone, I think they bring in a hitter who can take some of the burden off Franco and let him concentrate more on better ABs.

   1. Yes I do agree with those that have said we are putting too much burden on the young hitters. I think it would be more appropriate for the Phils to do this:

      1 Herrera LF
      2 Galvis SS
      3 Desmond CF
      4 Prado 2B
      5 Franco 3B
      6 Rupp C
      7 Joseph 1B
      8 Altherr RF

      1. Buddy…..not sure Desmond can be persuaded to come to the Phillies, especially if a contending team offers the equivalent of a salary. Also he is 31 and may want a long term deal being it may be his last big one.
         Prado….at 33, could be had for 2/3 years with a reasonable offer , say $11/12M annum

6. BuddyB, I like your optimism and agree with you on Franco in particular. I think with maturity he will develop better at bats and be a 270, 30, 90 + hitter. With Altherr’s injury I am not sure we have seen the real player just yet but I think he is likely to be a 4th OF who is a defensive specialist. I too like Quinn alot -but in last night’s game you saw a little bit of the inexperience come out. But I think he can be Victorino like. Williams has all the makings of a bust – we shall have to see, but “the trade” has already been wildly successful.

   On Babe Galvis, I am shocked that he has this much pop. Otoh, we have all seen players (notably infielders) who hit 40 HR one year etc. only to drop back down to their expected amount in the years that follow. Should he hit 20 ? but I would be less surprised if he only hit 8 next year. See Giant’s Crawford, Orioles’ Brady Anderson of another era, etc.

   Lastly, kudos forever to Jim for his writing skills, informative manner, and dedication to providing such a great site. The Phillies ought to pay him for this opus !

   1. I really like Altherr…what an athlete….all plus tools….but the one…contact/hit tool.
      His minor league krate was 21% and improved slightly at 20% facing AA/AAA pitching. So there is hope he will develop a better contact skill. But do not think his wrist plays that much of a factor since when he does make contact…..he hits the ball square and solid.

      1. Romus he is a terrifc fielder. nice speed. But watching him a little this year. I agree the bat is a big question mark?

         1. Altherr and Quinn have the same question. Can they get on base enough? If either guy ends up being a consistent .340-.350 OBP guy we would have a really good player.

            1. Agreed!!

7. The post seasn baseball withdrawal is going to be very difficult. Winter Leagues count and Fall Instructs reporting by Jim will be a big help. Top 30 will take the edge off in December or January.

   For now, the big club is all we have. Although I like to see 8- 0 wins. I’d also like to see a # 6 or #7 draft pick next year. It looks like Hellickson will bring a Comp pick. The Phillies Draft leaders should bring some new faces in June next year and the cycle of life in baseball continues.

   1. Where they are playing in the DWL.
      The Dominican League held its annual draft Thursday, choosing from players only who made their debuts in full-season ball this year.
      Gigantes del Cibao:….Saranthony Domínguez
      Escogido….Franklyn Kilome
      Toros del Este…Jose Pujols…..José Taveras
      Tigres del Licey……Ismael Cabrera
      Estrellas Orientales……Edgar García

8. I went to Wrigley and a Cubs game on Friday, and while I decided to root for the Cubs in the playoffs, it really made me miss the 2007-2011 run even more. The Phillies as an organization had 1976-1983 and the more recent run as pretty much our only success. Both of these runs were fueled by home grown talent coming up together (plus a great trade of Wise for Lefty). The question is whether the current group has the potential to form that kind of nucleus. Who will be the 3/4/5 hitters in our lineup? None of our players are can’t miss. We’ll have money to spend if the right talent is out there to go out and buy our #3 hitter and #1 pitcher. Every season is fun, and sad when it ends. Next season will be the most important in years as we start to learn who will be part of the next nucleus.

   1. Murray – this is a very good point. If you compare our prospects to the prospects that the Cubs had when they were coming up, there is no comparison. The Phillies have solid B, B+ and a few A- guys, but there are no can’t miss guys. The Cubs were chock full of can’t miss guys. In the baseball talent pyramid, there is a HUGE difference between a good prospect and a can’t miss prospect. The Phillies have tried to make up for this with volume and competence – this can work if you have a boat load of prospects and a good number of high ceiling guys (with the idea that some will hit) and a good number of low risk medium ceiling guys (with the idea that many will hit and will either become solid cogs or good trade chips – guys like Jake Thompson). And, although they are not talking about it, payroll flexibility is also a big part of this. Picking and choosing where to spend big bucks is an enormous part of the equation and I don’t think any team in the majors is going to have more payroll flexibility over the next 4 years than the Phillies. They have accomplished that part of the rebuild to perfection.

      Now, Klentak and MacPhail have to put on their thinking caps and take this payroll flexibility, talent glut and young assemblage of uncertain talent and turn it into a playoff team. Unlike the last great Phillies team (that blossomed almost out of nowhere due to a number of draft picks turning into stars at virtually the same time; something that did not require a lot of GM brilliance), take this team to the promise land will take outstanding GM leadership and decision-making. Who turns into a star? Odubel? Altherr? Quinn? Thompson? Nola?

      1. The new GM is going to have to make a lot of difficult decisions. I will say one thing – taking limited use talents (such as Giles – high talent level, but limited value due to role) and turning that talent into high end prospects will be part of the mission. In my view, the Giles trade was truly brilliant. How it works out is unclear, but that’s the kind of trade we need the team to make in order to stock the team with high end stars in the rotation and the regular line-up.

      2. Cubs have no pitching prospects.
         That seem to be Theo.Ned Hoyer’s blue print from when they took over.
         Concentrate on hitters first….pitching comes in FA/trades
         Phillis pitching prospects dwarf any the Cubs have had, even going back 5 years

         1. It’s a good point, but it does not take away from my overall point – and that, is what prospects they did have were, by and large, elite. And those elite prospects plus key FA acquisitions and a couple of good trades have made them the best team in baseball and it made them good in a hurry.

   2. Murray,

      The Phillies are on the right track, I think. There are lots of future players on the farm. However, rebuilding eras don’t always bring continuous improvement in the won-loss column, and I would not be surprised to see the Phillies record next year step back, even though the underlying rebuilding will be intact.

      Rebuilding takes time. The core of 1980 championship team was comprised of players with the Phillies for the better part of the previous decade. Likewise, the core of the 2008 champions had been with the Big Club for a half-decade. As those teams illustrated, it’s not enough just for the prospects to get to the Big Leagues. It takes several years of maturing in the Bigs.

      One reason for a set back might be seen in a position like shortstop. JP Crawford is the SS of the future and a prospective All-Star, but the Phillies could take a step back in immediate production next year if he replaces Galvis. And, yet, that would be the right thing to do for the long-term. Another reason would be unexpected injuries or players who fall short of their current projection, which is bound to happen to some of them.

      Last year, I predicted the Phillies would win 64 games. They won 63. This year, my projections was for 74 wins. They might achieve that, or come close. So I feel pretty good about my realistic assessment of the Phillies.

      It’s too early to project next year, but somewhere around 77 wins could be right.

9. My 2017 lineup:
   1 Quinn cf
   2 Herrera lf (if he isn’t traded)
   3 Prado 2b/lf
   4 Joseph 1b (unless another lefty bat is acquired)
   5 Franco 3b
   6 Alfaro c (with a vet backup; I’m pretty sure Rupp gets traded)
   7 Altherr rf
   8 Galvis ss/2b (until JPC gets the call)

   Knapp gets the call (if he’s not traded first) as a dh/super utility, especially if DH in NL is approved but won’t likely until ’18.

   Cesar H either starts at 2b if Prado is in LF and/or Doobie gets moved; OR he gets traded.

   I believe this will be an active off season for player transactions and 40man roster shuffling. However, Desmond may not be attainable unless they outbid contending clubs, which I doubt they would. He’s not the elite player they’ll eventually target.

10. Besides the 15 previous Latin international free agent signees, mostly Venezuela and DR, here are a few more:
    IF – Raymond Mora ($400K),
    RHP – Dalvin Rosario ($200K)
    SS – Leandro Medina ($70K), –
    LHP – Anderson Parra ($30K),
    3B – Enny Rondon ($25K),
    C – Ronaldo Gonzalez ($10K)

    1. Where, oh where did you find this Romus? And the previous 15? I only found 6, all Venezuelans. I’d like to update my spreadsheets. (That’s a Lotus 1-2-3 give away isn’t it?)

       1. JimP…here is my list…not sure if it is complete however. Sources…multiple sites…..SB Nation, BA (Ben Badler), PhilliesMinorThoughts, Nick Melotte, Phillies Nation, MLB (primarilly Jesse Sanchez).
          ———————————————————————————————–
          IF – Raymond Mora
          RHP – Dalvin Rosario
          SS – Leandro Medina
          LHP – Anderson Parra
          3B – Enny Rondon
          C – Ronaldo Gonzalez
          Francisco Morales – RHP
          Brayan Gonzalez – SS
          Nicolas Torres – SS
          Juan Aparicio – C
          Jose Tortolero – SS
          Simon Muzziotti – OF –
          Luigi Mujica – SS –
          Jorbin Romero – RHP –
          Yeison Sanchez – RHP –
          Pedro Gonzalez – C –
          Rafael Carvajal – RHP –
          Junior Tejada – LHP –
          Rony Noboa – 3B –
          Erick Heredia – RHP –
          Aldemar Rivas – RHP –

          1. JimP….just one more thing….after and if, you copy the names and check them out….could you delete my post….the bonus money for players I have on this list, should not be published.

             1. Thank you, I removed country and dollar amounts from both posts, so that the list could be left as a reference for all. Do you think that is enough? Or would you prefer a complete deletion.

                1. JimP….thats good.
                   Thanks

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