Open Discussion: Week of April 25, 2021

Weekly Discussion

The Phillies are 10-11 after going 2-4 last week.  They went 1-2 against the Giants and 1-2 against the Rockies.  They go to St. Louis for a 4-game set against the Cardinals and then home next weekend to host the Mets.  And, I don’t care.  I don’t care because …

BAILEY FALTER MADE HIS MAJOR LEAGUE DEBUT!!!

Bailey Falter Made His Major League Debut!!

Bailey Falter made his major league debut!

Okay, I’m going to take a stroll down my memory lane.  Bailey is the first player who I became emotionally invested in who made it to the show.

I started going to the Complex during 2012 Instructs.  I couldn’t believe that I could just walk down the driveway and watch baseball players workout on four fields.  I just sat on the bleachers trying to avoid the attention of anyone who might ask me to leave.

During 2013 spring training, I realized that the minor leaguers arrived when the major leaguers moved on to their Grapefruit League games in the stadium.  I started off by talking to parents rather than players.  The first family I can remember talking to was Chris Serritella’s family.

I root for all of the players to make it to the majors.  Those who I engage in some way I root a little harder for.  I don’t remember the first player I was engaged with who was released, but I remember the first one who was traded – Sam McWilliams.  I still take a peek each year to see where he is.

It’s much easier to talk to pitchers than position players at the Complex.  They tend to collect in the area behind home plate and along the sidelines.  Position players are suited up and in the dugout.

In 2015, Lee Ridenhour was introduced by Kirsten Karbach at the season ticket holders party as Lee “Rocket Arm” Ridenhour, a monicker I used during one of my updates the previous summer.  I remember that Brad (a writer here), who was trying to get the Rhineland Rocket to stick for Aaron Altherr, said he was a little jealous that Rocket Arm was picked up by a member of the broadcast media.

2015 was the year I met Falter.  I was sitting in the shade by Roberts Field and he brought out a stool from the locker room and sat beside me.  We struck up a conversation.  I make it a point to talk to him every season.  I met his family a couple years ago including his aunt who follows us here.  This was a draft where I met a half-a-dozen more players to follow.  Plus a future coach in Greg Brodzinski.

I was going to list all the families and players I’ve spoken to over the years.  But, it would be too lengthy.  Meeting so many nice people and rooting for their sons is one of the perks of living close to the Complex and writing for Phuture Phillies.

So, I watched the Phillies fall behind 3-2 today.  When Anderson loaded the bases and the TV coverage broke to a commercial during the anticipated pitching change, I switched over to watch Singing in the Rain on TCM.  Probably one of my favorite movies.  It has a couple dance routines that rank among my favorites, like Donald O’Conner’s Make Em Laugh.

When I returned to the Phillies game it was 10-2 with Bailey Falter getting ready to throw his first major league pitch.  I had the Rockies’ announcers and they were blathering on about something Denver.  One announcer finally got back to game coverage, acknowledging that this was Bailey’s first MLB appearance.  I forgave the announcers.

I was happy that I hadn’t missed Bailey’s debut.  I was happy he got through the seventh inning unscathed.  I really didn’t want to see him pitch another inning.  I mean it is Colorado.  The HR didn’t ruin the experience for me.  It was balanced by the announcer pointing out that Bailey got his first strikeout in the eighth.

The TV gun had him at 92 a lot, I saw at least one 93.  The HR came on a changeup or slider, whatever he throws at 83.  I remember his father watching from the first base side at the Complex.  He watches to see that Bailey’s foot is pointed toward home plate.  I find myself also watching for that when Bailey pitches.  For the record, his foot was pointed correctly.

I’m sure I’m not as happy as he is.  Or his family and friends.  But, I lived vicariously through him today as he attained his dream.  And, I couldn’t be happier for him.

As I mentioned above.  He’s the first player I’ve followed closely to reach the majors.  I’ve been fortunate to have added more in succeeding years.  I’m sure and hopeful he won’t be the last.

BAILEY FALTER IS A MAJOR LEAGUER!!!

This was in my Twitter timeline.  Sharing for those who still want Herrera in centerfield.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This is the Alt Site Roster.

My estimates of …

The Phillies’ running payroll is $191,091,962.

The Phillies’ salary against the competitive balance tax is $202,454,782.

The Phillies’ margin under the CBT threshold of $210M is $7,545,218. (spreadsheet)

This is the Phuture Phillies Open Discussion for Phillies and other baseball topics.

Key Dates:

  • April 1, 2021 – Phillies’ home opener v. Braves
  • April 3, 2021 – ST for minor leagues begins
  • May 4, 2021 – Opening day for all four full-season affiliates
  • June 25, 2021 – Close of the 2020 international signing period
  • July 11-13, 2021 – 2021 Amateur Draft
  • October 2, 2021 – Phillies clinch a playoff berth in Miami

The rosters and lists are up to date as of April 25th … 320 players in the org

Transactions (newest transactions are in bold print)

There are 12 players who are not in the Phillies Media Guide who I am not counting in the total for the organization. I’m carrying them in their own section on the sheets.

4/22/2021 – Phillies assigned OF Josh Stephen to the Training Site
4/22/2021 – Phillies assigned OF Cornelius Randolph to the Training Site
4/22/2021 – Phillies assigned INF Dalton Guthrie to the Training Site
4/22/2021 – Phillies assigned LHP Ranger Suarez to the Training Site
4/22/2021 – INF Greg Garcia assigned to the Training Site
4/22/2021 – Phillies signed INF Greg Garcia to an MiLB contract w/May 2nd opt out
4/21/2021 – Phillies optioned RHP Ramon Rosso to the Training Site
4/21/2021 – Phillies recalled RHP Spencer Howard from the Training Site
4/21/2021 – Phillies placed SS Jean Segura on the 10-day IL, Right quad strain
4/21/2021 – Phillies recalled SS Scott Kingery from the Training Site
4/20/2021 – Phillies recalled LHP Bailey Falter from the Training Site
4/20/2021 – Phillies optioned LHP Damon Jones to the Training Site
4/20/2021 – Phillies recalled RHP Ramon Rosso from the Training Site
4/20/2021 – Phillies optioned LHP Cristopher Sanchez to the Training Site
4/19/2021 – Phillies placed LHP Matt Moore on the 10-day IL
4/19/2021 – Phillies recalled LHP Damon Jones from the Training Site
4/19/2021 – Phillies recalled SS Nick Maton from the Training Site
4/19/2021 – Phillies placed SS Ronald Torreyes on the 10-day IL
4/19/2021 – Phillies recalled LHP Cristopher Sanchez from the Training Site
4/19/2021 – Phillies placed LHP Jose Alvarado on the 10-day IL
4/19/2021 – LHP Rob Kaminsky assigned to Training Site
4/18/2021 – Phillies signed FA LHP Rob Kaminsky to a minor league contract
4/16/2021 – Reading released C Nerluis Martinez
4/14/2021 – Phillies optioned RHP Spencer Howard to the Training Site
4/14/2021 – Phillies placed CF Adam Haseley on the RL
4/14/2021 – Phillies recalled CF Mickey Moniak from Training Site
4/13/2021 – Phillies recalled RHP Spencer Howard from the Training Site
4/11/2021 – Phillies recalled LHP JoJo Romero from the Training Site
4/11/2021 – Phillies placed RHP Archie Bradley on the 10-day IL

276 thoughts on “Open Discussion: Week of April 25, 2021”

  1. Nice article Jim.
    Watching the Phillies is a lot like watching Groundhog’s Day. Some things never change.

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    1. Very true.. i rarely catch beginnings or ends of games.. but i often tune in during like 5th/6th/7th… everytime i do.. opposing team is jacking one into the stands and i follow up with the same explatives evertime then i click the X button on the browser window fast.. i’ll check the box score an hour or two later and it’s just about the same as it ever was… at least ever was for 11 years

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  2. Hard to believe that the Phillies don’t think that they don’t have internal options for the back end of their rotation, because they signed two pitchers that can’t make it past the 4th inning.

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    1. When you sign 2 #5 pitchers, this is what you’re going to get. Although the Phillies probably expected Matt Moore to be better than a #5 pitcher.

      They both will probably get another 4-5 starts, and we’ll see what happens by late May/early June. Then the Phillies will likely move them off the rotation.

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  3. I love the story, In someway. I do the same, I remember the first time i saw Romus, what a day that was for me, Jim i havent seen Rojas name or maybe i missed it, i like to see how he is doing, ty

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    1. Johan? I haven’t seen him lately. I think he’s in the Clearwater group. Ironically, the Threshers’ group is not scheduled to play in the ballpark during spring training. And the only game I’ve watched from beyond the backfields was Mick Abel’s rookie-level squad.

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  4. I continue to follow Phillies on MLB.com. I mostly watch on a delay so I can zip thru commercials breaks. I tend to hold the forward button a little longer after we bat so I don’t have to watch the Phillies pitchers.

    Last year this network had inning options to select. I would skip the part of an inning that Phillies pitched only watched us bat. Saved years off my life.

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  5. Thanks for sharing your complex experience(s), Jim.
    Congratulations to young Mr. Falter and his family.
    I am a huge fan of this (very under the radar) stat: “first MLB player with the name …”

    .

    BTW … Rhys Hoskins, Didi Gregorius, Ranger Saurez, Seranthony Dominguez, and Mickey Moniak (whose birth name is McKenzie) also all have distinct/unique names to anyone who has ever played in MLB. In addition … the team has been on somewhat of a run when it comes to 1st round draft picks. Cornelius Randolph (2015), McKenzie “Mickey” Moniak (2016), Bryson Stott (2019), and McLean “Mick” Abel all have one-of-a-kind names to MLB. 😉👍

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    1. Maybe a few more coming down the road…..Jhailyn, Elberson, Neyker, Anton, Danyony and Starlyn…if only in their spelling.

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      1. Love it, Romus!
        And the dream of Yang “Bruce” Wang and Rixon Wingrove one day playing for the Phillies lives!

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    2. Hinkie, Connie Mack’s full name was Cornelius McGillicuddy.

      His great grandson, who was congressman for Florida as Connie Mack IV, is actually Cornelius Harvey McGillicuddy.

      So, Cornelius Randolph is not unique.

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  8. Wanted to throw this out there … if I’m Joe Girardi, I would absolutely take advantage of Nick Maton’s scorching hot bat. Put him in the leadoff spot for now. Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper are going good. The more men on base the better when Hoskins and Harper step to the plate.

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    1. I respect what Joe is doing with McCutchen. He deserves that for sure but I don’t know how long it should go on. April historically is a month of false positives and negatives.

      Usually veterans who have solid track records that struggle in April do so because of timing issues.

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    2. I can’t disagree here. It’s been 21 games already (more than 10% of the season) and Cutch needs to move down in the batting order and Maton needs to leadoff. Cutch has an OPS of .531, there’s not much of argument left for him to leadoff.

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      1. Can Maton Play CF? Honest question… once Segura is back can we just put Maton out in CF regardless of what happens on Defense.. i’d suggest it anyways

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        1. Maton has not played the OF at all in the minors. So putting Maton in CF is NOT going to happen.

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          1. Guru…hang on ….Joe said he is taking fly balls out there.
            Like Kingery…..appears to be an athlete.
            Maybe they are thinking along those lines.

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            1. Maton might go there in emergency situations, but that’s about it. If they want to move him to CF, that’s for the minors and ST.

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    3. 1 Maton 2B
      2 Bohm 3B
      3 Harper RF
      4 JT C
      5 Gregorius SS
      6 Hoskins 1B
      7 Cutch LF
      8 Odubel CF

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  9. Thank you Jim for insight on Bailey Falter. Your comments and your Love for the kids makes you Special, specifics about his “Foot” and Dad are Special

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    1. It’s been an odd spring. I haven’t seen as much of as many players as I usually do.
      I don’t think I’ve seen any pitcher more than once. High school pitchers Abel and Phelan caught my eye, but in extremely small sample sizes. Older catcher Nick Matera is striking the ball better and displayed a strong arm. Former prospect Cole Stobbe is hitting well, too. Arquimedes Gamboa has displayed some power.

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  11. DD has to do something about CF. People would be all over Klentak if he was here and did nothing. The logical choice is Herrera whether people like it or not. It is not possible for Herrera to do worse than the trio of Haseley, Quinn and Moniak. They can designate Torreyes for assignment. He seems to be this years team mascot. If they keep Torreyes around but send down Maton I will give up.

    Here are the internal options for starting pitching. This does not include Howard since the Phillies apparently want to save him for 2029 or something. Rosso, De Los Santos and Jones. Morales is too young and Medina is on a par with Jerard Eickhoff. My favorite pitcher is Ethan Lindow. Have always liked him but he will apparently pitch in Reading and probably isn’t ready anyway.

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    2. Torreyes has no future in this league beyond being a guy you can keep on the bench in case of emergency. So yeah you could DFA him but Maton needs to play everyday or near everyday. He does have a future in the league with the floor of super utility guy.

      Maton OTOH If you can’t find him regular starts with Didi and Segura then he has to be down playing everyday getting regular PAs

      Again I’m not agitated by CF at all. My expectations were pretty low for this season and I have my eyes on next season and beyond.

      MM has been really good defensively so why not just let him play through his struggles. Assuming he has a solid head on his shoulders and he’s mentally tough enough to keep working through it.

      They seem content to allow 3B to work through his struggles (as they should) what’s the difference?

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      1. The difference is Bohm is a much better hitting prospect than Moniak, Quinn and Haseley. Combined. I would keep Maton even with Didi and Segura. He will get his chances. He won’t hit .500 forever but I don’t know how he can be sent down. He’s 24 not 20. I would rather see him get 200 major league ABs than 400 minor league ABs. That’s the way it used to be. When guys were ready they were on the team and then made the most of their chances. I have a hunch the Phillies feel differently and would send him down.

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        1. Maton is not going to get 200 ABs sitting on the bench. If you look at the 2019 Phillies, only Hasely got 200+ ABs while starting on and off in CF. That year, Jay Bruce was the primary LF pinch hitter and he got 145 ABs.

          If the goal is to give consistent ABs to Maton, he’ll get it in the minors.

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  12. My scouting report of Bailey Falter:

    I’m going to give a pass on his command, since it was his MLB debut. So I’m looking more at his pitches, and how they move. His fastball is 91-94, which is good enough for a LH pitcher. I remember one of his fastballs was tailing, so I’m wondering if he throws both a 2 seam and a 4 seam fastball. The announcers commented that he has some deception in his delivery which is obviously good. I believe he throws a slider and changeup, and both looked subpar to me. His changeup had good speed separation but almost no fade and it got hammered for a HR by Cron when he left it up. The slider, I didn’t see too much movement either. At this point, he’s more a 4-5 pitcher, but he’ll need to tighten up at least one of his secondary pitches to make him stick in the rotation.

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    1. CO is a tough place to evaluate breaking pitches. I’d like to see how his stuff plays in some denser air….

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    2. The humidor does have some tangible benefits, but still trying to accurately evaluate a pitcher’s breaking stuff is difficult there.

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      1. Yeah….do not know how they do it, but the Brew Crew seems to come up drafting some good arms outside the first round.
        Their first round picks have been well below average over the last 30 years……sans Jake Odorizzi and Ben Sheets

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  14. I saw Greg Garcia pop up in the Alt Site lineups, but didn’t know who he was or where he came from. Well, at least Allentown is a nice place to spend 10 days this time of year. (?)

    I’m actually surprised we haven’t seen a couple more of that type of signing for AAA and AA depth. Perhaps with fewer levels and with last year missing, they’ll simply push players up and let them sink or swim. To me, rosters this season are going to be even more fascinating than ever.

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  15. I hope the Phillies don’t fall into the pattern of losing series. With the Cardinals and the Mets coming up, it’s imperative that they take 2 of 3 from New York and at least split with the Red Birds. If the Phils take it on the chin this week, it will be like what Yogi Berra said, “It’s getting late early”.

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    1. Oh my God, it’s about time!

      On baseball grounds alone, think about how much better you’ll feel when Odubel is hitting 7th or 8th as compared to what we have had (and, again, not disrespecting MM, he’s still young and developing).

      One more thing. I was watching Roman play the other day and, after he failed to beat out a bunt for a hit and was also caught stealing (I think it was the same game, but does it matter?) I thought to myself – well, if he can’t bunt his way on and he can’t steal a base and he can’t do almost anything else competently, what on earth is he doing on this team? Getting Odubel is like making a great early season trade. Even if he’s just okay, he’s way better than what he replaced.

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      1. It really is about time. If the Phillies are trying to win games, Odubel is the best option at CF once Haseley went to the restricted list.

        Moniak will be in play for LF/CF in 2022.

        Because Roman has missed so much time, he’s only arbitration eligible next season! But he really needs to start hitting.

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  18. Odubel is certainly not the answer for 2022 and beyond, and he may not be the answer for 2021, but giving him an opportunity is a no-brainer right now considering the situation.

    I know Mickey struggled but let’s see what he does at AAA and hopefully he continues to improve and starts next year.

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    1. Herrera has a club option at $11.5M for 2022. The odds are low that the Phillies will pick that up but if he gets hot and gets close to 3 WAR, you never know.

      Let’s hope that Mickey has a good year in the minors so he can compete for an OF job in ST. We need Mickey to be at least starter level since the Phillies don’t have any OF prospects that are close.

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      1. Muzziotti is right around the corner…next year he should be ready to compete for the CF position.

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          1. Drats……I was hoping that would be resolved by the first week in May when the minors start up.

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          2. Can you please help me understand how baseball players continue to have visa issues year after year. Also why does it take so long to resolve these “issues”

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      2. Yeah agree….,,,I cannot see them picking up his option.
        And if he does well…..Dave D can always try to move him in a trade with only the two club option years remaining ..that only enhances his attractiveness.

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  19. Near the beginning of yesterday’s broadcast, Amaro said, “He [Jon Gray] does have trouble against left handed hitters. We do have quite a few of them in the lineup today.” First, the lineup yesterday was no different than it has been.

    Second, here are Baseball Reference’s tOPS+ splits for Gray. I included Nola, Wheeler, and deGrom for comparison.

    tOPS+ vRHB vLHB
    Gray 94 106
    Nola 93 108
    Wheeler 87 116
    deGrom 89 112

    So what was Amaro looking at, or does he just make stuff up?

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  22. Odubel deserves a second chance. I researched the subject a few weeks ago. Odubel has served the longest suspension for domestic abuse that I can find. His suspension was even longer than a couple of dudes who used a firearm during their domestic incident.
    That said … Odubel is going to be the same player he’s always been: hot for a week, cold for a month. The sad thing is … that is better production than anything this team has gotten from anyone else in CF the past two years.

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  23. LOL. Tom McCarthy says, “Nick Maton has 13 family members and friends at the game tonight including his parents, girlfriends, and some buddies.”
    Maton is a real Player … on and off the field.

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    1. … and just like that … TMac apologizes for announcing Maton has multiple girlfriends instead of just one. Too funny.

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      1. I heard that, too funny. Hopefully they weren’t sitting together, lol.

        What every happened to Krukie’s cousin (?) that came to the games Benny (?) ? Drank lots of beer and wore colorful shirts.

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  24. Sooooo lucky to win that mismanaged 9th inning. Not trying to be a second guesser (and I told my wife this in real time) … Girardi should have brought in Jose Alvarado to start the 9th inning. And why would they not walk Nolan Arenado with first base open? Brutal managing.

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    1. Ya know, I thought I’d give Joe some time, but so far this year I’m not too impressed with some of his moves. They seem less than cerebral to me.

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    2. I don’t believe letting Wheeler start the 9th was a bad call given how dominate he was. Hinkie – do would you want to walk Arenado putting the winning run on and face their best hitter in Molina?

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      1. SpinRate…………..I love Wheeler, but I might need to re-think your question of the other week concerning Wheeler and Ohtani. Heh, heh!

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        1. Wheeler was being asked to throw maybe 120 pitches by going back out in the ninth. He’s never done that in his career. Not saying it was impossible for him to get the final three outs. Just saying the odds of a fresh (hasn’t thrown in a week) Alvarado nailing down the win was greater than asking Wheeler to go thru the Cardinals lineup for a 4th time after 107 pitches.

          For me … Aranado is a more dangerous hitter than Molina even though the numbers so far this season may not back that up. Joe Girardi might believe that too. In the post game presser, he said he wanted Hector to “be careful” with Aranado. I mean, in the end, the strategy worked out (barely/by about three feet). I guess “All’s well that ends well”.

          One last thing … over the past few years, I have consistently backed Hector Neris as the Phillies closer … not because he’s great at the job, but because he’s been their best option (very good FIP & K #s). However, it’s probably time for him to pass the torch to Jose Alvarado. Hector has lost a couple of ticks off his FB (more 92s than 94s and 95s). His command of that pitch has also waned. At the same time, his “splitter” (his bread and butter offering) has become more inconsistent. Some nights, it looks good, but too often, it lacks the late, sharp downward bite. This has all led to 92 MPH FBs catching too much of the plate and 82 MPH “splitters” lacking much movement. Batters are making way too much (hard) contact.
          Alvarado just has better stuff. He’s tougher to hit, has better FIP and K #s, and batters make less hard contact.

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          1. Once Bradley gets healthy….after he is stretched to pitch again, IMO he should be the closer, He is at the age and experience now to take it to the next level full-time.

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    3. I think this was tough call but tend to agree with Hinkie. Wheeler was already at a pitch count where it was unlikely he could finish unless he got a 5 or 6 pitch inning. Cardinals were not going to let that happen.

      Cardinal announcers were glad when Hector came in. They said earlier that Phillies BP was 15th in NL and 28th in MLB rankings. Once Hector came in you knew it would get exciting. He just does not have closer stuff and always a slew of baserunners.

      Edmonds before final out said so strange that starter goes to 9th ahead 2-0 but in 3 ballers game could be over with Arrenado and BP. He was not too far off on his thoughts.

      I would ride with Odubel. Funny family mention. I thought this was first game he kinda pressed in both in the field and at the plate. Maybe it was all the GFs.

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    1. Don’t forget the catch by Odubel at the end. He could have botched it.

      Meanwhile, Bohm is hitting into tremendously bad luck.

      Saw a reference in the Inky where he ranks sixth on hard hit balls.

      I just hope he keeps his confidence because the luck will even out.

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      1. Frank…spot on, on Bohm,
        …BABIP is .250…no luck at all, and also concerning is his higher than normal 27% K rate. He could be pressing too hard.
        But still less than 100 PAs for him.

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  26. WAR for NL Pitchers
    1. deGrom • NYM 1.5
    2. Mahle • CIN 1.5
    ………Gray • COL 1.5
    4. Woodruff • MIL 1.2
    5. Burnes • MIL 1.1
    6. Gausman • SFG 1.1
    ………Rogers • MIA 1.1
    8. DeSclafani • SFG 1.1
    9. Darvish • SDP 1.1
    ………Nola • PHI 1.1
    ………Eflin • PHI 1.1
    Wheeler….1.0

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  27. Romus, you never cease to amaze me. I think we need to simply change your handle to Stats. BTW Cardinal announces. All games so far on trip have been that. In the past there used to be some Phillie broadcasts sprinkled.

    One nice point is opponent announcers bring out facts Murphy and Kruk do not. Last night Cardinal announcers referenced that since 2018 Phillies were 43 so now 42 games under 500 in road games. They mentioned why managers get fired. But I was thinking it means Phillies have a great home record because during that time Phillies have basically had a 500 record.

    Have a great day Stats. I like that.

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    1. Don53…..Tom McCarthy does bring in analytics into his discussions…..often actually. I liked that part of his ‘game’….his play calling can be improved, he seems to make one mistake every inning. And sitting in a studio now and not a booth does seem to calm his inane hyperbole on simple actions on the field
      Kruk…..his schtick is just the ‘ good ole West Virginia, mountain-momma, country boy style’ with really little substance or tangible analytics. It is fun to listen to for awhile. His post-game cross-overs are more thought provoking analysis.

      Stats?….there are many on here who can chew me up and spit me out analytically.

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      1. Sorry guys but I do like T Mac doing the games. Really enjoy his genuine talk and love of the game. Kruk and Amaro choice is like choosing between seeing Rosie O’Donnell or Roseann Barr in a bikini. Schmidty is bland but he brings old school and nostalgia, Ben Davis is okay. I would let the Phanatic sit in for a couple innings.

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    2. Don your right, Romus is a legend in Fishtown, Media, he never pays for anything, The man was a Fighter Pilot in korea, Ran a large chain of strip in Florida, Is first guy in his class at Yale to earn a million, A amazing man. For his 75 birthday he jump out of plane , what a life he has,

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  29. Wheeler was really good last night, and the ball 3 on the hitter he walked was actually strike 3, but bad calls go both ways. Hector is simply not the Closer we need, but here we are. A win is a win, despite heart palpitations in the 9th. I can’t really jump on JoeG for keeping Wheeler in the game, but there have been a number of other times where he has not been the excellent BP Manager I believed he was. He, along with a number of his players, needs to do better. Romus’ chart above brings up a really good point. Nola, Wheeler and Eflin have done a good job, and I think we have 3 good to really good SPs. Our #4 and #5 have been the opposite and I read where Spencer is now being stretched out in LHV to maybe be an Opener? Regardless, we need to start thinking about an addition to the SP staff.

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    1. Opener…I like that idea if Joe employs it with his back end guys.

      Howard can perhaps start as the opener for or /3 innings every other day….that is…..the rotation will need to be changed a bit….Anderson and Moore cannot be back to back…..one may have to go to the three spot….then Howard can open for both with that day off between and two days when the cycle starts again.

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    2. I really like the opener idea, I’m glad I had to go somewhere after the 8th my heart can’t take anymore lol.

      Regarding Wheelers he seems like bargain now kudos for that.

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  30. Romus, I thought Joe G handled the splitting up of Moore and Anderson by putting Nola in the middle when we had the rainout in NY. If Howard can go 3 and Moore or Anderson can go 3, that takes care of 1 Rotation spot. I don’t think they plan to have Howard open for both. 1 of the 2 has to be able to pitch a solid 5 innings, but I am not counting on it.

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    1. Cash was able to do it with the Rays to years ago….not so much last year due to the truncated and mixed up COVID scheduling issues.
      I like to see Joe try it with Anderson and Moore…does not have to be the whole year, he can do it in stretches
      And what gives with Medina or EDLS or Suarez!
      I’d think they would be in the mix at some point.

      Like

  31. Saying that Herrera would never get the call seemed asinine, esp as the first month went on seeing how Quinn, Haseley and Moniak have looked. Glad he’s up.
    Now LF is seems like a huge hole, maybe they need to back off of Cutch’s playing time, only prob is they have no one to split with him (Miller? eh).
    Also is anyone disappointed in Joe G? He doesn’t seem to be anything more than an average manager, if that. At what point are we going to see any emotion outta him? His post games don’t seem much different than Kaplers (albeit in a different sense).

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    2. Eric, why was that asinine? This team buried Odubel in a way that really bordered on being cruel and, also, in my humble opinion, truly stupid. If any of the players that had been tapped before him had even been mediocre, in my view, Odubel never would have seen the majors for the Phillies again. But now he’s here, he’s been contrite and he’s paid the penalty, hopefully, he can flourish and get back his life and career. God knows we need and want him to be good.

      Like

      1. Its asinine bc they were’t going to leave him down there if other options didn’t work, and him getting called up proves that. You can say that he was gonna be the last one called up but to act like they were just going to leave him there if all else failed seemed like flawed logic. It’s be interesting to see how long the leash is for him if he doesn’t preform (personally I think he preforms once getting his feet re wet).

        Like

        1. Say what? Virtually every conceivable option had to fail miserably (which it obviously did) for Odubel to get the call. If any of those guys did a marginally acceptable job, there’s no way they were giving Odubel a chance. It was equally stupid for him not to get a chance last year, but he didn’t. You don’t have to be a stat whiz to see they were trying to bury the guy. And, no, it wasn’t logical, it wasn’t reasonable and in fact, it was, in my opinion, stupid. But they’ve been doing this to him for a long time because they do not like the person he is or was.

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  32. Great for Maton’ family and friends seeing him in St Louis.
    Falter’s debut was witnessed by his 23 family and friends that watch in Gleem on Sundays debut, all 23 watched the whole Minn series in Minn
    Note:
    Chino Hills High Ca has 3 MLB ers
    Chris Parmelee 2015 Minn
    Kyle Garlick 2015 Dodgers
    Bailey Falter 2015

    Like

    1. Former Phillies first round draft choice OFer Zack Collier also could be on the list…..unfortunately, came close to the majors, Triple A….but just never made it to the show.

      Like

  33. The thing that is sort of amazing to me about Wheeler is that I think he can be even better (obviously, not better than last night, but better generally) if he can improve his breaking ball command and spin some of his pitches better. The fact that his velocity is just peaking now in his early 30s is very impressive, much like deGrom’s velocity continues to increase. A lot has gone wrong in the last 4 or 5 years but Wheeler, Harper and Realmuto have been great acquisitions.

    Like

  34. Hinkie – not to beat a dead horse (or a live one for that matter – unless you play the ponies I suppose – not that anyone on here does that), but here goes. Was the bottom of the 9th “…brutally mismanaged”? First, I want to say that managers get far too much credit when a team wins and take far too much of the blame when a team loses.

    1. Should Wheeler have started the 9th. I’d say in most cases no, but when a guy is tossing a one-hit shutout, I’d give him shot. Wheeler was still hitting upper 90s and this team does not have a lock-down closer. Joe G. appeared to recognize the tentativeness of the decision and quickly lifted Wheeler after he walked the first batter he faced. All-in-all, a reasonable decision.

    2. Should Alvarado or Neris close? I don’t know. A Neris outing is too often an adventure, and I can see him losing the closer role sometime before the season is out. Either way, should they have put a guy who has quarantined and hasn’t pitched in a week in such a high leveraged situation? Again, I don’t know. Alvarado might be the better option – I will definitely give you that.

    3. Should Joe G. have walked Arenado to pitch to Molina with Neris on the mound? Arenado is a solid hitter, but his career numbers have been greatly inflated by the Coor’s Field affect. His slash line home (Coors) v. away are:

    Home(Coor’s): 320 / 375 / 606
    Away: 264 / 321 / 470.

    If you bring in Alvarado, then maybe you walk Arenado. His platoon splits are:

    v RHP: 282 / 332 / 517
    v LHP: 320 / 393 / 600

    Like

    1. Wheeler said in the post game he told Joe to have someone ready, he admitted he felt like he lost command.

      Like

  35. Who was the idiot last week who wrote that perhaps the Phillies should platoon Hoskins with Miller? That Doofus should pay more attention to the conditions of the game in the long run. Oh, right. It was me. Thanks to Catch22 for explaining it to me in terms I could understand.

    Like

    1. LOL – I was going to post something, but I figured Hoskins made my point for me. When he’s hot, he can carry a team for close to a month or at least several weeks.

      But it’s even better than that. It takes several years before the pitcher/hitter adjustment periods end and you know what you’re getting. Hoskins turned the corner last year and this year is just a continuation of Hoskins, the mature hitter – the guy you can pretty much count on. He, Harper and Realmuto are going to be a lot of fun to watch for the next few years. Hoskins could easily have at least a couple 40 homer seasons before he’s through.

      Like

    1. The Phillies really need Howard to stick in the starting rotation because Eflin is going to get really expensive in 2023. And it would help a lot if Morales took a big step forward in the minors. Unless Mick Abel turns into Zack Greinke, who made the Royals as a 20 year old, Abel will be spending at least 3-4 seasons in the minors.

      Like

      1. Yeah…that would be good.
        Though, based on what Josh Bonifay and others have commented about Mick Abel, I do think he could be an ETA of 2023..age 22 later that summer.
        MLB.com has him at 2024 as their ETA.
        And not withstanding losing any time to arm or shoulder issues

        Morales could be up there next season.
        I just =hope they stay healthy.
        I look at Kevin Gowdy and see how that unraveled after he went thru all the injury issues.
        It can happen so fast with yuong arms.

        Like

        1. The last HS pitcher who spent parts of 3 years in the minors before making his debut for the Phillies was Cole Hamels. And Hamels is a borderline HOF pitcher. So unless Abel is at a superstar level, his ETA is most likely 2024 or later.

          Pitchers are a curious breed. The hype can be enormous in the minors (see Todd Van Poppel, Ben McDonald) and they can’t live it up to it. Or they take the MLB world by storm and then injuries take it away (see Mark Prior). So many things can derail a pitcher.

          Like

          1. There are those exceptions for the highly skilled….look at Nola, three years at LSU…drafted in 2014…..2015 makes his debut in mid July…175 innings in the minors. Those on a fast track can do it…Abel may be one of those.
            But like you say…pitchers are a curious and a different breed…..thus the TINSTAAPP annotation.
            So many GMs keep their fingers crossed.

            Like

  37. OMG, Jacob deGrom has 0.31 ERA, 0.552 WHIP and 1.5 WAR as a pitcher. If you add his 0.4 WAR as a hitter, he’s 1.9 WAR total already which is absurd. He’s on pace for 12 WAR as a pitcher!

    Like

  38. For those who question Joe Girardi, a couple of thoughts:

    1. We can question any manager’s moves during a game, and we will. All managers. The real job of a manager at a major league level, I think, is handling people, handling the personalities of these intense, Type A and mostly still emotionally and psychologically immature Alpha Males.

    Charlie Manuel might have talked like a country bumpkin and had trouble putting together five coherent words, but he apparently managed the managing of people part very well.

    We don’t know how Girardi is doing in that regard, but from what I’ve seen, my guess is that he scores highly in that regard.

    2. As for showing emotion, it reminds me of soft-spoken Tony Dungy. When he first met his players as the new coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he told them in his quiet voice that this is the loudest they would ever hear him.

    He won a Super Bow.

    Baseball is a far less rah-rah sport. A game played everyday and so focused on the individual will never attract the “coach sez” mentality of football.

    From what I see, I like Joe G. He isn’t perfect, but none of us are and if we had to manage a team for 162 games that would be obvious to all observers.

    Like

  39. I’m to forget that we only had 3 hits, and Brad Miler can’t play OF, and Coonrod only seems to have a straight fastball, I’m excited by the fact that minor league games start back up next week. I’m so looking forward to reading box scores for each team again. However, I’m worried that none of our teams looks very hood. Any predictions on teams with a winning record? We just don’t have a very good system right now. I’m hoping that our pitching surprises though.

    Like

  40. I haven’t been able to watch the last 2 games, can anyone tell me how Herrera has looked at the plate (I can see he’s 0-6 but has he hit the ball hard, bad luck, looked horrible, etc).

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    1. ‘………Herrera has looked at the plate ……..’

      Dave D better take Hinkie’s suggestion and go get Kiermaier.

      Like

    2. He’s hit two ball to the left side that could have been hits except for good defensive plays. He made a nice play on a ball in the alley holding the runner to a single.

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    3. Herrera is making contact and spraying the ball all over the field. At least he’s not chasing bad pitches out of the zone.

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      1. Only 6 PAs….so really cannot determine or project what he will do.
        But swinging ‘out-of- the- zone.’ in those six PAs….43%……157th in the majors , one slot behind Didi who at 156 has a 42.4% ‘out -of -the- zone’…..I am more concerned with Didi than Doobie.
        At least Herrera on away pitches outside the zone will go to left field….Didi rolls everything to his pull side..

        The best…. O-Swing% ….is Max Muncy @ 13.6%…..Cutch is second @ 16.8%

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  41. I can’t argue that JoeG has looked great do far, but I think he is a real good Manager. I think he has made some questionable decisions. He is also hamstrung by a roster with big holes. The CF production cannot be worse. Cutch looks cooked and Alec Bohn has been sub Mendoza Line and he needs to adjust. Brad Miller can’t play LF. SPs 4 and 5 have not been adequate and the BP has been inconsistent with Bradley out and Alvarez missing time. I wish I had answers, and don’t believe Herrera is one of them. I think we need to think about an early trade.

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    1. Not to mention that the front office and minor league management along with player development has had a poor track record since 2008.
      Go Pivetta!

      Like

  42. Here come the Bravos….

    Imagine having a $300+ mil player opsing 593

    and thank you Vlad Jr. for putting up a 3 spot against Scherzer last night

    Hitting season as Charlie used to call it is right around the corner.

    If or when Herrera doesn’t get it done who will be to blame for CF?

    Like

    1. I grew up in NY following the Mets (yes, yes, yes, I was a Mets fan until I moved to Philly to stay – in my defense, I’ve been a Phillies fan since 1992, so I’ve experienced my share of suffering) and people who think Philadelphia fans are more harsh on players than NY fans are out of their minds. In Philly, if the fans think you’re giving 100 percent all the time (or if you’ve already been a hero – like Brad Lidge), they really won’t boo the living hell out of you. In New York, if you’re not good for an extended period of time, almost no matter who you are, they will boo you mercilessly, regardless of your approach and attitude.

      In Philly, the cardinal sin is not hustling or being a phony. In New York, it’s 100 percent based on performance.

      Like

      1. Yep…i remember when they booed, who eventually became the greatest Philly…Mike Schmidt in the mid-70s….probably because he always had that aloof, nonchalant mannerisms about him, especially after striking out and walking back to the dugout.

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  44. Who’s to blame for CF? Well, I am not writing off Mickey yet. He came up too soon. He needed, at least, a few months in AAA. Haseley, who I hope is ok as an individual, was, IMO, thought of as a LF. Roman Quinn was always a hope and a prayer. Randolph was a poor draft pick. I would blame the Front office. Praying something works without any past success, just like VV as a SP, is not the way to build a roster. Thinking Cutch would be better is understandable. Would JBJ have made a big difference? Probably, at least a big Defensive plus, but that goes back to the salary cap and John Middleton. I think it is safe, and very accurate, to still blame the MacPhail/Klentak rebuild for failing.

    Like

    1. I think Mcphail is tge tip of the iceberg. I don’t think Reubens folks did us any favors. I mean Harper, Strasbourg, etc fir the Nationals were stars from the get go. Not Moniak, Haseley, and Quinn. Then again we’ll see if they become stars once they leave the Phillies. Heck maybe even VV gets a second birth once he is cut loose aka Pivetta.
      This is much loner and deeper than McPhail and company.

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      1. You know that Harper and Strasburg were generational talents right? The Nationals got extremely lucky that they held the #1 pick when those guys were available. You make it sound like the Nationals haven’t missed on people: Victor Robles, Erick Fedd, Carter Kieboom, Michael A. Taylor, Joe Ross. At one point or another, the players I mentioned were ranked in the top 100 for the Nationals.

        Like

        1. No the point was more to say we had our chances to develop some good talent in CF let alone other positions like SS and SP and have not done so. I mean all three of the people I mentioned were 1st round picks in recent years and so far we are 0 for 3.
          How about Starting Pitching. Besides Nola where are all the draft picks we have developed over the last 10 years. I mean instead of two retreads, why aren’t we starting Howard and Medina.
          The story goes on and on.
          Look at all the players we got in trades for Hamels, etc.
          yes maybe Strasbourg and Harper were bad examples but I’m sure you all who really get into researching this can see that everyone in our division (which is all I can comment on) has done better with their teams than we have since 2011. And as far as drafting and developing maybe it goes back a few more years.
          I just know we have had over a decade of below the Mendoza line of drafts, trades and player development compared to what I see from others. Again most people here know a lot more than me. I just see the results of the Phillies

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          1. Let’s get it out of the way first, the Phillies have been terrible with international signings. And it looks worse when the Braves have Acuna/Albies and the Nationals with Soto. The Marlins are decent in this regard too. Although we can probably say that the Mets have been just as bad as we are for international signings.

            As for developing drafted talent, the Nationals are first by a mile but their prospects haven’t been panning out recently. The Braves are 2nd, and the Mets/Phillies are 3rd. The Marlins had some good picks before, but they haven’t really drafted well lately and you can see it in their roster.

            So can the Phillies improve? Everybody can improve. It’s not easy but I think the Phillies are gradually getting better.

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            1. Sal Agostinelli is the one guy in the organization that seems to be above criticism. The feeling was he had been given a very limited budget and had to scrounge around for leftovers and crumbs missed by the big money teams. That may have been true at one time but when Ortiz was given $4.6M we may be able to put that to rest. Ortiz has been a total zero, unfortunately. So I think he can at least be discussed as to whether he has been good or not and whether the Phillies could do better.

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            2. I mentioned last year that Sal A was not to be admired. If there are so many Latin players playing on other teams and we have Ortiz, Herrera, Galvis, the pitcher from Cuba, Franco and oghers.

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            3. NL….Phillies have actually got more mileage out of their ‘frugal or cheaper’ signings….Sixto, Freddy, Cesar, Chooch….now Marchan, Duran, Medina (maybe)
              The biggies staring in 2011 with Tocci, then Encarnacion, Pujols, Grullon, Braylon Gonzalez, Ortiz, Gamboa, Brito, et al…..all fizzled.
              Jury still out on Luis Garcia, Francisco Morales and Starlyn Castillo.

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    2. I see it differently Matt. Once you cut the chord with the prior FO you can no longer blame them.

      I mean yeah we all know the Klentak rebuild era was a disaster but that’s now water under the bridge. We’re owed honesty from DD about where we are, where we’re going and how we plan to get there.

      Basically DD has two choices. Try to tear down some and do a partial rebuild or hope he can spend his way out for near term success.

      He may not have the prospect capital to trade his way out of this mess like he did in Boston. I could be wrong about that. But you get Ketel Marte to lead off and play CF and all of the sudden you’ll really have something.

      I would hate to be in his shoes because he does have some really nice players on the big league roster so the temptation is to think they can compete. But that’s false IMO they need to get a lot better in CF and LF.

      Like

      1. DD has been completely honest with the fan base so far. The 2,3, and 4 hitters have been fine but we’ve gotten nothing from LF, CF, SS, and 3B. Bohm has actually started to hit the ball harder but has nothing to show for it yet. Segura could lead off when he comes back. Didi looks lost also. He has such an uppercut that his timing needs to be perfect. There’s no help coming from the minors either. We don’t have much to trade nor do we have salary to absorb. The bullpen will be better when Bradley is back and Alvarado looked fine last night after a week away. Our 4/5 starters will be a problem all year. I do expect them to approach Eflin about a long term deal. The price will only go up as they wait, if he stays healthy. The good news is that the entire division has gotten off to a bad start so we’re still in the mix.

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      2. I have no argument with what you say DMAR, it is now up to DD, and what he can influence John Middleton to pay for. But, he hasn’t had a draft yet, and I think the reason we don’t have more MLB ready players coming up is the previous rebuild. I can’t blame Dombrowski for that. Now, if he does not add another SP, and does not add a CF, if things continue the way they are, then the blame lies at his feet. But, I have a feeling he will neither be happy losing, nor risk averse in trying to correct it.

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      3. “I see it differently Matt. Once you cut the chord with the prior FO you can no longer blame them.”

        Of course we can blame them because it’s entirely their fault that we are in this position. It’s not DD’s fault. All we can ask DD to do is the best under the circumstances. In 2 or 3 years, it will all be on DD, but it certainly isn’t right now.

        Like

    3. I’m not sure why you think Haseley should be a LF. The LF position is normally a power position. I don’t think anybody thought Haseley was going to hit enough to be a LF. He’s projected as a CF and that’s fine.

      Praying something works without past success? I’m not sure what you mean by that. Prospects in general are hit or miss. Even the most ballyhooed prospects have failed i.e Domonic Brown. Nobody knew that Aaron Nola was going be a borderline #1 pitcher. Nobody knew that Eflin was going to develop enough to be a viable #3 pitcher. You give the prospects a shot and see what happens. Most will fail, some will succeed. That’s the nature of the game. But you need to keep giving young players opportunities because they help keep costs down.

      Like

  45. Among all the issues the Phillies have and there are many the thing that stands out to me is that since last year it seems the Phillies rarely score on the opposing BP in the 7th, 8th, 9th innings and the opponent rarely does not score on the Phillies BP. Sometimes like last night on the 1st pitch.

    This might be a task for Romus to see how often beginning last year the Phillies have failed to score from the 6th inning on and how many times the opponent has done so. I am sure both numbers are significant.

    Last year I believe it was 49 games the Phillies led in at some point in the game but only won 28.. It seems to me and I do not know the answer out of the first 23 games they have led in quite a few at some point this season.

    To me that is the issue DD must find some way to address before this team is ever going to win on a consistent basis. Just my opinion and you all may see things completely different.

    Like

  46. Don 53 – I agree with you at least from a “feeling” sense — you are correct ; the Phils often lead in a game, early on, then the opposing team scores and maybe ties. Meanwhile, the Phils have numerous chances to add on runs, but rarely do. Then when the game is on the line the bullpen gives up the deciding runs and they lose – even though they led through the 5th inning, say. That has been a common pattern but they we have been so victimized by the terrible bullpen of ’20 who is to say we are still suffering from last year’s hangover. That said, somebody said on the blog that they can’t bear to watch Phils close out a game – I am fast approaching the same experience. The Neris closings are nothing short of heart palpitating shorten your life episodes. No steal, potatoes, and creamed spinach before he game is over !!!! Trust in Romus, he will tell us if we are real or imagining…..

    Like

    1. LOL……I think I will pass on that project…. a rather entailing undertaking.
      I know of a guy……on another site…….’schmenkman’…….SCHMENKMAN@YAHOO.COM
      who could or may even do that project.

      Like

  47. Moffo – The Phillies scored 2 runs on Sunday, 2 on Monday, and 2 runs last night. Can you call your bookie and let me know what the over/under is for how many runs the Phils score tonight? I figure it must be two and a half the way they are hitting.

    Like

  48. What I’m seeing in this Cardinals series is that the Cardinals pitchers are throwing fastballs on the edges or outside the zone, and the majority of pitches in the zone are non-fastballs. So in an expected fastball count, the Phillies are not getting fastballs. The only hittable pitches are non-fastballs. The 2 pitches that Rhys hit for HRs were non-fastballs. The double today by Didi was a mistake fastball in the zone. His next AB, Didi didn’t get a fastball in the zone and he struck out on a non-fastball. Cutch struck out on 3 consecutive non-fastballs.

    The Phillies need to adjust and start looking for non-fastballs in the zone against the Cardinals.

    Like

  50. Knapp starts the inning, gets into a 3-2 count, and gets a changeup out of the zone for ball 4. Maton is up next, and he gets a steady diet of non-fastballs. He flies out on a non-fastball in a 2 strike count (a book that seems to be growing on how to get Maton out). VV sacrifices. And then Oviedo hangs a change up in the zone to Brad Miller. Boom, it goes out.

    Phillies need to continue to adjust. Keep it going.

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  51. The Mets scored one run in two games against the Red Sox with Pivetta pitching five scoreless innings tonight. Just watch how they pound the Phillies this coming weekend.

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  52. The Phillies are historically not big on retribution, but either in tomorrow’s game or next season, somebody on the Cardinals (likely Arenado) is going to get 95 in the back.

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  54. Unbelievable that he still looks normal.

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        1. Maybe because Bryce seems to be ok but its not funny anymore seriously. Smoltz even agrees.

          But that’s the MLB for you. They will wait til someone is dead to do something about it.

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          1. ‘Quasi football’ helmets may be coming for batters ….and pitchers.
            Commissioner gets his hands in all the extraneous stuff with moving the game along at a faster pace….why not more into safety measures……oh yeah, move the mound back a foot or two was the idea.

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  55. Nick Pivetta now 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA. Jake Arrieta is 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA. Cole Irvin is 2-2 with a 3.86 ERA. Is it just poor coaching at the MLB level for the Phils?

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    2. I would wait until the end of the season before drawing any conclusions. Pivetta and Arrieta had their hot streaks with the Phillies, too, and Irvin was not given much of a chance (nor did any of us expect much from him at the big league level, based on his repertoire).

      Like

    3. Let’s take a look and see within the last 10 years, how ex-Phillies starting pitchers did after they left the team. I’m focusing on pitchers under 28.

      Vance Worley was traded to the Twins in the Ben Revere deal. He proceeded to have 0.5 WAR total over the next 5 years.

      Tyler Cloyd was selcted off waivers by the Indians. He proceeded to have -0.3 WAR total over the following years when he was on a big league roster.

      JC Ramirez was traded to the Mariners in the Cliff Lee deal. Primarily a reliever, he had 1 good year as a starter when he posted 1.6 WAR for the Angels.

      Alec Asher was traded to the Orioles. He had some starts for Baltimore, but needless to say, his career didn’t pan out.

      Ben Lively was selected off waivers by the Royals. He appeared in 6 games for the Royals and none as a starter.

      Mark Leiter Jr. was selected off waivers by the Blue Jays. He appeared in 8 games for the Blue Jays and none as a starter.

      And now we come to Nick Pivetta and Cole Irvin.

      Nick Pivetta is walking guys at a crazy rate. Historically, his .BABIP is .324. It’s .237 for 2021. That ERA is going to go up eventually.

      Cole Irvin is now in a noted pitcher park. His HRs are way down.

      Anyways, we’ll take another look at Pivetta and Irvin at the end of the season.

      But as you can see above, the Phillies haven’t really regretted losing the above players.

      Like

      1. No doubt Nick Pivetta has the arm talent. It’s a lot mental with him. He was never going to succeed here. He lost all confidence in the club’s development staff. He needed a change of scenery just like lots of others pitchers all around MLB throughout history (Jake Arrieta for example). It’s just too bad Matt Klentak was so inept at his job. He was incapable of bringing back anything of value for a 27 YO still projectable pitcher under 3.5 years of team control, and with an abbreviated track record (2018) of success.
        Best of luck to the kid. I still root for him.

        Like

      2. Guru…spot on.
        Pivetta, hope he does well, but is pitching right now with a lot of luck.
        His peripherals, as yuo mention his AL leading BB/9, seem to indicate he may level off at some point this season.
        The FIP @ 3.8 vs the ERA @ 2.8 simply predicts that he will negatively regress…at what degree remains to be seen…..his xFIP- ( 124) behind only JA Happ and Houstons’ Jose Urquidy, is third worst among MLB starters.
        His GB% of 33% is also rather low but it is off-set by a decent K% (24%) which among all starters is 36th in the majors.
        I will be interested in seeing how is doing come July/August.

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  57. How many runs will the Phillies get from today’s lineup?

    1. Cutch, LF
    2. Bohm, 3B
    3. Hoskins, 1B
    4. JT, C
    5. Herrera, CF
    6. Kingery, 2B
    7. Quinn, RF
    8. Maton, SS
    9. Nola

    Like

      1. If they score 9 runs, that pretty much means Goldschimdt and/or Arenado is taking a FB to the ribs later in the game.

        Like

    1. Sorry spin….he is the Phillies latest Mini-Mart, it is a tradition…..Mini-Mart of the 20’s

      Like

  59. OMG
    Odubel
    Kingery
    Quinn
    So let’s just give them 9 guaranteed outs.
    Set’um up with FB and set’um down with inside slider/curve. Same pattern
    Odubel once again not giving extra effort on sinking fly ball. Same on/off effort.
    Why expect more from these guys. They got there $$$$$
    Surely there are guys on Taxi squad chopping to give extra effort

    Like

    1. I’ve no ill will towards Herrera but frankly I’d rather watch MM try to figure it out on the fly…

      Like

      1. Herrera has made a strong impression thus far. Unfortunately, not the one he wanted to make. Do the Phillies and DD have any choice but to look for a cheap option for CF. Clearly, anyone would be better than what we have.

        And how about Maton? I know, SSS, but he really looks good in the field. Even If he wasn’t hitting, he would at least give us a plus glove. (Do you hear that – E4 – Kingery?)

        Like

        1. Segura could be back next week sometime, in two days, Saturday is the 10-day IL ending date, they may have to extend him a little further….however, where do they put a hot bat like Maton once Segura is ready!

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          1. Maton is going back to the alternate site. He’s not going to get a lot of ABs once Jean is back.

            We should temper our expectations on Maton. He was a 7th round pick for a reason. He’ll get some ABs in the minors and if he rips down there, he’ll be on the Phillies roster for good for 2022 as a bench bat to start. But if he is starter level, then the Phillies scouting department deserves credit for that.

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            1. Yeah….can understand the thought of not getting hopes too high on him….his minor league metrics were not outstanding, and probably eventually will go down to that level or lower once the pitchers have a book on him.
              Just right now……I would ride the hot hand until he cools….ride that wave.

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            2. @Romus, I get it, but it’s not fantasy baseball. Didi is making $12.75M and Jean is making $14.85M. For better or worse, the Phillies paid these guys to perform and they will get ample opportunity to do so.

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      2. Mr. Neander, Dave Dombrowski on line one.

        Once again … a deal that swaps Odubel for Kevin Kiermairer makes too much sense. The Phillies pick up a GG defender who would be the difference in games like today. And Tampa saves ~13M (a big deal for them).

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        1. Hinkie …….how about Haseley for Kevin K, and say a prospect like RHP Cole Wilcox.
          Not sure what personal issue surround Adam Haseley, and it is really none of my business, but do recall the Cards trading Stephen Piscotty to the As a few years ago, so he could be around his parents and family, since there was a medical issue within their family…..Piscotty was from the Bay area.
          And it was a move that the Cardinals decided to do out of the kindness of their hearts for Piscotty and his family. . Haseley’s family is not far from the Tampa area and maybe it would be helpful for him and his family for him to be closer to their home..

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        2. Hinkie – I love the idea but I am not sure why Tampa would be motivated to make the move, even if the Phillies paid a good portion of Odubel’s salary. Also, Kiermairer puts the Phillies over the CBT. Do you believe the team is willing to do that for an upgrade that certainly helps stabilize the OF, but may not really move the needle enough?

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          1. Romus … I don’t see Tampa giving up Cole Wilcox for Adam Haseley, and the opportunity to shed KK’s contract.

            spin rate … Tampa makes this trade (IMO) for financial reasons.
            The Rays are one of the most cost conscious clubs in MLB. They do everything based on value. They are upside down on the Kiermairer contract.
            Kiermairer is owed 11.67M in 2021, 12.167 in 2022, and a 2.5M buyout after 2022.
            Odubel is owed 10.35M in 2021 and 2.5M buyout after this season.
            That swap would save Eric Neander ~13.5M.
            Also … Keirmairer’s AAV is 8.9M vs Odubel’s AAV @ 6.1M. The Phillies could deal VV for a (tier two or three) prospect, and keep the team under the LTT.

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  60. Just a terrible way to lose a game.
    Not to keep beating up on Girardi, but there was no reason to pinch hit for Nola in the 7th inning after Nick Maton led off with a double. Let him bunt him to third. That move lengthened the Phillies BP. By the time the 10th inning rolled around, they were stuck with David Hale on the mound. No bueno.

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      3. Hinkie…I am thinking Howie will go with Andy Weidl calling the shots…..getting too hot in the kitchen for Howie.

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        1. No, Romus. You didn’t read Jeff McLane’s piece in the Inquirer last month? Jeff Lurie makes the picks.

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      4. Some player who they should obviously pick will fall into their laps (like Justin Jefferson did last year) and they’ll take some guy who was projected to go in the early third round because Howie thinks he’s “explosive”.

        That’s the nightmare anyway. I hope to God I’m wrong.

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    2. Sad thing is this was a winnable game. As I have stated many times April games count just as much as September games.

      It just baffles me not to move a runner up with no outs. Rhys fly was a perfect sac fly. Little things win and little things lose. Take your pick which side you want to be on.

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  61. I understand the frustration with Quinn and Kingery but we’re talking about Quinn who is the 5th OF (and defensive replacement and base stealer) and Kingery (who looks like a bench player right now). Quinn wouldn’t be playing if Harper wasn’t hurt. The reality is, he’ll be lucky to get 125 ABs if Cutch was hitting and Haseley/MM were hitting. As for Kingery, he wouldn’t even be on the ML roster if both Segura and Torreyes were healthy. Unless Kingery starts hitting, he’s a bench player tops. And over the long run, bench players won’t be the reasons why the Phillies don’t make the playoffs. It’ll be the starters who are not performing.

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    1. He’s playing whether Harper is hurt or not y’all need to try and encourage player than to down them no wonder they are not playing on their level it’s because of people like u

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      1. This is funny, Quinn is the player he is because I’m down on him? If Quinn is playing like a 5th OF, that’s on him, not anybody else. Would the Phillies like Quinn to perform? Of course. But if he doesn’t and he’s showing that being a bench player is his ceiling, than I hope that the Phillies would play other OFs with a higher ceiling or who can produce more than Quinn.

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        1. Tell me what did Quinn do wrong in the outfield beside trying to rob a homerun wasn’t his fault tat the hit was a homerun from the jump I didn’t say it was ur fault because I know u r here to complain.Change places with him would u have caught that homerun ball (lol) Let the Phillies make decision if he a bench player or not but until then ur opinion don’t matter about Quinn or Kingrey

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          1. I’m here to complain? I know who Quinn is and so do the Phillies. If you don’t realize that Quinn is a bench player, that’s on you. But I guarantee that the Phillies know he’s a bench player. Because if Quinn was so good, he would have started over Haseley. And of course, Moniak wouldn’t have come up and started over Quinn. And same with Odubel. But hey, if you think Quinn and his career .644 OPS is starting material, good for you.

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  62. I just don’t understand how poor we are fundamentally. Just awful baserunning decisions, we have talked about the failure to move runners ad nauseam, misplays all over the field. It is not just once in a while. Matt Joyce is a veteran player, and that was just dumb. Quinn should be a much better OF, and why he doesn’t adjust his swing is beyond me. Herrera is what he is. The All Star is long gone. And, that has nothing to do with his off field issue. He just has a low baseball IQ. And, Scott Kingery? What happened to him? OK, let’s blame the prior regime for changing his swing. What is the excuse for his regression as a defensive player? And, I just get a sense of dread when I even hear that Hale is Warming up, let alone in the game. And, it’s not all on him. Maybe JTR should have blocked that pitch. Maybe Nola shouldn’t have hung a CB to a hitter having a lousy year. But, these losses, and the way the season has gone so far, show that we are simply, to this point, an average team.

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    1. matt13……right now the Phillies ar among the average of 20/25 teams.
      Never in my wildest dreams would i think KC Royals, Sf Giants, Oakland As (losing Semien and their ace releiver ) and Red Sox would be were they are.
      Expected Dodgers and maybe Brewers…but there are many struggling along with the Phillies.
      Of course, many strugglers do not have the payroll the Phillies have…some do.
      But lets not hoist the white flag yet…..still have to get thru 5 more months.

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  63. can anyone explain to me joe’s strategy of taking cutch out of the game in the 9th inning and replacing him with joyce. cutch made the last out in the 9th which means if the game goes into extra innings he would be the base runner on second. so he puts in a much slower runner who ended up making a huge base running blunder, but he also put in an inferior left fielder in a tie game.none of this makes sense

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    1. No I can’t explain it and even Joe did a poor job of explaining it. I like Joe but I preferred Showalter.

      Joe is in his book of algorithms too much IMO. Yeah managers need to know the numbers and match ups but they also need that 5th dimension sense to get away from trends. Because you know humans and so such.

      But again a few of you above do a really good job of laying it out above this really isn’t a great team.

      And WTG Howie for not screwing up last nights pick

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  64. Romus, I will watch and root for us every game, but the lacking in fundamentals drives mr crazy. jncal, great point! Joyce is a pinch hitter and once in while starter. He is no where close to McCutchen as a base runner and not a defensive replacement. Why was he in there?

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    1. Take solace my friends Phillies and Braves tied for 1st NL East with losing records…

      Best either team can do in April is .500

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  65. Cubs’ low-risk, possibly high-upside offseason signing of RHP Brandon Workman didn’t go the way either side envisioned. Workman was DFA yesterday

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  66. Brandon, we hardly knew you. Actually, we knew you all too well. Last week I wrote that the Phils had to at least split with the Cardinals and take two of three from the Mets. They got the split (could’ve won all four) and they get the Mets without deGrom. If all goes as I hoped, they will be 13-13 after the first month+. And with the way the schedule was so grueling for April, I think most of us would/should be satisfied where we/the Phillies are.

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    1. It’s been a tough schedule by far. No games against Nats or Marlins, faced St. Louis 7 times, faced 1st place Giants and had to travel to Coors.

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  67. Regardless of the schedule, how about how we have played? Nola had a great outing and has been ok otherwise, similar for Wheeler, and Eflin has done a good job. Bryce has played well, Rhys has his power back, but is still inconsistent, and JTR has been good. The BP has not been last year’s historical disaster. I need more from the team.

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    1. Yeah, he doesn’t mow guys down the way deGrom or Gerrit Cole do, but, in a season where’s just been okay for him, he’s still 7th in fWAR. Let’s cut him a little slack, he’s really damned good and I think he’s still getting better. He’s a heck of a pitcher and we could use 3 more starters just like him.

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      1. LOL could be on the hook for $300 million to G Cole and be in last place as the Yankees are.

        As RAJ said the term ACE is applied so rarely. At best maybe 5-7 exist in the league and if you’re lucky enough to have one it doesn’t mean much if the team around him is average.

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  69. On this last day of April, I wonder what people find is the most surprising development(s) around the league. Here are a few I came up, with (not in any particular order)

    1. The overall level of play in the NL east
    2. The Giants leading the west by a half game
    3. The Royals leading the AL central at 15 – 9 (albeit 4 W’s over Detroit)
    4. The Yankees tied with the O’s for last place, 4.5 games out.
    5. Boston in first at 16 – 10.
    6. The Phillies .300 team BABIP is 6th best in the majors
    7. 2021 league-wide team OPS at .698 is the lowest mark in 32 years. In 1989 it was .695. The lowest level in the modern era was .664 in both 1967 and 1972.
    8. Others?

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        1. His pitching. Jacob DeGrom was a 9th round pick in 2010. It looks like he has never been ranked as a prospect, and his career minor league stats are:

          3.62 ERA, 1.284 WHIP, 7.4 SO/9

          It’s decent but note that he when made his debut with the Mets, he was already 25. Note that ex-Met Zach Wheeler made his debut at age 23. Age matters. Now here are his MLB stats:

          2.55 ERA, 1.033 WHIP, 10.6 SO/9

          He’s actually throwing harder in his 30s than he was in his 20s. He’s already won 2 Cy Youngs. He has literally come out of nowhere as a later pick and become one of the top pitchers in baseball.

          We will likely not see anything like this in the next 10 years.

          As a side note, in 2010, the Mets 1st round pick was Matt Harvey. He was on his way to becoming a superstar when injuries derailed him. His career WAR is 10.9. But when you draft DeGrom in the 9th round, that draft is a win for the Mets.

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          1. deGrom:
            Started really pitching late in college (2010)…22 years-old….and only 82 innings at Stetson then a few dozen more innings in rookie ball…..so his arm was ‘saved’ from airing it out from when he was a 16 or 17 year old HSer….maybe one reason for his longevity and arm strength lasting this long.
            Also noticed he was shut down a whole year 2011…for TJ surgery.

            http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=145200

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      1. One major advantage of having Quinn on the bench is if Nola needs to be pinch hit for, you don’t need to bother because they are both hitting .083.😎

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        1. George Brett had a .390 average one year. He outhit the total averages of the Phillies starting Of last night, their total is .383.

          Cutch .169
          Herrera .071
          Joyce .143

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          1. I was at last night’s game. Even though he has started the year as cold as can be, I have twenty times more confidence in Odubel than Roman Quinn. I hope they give Odubel another week to 10 days of nearly full-time play. He is, by far, the best option in centerfield and if we give him a little more time, I think his hitting will come around in a big way. You can tell when he’s out there now, that he is extremely focused and serious and is trying to re-establish himself as a person and player. Not only do I think he can hold his own, he could actually be a legitimate weapon at the bottom of the line-up. Just one man’s opinion.

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            1. catch … that’s pretty optimistic.
              And were you wearing a Phillies cap or Mets Cap? 🙂

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            2. Tonight’s game has 2 Mets fans sitting right behind the plate. Disgusting that is so prevelant!

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      1. He may not have the COVID illness or symptoms….maybe he came in contact with someone who tested positive..
        Plus I think a majority of the Phillies have been vaccinated with their first dose.

        “Four MLB clubs have 85 percent or more of their Tier 1 personnel (players and staff with direct contact to players) fully vaccinated, allowing for the relaxation of certain health and safety protocols for those individuals, the league and Players’ Association announced on Friday………an additional five clubs have reached the threshold of 85 percent or more of their Tier 1 individuals having received their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,”

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    1. The league-wide OPS under 700 is a reflection of playing around with the ball to remove the rabbit ball extremes of recent years, I suspect.

      Just leave the darn game alone.

      Listened to the post-game show on WIP where Amaro, Anderson and Rollins all got to talk about old school and how the game has been hurt by new rules, such as catcher not allowed to block home plate and rules to protect the second baseman from a runner sliding in from first base.

      I absolutely agree.

      Between trying to make the game safe like it’s for little leaguers and the three true outcomes the game has become BOOOORRRRING!

      Bring back baseball.

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      1. The ball could be the issue, although HRs are averaging 1.13 per game so far this season, which is greater then the yearly averages from 2000 through 2015. For what it is worth, HRs began averaging more than 1 per game starting around 1994.

        If I recall correctly, protecting catchers (and middle infielders?) started shortly after Buster Posey’s leg was broken during a collision at the plate back in 2011. I don’t want to see athletes get hurt, and owners wanted to protect their assets (i.e., profits). so I get it. But have you really lived if you haven’t been spiked in the shins? It certainly endeared Ty Cobb to all those who played against him.

        I do not believe that protecting catchers and middle infielder has made the game boring. Unfortunately, mathematics or more precisely, statistics, ruined baseball. (As a mathematician, I now know why I never liked statisticians!) Stats greatly reduced the use of the sac bunt, the hit and run, base stealing, etc., while giving us extreme shifts, launch angles, spin rates (thank you) and so much more. Who knows, the pendulum may shift from the power on power game of K’s or HRs to one with more hits, but that will require some judiciously implemented rule changes.

        The game will never go back to the way it was played in the 60’s, 70’s, or 80’s, just like we will never see Mad magazine in print again. Very sad.

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  73. spinRate, the ball may be a reason for the overall offensive numbers around the league, but our problems are more related to Ks, than fly balls not going far enough. We K way too much, and couple that with terrible situational hitting. Those issues have nothing to do with the baseball.

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      1. Talking about strikeouts, last night my grandson and his 12year old travel team was playing in Charleston SC tournament and it was crazy. After game was over, which we lost , I perused the box score. Game over after 5 1/2 innings due to time, of course, I noticed that of the 33 outs recorded 24 were on strikeouts. That’s about every 4 outs, 3 are Ks. It’s now and the future for MLB. Players are used to striking out. In my day, yes I said it, we were ashamed of a K.

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        1. It is now, a Badge of Honor.
          I think Harper and Hoskins are around 50% of their plate appearances with the TTO….though Hoskins this season is drawing less walks than his previous seasons.

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    2. Anybody have our avg. k-rate per game? Seems like when I look at the boxes we are in the 11-13 range.

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        1. Mets are weird…..near the bottom in walks….and best in not striking out….and a little below average in hitting……but of course their pitching leads the majors with deGrom and Stroman leading the way.

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  74. Years 1953-1955 Ted Kluzewski hit 136 HR’sand K’d 119 times. I’d want him on my team!

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      1. If we are going with HRs v. K’s, I got to go with Joe DiMaggio. He averaged 34 HRs per season during his career, which is exactly the same number of strikes outs he averaged per season. In 1941, he K’d 13 times in 622 PAs while hitting 30 HRs. Think of the numbers he would have put up if he wasn’t in the service during WW II. He missed playing during his age 28, 29, and 30 seasons.

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          1. Romus – You convinced me. Cutch is out of tonight’s lineup in favor of this Williams guy. Will anyone hit .400 again?

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        2. I would go with Berra in 1950. 28 HR 124 RBIs 322 BA and 12 Strikeouts. No one will ever come close to that

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      2. Yep, Big Klu and Wes Covington. Bulging arms in short sleeves even on the coldest nights. Those guys knew marketing.

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  75. Apples to Oranges…Joe DiMaggio struck out once very 20.79 plate appearances in MLB career…..Willians Austudillo struck out once every 31.98 appearances in career.

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    1. Astudillo’s 372 career PAs doesn’t amount to one full season, but his K-rate is amazing for this era nonetheless. However, it wasn’t about just a low K-rate; but rather guys hitting for power and having a low K-rate.

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  76. Red Sox beat writer Chris Cotillo tweeted out:

    “Super early but there’s a chance the Red Sox got two legit, controllable starters for two relievers who were both free agents a month after the trade.”

    and

    “We are a long ways away from this… but there’s a chance that Pivetta and Connor Seabold for Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree will go down as an all-time fleecing for Chaim Bloom.”

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    1. FWIW, Fangraphs has Seabold as the Red Sox #8 prospect, with a 45 FV on him (same grade as the Phils’ #5 (Stott) through #10 (Muzziotti) prospects). They said:

      “I’ve had both scouts and analysts tell me that I’ve been too light on Seabold leading up to this list’s publication, that he was a prospect they thought they could leverage Philadelphia into parting with based on the Phillies seeming to undervalue him . . . I have him in as a 1.5-ish WAR starter now, and we’ll likely see him in the big leagues soon”

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    3. Not buying Pivetta yet with 17 walks in 25 innings. I mean, he could improve since he’s not on the Phillies anymore but so far I have to think he’s been more lucky than good.

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  77. Alfred E Spin – Wish you were right about McCuthen being out of the line up tonight. Another slow start for Wheeler. Tough to come back from a 0-4 hole.

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  78. At .231 Wheeler is out hitting everyone in the Phillies lineup except Didi and Latin.

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  79. I remember Klu planting Andy Seminick against the backstop at Connie Mack on Andy Seminick Day no less. That was in the era if you were a catcher. You were required to block the plate, it went with the territory. After the play Andy probably would have been in favor of the “Posey Rule”!

    P next

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  80. Thank goodness the brought Odubel up to help address their CF issue. They managed to both get even less offense and hurt their defense.

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    1. Disgusting isn’t it! They got nothing in CF, nor do they have anything in the OF in the minors, nothing, nothing at all. Top it off with, Cannot believe there isn’t any discussion on Quinn and Didi on Covid-19 protocol, MM back up and Marchan for JT.

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      1. Yes. Great work by Klentak and McPhail to find and develop talent. And they’re still drawing salaries, aren’t they?

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        1. What staggering is that they used three consecutive top 10 pucks to address exactly this issue and nobody can hit above .150 in the big leagues yet. One of the biggest failings of new management was the failure to immediately replace Johnny A. Not good.

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          1. Sorry for the typos – typing on the old iPhone here. But I think you get the message – MacPhail and Klentak were epic failures. The Phillies are literally a cautionary tale in how NOT to do a rebuild.

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  81. rocco…you better have had your $$$ on (Adonis) Medina Spirit……when it comes to the Derby/Preakness and/or Belmont….Bob Baffert is the Tom Brady of Super Bowls

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  82. Minor league camp now done, and season starts in two days now…it be interesting to see how the prospects perform this season.
    Keeping my fingers crossed….but hope the farm system makes a 10/12 spot jump up into the teens…and maybe higher depending on their first round pick.

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  85. Romus the horse sold at auction for 1000 dollars, I just saw the breeder on tv, she couldn’t afford to feed all her horses, So she put him in auction hoping to get ten thousand but only got one thousand, crazy

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  86. I can see giving Maton an error on the foul pop up but why not give one to McCutchen tonight and last night, too?

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  87. 1. Baffert knows how to juice them to win and get away with it. Check it out long time ago he killed a bunch of his horses illegally injecting them.

    2. Said this long time ago Bohm gotta move to left didi to third. Rhys showing some flashes at first but probably DH.

    Also said last season this team does not tack on runs in later innings.

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  88. thanks to Adonis Medina for inspiring me to pick Medina Spirit in the Derby-

    how does Alvarado get a 3 game suspension for that? I thought Castellanos getting 2 games was ridiculous but he did more and caused more.
    If Dom Brown walks back to the dugout, does Alvarado still get a suspension?

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    1. The game was blacked-out on MLB-tv, so I could only listen to the game. According to Scott Franzke, the ball clearly hit the railing, and he immediately said he expected Hoskins to be called back and placed on 2B.

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  93. So after the game, I gave Joe G and Dave D a call to impart my wisdom regarding moves that should be made asap. It is funny how every call to them goes exactly the same way, “How the BLEEP did you get our number again?” Click.

    Okay, get out your knives and attack. Here goes:

    1. Get Kiermairer. Although, I still question why Tampa would take Herrera (yes, I know, a salary dump), but right now, with his approach at the plate, it might be July or August before Herrera drives the ball for a clean base hit. So Hinkie, if you read this, would you make the trade if Kingery was offered instead of Herrera?

    2. Look for an opportunity to trade Segura to save $14MM against the CBT. Don’t get me wrong, I like Segura and I may be unrealistically optimistic about Maton, but give Maton SS and move DiDi to 2B.

    3. Move VV to save $4MM against the CBT.

    4. Move or DFA Hale.

    5. Send Herrera to LV and see what happens.

    6. We would then have $22MM against the CBT free less the $11.5 (or is it $8.9MM) from Kiermairer’s contract. Add the $7.5MM that they we are currently under the cap and that gives the Phillies about $18MM in salary to take on for a SP and two relievers. And, of course, we also have whatever we get for VV and Segura.

    I conveniently left out, what assets (other than money) the Phillies will use to get a SP and two relievers.

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