402 thoughts on “The Tough Part of the Stretch (Phillies Discussion)”

1. Agree Jim! Let SerA get his game back in the minors! He looks awful and I would not have pitched him today. And also agreed! Regardless of the no-hitter, getting 6 from Ranger today was sll he had. But our ABs were just not good enough! JTR looked bad despite the announcers giving him credit for hitting the ball hard the first 2 times.

   LikeLike

   1. test

      LikeLike

2. Strahm is a disappointment. He seems to give up a lot of homeruns and inherited runners. Got to rethink bullpen again next year.
   Got to start hitting our way to victory. This team should not be worried if the pitching staff keeps the other team to 5 runs & under.

   LikeLike

3. Fresh back from vacation Saturday the wife and I made it out to CBP for the Phillies and Marlins and Stand Up to Cancer night. The Phillies are an exceptional organization when it comes to Philanthropy and highlighting causes that are so important.

   It was funny listening to the causal fans around us talk about Nola and which one we were going to get. Turns out we got both Nolas and Rob had the hook ready before he could give it away.

   As I said a few weeks ago this team as it stands is incredibly likeable and exciting. They are just a little short of WS caliber.

   The sad part is where do you go from here to get over the Braves. You don’t have the payroll really to do it and you don’t have much in the minors ready to transition.

   And you have a manager reluctant to put/keep players in their best position to succeed. Again never take Marsh out of the LU and rarely if ever play him in CF. I’m sure part of that can be the roster he’s been given and the limitations on Harper at this point in time.

   LikeLike

   1. DMAR…addition by subtraction would , IMO, be the way to go for next season.
      To begin….let Nola and Hoskins move on, and try to trade Castellanos ….there is $$$$ savings to get another quality starting pitcher.
      Sometimes it pays to think like Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves.

      LikeLike

      1. I don’t think there is any risk in a QO for either player as I firmly believe both players would receive multi year offers. And if not there is no such thing as a bad 1 year deal.

         How much of Nick’s remaining $60 million do you think is feasible to be moved? I’m thinking very little…

         LikeLike

         1. Castellanos’ salary….$60M over the next tree years….Phillies should be willing to take on 40 to 50%, ilo of course of also obtaining a pitcjing prospect from whatever teams will take him.
            Like I said before, if Bellinger decides to leave for free agency, the Cubs may want to take him on…they should have plenty of money spacing under the threshold..

            LikeLike

            1. I have a plan for you. looks like Trout wants out of LAA. Trade Trout and one of the CF prospects (Muzziotti/Pache) for Castellanos with the LAA including $10m per season to get his annual AAV to be around $25 million per season for the next 7 years.

               For LAA, they will save around $115 million on the life of the contract and get a stop-gap run producer in Castellanos and a potential CF moving forward. They also save 4 years of Trout’s contract after 2027.

               For the Phillies, they would have an OF with Marsh/Rojas/Trout. Harper stays at 1b and Schwarber is the DH. With leaving Hoskins go, the payroll is mostly a wash.

               Risk is that Trout hasn’t been able to stay healthy lately and his signed for another 7 years.

               LikeLike

               1. The Angels would want MUCH more than that for Trout.

                  LikeLike

               2. Could be. The $250 million still on the books with a team about to lose Othani is a bit of a motivator.

                  LikeLike

               3. Not sure a reasonable GM would want more for Trout, who will be going to be 33 years old next season, and injury prone…..and with an albatross contract like that.
                  Moreno, the owner , on the other hand, will want to keep him, though his stubborness may never see Trout play in another play-off game.

                  LikeLike

         2. DMAR…..I can see a QO for Nola…..but not a QO for Hoskins , which I beleive he will take if offered, makes it another lineup struggle again in 2024….especially if Castellanos is still here.
            I personally would just move on.
            The owner probably will feel a sense of loyalty and bring him back.
            And, thus, we go thru another season like this year, next season.

            LikeLike

            1. I believe Hoskins would get and take a 3/$48-$54 easy…maybe a little more. His camp would have to believe worse case scenario is a 1 year deal $18-$20 so I don’t think its a big risk at all to QO him.

               I see what you are saying though if for some reason he would take a QO. But the QO isn’t the deterrent for the signing club it once was. Boras usually finds his clients a good deal.

               LikeLike

            2. Agree Romus, no way I’m giving Hoskins a QO. I suspect he would jump at that chance for a $20m payday for the opportunity to rebuild his value for 2024.

               And if he takes it, they are stuck with what to do with all of the DH’s on the roster.

               LikeLike

4. Strahm pitched 44 innings last year he’s already doubled that this year. I don’t fault him at all for the 2 games he let get away.

   The BP has been overly relied upon all season not to mention the stress Innings Dominguez and Alvarado both logged in the run last year.

   Newtons 3rd law of physics: for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. If object A exerts a force on object B, object B also exerts an equal and opposite force on object A

   LikeLike

   1. Hence, homerun we lose.

      LikeLike

   2. DMAR……………..welcome back, we are on the backstretch now. I don’t blame Strahm either. I think he and Hoffman have done really well. We could use 2 today.

      Liked the 3rd law. I was thinking of Einsteins E= MC2 and the formula that I discovered during my lifetime is “2i dne 1np”. {two idiots do not equal 1 normal person}…………..and to never argue with an idiot for he will drag you down to his level and beat you with his experience.

      LikeLike

      1. Thanks Skeet and LOL I love that philosophy and subscribe to it myself 🙂

         LikeLike

5. The best lineup we have has Marsh in LF, Rojas in CF, and Schwarber at DH. That means Bryce plays every day at 1B. It is mid-September, and time for that lineup to be out there 95% of the time. I saw that 1st hit that Ranger gave up yesterday, and I immediately said “Rojas catches that ball!” And, that was not slighting Marsh, that was an expression of how highly I regard Rojas’ CF play. Hoffman has been a godsend, and we still have to out hit the other team. Our RISP ABs yesterday were still bad.

   LikeLike

6. As Dr. Jimmy showed in his detailed summary of what has happened so far and what is to come, it’s not going to be easy for the Phillies the rest of the way. The team’s biggest problem this season is not winning enough games within the division.

   Last season, they dominated the Nationals. This year they are 7-6 against them and 17-21 against division foes overall thus far. The first game this afternoon looms large to get off to a good start.

   If the Phillies go 2-5 against the Braves and 3-4 versus the Mets, getting the top wild card spot will be hard to retain and if they play only .500 against the rest of the competition, they just might be on the outside looking in.

   Hate to be a prophet of doom but…….

   LikeLike

   1. The Phillies have had some bad performances of late, especially on the pitching side of things. However, I just don’t see them missing the playoffs or losing a home playoff series.

      They play two more games than the Cubs and Diamondbacks, but both of those teams already have 3 and 5 more losses, respectively. Let’s just say 89 wins gets the top wild card spot (and it may not take that much). For the Phillies to get to 89 , they have to go 11-9, which would be right at their season-long pace of a .550 winning %. The Cubs would have to go 12-6 and the Diamondbacks would have to go 14-4. In their last ten games, those teams are 5-5 and 6-4, respectively, so it’s not like they’re on fire.

      Teams can get very hot very quickly for sure, but it’s going to be difficult for those teams to win double (or more than double) the amount of games they lose over their last 18, especially with the likes of Atlanta and Milwaukee mixed in for the Cubs. Not to mention the Phillies have the tie breaker over both of those teams and those teams play each other in a 3-game series that it is unlikely either team sweeps.

      Stay optimistic. If the pitching can dial it in for a short series and the whole team stays confident, there is no reason they’re not right back making noise again in October. Can’t wait to see guys who have improved a ton this year — like Stott and Marsh — come up in big situations in the postseason.

      LikeLike

      1. Well, they just lost one of those “two games more” that they play. They continue with 3 more games against the Braves. Cubs start 3-game series in Colorado tonight. Phillies could be looking up at the Cubs in the standings by Wednesday night.

         Please stay optimistic for me. I’ve never hidden the fact that I see the glass as half empty.

         LikeLike

         1. If the Phillies can finish this 9 game stretch ahead or tied with the Cubs I think they will be ok.

            LikeLike

   2. Ciada I agree with you and don’t view that as negative its simply the reality. A lot of guys caught a good case of the warm and fuzzies with the standing O for Turner and the no hitter for Lorenzen and it was really nice to see.

      But at the end of the season reality will set in. I posted a month ago its all about expectation. If you are a small market low payroll team you can be happy with the warm and fuzzies or the highlight reel of the season during the 2024 rain delays.

      But if you are a Phillies fan you still have to come to grips with the fact that your club is way behind a handful of others including the Braves. And the league isn’t static.

      Other teams are going to close the gap and with a balanced schedule wins will stay tough to come by.

      LikeLike

      1. Fair point. Just one of the reasons they shouldn’t trade any top prospects to acquire an aged and deteriorating Mike Trout this offseason. Must develop a star or two, someway somehow.

         LikeLike

         1. Agree, Trout might be a home boy, but I think the baggage dictates that we need to look elsewhere.

            LikeLike

            1. Skeet……Trout in Philly would be a nice local story BUT….since the truncated COVID season of 2020, these last three yeasr now, he has been only able to play in 49% of the Angels games, assuming he does not come back for their last 20 games this season. I hope he can beat the odds, but injuries are now a part of his game as he ages.
               If the Phillies could get him for less return, maybe take the chance with his health and endure the cost of the contract.

               LikeLike

               1. Romus………..on the same subject……different player……I have the same concerns for Harper. The reckless abandon at times and pushing the envelope on extra effort is going to jeopardize his health too as he ages. I think he needs to start choosing his moments for grandeur more carefully. As an aging scrambling QB needs to decide when to take the hit or to slide. When you are up 6 runs late in the game (hypothetically) there is no need to crash into the seats or to stretch a double into a triple that only has a 50% chance of success. I know its not his persona, but age and good health seldom march to the same beat.

                  LikeLike

      2. “warm and fuzzies” lol. is that what it is called to not constantly harp on negative plays and always predict bad outcomes? does one have to be warm and fuzzy to not constantly focus on the things that go wrong in a baseball game?

         ok, I guess I am warm and fuzzy. but to my small brain, I think that bad things happen all the time in baseball, but game to game struggles don’t matter. The only thing that matters in MLB:
         1. Did you make the playoffs?
         2. Is your team playing great baseball in the playoffs?

         Anything that happed before that doesn’t matter. I thought that you would have learned that lesson last year.

         LikeLike

         1. 1. Did you make the playoffs?
            2. Is your team playing great baseball in the playoffs?

            💯 agree with this.
            Love that Dave Dombrowski knows this and builds clubs designed to do damage in the postseason.

            LikeLike

            1. Respectfully, I kind of disagree. They seem to just assume that lightning will strike twice and if they just get in they can win, but I really do wish they cared a bit more about not just sneaking in. Its like the eagles, they won a SB with a backup qb but that doesnt mean they should be fine to go into a postseason with a backup qb just bc it happened once. I do wish they have home field.

               LikeLike

               1. Honestly what are you talking about? No one is “assuming lighting will strike twice.”

                  They signed Trea Turner for $300 million, Walker for $72 million, Strahm for $15m and Kimbrel for $10m. What more would you like them to do in an off season?

                  Also, they are 14 games over .500 with a 3.5 game lead for the #1 wild card spot.

                  the criticism doesn’t make sense. They are a much better team than last year.

                  LikeLike

               2. disagree that this years team is better than last years team but thats fine

                  LikeLike

               3. What’s the argument that our team is worse this year?

                  LikeLike

               4. Nola and JT are worse, the bench is brutal and the bullpen is blowing games left and right. Granted, if Seranthony and Alvarado morph back into what they were last year, then great. But right now, sure Turner being here is a great addition in comparison to last year, but none of it matters if they cant hold leads. Think this year has more talent overall but last years team knew how to win games better.

                  LikeLike

               5. There is none. Saying otherwise is probably just frustration over last night’s loss. Dombrowski’s additions over the winter clearly improved the team. Plus there were a few additions by subtraction like DiDi, Segura, Vierling, Herrera, Camargo, Maton, Moniak, Guthrie, Quinn, Gibson, Syndergaard, Familia, Coonrod, Norwood, …

                  LikeLike

               6. Exactly. It’s really a silly point to argue otherwise.

                  LikeLike

               7. Offensively, the 2023 team is significantly better than the 2022 version. There were 5 regular position players with an OPS under .725 in 2022. The 2023 team only has 1 if you consider Cave to be a regular. Both Pache/Rojas are over .725 with Sosa sitting at .723 as the other “regular” player.

                  Can argue that the starting rotation is slightly worse in 2023 with Nola’s regression but 2023 bullpen is much deeper than the 2022 version where Nick Nelson and Andrew Bellatti lead the team in IP as relievers. There was a reason they traded for David Robertson at the deadline last year.

                  LikeLike

7. 5-4, Walker shaky all day, but we came close to tying it up. He gives up a BB and a 2B, of course, because shut down innings are not his thing, but here comes Bellatti. Why? simple, BP taxed, DH today, no one else is there, so back to back HRs, and the 1 run deficit is now 4. Sorry to vent again but we have to bring up a fresh arm or 2.

   LikeLike

   1. Venting is appropriate. In past seasons under DD, I’ve thought the roster management was decent, especially for situations like this — keeping arms fresh. Now they’re not doing any of that. I don’t know if it’s just because so few guys in the pen have options or what the deal is, but they need to get a few more arms who can give them league average innings for a few days at a time. Do something. The pitching is in desperate need of relief (no pun intended).

      LikeLike

8. We should be able to score 8 runs and win, right?

   LikeLike

   1. Wrong!!!!

      LikeLike

9. Didn’t end up mattering, but I just don’t get how any team pitches to Harper in big moments. If he has a chance to tie/win the game, it feels like there’s a greater than 75% chance he’ll do it.

   LikeLike

   1. When you have a 16 gamed lead in your division you can afford to tempt fate there…

      As Tac says below its hard to watch BH’s heroics go to waste…

      LikeLike

10. Hard to watch Harper’s heroics go to waste.

    If Bohm beats that throw, that’s walk off versus a loss

    LikeLike

11. Today was an example of giving away a run in the first inning that comes back to bite you in the bottom of the ninth. Riley ball was really botched by outfielders.

    LikeLike

12. Tac3 – If Bohm beats that throw, the entire complexion of the batting order changes and Harper doesn’t even bat in the same exact situation.

    Fifteen Ks is just too many for this team in a ten inning game. The pitching, which was so good for the first few months is just horrendous now.

    Turner continues to rake with the sweetest swing for a right-handed hitter I have ever seen. Harper heroics are great. Castellanos: 0-5, and 3 Ks.

    What I am happiest about even though it was a terrible loss is that Schwarber is now off of the interstate as his batting average has jumped to .200.

    LikeLike

    1. Batters 5 thru 9 went a collective 1-22 with an RBI, walk, and 12 Ks.

       LikeLike

    2. Bohm was never a speedster, but he was quicker than he has been lately. He has been playing with a bum leg ever since returning from the IL (hamstring).

       LikeLike

    3. Great, I can take that special bottle down that I’ve been saving for that vault over the “Mendoza Line”! It was dusty as all get out, but at least I’ll get to drink it this year.

       LikeLike

       1. I have to assume that was not your special bottle of Maalox?

          LikeLike

          1. Nope, I keep that one right next to me. Matter of fact, I took a chug right after Lorenzen served that HR up to Olson.😊

             LikeLike

             1. Wife just ask me if I might not be drinking too much of that chalky stuff? I just said Olson!

                LikeLike

                1. Braves’ Olson will drive you to drink.

                   LikeLike

13. I have to believe that Brogdon really looks bad at LHV to not get a call up. Belatti has been terrible and they all look gassed to be honest. I would strongly consider Kerkering even though it would cost us a 40 spot. It’s late in the year and they need some help in the own and the kid looks like he has a lively arm.

    LikeLike

    1. Your point seems very good now.
       I was initially against Kerkering being called up,
       …..but maybe a fresh and live arm would be a charge for the team and the pen.

       LikeLike

    2. Wouldn’t be fair to Kerkering (or the fans in all likelihood). Kerkering is at Reading. He is still throwing the minor league ball. If he were at Lehigh Valley he would have been using the major league ball and the Phillies could have a better idea of his expected performance.

       LikeLike

       1. How about this? Promote and pitch him in Triple-A in 2 of their next 3 games. If he is not too affected by the ball, then meet them in St.Louis.

          LikeLike

          1. Love this idea

             LikeLike

    3. Drop Drew Ellis off the 40 for Kettering.

       LikeLike

14. Bellatti sent back down, and Yunior Marte is back up. Don’t know how excited that makes anyone?

    LikeLike

15. Not exactly pretty games, but I’ll take a split with the best team in baseball. Especially when we put up 15 runs in two games, and even tagged their shutdown closer for 2.

    It’s not quite a statement, but it definitely puts the doubt in the back of their minds if they run into us in the playoffs again.

    LikeLike

16. Not a Phillies comment, but as the Cubs call up Pete Crow Armstrong, he is really a good example of how terrible of a strategy it is to trade an elite prospect for a rental. In 2021, the Mets traded PCA for 47 games of Javy Báez. They finished 77-8, 3rd in NL East. Didn’t make the playoffs and lost a young, elite player.

    LikeLike

    1. That could apply to the Phillies in a few years…Lee for Lorenzen

       LikeLike

       1. Lee is a good prospect, not an elite one.

          Could still come back to bite us, but it’s not the same situation.

          LikeLike

       2. PCA was a first round pick. 19th overall. And was considered a top prospect.

          Hao Yu Lee is no where close to the level of prospect that PCA is

          LikeLike

17. I get that PCA is the better athlete with a higher drafted status……..but I also see at the plate Lee’s peripherals….K% and BB%..are very good so far, and a notch or two better than PCA. But you never know how it will turn out for either of them

    LikeLike

    1. Those peripherals are important, but not the only important thing.

       PCA’s peripherals aren’t outstanding, but they are decent. And he’s got a tick more power, way more speed, and way, WAY better defense than Lee.

       If you wanted to convince me that Lee will have a higher OBP than PCA in the majors, I could buy that. But PCA will be the more complete offensive player and, more importantly, actually has a position to play (and play it well) in the majors.

       LikeLike

       1. PCA has much more than a “tick more power” than Lee. His ISO is ~2x Lee’s.

          PCA as a 21 year old I’m AA and AAA had 20 homers and 37 stolen bases. He is also an excellent CF.

          They are not close as prospects.

          LikeLike

          1. Not really worth comparing ISOs from a single (partial) season. Especially in different leagues. I’m going off scouting grades.

             LikeLike

             1. I just checked grades and you are right, the scouts think that Lee will develop 50 power. Surprising. But interesting. Even with that PCA is a much more valuable prospect imo. He has speed and power and elite defense in CF.

                LikeLike

                1. Yeah, definitely agree. Lee is nowhere near the prospect level of PCA.

                   I’m rooting for Lee to succeed, but his path to a major league role is ill-defined whereas PCA has a floor of 4th OF and a ceiling of All Star.

                   LikeLike

18. What separates Phillies and Braves. Marsh strikes out when they need contact. Brave hitter battles and puts the ball in play. Too much swing and miss in the lineup.

    LikeLike

19. 1-14 RISP

    LikeLike

    1. We should have won it in the 9th. Big comeback, 1st and 2d nobody out. JT had one of the worst ABs you’ll see. Yes, Marsh needed to know Hand lives off that breaking pitch and take the ball the opposite way, but I think JT’s AB was worse! And why can’t we bunt?

       LikeLike

       1. Agree that JTR at-bat was also terrible. Nobody bunts anymore but same problem, no contact when the situation demands that the ball be put in play.

          I really doubt he would have been able to get a bunt down.

          LikeLike

20. Maybe it was a finding of analytics or something like that, to try to hit the ball the other way to move the runner than 100% sacrifice through a sacrifice bunt. I disagree with it, without having any “facts”, but I would think it would be possible to statistically determine whether “old school” move the runner over strategies ended up scoring a runner from, for example, second with no outs, more often.

    LikeLike

    1. Statistically a sacrifice bunt is never worth it (assuming the player doing the bunting is even remotely capable of putting the ball in play). There are run expectancy matrices for multiple seasons floating around out there, but they all show the same trends.

       In this case, the run expectancy of a man on 2nd with no outs is ~1.1 while the run expectancy of a man on 3rd with 1 out is ~0.9.

       Obviously a strikeout would be even worse because then you have a man on 2nd with 1 out (~0.667). But bunt attempts don’t preclude you from striking out/not advancing the runner anyway.

       LikeLike

21. Wheeler doesn’t get let off the hook. Those were not cheap 6 runs he gave up in 5 innings and we need a better outing from him. And Schwarber can’t K 4 times and provide nothing.

    LikeLike

    1. It could be a very real thing the WS Hangover as it pertains to pitching. Especially in the cases of Wheeler Nola Dominguez and Alvarado.

       LikeLike

       1. Would appear that way…playing into early Nov may be a real thing.

          LikeLike

22. I think Dominguez and Alvarado are injury related. I think Nola’s issues are mental. We have had some terrific Wheeler outings, just not yesterday.

    LikeLike

    1. Neither Schwarber nor Wheeler had a good game and there were others as well. One thing, when JT looks bad, he does a good job of it!

       I thought we lost the game in the 7th though. 3 K’s when we had RISP. Pache took 3 down the middle, never got the bat off the shoulder. Incidentally, if there is an odd man out on fleet outfielders, for me, it’s him.

       Really tired of watching Castellanos 1rst pitch swinging at critical moments to ground into a double play.

       Also, I can’t believe how many times we can’t manufacture a run with a routine fly ball. OK, we’ll get them today, right V1? Send me some warm & fuzzies!

       LikeLike

23. Question, and I have always been a JTR fan. So, don’t mean to jump on him, although his AB was terrible and he has been less than stellar at home this year. But defensively, there were 2 or 3 fouled off pitches vs Kimbrel before the hit, that I thought JT should have held on to. Well, at least 2 of them were in his glove. He used to be really good at that. Is that a fluke? I know the ball doing about a 100 MPH, but I have seen him hold on to fouled pitches that were actually in his glove, way better than yesterday. I was so disgusted I didn’t watch the post game shows, but I understand Topper dismissed the idea of JT bunting, syaing he didn’t think he could bunt. I don’t know if he can or can’t, and if he can’t then he needs much better ABs than what we saw yesterday. 5 times we have tied the game or gone ahead with an 8th inning HR, in the last few weeks, and we have lost every one of them. Also, has this site changed somehow? Romus now has a number of letters and numbers after his name, DMAR has 210, and it seems to be a different way to put in my credentilas to reply. I like that term “credentials”!

    LikeLike

24. An update from a post I had earlier this week:

    The Phillies play one more games (17) than the Cubs and Diamondbacks (16), but both of those teams already have 2 and 4 more losses, respectively. Let’s just say 89 wins gets the top wild card spot (and it may not take that much). For the Phillies to get to 89 , they have to go 10-7. The Cubs would have to go 11-5 and the Diamondbacks would have to go 13-3. In their last ten games, those teams are both 6-4, so it’s not like they’re on fire.

    Teams can get very hot very quickly for sure, but it’s going to be difficult for those teams to win more than double the amount of games they lose over their last 16, especially with the likes of Atlanta and Milwaukee mixed in for the Cubs, plus those teams play each other in a 3-game series that it is unlikely either team sweeps. Not to mention the Phillies have the tie breaker over both of those teams, so really they need to perform one game better than the Phillies. It helped quite a bit that both of them lost last night.

    Phillies need some better overall play not to slip out of top WC, but they’ve done a lot already to put themselves in good position. My hope is for a 2-3 day early clinch of that top WC to give a bit of a break to the pitchers and guys like JT, Turner, and others who play 7 days a week. They’re going to make the playoffs and home series looks good, just need to finish it off.

    LikeLike

25. Shame as good as the Braves are, and they are good, Looking at there numbers its crazy there young, not expensive and great obp and power, But that being said, he can play with them , if our bullpen didnt kill us, I thought coming into the season, that Alverado, And Sir Anthony would be lights out, didn’t know about Kimbrel, Its not DD fault, he put the pieces in place they have not performed,

    LikeLike

26. I thought that the home plate umpire was terrible last night. Really hurt the Phillies in particular.

    https://x.com/UmpScorecards/status/1701968785337438649?s=20

    LikeLike

27. Kimbrel also had him struck out on a pitch right on the edge of the plate, but definitely a strike that was called a ball. But that game should have bben won in the 9th inning. After a huge comeback anad Turner’s HR to tie it, the next 2 guys on, JT had to have, at least, moved the runners. The first pitch was a perfect one to hit but he looked at it. Pitch 2 he missed, and pitch 3 was over his head. Sorry to repeat myself, but his AB was terrible. He should have swung at pitch 1.

    LikeLike

    1. I agree with you matt13 – they needed to win that game in the 9th and forego the 10th nonsense which makes it anybody’s game. The Brave closer is not that good – despite his numbers – he is prone to homers. Moreover, if they ever had a closer on the ropes it was in that inning – 3 straight hits !!! They clearly let him off the hook….irrespective of knowing the outcome I would have much preferred to see Cave bat for Castellanos who was a cinch to hit into yet another DP. Game over at that point.

       LikeLike

28. Is this thing working?

    LikeLike

    1. Not right, I had to go through all kinds of gyrations to get it to work on my cell phone, can’t comment on my ipad.

       LikeLike

       1. Also having issues….wonder if WordPress has initated any changes?

          LikeLike

          1. Word press ask for my weight, to post

             LikeLike

             1. rocco….Golo

                LikeLike

                1. i cant go low i will split my pants

                   LikeLike

             2. Rocco……….they meant, do you have any “weighty comments” to make!

                LikeLike

             3. “Word press ask for my weight, to post” LMFAO Rocco you never disappoint…..

                LikeLike

29. We just need to get that 1 WC spot. Playoffs could be a new season and everything could turn on its head. I don’t think we can beat the Braves again but I didn’t think we would handle them the way we did last year…

    There ya go! some warm and fuzzy from me

    LikeLike

30. Me 2, need Robo Ump in the worst way. I’m not one to lambast umps, but the games I’ve viewed this year, these guys as a group are really bad!

    LikeLike

    1. Skeet……MLB experienced a high rate of umps, after last season, retiring….more than in the past….so you have plenty of new and fresh umpires. But agree with you….lets get RoboUmp on board.

       LikeLike

31. Stubbs is starting again tonight. I am wondering whether Thomson is now willing to tell JT he needs to rest more. The evidence over the past 2 years for that is pretty strong.

    LikeLike

    1. I think it’s just that Stubbs is Sanchez’s personal catcher.

       LikeLike

32. Cubs just blew a 3-1 lead in the 6th and are losing 5-3. Let’s hope it holds!

    LikeLike

33. Romus ……..I drank that Schwarber celebratory “Mendoza” toddy too soon. It appears he was just bobbing, much like a drowning man, he’s back under again!

    LikeLike

    1. Skeet……Schwarber is the ultimate TTO player…HR, walk or K….he has to be well over 50% by now.

       LikeLike

34. After watching C. Sanchez pitch this year/ and tonight is it too early to say maybe the Phils took Tampa on that Curtis Mead trade ? Why not trade a position less hitter for a quality pitcher ? At the very least he could be a real weapon as a long reliever with that change and his ability to not walk batters.

    LikeLike

    1. Is it too early to say that? Yes.

       Is it reasonable to be much more optimistic about that trade now than when it happened? Also yes.

       LikeLike

35. As the game was nearing its conclusion I said to the wife I hate watching other teams celebrate titles on our field. She in her admirable wit says change the channel.

    So I change over to the MLB Network what do you think they were showing…

    Serial Killers seemed a next best choice.

    LikeLike

    1. DMAT….IMO, best thing for the Phillies vets and youngsters to see that on THEIR field.
       The Hi-Dollar Five vets should be embarrassed and pissed.
       The youngsters should want that scene for themselves.

       LikeLike

       1. DMAR …no t DMAT…fingers/eyes let me down.

          LikeLike

          1. I never worry about typos my fine fellow 🙂

             Its really hard to articulate my feelings for this club. I love them I really do.

             But 16 GB says they just aren’t good enough to win a WS. Which is scary considering the payroll disparity!

             LikeLike

             1. DMAR…agreed.
                Will be a very interesing off-season to see what Dombrowski and Fuld do to try to narrow the gap between the Braves and Phillies.
                Hopefully John Middleton lets them do everything they want to do….and let emotions stay out of any decsion making..

                LikeLike

                1. Romus, DMAR…….I think after the playoffs/WS this is going to be most interesting charting the future.

                   With the influx of young players @LHV, arbitration, QO’s, possible acquisitions, attritions, trades, etc., almost beside myself thinking about it.

                   This team needs something else, not quite there yet. Maybe an A__ Kicker or an accountant!

                   LikeLike

                2. Romus … I don’t think we have to worry about Middleton allowing Dombrowski do whatever he feels is best for the team. It’s pretty clear he has complete confidence in the club’s POBO.
                   IMO, Dombrowski will not deviate much from his historic approach. He’ll go star hunting. Will most likely look to upgrade the rotation thru FA signing or trade.

                   Hinkie Top Pitching Candidates To Be Acquired By Dave Dombrowski This Winter:

                   1️⃣ Yoshinobu Yamamoto
                   2️⃣ Blake Snell
                   3️⃣ Tyler Glasnow
                   4️⃣ Eduardo Rodriguez
                   5️⃣ Corbin Burnes/Brandon Woodruff

                   LikeLike

                3. Romus, I am still hoping we win the WS this season, so trying not to do too much off season planning, but as much as I like Rhys Hoskins, I don’t see a fit here unless we trade Castellanos and Bryce goes back to RF. The other move that will have a lot of emotion involved is Nola, who I offer a QO to, but who will probably get some team to pay him a boatload. I can’t do that, but that means I have to get a big time SP in the off season, and I don’t know who that is. And, I move on from Stubbs, and Marchan is my back up C.

                   LikeLike

                4. Hinkie:
                   Snell is the one for me.
                   Letting Rhys walk with no QO, letting Nola walk with a QO and trading Nick Castellanos and eating 50% of his salary will give the team plenty of financial savings to outbid other teams for Snell.
                   Snell probably will cost somewhere around $29M AAV over 6 years. I’d go $30M AAV if need be.

                   LikeLike

                5. Romus … your Blake Snell #s are about right. He’s going to get something similar to what the NYY’s gave Carlos Rodon.
                   I’ve been a Snell fan for a long time (before he even won his Cy Young in Tampa), but I’d keep an eye out for Yamamoto. He’s just 25, will cost less than Snell, and the Phillies have been scouting him heavily.

                   LikeLike

                6. Hinkie……I would love to see the Phillies go hard after the Japanese pitcher Yamamoto, but…..probably just wishful thinking.
                   Of all the ‘large’ market teams, they may be one of the few who have never signed a posted Japanese pitcher out of the NPL.

                   LikeLike

                7. I hear you on that. The Japanese market is the one area I believe the Phillies must make real strides in. Roki Sasaki is going to be a superstar when he comes over in 3 years.
                   From everything I’ve taken in, it sounds like the Phillies will be players for Yamamoto this winter. Don’t know if he has a geographical preference, but if he’s mostly interested in cash, Dombrowski won’t be bashful about offering him lots of it.

                   LikeLike

36. Sanchez actually pitched decently, certainly better than what Walker and Lorenzen have done lately. They hit his 1st pitch FB in the 1st. A lesson for us. Had JT hit the 1st pitch FB on Tuesday in the 9th inning, we would have won the game. I hoped they are pissed about watching the Braves celebrate, and remember last season’s Playoffs, and go into St. Louis and kick butt. 16 games left, and no reason to win less than 11 of them.

    LikeLike

37. UPDATE:

    Phils play one more game (16) than Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Reds (15), but the Cubs have 2 more losses and the Dbacks and Reds 5 more losses. Let’s say 88 wins gets the top wild card spot (one down from previous 89 target). For Phils to get to 88, they have to go 9-7. The Cubs have to go 10-5 and the DBacks and Reds have to go 12-4. In their last ten games, those teams are either 5-5 or 6-4, although the Reds have won 3 straight (against the Tigers & Cards). Phillies have the tie breaker over ALL of these teams, so really each of them would need to perform one game better than the Phillies. Still in a good spot. Win series or sweep vs. Cardinals is a necessity.

    It’s going to be difficult for these teams to win double+ the amount of games they lose over their last 15, especially with the likes of Atlanta and Milwaukee mixed in for the Cubs. Dbacks have to play Giants, Yankees, and Astros still (tough schedule). Cubs and Dbacks also play each other in a 3-game series that it is unlikely either team sweeps. Reds schedule is easier.

    The Giants and Marlins play 16 games and Phils don’t hold tiebreaker over either of them. Something to watch, but they’re both currently 4 games back. Giants play Dbacks, Dodgers, Pads, Dodgers still. Marlins play Brewers, Braves, and Brewers down the stretch.

    LikeLike

    1. Proofreading would help… I was a little off:

       Phils play one more game (16) than Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Reds (15), but the Cubs have 2 more losses and the Dbacks and Reds 4 more losses. Let’s say 88 wins gets the top wild card spot (one down from previous 89 target). For Phils to get to 88, they have to go 9-7. The Cubs have to go 10-5 and the DBacks and Reds have to go 12-3. In their last ten games, those teams are either 5-5 or 6-4, although the Reds have won 3 straight (against the Tigers & Cards). Phillies have the tie breaker over ALL of these teams, so really each of them would need to perform one game better than the Phillies. Still in a good spot. Win series or sweep vs. Cardinals is a necessity.

       It’s going to be difficult for these teams to win double+ the amount of games they lose over their last 15, especially with the likes of Atlanta and Milwaukee mixed in for the Cubs. Dbacks have to play Giants, Yankees, and Astros still (tough schedule). Cubs and Dbacks also play each other in a 3-game series that it is unlikely either team sweeps. Reds schedule is easier.

       The Giants and Marlins play 16 games and Phils don’t hold tiebreaker over either of them. Something to watch, but they’re both currently 4 games back. Giants play Dbacks, Dodgers, Pads, Dodgers still. Marlins play Brewers, Braves, and Brewers down the stretch.

       LikeLike

38. I want to go into the Playoffs playing well, and these final 16 games are: 7 vs the Mets, 3 vs the Pirates, 3 vs the Cards and 3 vs the Braves. 11 Ws gets us to 90, and that is the # I am looking for.

    LikeLike

39. For Hinkie – C. Bloom fired by the Bosox today. Do you hire him to work as a consultant ? Do you offer him any position ? Albeit – he may likely be picked up by another team in a capacity similar to his former Bosox spot. Thoughts ?

    LikeLike

40. Not speaking for Hinkie, but my guess he wanted Bloom over Klentak, and I don’t think he would want him over DD. Having said that, I don’t see a spot for him here. And, Hinkie, you want us in on every Pitcher that comes over from Japan. Unfortuantely, we never seem to be even in the running. Can’t you do something? Assuming that is a negative, I am all in on Snell.

    LikeLike

41. If there’s a Japanese pitcher that the Phillies should go after, it’s Yoshinobu Yamamoto. However, the bidding is going to be up there and the rumor is that the Yankees will do everything they can to get him. The speculation is that the contract will be substantially more than the Yankees paid for Masahiro Tanaka (7/155). Note that the Blue Jays, another team that is willing to go after asian pitchers, are in the mix as well.

    LikeLike

    1. The Mets can make an appealing case for Yamamoto and team him with Senga.

       LikeLike

    2. They have to at least throw a hat into the ring for Yamamoto. At just 25 he’s worth the risk and who knows maybe he’s the type to want to blaze his own trail in a city that has never had a prominent Japanese player.

       I’m a hard no on Glasnow he’s never healthy. I prefer Montgomery over Snell based on the likely cost. I think we need to get back to being careful about long term deals and big money for pitchers.

       Grow those arms….

       LikeLike

       1. Unless the Phillies go overboard with his contract (say 8/240), I don’t think he’s coming here UNLESS he wants to play with Bryce Harper. Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Angels already have a history with asian players. It will be difficult to pry Yamamoto from those teams.

          LikeLike

          1. “Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Angels:…add also Rangers and Mariners, and it looks like Preller is coming into his annual desperation mode and the Padres may try once again and jump into the fray.

             LikeLike

42. Jim……..discreetly ask some of your Phillies contacts at the Complex……is there a Philies org reluctance to go after Japanese ‘NPL posted- free agent’ pitchers?
    I cannot recall any instance where the Phillies made any bid for one NPL pitcher. Such a mystery.

    LikeLike

43. Can’t seem to get on the site. How are you guys doing it?

    LikeLike

44. Looks like I got it. Had to go through Facebook.

    LikeLike

45. Looks like I got through. Had to go through Facebook.

    LikeLike

46. Who saw this coming:

    Aaron Nola. age 30, 29 starts, 4.64 ERA, 1.163 WHIP, 1.6 WAR
    Cristopher Sanchez, age 26, 16 starts, 3.40 ERA, 1.053 WHIP, 1.8 WAR

    Sanchez has more WAR, and he’s pitching like a 3+ WAR pitcher. He got his opportunity when Falter struggled and he ran with it. Pretty sure the Rays would want Sanchez over Mead right now. There’s just not enough good starting pitching to go around.

    LikeLike

47. I don’t have an answer for the way WordPress is acting. I compose and comment from my laptop and have not had any difficulty although when I login to post my comments I’m seeing a slightly different screen before and after.

    I read and comment from my Android phone. I can still read but I can’t comment from my phone. I have tried rebooting my phone and also a complete shutdown and restart. Neither helped.

    I have been experiencing some slowness on both my voice and data networks, but neither should have an affect on WordPress. WordPress is housed on their servers somewhere out there in the cloud. Any slowness or other problems I might encounter on my devices and networks cannot possibly have an impact on how you access and interact on Phuture Phillies.

    I’ll keep looking into it.

    LikeLike

    1. Jim…..not sure if this did something to many posters but WordPress recently had a major release with the 6.3 version on August 08, 2023. The previous release was the 6.2 version, back on March 29, 2023.
       https://www.cloudways.com/blog/wordpress-version/#:~:text=WordPress%20Latest%20Version%3A%20What%27s%20New,back%20on%20March%2029%2C%202023.

       LikeLike

    2. Whatever plugin the site uses for comments has definitely been updated. The update either isn’t playing nice with certain platforms/browsers, or the code is just straight up broken.

       Doubt there’s much you can personally do unless you have a back-up of a previous version of the plugin or unless you want to switch to a new one. Either way, the developer should be aware of such a glaring issue, so I imagine a patch will be out relatively soon.

       LikeLike

    3. Phillies only won 87 games last year and finished 14 games behind Braves & Mets that tied for 1st. They both won over 100 games.
       They came in last place for the wild card. I can’t remember when I started to get excited.

       They were 14-17 for Sept & 3 games in Oct to end the season and 4-8 in last 12 games. When did we get excited?

       LikeLike

48. Phillies only won 87 games last year and finished 14 games behind the Braves & Mets that tied for 1st. They both won over 100 games.
    Phillies came in last place for the wild card. I can’t remember when I started to get excited.

    They were 14-17 for Sept & 3 games in Oct to end the season and 4-8 in last 12 games. When did we get excited?

    LikeLike

    1. For me when Marsh hit that grounder down third and Nolan Arenado whiffed on that ball and the Phillies went on to win and beat the Cardinals in St Louis to win that first game.

       LikeLike

    2. First wave of excitement was when we officially made it into the playoffs because it ended our drought.

       Then each win after that built it up into more and more of a frenzy.

       LikeLike

49. MLB needs to use similar technology and review process for balls and strikes as tennis uses for line calls.

    This isn’t a Phillies game example but umps like Angel can kill a game.

    View this post on Instagram

    A post shared by Umpire Auditor (@umpireauditor)

    LikeLike

    1. I had someone try to argue with me on another website that Angel is actually a pretty good umpire and that his terrible accuracy on calls this year was due to SSS because of his injury (this was before he returned to calling games).

       Since his return, Angel has done everything in his power to vindicate me.

       LikeLike

    2. Angel has to be the worst at balls and strikes but there are some others that are close to being as bad. Laz Diaz, CB Buckner and Eddings

       Vanover that first game of the DH with Braves was atrocious both ways…

       What is most disturbing is that MLB refuses to comment on it

       The average salary for umps is around $235K. There should be some level of expectation that comes with that income. We’re not talking do you want fries with that.

       LikeLike

       1. The price of dealing with the union.

          LikeLike

          1. I hear this a lot but why would a union one to protect bad actors within their ranks?

             LikeLike

             1. It wouldn’t, it’d only protect his job if they tried to fire him for shady reasons.

                If MLB wanted to go through the effort to fire him for poor performance, they could absolutely do so. They must just figure it’s not worth their time.

                LikeLike

50. A lot has come out about the Bloom firing up in Boston. The old adage be careful what you wish for seems vey fitting.

    Sounds as if Bloom was the lesser of the Friedman tree which left Neander and Bloom to continue the Rays organizational philosophy to draft well and trade players at their peak value.

    Sounds like a Sam Hinkie 2.0 where communication and emotional intelligence were lacking.

    At the time he became available I surely would have hired him. Boston is a very unusual place not unlike Philly. Personality fit is everything up there as it is here. That said if he were available for a lesser role with the Phillies I’d snatch him up in a heart beat.

    LikeLike

    1. DMAR………I’d pass.
       ……do not want to let Sam Fuld feel threatened in anyway.

       LikeLike

       1. Romus Sam Fuld is he related to ELMER??

          LikeLike

51. With respect to Bloom – it is difficult to really evaluate him since the Bosox ownership is incredibly meddling and over involved in the product. That said, I find it hard to believe that ownership didn’t give Bloom some room and even then he appears to have made controversial good and bad moves. The Bogarts non-signing was the singular big failure (but who says ownership wouldn’t pay a 30+ player for long term). There was that time in late 2022, early 2023 where you couldn’t tell which direction the team was going ? Youth movement or addition to the core ? Overall I think he should get a “C” for his tenure even though the system appears to be much prospect improved. My take is – he might be better suited working on building a team’s minor league system rather than the active roster. Question is then – Mattingly or Bloom ???

    LikeLike

    1. That’s not how it works. You don’t bring in a new guy to run the farm unless the last guy failed and is let go. I don’t see any basis for letting Mattingly go. He is just getting started. And in any event, Bloom is going to look for a situation where he is the #2 guy or has a clear path to become a GM. The Mattingly job is a good job, but it’s not a stepping stone job to running the team.

       LikeLike

       1. Catch – I was not suggesting that Phillies hire Bloom to take over Mattingly’s post. There is no reason to do that. I was putting out there that if Bloom is hired as a consultant that he is best used to build a minor league system. How one does that with the Phillies would appear to be near impossible given Mattingly’s one plus year’s tenure at the job. Bloom , whatever he does, is going to have to take a step or two backwards most likely.

          LikeLike

52. I can’t put it all on Bloom. The ownership decided they wanted to win but control costs. It is on Werner that Mookie Betts got traded, not Bloom. The Bosox are one of the top of the big $ franchises and they went cheap. They have enough $ to buy the Penguins but decided they wanted to win multiple WS championships but spend like Tampa Bay. Screw them! I have zero sympathy for rich teams who want to win on the cheap. I complained about us until we started to spend. You don’t like the game, sell for your Billions and go away.

    LikeLike

53. I was listening to the Red Sox game. The broadcast team on the pregame show mentioned that Bloom could’ve traded Sale at the deadline last year. Texas was gonna take all of his salary except 14 million and give up decent prospects. They made it sound like Bloom walked away from that. They said that was one of the bigger stories that are leaking out after his departure. That’s a real head scratcher as I believe he’s making $27 million a year.

    LikeLike

    1. This make no sense. Sale hasn’t been elite since 2018, he was average in 2019, and he’s been replacement level ever since. Why the Red Sox are cheaping out is beyond me. They clearly have the money and they’ve spent it in the past. If they feel that they can’t win with Bogaerts and Devers, you trade them off, tank a bit, and restart. Letting Bogaerts walk (and keeping Devers) didn’t make any sense.

       LikeLike

54. Prayers for Charlie Manual to recover after his stroke. What a guy!

    LikeLike

55. Covey

    LikeLike

56. 12 Colinus virginanus sitting in a crcle?

    LikeLike

57. Speculation that Fuld, a New Hampshire man, could head to Boston.

    LikeLike

    1. Unless you’ve got a different source, the only speculation is coming from a Boston “journalist” who literally just listed a bunch of FO people from different organizations as possibilities.

       Personally, I don’t know why Fuld would want to go to a trainwreck in Boston when he’s very clearly being groomed to take over for DD.

       LikeLike

       1. Actually, a number of media outlets. He’s probably a natural for speculation.

          LikeLike

          1. Care to share? I’d like to read them. I can only find the original guy just listing FO people and others that are essentially quoting him.

             Oh, and a Bleacher Report article that explicitly says it’s a “wish list”.

             LikeLike

       2. I think any aspiring GM would take the opportunity to take over a franchise with the kinds of funds and resources the Red Sox have. Dombrowski could stick around here for awhile and there’s no guarantees Fuld would get the job next anyway.

          LikeLike

          1. The kinds of funds and resources that the owners force you to trade Mookie Betts while at the same time not rebuilding?

             Or the kind that they use to own the local media and put out hit pieces on their (former) employees so that ownership doesn’t look bad? I follow Boston sports the second most after Philly because my brother and his family live in the area. It’s a recurring theme that any time the Sox fire (or are about to) someone high profile, negative stories just magically start leaking. Never at the time they happened, mind you, just when it’s convenient for ownership that public perception of them tanks.

             Also, DD was pretty explicit about not wanting to do this for super long. It’s possible he’s changed his mind (or will). But Fuld is also in position to do/learn a lot of the GM responsibilities while not having the heat on him. If something goes wrong with the Phils currently, the public will be blaming DD. If something goes wrong in Boston (whether his fault or not), Sox ownership are going to hang him out to dry.

             I’m not saying no one would/should take the Boston job. Just saying Fuld’s in an excellent spot right now and Boston’s ability to spend is severely hampered by an over-involved ownership.

             LikeLike

          2. Had a longer post that needs to be approved; but suffice it to say there’s a lot of reasons not to take a job in that FO specifically. And Fuld is in a pretty ideal situation here in Philly.

             LikeLike

             1. I agree with you, Dan. Unless he’s being hired to be the GM (like the REAL GM, not DD’s placeholder GM) of another team, this is a very good spot for Fuld. The team has stable, relatively patient-ownership, spends a ton of money and has a history of hiring guys to takeover from a successful GM/President (see Ruben Amaro, Jr.). If I were Fuld, I’d only leave for a really good GM job and there are some GM jobs I might not take (I mean, is being the Rockies GM worth getting off the bandwagon in Philadelphia? Maybe, but maybe not.).

                LikeLike

                1. Rockies GM……….., whoa, lifetine supply of Coors Light!
                   Why do you think Dan O’Dowd is always so happy.

                   LikeLike

58. I know Tijuan Walker has 15 Ws, but he has list what ever he had. He doesn’t get a Playoff start if I’m making out the lineup and he is not worth anything out of the BP, so he doesn’t get a roster spot.

    LikeLike

59. This was a game that felt like Thompson decided we won the first 2, this didn’t really matter, let’s save the BP. Walker should have been out after Goldschmidt’s HR, and Ser’A has been awful. All of the games count.

    LikeLike

    1. Need to get some innings from the starters. Bullpen been eating lots of innings last few weeks and they’ve been showing the strain. Dominguez about only reliever not use heavily last 2 games.

       No problem with how the game was handled. If Ser’A doesn’t get it figured out in the next two weeks playoffs are in trouble anyway.

       LikeLike

60. Would I hire Chaim Bloom as a consultant in the Phillies FO? Yes.
    Will Dave Dobrowski hire Bloom as a consultant? Don’t know, but he did bring in Ani Kilambi from the Rays FO so that might tell you something about the way he (and Fuld) feel about Tampa’s brain trust.
    Would Bloom join the Phillies FO if he was offered the position? I think he’d be open to it while he waits on another POBO/GM job.

    Some of the shine may be off Bloom’s resume after his stint in Boston, but (like others have mentioned) a lot of what went wrong is more on John Henry. Henry was never going to pay Mookie Bettts, but made Bloom the face of that situation. Everything went downhill from there.

    LikeLike

    1. Bloom has taken a poor farm system and now they are rated a top 5…so the future is bright for the Sox.

       LikeLike

       1. I think Bloom ends up with the Brewers who just lost Stearns to the Mets. Fuld though would not need to be threatened if we hired him. He’d be more suited to be the successor to DD

          LikeLike

    2. Bloom didn’t always make the best decisions, but his situation is a good example of how hard teams can crash after they’ve been through a Dombrowski administration.

       I like DD and I believe he is very sophisticated and the Phillies don’t get to the WS last year without him or even perhaps a first WC without him. I also like how he can find players with potential (Marsh, Pache, Alvardo, etc. . . ). That said, the guy can really saddle an organization with some bad, expensive and super long contracts (Iisten, I love Trea Turner too, but will I love having him when he’s 37, knowing there’s like 4 dead years at the end of the deal? Yeah, I don’t know. And, let’s face, the Castellanos and Walker deals are ones we would all like to have back). If I’m Bloom, do I really want to come here? Fuld already has the number 2 job and, if I’m Bloom, I’m thinking to myself “thanks for nothing, Dave – you made my job in Boston a LOT harder” and I look for the next opportunity.

       LikeLike

       1. Then there appears to be a chink in the armor this season with the JTR deal signed in Jan 2021 Next season JTR needs to pick it up…especially RISP metric.

          LikeLike

       2. Well communicated Catch. DD is good at some things. I think the danger is in letting him go a season too far without a transition to someone better suited to a rebuild or value background.

          Basically there isn’t much more room to grow with payroll

          $151.6 million is under contract for 2024 not including the arb players. That is Harper, Turner, Wheeler, JT, Castellanos, Kyle, Walker, Alvarado, Strahm and Dominguez

          Factor in the Arb players and you’re probably sitting around $175 to use round numbers. 1 $25 AAV starting pitcher and now you’re at $200

          Middleton ought to be keen to learn the lessons of DD’s past.

          LikeLike

          1. Here’s what I will say about Middleton and DD that provides a ray of hope. I was very worried DD would trade away all the good young players this year. But I think Middleton told he wants to compete now and build for the future, so I think DD was more measured than he was in a place like Detroit where he went all in seemingly all the time. He is picking and choosing his spots.

             I will say, I don’t like the way DD negotiates the long term deals. He often does not choose the best FAs and then the deals are always too rich and too long and, often, far too long. I get that, if they want a player, they have to outbid the competition, but nobody has a gun to their head – they still need to be really, really careful with their deals.

             But I think if DD says to do something, Middleton is pretty much always going to say yes, if he can. I don’t view him as a filter or a hurdle that the GM/President must deal with. He’s more of a rubber stamp most of the time.

             As for JT picking it up, yeah, I don’t know if he’s just not having a good season or is starting to decline. I hope next year he can at least be decent, although I’d doubt he plays to the level of us contract. I have very little hope for the last year of his contract – the MLB history of 34 YO catchers is not a good one – even for guys who are known as good athletes.

             LikeLike

61. 3up, Dominguez doesn’t look like he is straightening anything out and it may take to next season. Lorenzen joins Hoffman, Strahm, Alvarado and Soto as the Playoff BP to set up Kimbrel. I get that we need length from the SPs, but I don’t like forcing it at the expense of winning a game. We will see if we get any length from our SPs in this next series. Still want 90 Ws.

    LikeLike

    1. Care much less about 90 wins than I do about getting into the playoffs and having guys ready to go. Hoffman is the only RH bullpen option that I would trust for the playoffs. Who knows what Lorenzen gives them. Not having Seranthony as an option is a problem.

       LikeLike

       1. Will add that Dominguez was terrible last September and was critical for the playoffs.

          Based on that, zero chance Thomson doesn’t use him in key spots this year as well.

          LikeLike

       2. No argument, 3up, being ready for the Playoffs is paramount. The 90 W thing just would be an indication, to me, that we are not limping into the Playoffs. Hoping Ser’A finds his mojo, but that HR was on a bad Slider, not him trying to blow a FB by Walker and failing. But he is far from my only worry. Nola tops that list, and JTR isn’t far behind.

          LikeLike

          1. matt….JT said it was sinker he called for…that did not have enough sink to it
             “It wasn’t one of Ser’s best sinkers,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “Going back on it, maybe we could’ve gone somewhere else. Obviously, he was ready for a fastball there. The kid’s a good hitter, he put a good swing on it. Just unfortunate that it happened there.”

             LikeLike

             1. My bad, Romus. I thought Sinker but typed Slider. So even if JT thought he was looking FB, why not throw an elevated one? Anyway it was a bad pitch and got clobbered.

                LikeLike

62. Thompson is the modern day ,Gene Mauch. 8 blown leadss by Dom
    And this manager puts him in another game.where these guys fought back to tie the game. Thompson has to go. He just keeps killing this team.

    LikeLike

    1. rocco……they just signed him to an extension this past off-season.
       Now if interested, Aaron Boone may probably get his walking papers in the Bronx in a few weeks..

       LikeLike

       1. To waste these comebacks I just don’t understand how he could use him yesterday. I believe he thinks this will help him..it won’t, it’s killing this team. And there confidence in keeping a lead.why comeback ? I question so many of his mives

          LikeLike

          1. My pet peeve with Thompson is when he pulls Marsh because a lefty is on the mound…

             Later in that game Rojas came up in Marsh’s spot and had to face Helsey with the tying run on second and winning run on 1st.

             LikeLike

63. Carryover from the affiliates link, but with the promotions to LHV, is there any chance that Kerkering gets called up? I know the promotions add only a week to the 4 Pitchers seasons, and as Jim has stated it might not be fair to the player or the team, but just asking.

    LikeLike

    1. I’d think about it, for sure. Once they get closer to the end, they will need arms to absorb extra innings and it would be nice to get a look at him and for him to get a taste of the big leagues.

       LikeLike

       1. And there seems to be a few on the current 40 that could be DFA, for a Kerkering addition.

          LikeLike

          1. He won’t be promoted this year, and he’s still working on his control, but Mick Abel really took a very significant step forward his last 5 starts of the year. Due to the presence of Painter and some struggles during the year, it is easy to overlook Abel, but he has a ton of potential and he may be turning the corner right now. He could be up by May or June of next year.

             LikeLike

          2. Agree, Romus ………..finding someone to DFA off of our 40 man is not rocket science nor should it take you more than 5 minutes to execute.

             LikeLike

    2. There’s only 13 games left in the season. And if he comes up, he’s not eligible to be on the postseason roster. According to ESPN, the Phillies have a 98.4% chance of making the playoffs. If the Phillies can’t survive without Kerkering, then they have other more pressing issues. I doubt he comes up.

       LikeLike

       1. I don’t know. If SD continues to struggle and Kerkering dominates in a few appearances at AAA, I could easily see the team giving him a shot this year. DD does these sorts of things.

          LikeLike

          1. Then we have another problem here. If Thomson starts giving Kerkering high leverage situations instead of Seranthony, that’s fine for the regular season. But Kerkering is not eligible for the postseason. So in the playoffs, Seranthony is going to have to get his innings back. How’s that going to go for Seranthony’s confidence?

             LikeLike

64. Correct me if I am wrong, Guru, but I thought that in the event of an injury a player on the 40 can be eligible for the Playoffs. I am not suggesting that he comes up, I just wanted to know what everyone’s thoughts are on the possibilty. Ser”A needs to have 2 or 3 lights out outings for me to trust him in any high leverage situation in the Playoffs. Agree on Abel being still a very good prospect, and I hope he has turned the corner. I think we will, barring any unforeseen circumstances, definitely see Kerkering in the BP at CBP next season. Any thoughts on parkinson and McKinley Moore?

    LikeLike

    1. I got this off the MLB website:

       In a typical season, any player who is on the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31 is eligible for the postseason.

       Those on the restricted list at that point are also eligible if they haven’t been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs during that season. (All players who have served a suspension for PEDs in a given season are ineligible for postseason play that year.)

       A player who doesn’t meet said criteria for postseason eligibility can still be added to a team’s roster in the postseason via petition to the Commissioner’s Office if the player was in the organization on Aug. 31 and is replacing someone who is on the injured list and has served the minimum amount of time required for activation. (For example, a player on the 10-day injured list who has been on it for at least 10 days, or a player who has been on the 60-day injured list for at least 60 days.) Players who are acquired in September or after are ineligible.

       LikeLike

    2. Definition. In a typical season, any player who is on the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31 is eligible for the postseason. Those on the restricted list at that point are also eligible if they haven’t been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs during that season.

       LikeLike

    3. David Parkinson is 27 and at this point, he’s just starter depth in the minors. It will take a lot of injuries for him to get into the bigs. You figure that Nick Nelson and Mick Abel are ahead of him at AAA.

       McKinley Moore is 25 and had an opportunity to make some noise earlier this season but really struggled throwing strikes in the bigs. He’s the classic big guy, big arm, no control reliever. It will be up to him to keep his walks down.

       LikeLike

65. Ok, so Kerkering is not eligible for the Post season, even in the event of an injury and the petitioning of the Commissioner?

    LikeLike

    1. I don’t think so but maybe Jim can give a more definitive answer.

       LikeLike

       1. I’m pretty sure Dombrowski/Fuld could perform some roster gymnastics to get Orion Kerkering on the Phillues postseason roster. I’m stunned they haven’t given Kerkering a shot already. This club is all-in. They should be using every bullet in their in their chamber to win a ring this year.

          LikeLike

          1. You start the clock early on Kerkering…but he is a reliever, so it really is not that critical.
             I just would want him to see face big league hitters for experience……he will be up sometime next year, and it would give him that taste for more.

             LikeLike

             1. Exactly, Romus. The service time clock should be a non-factor. He’s a reliever. The ceiling on his first contract (in 6 years) is limited. Don’t start counting nickles after you’ve already invested almost 1B on this roster.

                LikeLike

                1. Hinkie…I see two on the 40 that could be DFA….Luis Ortiz andor Erich Uelmen…the issue, it is 19 days past the timeline for making moves on players that are on the 40, but not in injury status mode of some sort. And Rhys, on the 60, will not be DFA.
                   Now not sure who was on the 10 day IL at some point this year ..Ortiz or Uelmen.
                   Ortiz was active for 13 games in June/July and August

                   LikeLike

                2. Romus … the way I understand it, the Phillies could put Yunior Marte or Dylan Covey on the 10 day IL tomorrow, and promote Kerkering. The team could then leave Marte/Covey on the IL (claim they’re still not healthy) for the playoffs and ask the league to keep Kerkering on the roster. I could be wrong, but that’s the way I see it.

                   LikeLike

66. Not a jinx, but the Phillies would need to have an epic meltdown to miss the playoffs.

    Phillies have 13 games left, and they have the tiebreakers over Cin, Chi, Ari.

    If the Phillies go 6-7, at least 3 of the following must happen for the Phillies to miss the playoffs:

    Arizona 9-2 (2 games vs SF, 3 games vs Houston)
    Miami 9-3 (3 games vs Milwaukee)
    Chicago 10-2 (3 games vs Atlanta, 3 vs Milwaukee)
    Cincinnati 10-1 (3 games vs Twins)
    San Francisco 11-1 (2 games vs Arizona, 7(!) vs LA)

    Phillies have 3 vs Atlanta starting tonight. Looks like Milwaukee will help push the Phillies to the playoffs.

    LikeLike

    1. Agree, Guru. And to take it one step further, here is the situation for the number 1 wild card:

       Phils play two more games (13) than the DBacks and Reds (11/ea) and one more than the Cubs (12). The Cubs and DBacks both already have 4 more losses and the Reds have 5 more. Let’s say 88 wins gets the top wild card spot. For Phils to get to 88, they have to 7-6. The DBacks have to go 9-2, the Cubs have to go 10-2, and the Reds have to go 10-1. Phillies have the tie breaker over ALL of these teams, so really each of them would need to perform one game better than the Phillies. This weekend strengthened our spot as DBacks and Cubs fell basically even with the DBacks sweep.

       Even with us playing Atlanta (who is almost in cruise control having clinched the division and close to top record), I still expect the Phillies to be very close to clinching the top wild card spot by the end of this week. These three teams just aren’t playing well enough and have to do too much to beat out the Phillies. Rest for the bullpen will be important and some of the regulars could probably use it.

       LikeLike

       1. No doubt that the #1 wild card is the plan now. The Phillies need to do whatever it takes to make sure that Wheeler, Suarez, Nola are the 3 starters for the first series. And yes, I would really consider starting Sanchez over Nola but it’s not going to happen.

          LikeLike

          1. I mean, when the season started, realistically, the first WC spot was the best case outcome. Over 162, the Braves are just so much better than the Phillies. In a short series, who knows? If the Phillies win the WC round, they are lucky they will face the Braves in the Divisional Round. Over 7 games it would be really hard for this Phillies team to beat the Braves.

             But if the Phillies can get out of the NL, they match up pretty well against almost any AL team out there. It’s a toss-up at that point.

             LikeLike

67. TB is set to announce that they will be building a $1.2B domed stadium in St. Petersburg which will open for the 2028 season. Time to end speculation that the Rays would move to Nashville or Montreal (never was going to happen anyways).

    LikeLike

    1. Do not get it….if I read correctly…only 30K seating capacity…may be the smallest MLB seated stadium….how can MLB let that happen!

       LikeLike

       1. Another interesting note is that Citizen’s Bank Park is only the 9th oldest park in the majors AND it’s the oldest one in the NL East.

          LikeLike

          1. April will celebrate its 20th year anniversary.
             Time for a new stadium! (tic)
             However, wheneve they decide on the next one….better have a retact-roof.
             Cannot take overcoat wearing play-off games.

             LikeLike

68. Still think we go 9-4 over the last 13 games. Taking the optimistic approach, and it would be great to start this evening with a terrific Start from Wheeler.

    LikeLike

69. This is a test….again.

    LikeLike

70. Phillies luck out by not having to face Fried. If they win one of the three against the Braves, they will have been 2-5 with them over the last 2 series. Should they go 3-4 against the Mets and 1-2 versus the Bucs, they will end the season 5-8 over the final two weeks. Let’s hope that is not the case.

    LikeLike

71. Rojas in just two months, less than 50 games, is third in the majors in DRS already among all CFers ……14.
    Kevin Kiermaier is first with three more @17 DRS in 116 games.
    Rojas is truly a defensive gem out there.

    LikeLike

    1. Yeah, Rojas is amazing defensively. If he is roughly league-average in hitting, he’s still a first division regular. If he becomes a slightly above-average hitter, he’s a top player. If it’s me. Next year, Marsh is in left, Rojas is in center, Harper is in right. Hoskins or another purchased bat is at first and Castellanos is traded. Schwarbs at DH.

       LikeLike

       1. I wouldn’t be happy if Bryce went back to RF. He still has a cannon but his range is not great and you figure it’s only going to get worse as he ages. And remember when he had issues catching the ball? He’s pretty much -1 dWar now. He needs to stay at 1B.

          LikeLike

          1. Agree Guru. Phillies best team moving forward has Bryce at 1b and Schwarber as DH.

             LikeLike

    2. I hope he hits. That to me is the big question on him.

       LikeLike

       1. rocco…..with his speed, a strong BA with plenty of singles, and maybe a notch higher percent in walks, will lead to more ‘doubles’ as he can swipe second easily in the Trea Turner mode. The ISO actually becomes less a factor based on that base-stealing speed.

          LikeLike

          1. Rojas HR last night was reminiscent of what I saw from him last year in LKW. He has the raw power he’ll just need to tap into it more by getting a better feel for the pitchers he’s facing and how they work him.

             Obviously D is his calling card but there is plenty of offensive upside. He’s just 22

             LikeLike

             1. DMAR…..I’d be happy if he can just hit 10/12 HRs but still able to maintain a relatively high BA…maybe in the range of .280-.290.

                LikeLike

72. So, over the weekend, I heard that there was an article, which I have not read, that said that based on WAR, Alec Bohm ranks 20th on the Phils, actually behind, among others, Sosa. I am not a big analytics guy, in fact, most of what I have learned came from the folks on this site. But, reagrdless of what those numebrs say, there is zero possibility that Bohm ranks 20th, and so any analysis that comes to a conclusion that I find to be totally wrong brings into question whatever process reached that conclusion. I know he gets dinged for Defense, but there is, again., zero chance he should rank 20th on the Phils. Did anyone read that? I checked Baseball Reference and he appears to be tied for 19th there.

    LikeLike

    1. matt……Bohm’s poor WAR is, as you inferred, a matter of his defense.
       DRS is minus 2 at 1B approx 550 innings and minus 9 at 3B approx 600 innings.
       Defensively….negative 6.6fWAR…ouch…near bottom of the majors at over 1100 innings played.
       His overall WAR suffers because of his glove.

       LikeLike

    2. matt….has committed only 9 errors…fielding and throwng bewteen 1B and 3B……which is not allot……but the other aspects of the positions, range for obe example, are that he is below average

       LikeLike

    3. One thing to note about WAR, it’s not meant to be used as a precise tool for head-to-head comparisons. It’s more meant to give you an idea of tiers of players.

       So Ohtani with his 10 WAR is in a league of his own in terms of overall value. But players like Betts, Acuna, and Freeman are relatively similar.

       Also, defensive metrics don’t stabilize til much later than offensive, so to be even more precise with comparisons, you really shouldn’t use defensive metrics for players with vastly different play time.

       LikeLike

       1. Also, fWAR has Bohm 5th on the Phils (min 100 PAs) in WAR behind the four you would expect (Stott, Turner, Marsh, and Harper).

          So whoever wrote that article might just be flat out wrong on their numbers.

          LikeLike

73. Understood, Romus, and since you are one of those who I count on regarding these things, do you believe that this is an accurate assessment of the value of Bohm to the team? I don’t, in fact I am very happy with his season, and think he has improved his fielding, and been a very good player for us. So, to me, I can’t grasp how that gives him a WAR, which is supposed to reflect his value above a replacement level player, as less than 1. Am I off base?

    LikeLike

    1. Bohm’s defense is killing his value. But how is that happening when he doesn’t have a lot of errors? First thing is that he has limited range. So the average 3B can get to more balls (and presumably turn them into outs), and Bohm is probably giving up 0.5 singles per game. It adds up. Second is the balls that Bohm gets to. Maybe he can’t get the ball to 1B in time or he can’t get the double play. Most of the time it’s not an error, but he’s giving the opposing team extra outs. So his dWar of -1.3 is totally warranted.

       LikeLike

       1. I really thought he is making the routine play better than ever, Growing as a hitter, But again stats show different, Same with Nick 25 hr and 100 rbi and he has negative war,

          LikeLike

    2. matt….Guru answered it.
       You can also check out SABR-SDI for defensive capabilities, Bohm, or anyone, vs the other MLB players….Gold Glove uses 25% of their evaluations.
       https://sabr.org/sdi

       LikeLike

74. A lot of rumors about Trout being traded. And as this article says, the Phillies make a lot of sense. https://fanrumor.com/report-2-major-clubs-could-be-fighting-over-mike-trout-as-angels-tenure-seems-to-be-over/?e_md5=4181341543d3c786906ccf3430ae4a65&e_sha1=bc30aa86439c005c0e23b10fa16385f0a6e822b0&e_sha256=569319f9123a83d4b83a3f69f9e8baf9f71d6c9ea88d19535ef2f0a3c49ed6c1

    So what’s the package? Here my offer:
    Trout at full contract for:
    – Castellanos
    – Pache
    – Justin Crawford
    – CDLC
    – McGarry
    – one more prospect outside the top 10

    LikeLike

    1. Please god, no Trout. Don’t need another aging, overpriced veteran on a team full of them at the expense of a young, controllable player like Rojas who has the potential to be extremely valuable. Not to mention the myriad season-ending injuries of late.

       Hope DD turns his nose up at Trout no matter what the cost.

       LikeLike

       1. I am pretty sure that DD disagrees with you. I know that I do. Trout on this team would be amazing as long as he is healthy for the playoffs. I don’t care if they play Trout only 80 regular season games to keep him fresh for the playoffs.

          I think Rojas is untouchable. But Crawford is a centerpiece for a big deal. And also I think DD wants to dump Castellanos badly.

          LikeLike

          1. If you’re replacing him in RF at the expense of Castellanos, then probably okay… as long as you have a suitable backup OF to fill in when Trout misses 60-90 games each year. I’d rather them spend on pitching, I guess. Not knocking your post, I’m sure you’re right he’s a target. I’d just prefer not.

             LikeLike

             1. Wow, Castellanos is going to have close to 30 homeruns, 100+ RBIS & bat near. 275. He does okay in Rf and everyone wants him out. I remember OFers in the past with similar numbers that we loved; I.e. Johnny Callison, Jason Werth, Greg Luzinski, etc.

                LikeLike

                1. Castellanos’ -10 DRS is 4th worst OF in MLB. He is an absolutely horrible defender. He is a DH. He will be 32 next year and has a war of 0.5. That makes him worth about $3.5mil per year. He has no trade value unless we are $15m+ of his contract.

                   LikeLike

          2. …..amazing as long as he is healthy…….that is the caveat, will he be able to stay healthy? 6 for 1, huh? Somewhere, Von Hayes is laughing.

             LikeLike

          3. I’ve been dreaming of Mike Trout in red pinstripes for a long time. If it’s ever going to happen, now is the last best chance. The stars are in alignment.

             ▪ The Angels are in disarray. Shohei Ohtani and Arte Moreno each have one foot out the door.
             ▪ Trout wants to win. Those LAAs haven’t had a season above .500 in 8 years.
             ▪ The Phillies are in “win now” mode.
             ▪ The Phillies employ a POBO who is a gatherer of stars.
             ▪ Mike’s non baseball interests are all here: his family, his wife’s family, the Eagles, his new championship golf course he’s building with Tiger Woods (in Vineland!)

             https://x.com/MikeTrout/status/1695497395310932224?s=20

             https://x.com/MikeTrout/status/1695070118345105414?s=20

             .

             BTW … the price Dombrowski would have to pay for Trout would depend on the amount of money Arte Moreno is willing to eat.

             LikeLike

             1. Hinkie…agree.
                If Moreno is willing to eat 40 to 50%, then Dombrowski can up the ante……..IMO, Castellanos, of course, then it would be Crawford, McGarry, DeLa Cruz and Kerkering.

                LikeLike

                1. I think you guys wanting Trout in any kind of deal involving our top prospects have lost your collective effing minds LOL

                   LikeLike

                2. DMAR……think like Alex Anthopoulos…he loses Freeman, decides, Harris is good, but needs a big bat at first base, I will give up a number 12 prospect of the top 100-Pache, and a decent prospect in catcher Shea Lang. for Matt Olson.
                   As for the Phillies:
                   —Crawford will need to dispalce Rojas, Marsh and Pache and whomever prospect comes along in the OF in the next three years.
                   —McGarry, great arm and stuff, no control….too rsiky
                   —CDLC is blocked ..be it in the OF or 1B
                   For me, Kerkering could be a real loss that could haunt someday.
                   You have to take a risk……Trout may be aging but when he plays he could be a difference maker.

                   LikeLike

             2. I agree Hinkie. now is the time. Angels are clearly in rebuild mode. Trout has a no trade clause, so he can dictate location.

                my thought on eating contract is that I would rather they take Castellanos off our hands. Castellanos doesn’t fit with Trout in our lineup.

                LikeLike

             3. i Dream that Taylor Swift is saying come here fat man, i love your or Sophia Vergara is saying fat man i want you, you dream of trout, crazy,

                LikeLike

                1. that’s funny. made me laugh rocco

                   LikeLike

    2. Really don’t think you have to give up that much for Trout if you are assuming the full contract.

       Expect LA would be happy to move the contract and reset their payroll.

       LikeLike

       1. Well I am giving them back Castellanos who is worth $1 mil per year and getting paid $20m per year for 3 more years.

          LikeLike

75. A few posts back, Romus and I had a discussion on umpiring and called for Robo Ump. That is still my opinion, but I have to say the guy last night behind the plate was really, really good. Amazing job, transparent to the game, never knew he was there. He deserved a kudo IMO!

    LikeLike

    1. Skeet…..76 umpires in baseball, well in in the MLB UMPIRES ASSOCIATION, we were bound to get one good one!

       LikeLike

    2. Imo Robo umps go too far. But I see no reason that MLB can’t use the same process as tennis does? The batter would get a challenge and it is shown on the screen. it would add excitement and a sense of fairness. easy to implement. the technology already exists.

       LikeLike

       1. Would you give the pitcher/catcher a challenge? How many challenges per game, some of these guys are really bad?

          LikeLike

          1. I don’t like the idea of challenges for balls or strikes but I do like the idea of having the HP ump wear a device that vibrates or has a tone for pitches in the K Box.

             LikeLike

             1. Agree with v1. I also prefer the system that would allow the batter/pitcher/catcher to “instantly” challenge a ball/strike call over the ABS (robo ump). That would keep some human element in the game. I can also envision the more clever organizations concocting ways to beat the robo ump: maybe try having their pitchers drop the ball into the box (eephus pitches on steroids).

                https://x.com/rascality/status/1424364301775671304?s=20

                LikeLike

          2. yes pitchers should also have a challenge.

             no idea on quantity of challenges. that can be worked out in minors.

             LikeLike

    3. Laz Diaz is usually one of the worst umps but last night it felt like he was connected to the buzzer….he missed very few balls and strikes from what I saw.

       LikeLike

76. I know you’re all following same as me, but it’s still fun to update this as the season draws to a close. As of today:

    Phils and Cubs (12) play one more than the DBacks (11) and two more games than the Reds (10). Let’s say 88 wins gets the top wild card spot. For Phils to get to 88, they have to go 6-6 against the Braves, Mets, and Pirates. The DBacks have to go 9-2, the Cubs have to go 10-2, and the Reds have to go 9-1. Phillies have the tie breaker over ALL of these teams, so each of them would need to perform one game better than the Phillies.

    I think now the question becomes, which of these three teams do we want to play in the Wild Card series at CBP? There’s still an outside shot it’s Miami or San Fran in the second wild card, but I doubt it. I’m not afraid of any of the three main contenders, but would like to avoid Miami who has decent pitching. Arizona or Cincy seem like the ones we should hope end up in that second WC.

    LikeLike

77. The Athletic has a good article on Johan Rojas (link will only work for subscribers)

    https://theathletic.com/4876851/2023/09/19/johan-rojas-phillies-center-fielder/

    Love the title – Phillies rookie Johan Rojas, destroyer of defensive metrics, is suddenly their starting center fielder

    some highlights

    Pache quote – “it has been a long time since I saw an outfielder that gave me such joy watching him play.”

    On a per-inning basis, advanced defensive metrics rate him as the best fielder in decades.

    entering Monday’s game, he had accumulated 14 Defensive Runs Saved. That ranked 14th among all fielders this season — and Rojas had played only 310 innings in the field. It’s an astounding rate. Rojas has broken the metric.

    LikeLike

    1. Great article. I almost shared here as well. Unreal defensive talent.

       honestly, Rojas seems like the kind of prospect that the Braves routinely find. never the Phillies. but we found one. Very exciting player. Much more upside than I had thought when he was in the minors.

       LikeLike

    2. Johan Rojas has made it extremely difficult for Thomson to take him out of the lineup. If Rojas is the starting CF in 2024, then Marsh (and his .830 OPS) needs to go to LF. This means Schwarber will become more or less a full time DH, which is where he belongs.

       LikeLike

    3. In the article above, Brandon Marsh commented that Rojas saved 11 runs alone in the month of August.

       LikeLike

78. Also ,in the same Athletic thread of articles – mentioned before, there was a piece about how dysfunctional the Padres team is and the negative effects that A J Preller has had on the overall atmosphere there. There were comments about individual players and while I know there is a discussion – above – about Trout being traded to Phillies, I happen to think that Soto, when he is a free agent in 2025, would consider joining Harper and Turner.

    LikeLike

79. Rojas is awesome defensively …
    Pache was pretty nice defensively & offensively for a stretch
    Castellanos having a good numbers, but feels like a Bobby Abreu type year – long hot & cold stretches

    Trout – Yes, trade for him. Its not as easy of a decision as it was before, BUT you gotta do it… Castellanos, Crawford, McGarry, … do it. Would hurt to lose Kerkiering – 100mph w/ control? That hurts.

    Looking to see how this Nola thing shakes out. If he goes into shutdown mode from here out, he pretty much gets what he wants imho. If not, its a different story.

    LikeLike

    1. Tac…..Nola may only have two starts left, maybe three, depending on what Thomson does with him in the last weekend. For him to raise his value, the play-offs will need to be his true test to determine if he will get paid what he thinks he deserves.
       INO, even if he does well in the play-offs…he cannot erase a full season of inconsistencies…GMs can see that and may balk at a high offering to him.

       LikeLike

    2. Coming off a 5.9 WAR season, Nola was set to get paid. But in his walk year, he’s posting 1.7 WAR which is the worst he’s had since 2016. He’s still only 30, and the Phillies should absolutely give him a QO. He’ll decline it and he’ll go elsewhere (I keep on hearing that the Cardinals are interested).

       If the Angels want a bidding war for Trout, they’ll have to eat something like $50M+. The issue will be his health. He’s only been healthy 1 out of the last 4 years. Mike Trout broke in age 19 so he has a lot of wear on his body playing CF. And even though Trout has a no trade clause, he hasn’t given any indication he wants out AND he has given zero indication that he wants to return home. In fact, he seems quite content living in California. If he wants to stay in the West Coast, the Dodgers and Rangers are the obvious choices, and they have the prospect capital to make a deal happen.

       LikeLike

       1. The Rangers are only in the West in terms of division. Arlington to San Diego (the closest American city on the coast; basically a straight line) is nearly a 20 hour drive and goes through the entire state of Arizona.

          I know this because I suffered through that drive on a bus.

          But yeah, if he wants to stay on the west coast for some reason (I don’t know why, he still lives on the east coast; I think the only thing keeping him out west is loyalty) the Rangers are also out. The Dodgers would have to be the clear favorites, but the Padres make plenty of head scratching decisions, so they can’t be ruled out.

          LikeLike

       2. Romus/Guru – fair points, and his seasons shouldn’t be erased, but postseason magic has historically been rewarded with riches. Beltran comes to mind. Anyways, if Nola pitches lights out in the postseason, hes going go get what he wants (or close to it) imo. Especially from the Phillies. Phillies need pitching too, Just doesn’t look like too many options out there. A shame Abel & Painter aren’t 2 rookie sensations ready to step in and let him him walk with QA. That must be whats it feels like to be a Braves fan!

          LikeLike

80. Agreed about Nola. As mediocre and unreliable as he has been this season, if he gets hot and pitches lights out to end the season – or even just in the post season (assuming the Phillies advance beyond the WC), he will earn himself a very nice payday. That of course, is the best-case scenario for the Phillies right now – even if it means losing Nola to free agency.

    LikeLike

81. Justin Crawford (age 19) has been named MVP and Top Prospect of the FSL.

    I really hope he doesn’t get traded. If he adds weight (which I think he will looking at his dad), I think his bat can play as a corner OF. I’m dreaming of a future OF of Marsh/Rojas/Crawford where all 3 are GG caliber.

    LikeLike

    1. That would be great. I like Crawford a lot. But let’s not assume elite MLB production because of success in A ball. The list of former FSL MVPs is not exactly a list of elite MLB players: https://www.thebaseballcube.com/content/awards/FSL-MVP/

       LikeLike

       1. That is a rough list for sure.

          Question, if Crawford has Vernon Wells’ career (28.6 WAR), we would be ok with that right?

          LikeLike

82. We all know (or should know) that Andruw Jones is one of the best defensive OFs of all time. In 1998, in 159 games, Jones (at age 21) had 3.9 dWar! I can’t even imagine what that would look like. It would mean that he got to almost every ball he can, made spectacular catches when he had to, and stopped runners from taking the extra base with his arm.

    Johan Rojas in 50 games has 1.5 dWar. It’s obviously not a linear extrapolation but you can argue that what Rojas is doing now was similar to what Andruw Jones did, which is crazy.

    Johan Rojas absolutely need to be the full time CF.

    LikeLike

    1. Sometimes, but not that often, a fielder will be so good that his fielding alone justifies his place as a first division regular, even if he is a below (or even well below) average hitter. Good examples are Ozzie Smith and Mark Belanger. Outfielders are more rare – but Andruw Jones was a superstar fielder who also happened to be a very fine offensive player (people are waking up to him now – he should obviously be in the HOF in my opinion).

       Johan Rojas has every bit the look of a fielding unicorn and he’ll probably be an average or better offensive player. He is a first division regular RIGHT NOW. While he may not play ever day, it’s hard to imagine him not being the team’s starting centerfielder going forward, including during the playoffs.

       LikeLike

       1. Obviously, Brooks Robinson is another example of a guy who would have been a first division regular even if he hadn’t been an above average hitter, which he was. Showing my age, but, to this day, I’ve never seen a fielding performance more impressive than the one he put on during the 1970 WS. How great was it? I was 6 at the time and I still remember it. It’s one the reasons I became such a huge baseball fan. Go back and watch it on YouTube – it’s like 5 or 6 plays where you would swear it was the best play you ever saw a third baseman make.

          LikeLike

       2. Jackie Bradley Jr with the Sox fits into that category as one of the rare OFers.
          Not much at the plate but a Gold Glove caliber nominee CFer for 5/6 years with the Sox and Brewers.
          https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bradlja02.shtml

          LikeLike

    2. Good post. Yeah it is special. Marsh said it well, “Rojas plays left-center, center and right-center. He makes it easy on the corner OF” (paraphrasing)

       LikeLike

83. Rojas did his own version of a tomahawk chop last night. Looked like the ball he hammered out of the park to right field was at his eye level.

    Checking on Mickey Mo’s stats, he’s still hitting for a decent average but in 316 plate appearances he has 110 strikeouts and only nine walks. Ouch!

    LikeLike

    1. Mickey will not have a productive big league career if he walks in 3 percent of his at bats. It’s a virtual statistical certainty. Players with walk rates that low just don’t stay in the big leagues. Period.

       On Rojas, maybe I’m biased, but I think he has a much bigger defensive upside than JBJ. He may be more in the Andruw Jones territory, at least through his mid to late 20s.

       LikeLike

84. Our best lineup has Rojas in CF, Marsh in LF, and Schwarber at DH. I believe come Playoff time Bryce is the 1B every game.

    LikeLike

85. Phillies should be officially releasing their selections for the 2023 AFL season soon. Players report by next weekend with Scottsdale’s first game Oct 2nd

    LikeLike

86. Strider facing Phillies for the fourth time this season….second time in less than a week.
    Phillies’ batters should have a really good read on him by now, and if they happen to face him again for a fifth time in October, I like to wager my money on the Phillies’ bats.

    LikeLike

    1. If they have a good read, I think they forgot to put on their glasses.

       With the exception of JT, it looks like every one of them is guessing on pitches. And Schwarber looks like he also guessing on locations.

       LikeLike

       1. Schwarber is a pure guess hitter against everyone.. It’s the reason he hits under .200 with such a compact swing.

          LikeLike

          1. I can buy that he guesses on the pitch, but not usually location. He’s got a pretty good eye, hence all the walks.

             For the past few games, he’s been looking at pitches that are strikes no matter how much/little break they have.

             LikeLike

             1. Well if they face Strider sometime next month, lets hope the 5th time facing him, they can muster up some wood on the ball

                LikeLike

             2. Schwarbers BB rate suggests to me he doesn’t guess hit. I think usually he sees the ball very well. I think he hits 200 because every swing is to put the ball over the wall.

                Strider when he is on sadly is one of (if not) thee best pitchers in the league and a strong candidate to take home the Cy Young.

                Castellanos OTOH I do think guesses and mostly guesses wrong based on some of the swings he takes on pitches so far out of the zone.

                LikeLike

                1. Guessing pitches doesn’t mean he just automatically swings at them if they are not strikes.

                   He has a good eye so he walks a lot but you frequently watch him take 3 fastballs in the zone without flinching which would indicate he was guessing breaking ball the entire at-bat.

                   He’s just a more patient and disciplined hitter than Castellanos.

                   LikeLike

    2. How long will the window be open for placing bets and is there a limit on the wager?

       LikeLike

    3. You lose

       LikeLike

87. Well, send Stubbs down to loosen up in the bullpen, it looks like one of those games. Grieves me that the only strikes we can throw out of the pen are smack down the middle.

    Oops, looks like SA is going to get an opportunity to get his “vibes” back!

    LikeLike

    1. Lorenzen has disappointed since the no-hitter…..he admits it himself.
       I like that he owns up to it….same as Turner and Walker have done in the past this season.
       OTOH, the Braves must have cork in their bats.

       LikeLike

       1. I can’t believe the pitches they give to Acuna to hit. He is a good hitter as his average indicates, why feed him stuff he can pound?

          LikeLike

          1. Skeet…….where can you pitch him where he cannot pound it?
             ………, he is in a groove this year.
             I guess you can throw him four waste pitches out of the zone, and let him take swings at them or just take a walk.

             LikeLike

             1. The book has always been you have to get in on him without hitting him of course. That or make sure you keep the guys ahead of him off the bases.

                As a coach I never worried about the solo HR beating me unless it was walk off situation.

                But its the 3 guys after him that are really making that LU effective.

                LikeLike

       2. Let’s start the rumor. I would bet it does still occur…

          https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+load+a+wood+bat&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS920US920&oq=how+to+load+a+wood+bat&aqs=chrome..69i57j33i22i29i30l8.5033j0j15&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:36c5b8f8,vid:S2EwY93ID30,st:0

          LikeLike

          1. DMAR……LOL,
             ….unless they break a bat and the cork flies out, how would you know…….do they x-ray bats?

             LikeLike

             1. 🙂 I often wondered that myself Romus. I’ve asked people that I know in the league and they’ve said probably but never mentioned an x-ray as a possible deterrent.

                They also said if they are they aren’t using it every AB.

                Guys are still getting nabbed for PEDs so I wouldn’t put it past anyone to try this.

                LikeLike

             2. ………remember when the bat exploded and the superballs came out? Mets player wasn’t it?

                LikeLike

                1. Think it has Chris Sabo with Reds.

                   LikeLike

                2. Graig Nettles 9/7/74….6 superballs.

                   LikeLike

                3. @Denny

                   Sabo with the Reds was just a plain corked bat. It also wasn’t even his bat (his bat broke and the corked one was a replacement that the bat boy brought). He was also super confused when he got ejected for it after the fact.

                   Pretty funny situation sans the cheating aspect.

                   LikeLike

88. Last season the Braves had to expend a lot of energy to chase down the Mets and overtake them for 1st in the Division. I think that created the perfect storm for us to take them out the way we did.

    I think they are coasting a bit here. They take 3 of 4 from us then get swept by the Marlins. Kind of strange don’t you think.

    LikeLike

    1. Coasting into the post season also tends to hurt teams. See; Phillies, 2011.

       It really does all just come down to who’s hot at the right time. We just gotta hope our pitching wakes up and theirs doesn’t. That’s all it would take for us to win the series against them.

       LikeLike

       1. Would anyone be confident if our starting pitchers going into the playoffs ilconsisted of: Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, an old Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick, Adam Eaton and Joe Blanton, and with a closer that was shell shocked prior with Houston in their playoffs, Brad Lidge?

          LikeLike

          1. In hindsight … Yes 🙂

             LikeLike

             1. Not even just in hindsight.

                This team has more talent, but those guys were just getting it done. Especially the bullpen. They were automatic.

                LikeLike

          2. I’m plenty confident in Wheeler, just as I was in Hamels. It would not surprise me in the slightest if Wheeler dominated for our entire postseason run.

             Outside of Wheeler and Suarez (and Hoffman in the pen), though, I don’t have any kind of confidence in anyone on our pitching staff right now. Nola’s season is eerily similar to Myers’. Walker is better than Blanton in a vacuum, but Blanton was at least steady (and he hit a homer, which Taijuan won’t be doing). Moyer was susceptible to blowing up at any given time, but he did it far less often than Lorenzen or Sanchez. And Kendrick pitched exactly zero postseason innings after 2007, so that’s a moot point.

             The biggest difference, though, is that the 2008 bullpen was a MONSTER. It’s easy to look at the names and scoff. And that’s fair, because this year’s pen actually has WAY more talent. But results wise, 2008 DEMOLISHES this year’s team. 2008 had a 3.22 bullpen ERA versus 3.70 this year. And they simply did not give up homers in 2008.

             So yeah, I had more confidence in the 2008 staff than I do in this year’s. The ceiling is higher for the pitchers this year, for sure. But I’m way more nervous about them.

             LikeLike

             1. Great post, thanks. Yeah, the bullpen is the big difference. We can go far as long as the bullpen can do expectations, don’t need to over perform just do what is within their ability.

                LikeLike

89. Watch out today for Phillies, it is getaway day. They got to play the full game and not be thinking about the trip home before the last out.

    LikeLike

    1. They also have Schwarber in the field, with Rojas and JT sitting. I know rest days are necessary (especially for catchers). But it never feels good seeing how downgraded we are on both sides of the ball for games like this.

       LikeLike

90. Well, Nicky Castles is guessing right today.

    LikeLike

    1. …… and a nice throw from right as well!

       LikeLike

       1. It was kind of dumb to catch that ball, but it was a beautiful throw. So all’s well that ends well on that front.

          LikeLike

91. Imagine if we had to play the Braves 19 times instead of 13? I really don’t want to see those guys anymore.

    LikeLike

    1. If we get past the WC round, we will see them again.

       LikeLike

92. Well that was quite fortunate LOL

    LikeLike

93. This is perfect. Harper can hit a homer and then the Braves can score 3 in the bottom of the 10th.

    LikeLike

    1. Seriously, this game is super important. They need this win so they are not psyched out by these guys in the playoffs.

       LikeLike

94. Did not realize how small Albies is ..maybe 5’8″ until he stood next to Stubbs.

    LikeLike

95. Very big win, and the best part was actually Nola. Apologies to Castellanos who had a big day himself, but Nola having a good start where he got into trouble and DIDN’T implode (and against the best team in baseball) is a huge deal.

    That version of Nola will help us go a long way in the playoffs. So here’s hoping that the start of the best run of his season.

    LikeLike

    1. Both Nola and Wheeler throwing good games in the series is a good way to put a marker down for October if they get back to Atlanta.

       Need get through the wildcard round first which won’t be easy.

       LikeLike

       1. Wonder how Thomson will handle Nola…next start is due Tues vs Pitt, then last start scheduled for Sunday October 1st @ CitiField……assume Thomson lets him sit out that last start, or just go 2 or 3 innings and then pitch on Oct 4th, while Wheeler opens up the play-offs on Oct 3rd.

          LikeLike

          1. Once the Phillies clinch the first WC, Thomson should reset the starters to ensure that Wheeler/Suarez/Nola are the 3 starters for the first round. I’m fully expecting Lorenzen and Covey to make starts to make this happen.

             LikeLike

             1. With 10 games to go, the magic numbe is 7, so once they get to that, have to assume Thomson does re-arrange the starters, probably for that last weekend series in New York.

                LikeLike

96. Phillies finish 5-8 vs the Braves and I’m really ok with that. Let’s move on.

    LikeLike

    1. A trip through StL & Atl could have been 0-6, I love 3-3.

       LikeLike

97. I had no confidence up 4-0 when we didn’t add on. Nola pitched well. Too many hitters pulling GBs for outs or DPs. Then Stott did it perfectly! Took a lefty the opposite way and won the game. Great W! Bryce seemed really off today, I don’t know why?

    LikeLike

98. I am man enough to admit when I was wrong…Nick Castellanos is the best player in MLB and an elite defender.

    What a win!

    LikeLike

    1. LOL…….he is making himself look more attractive for an off-season excursion to somewhere.

       LikeLike

    2. A right- handed Johnny Callison!

       LikeLike

99. Some of you may remember a pitcher named Stan Bahnsen, who was given the tongue-in-cheek name “Bahnson burner” . Perhaps he could crank his fastball up to the low-to-mid-80 MPH range. The relievers in today’s game for the current Phillies staff, according to MLB gameday, are throwing fastballs at 97 to 99 MPH but are being hit like the ball is on a batting Tee. WTH?

    LikeLike

    1. “….. throwing fastballs at 97 to 99 MPH but are being hit like the ball is on a batting Tee.”
       Virtually every team’s relievers are now hi-velo guys in that 97-99 range.
       So MLB hitters seeing it in every game now, so adjusting is not too diffcult….epecially if it is a straight as an arrow pitched ball
       They probably also have their pitching machines set at 100 mph.

       LikeLike

100. Kruk’s call on castellanos catch is the microcosm of a Philly phan … lol

     Watch it, on the Phillies webpage, under the game “story” – to me the game story in addition to pitch clock is saving baseball. Viewership is up across baseball, good to see

     LikeLike

101. Castellanos, Nola, Stott are today’s stars, but the steal of 3rd by Rojas, with Harper following was great baseball.

     LikeLike

102. Mets playing well. Phillies need at least a split. Clearwater drops the finals 2-1. No pitching other than Cabrera.

     LikeLike

     1. Not sure Philies will be able to get the games in on Saturday, maybe even Sunday also…drenching rain coming up the coast forecasted for the area.

        LikeLike

        1. Fortunately they’ve got Monday off and no travel, so Saturday being rained out wouldn’t really negatively impact us. Do hope they can get the game in on Sunday, though, so we don’t have to do a double-header.

           LikeLike

        2. They can move Saturday’s game to Monday. The Eagles are out of town so that helps.

           For Sunday’s game, unless the weather is really bad (which means double header on Monday), I think they will do whatever they can to get that game in. This means that even though the game is at 1pm, they’ll delay that game to 8pm if they have to.

           LikeLike

103. Obviously getting the #1 wild card is the goal, but not sure if I want to face the DBacks in a short series. They’ll throw Gallen and Kelly and those 2 guys have had good years. And the DBacks can hit: Carroll, Marte, Moreno, Walker are all 3+ WAR hitters.

     I think we should be rooting for the Reds to get hot.

     LikeLike

104. Denny

     They went 4-2 on the most recent road trip, not 3-3. Ideally, they need to take 7 of the final 10 games [7 hone and 3 away] to make insure that they have the #1 Wild Card position for the playoffs.

     LikeLike

     1. Duh, right. I have a financial accounting degree and worked for the government. Not use to reality in numbers, lol. That record is even better at 4-2.

        LikeLike

105. Defensive Runs Saved for the season:
     – Phillies: -31
     – Atlanta + 16

     – Schwarber: -21 in 863 innings
     – Rojas +14 in 328 innings.

     Let’s play with numbers. An OF of Rojas in CF, Marsh in left and Schwarber at DH for a full season, thus give Rojas, Schwarber’s 863 innings then Rojas adds another +37 DRS. Which means our -31 goes to a +27. Which makes us the 10th best defensive team in MLB.

     LikeLike

106. No question v1, Rojas has earned a spot. Schwarber has to DH, and Marsh in LF. That needs to be the the lineup for the Playoffs.

     LikeLike

107. You are absolutely correct, v1. Rojas has to be the every day CF, Marsh in LF and Schwarber at DH. That needs to be the Playoff lineup

     LikeLike

108. V1,……….thanks for getting Castles going. That apology did the trick!

     LikeLike

     1. You are welcome

        LikeLike

        1. Your next project will be JT, amazing how bad he can look with a bat at times, especially at “crunch” time!

           LikeLike

           1. It’s really just in Philadelphia, for some reason. You may have even noticed that he looked pretty good in Atlanta and then looked bad last night.

              JT’s splits this year:

              Home- .193/.253/.311 with a 51 wRC+
              Away- .301/.358/.586 with a 147 wRC+

              Looking at his season as a whole you’d think he’s starting to slow down and his contract is about to turn ugly. But when he gets away from Philadelphia it’s same as it ever was; dude’s a beast on the road. Literally no idea what could be causing such a drastic split, but if they can fix it he could very well be back to fringe-MVP contender next year.

              LikeLike

              1. I don’t know what’s going on with him. It just seems to me there are many more at bats where he looks overmatched and helpless.

                 Also, for whatever reasons, his defensive metrics aren’t nearly as good this year. Baseball Reference has him as a 3.1 WAR this year, but Fangraphs has him sliding along at a 1.6. It’s okay, but let’s hope he can at least get through next year as a good player. The years of him being the best catcher in baseball are probably well past him now, but he’s bounced back before so we’ll see.

                 LikeLike

                 1. Sorry, he’s a 1.2 in Fangraphs – below replacement value if you believe them (I don’t entirely).

                    LikeLike

                 2. Dave D will need to find or groom a replacement for JTR soon……unless they try to extend him at terms that would be considered a team friendly contract.
                    Marchan could be the guy they are set on.

                    LikeLike

                 3. The defensive stats have to be taken with a grain of salt because they aren’t stabilized yet. But it’s almost entirely from his pitch framing. He’s second among all catchers (no minimum) for “Good Fielding Plays Runs Saved” which tracks when you watch how ridiculously good he is at making those athletic plays off the plate.

                    His stolen base runs saved is also below average, but honestly watching him every day that’s almost entirely on his pitchers. Last night he made a throw from his knees that should have had no chance at getting the runner. But the only reason the runner was safe was because it one-hopped Stott. Runner got a massive jump, and the ball got to the plate slow and JT still almost got the guy. I think the pitching staff still has adjustments to make when it comes to preventing the running game, but JT’s still got every tool needed to shut it down when he’s got a chance at it.

                    LikeLike

109. Before we write off Nicky C in RF let’s see what we have had there prior to Harper in 2019 and since 1960:

     60-69 Johnny Callison
     70 Roger Freed/Ron Stone
     71 Byron Browne
     72 5 guys with 30/40 games
     73 Bill Robinson
     74/75 Mike Anderson
     76 Jay Johnstone
     77-81 Bake McBride
     82 George Vukovich
     83 Von Hayes
     84 Sixto Lezcano
     85-87 Glenn Wilson
     88 Chris James
     89/90 Von Hayes
     91 Dale Murphy
     92 Ruben Amsro Jr
     93/94 Eisenreich/Chamberlain
     95/96 Eisenreich/Mark Whitten
     97 Darren Daulton
     98-06 Bobby Abreu
     07 Shane Victorino
     08-10 Jayson Werth
     11/12 Hunter Pence
     13 John Mayberry
     14 Marlon Byrd
     15 Jeff Francour
     16 Peter Borious
     17/18 Nick Williams

     Let’s be happy with what we have!

     LikeLike

     1. LOL c’mon Denny this isn’t the west coast or mid-west. We’re never happy just human.

        I’ll say this. I won’t/wouldn’t bet against this team….ever! Even with the idiosyncrasies it has they are an incredibly likeable bunch.

        LikeLike

110. I thought I heard a point made last night either by Smoltz or Belltini which was in regard to Hoffman. It was something to the effect that Bryce after being pitched to by Hoffman said to a person in the FO “what are we doing here why isn’t he out in the BP”

     BH isn’t just a great baseball player he is incredibly astute about the game all around. That can be both a blessing and a curse.

     So in saying that I would be very surprised if come playoffs he isn’t at 1B every game. Everything we’ve been saying here about our best LU and defensive alignment he knows. Thomson knows and the FO knows.

     It just hinges on him physically being able to do it.

     LikeLike

111. Totally agree DMAR, this has just been to keep him rested for the Playoffs where everyone knows he needs to be. Sure, a small part is getting Sosa and Cave ready if needed, but the biggest reason is keeping Bryce healthy. Only 1 DH, and it needs to be Schwarber.

     LikeLike

112. Latest news, Phillie sending to Arizona Fal League:
     Andrew Baker, Christian McGowan,Dominic Pipkin,Jordi Martinez, Mitch Neunborn, Caleb Ricketts, Matt Kroon, Oliver Dunn, Gabriel Rincones Jr…and Marty Malloy as Manager

     LikeLike

     1. Oliver dunn? Don’t know that name.

        LikeLike

        1. rocco…..did well at Reading….little older at 26.

           https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=dunn–001oli
           Personally wished Ethan Wilson would have been selected to go to Arizona. But will be watching the development of Ricketts and
           Rincones

           LikeLike

           1. Ricketts interest me seems to have decent bat

              LikeLike

113. Per MLBTR Orion Kerkering is going to The Show! No info yet on who will be dropped from the 40 man roster.

     LikeLike

     1. https://x.com/MattGelb/status/1705277543194968201?s=20

        LikeLike

     2. Perhaps another 5th round gem in the making.
        Amazing how they do it on that round.

        LikeLike

     3. Drew Ellis is the 40 man casualty.

        Seems like almost a no-brainer, so no complaints from me.

        LikeLike

114. (From minor league thread)

     Arizona Fall League rosters announced.

     Phillies send Threshers manager Marty Malloy to manage the Scottsdale Scorpions which will include prospects from the Angels, Cardinals, Giants, Phillies, and Nationals. Strength and Conditioning Coach Joseph Miranda.

     Players include – C Caleb Ricketts, LHP Jordi Martinez, RHP Christian McGowan, RHP Andrew Baker, RHP Mitch Neunborn, RHP Dominic Pipkin, INF Oliver Dunn, INF/OF Matt Kroon, and OF Gabriel Rincones.

     LikeLike

115. (From minor league thread)

     In other news, Orion Kerkering was called up to the big club.

     Mick Abel makes his AAA debut tonight.

     Christian McGowan made his AAA debut on (/20 with 2.2 innings, 51 pitches, 2 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, and 3 Ks.

     Kerkering was voted the Phillies 2023 Minor League Player of the year by Baseball America.

     Justin Crawford was selected as the Top MLB Prospect in the Florida State League as well as the FSL MVP.

     Crawford and Pan Wen-Hui were selected for the FSL All-Star team.

     Kerkering and Johan Rojas were Paul Owens award winners.

     LikeLike

116. Exciting stuff Jim, both the Kerkering news and the AFL players. I don’t remember, has there been anyone getting through so many levels and getting called up in the same season for us?

     LikeLike

     1. He took the express elevator from the ground floor to the suite.
        The Orion Express.

        LikeLike

        1. That is a great one!

           LikeLike

     2. Romus said when he was a kid. Chuck Klein did it

        LikeLike

117. Seriously Romus, great line! He is henceforth the Orion Express!

     LikeLike

118. Rocco, I know Romus is very old. But I think there were less minor league levels when Chuck Klein played. I believe he only played 3 levels, not 4, before the Show. He went from the St. Louis entry level to the equivalent of AA, and then the Cards had to sell their team wherever he was playing and we outbid the Yankees for Chuck who then got promoted to MLB.

     LikeLike

     1. Chuck Klein played for independent minor league teams in 1927 and 1928. He played for Evansville in 1927 and for Fort Wayne in 1928. Both were Class B teams. Neither was affiliated with a major league team. His contract was purchased by the Phillies in 1928 He played in 64 games for the Phillies in 1928.

        At that time, affiliated minor leagues was in its infancy. Actually, the Phillies were the first organization to have an affiliated minor league team in 1897 (the Philadelphia Athletics, not those Athletics). Affiliations didn’t catch on until 1919 when St. Louis and Detroit each had one affiliated team. Other teams were slow to join in. By 1927, only three teams had affiliated teams, St. Louis was the first to have 2 affiliates. Come 1931, St. Louis had 3 of 5 affiliated teams. In 1931, affiliated teams exploded from 5 to 42. St. Louis had 11 teams.
        Fifteen of the 16 teams had affiliated teams. The Phillies didn’t rejoin the party until 1932.

        I authored a rather lengthy article on the history of the minor leagues. I don’t remember if I posted it here. I did give it to Steve Potter for use in one of his books.

        LikeLike

119. Terrific stuff Jim, thanks! When the Orien Express makes his MLB debut, can you think of another player who played at 5 levels in 1 season?

     LikeLike

120. Good win and how sweet that it should have officially eliminated the Mutts from the playoffs.

     $430 million just doesn’t buy much anymore.

     LikeLike

121. We survived Soto giving up a HR, then a Kimbrel blown save, because Ser!A got Alonso. Gutsy performance. I do not care what the analytics say, Bohm is my 3B. I am not trading him, I am happy we have him, I know a few of you who I respect are not in agreement with me, so apologies. But I like him. The 3rd base spot is not an area of my concern.

     LikeLike

     1. This is Bohm’s 4th year in the bigs, his career WAR right now is 0.9 at age 26.

        It was Scott Rolen Wall of Fame induction night. By the end of Rolen’s second year in the bigs, at age 22, his career WAR was 4.2.

        I’m not saying that the Phillies should trade him, he’s still pre-arbitration. But he’s replaceable AND he’s not getting a FA deal from the Phillies when it’s time. If Aidan Miller is the real deal, the Phillies will have no issues replacing Alec Bohm.

        LikeLike

        1. Yes, let’s compare him to a HOF player.

           LikeLike

           1. We can compare Bohm to Matt Chapman, an underrated 3B and soon to be FA. How Chapman only has 1 AS nod to his name is a mystery. Chapman has 3 GG so his defense is adding value to his stock. By the end of his rookie year at age 24, he had 3.2 WAR.

              Chapman is looking to get paid (7 years+) so he’s likely not an option for the Phillies. But if DD was able to get Chapman on a 3 year deal, Bohm would be headed to the bench and nobody here would be mad about it.

              LikeLike

        2. Really Guru? i don’t get that post, Bohm is a clutch hitter, getting better imo with power, makes the routine play, Cant see why you want to replace him , I don’t care about War i like what i see from this kid, he is getting better, very clutch

           LikeLike

           1. rocco…..I also have grown to like Bohm…his bat is what they call clutch I suppose. But in a few years Miller may be the one they will want at third…if Turner stays at short and Stoot at secind, I think Miller swings over to third……and once the Phillies make the switch with Miller to third in the minors, the hand writing is on the wall.

              LikeLike

     2. Yes Sadly the performance lines from Soto and Kimbrel have become predictably disappointingas well as to a lesser extent Alverado. I have no ideas what the solution is, but hopefully someone finds one in the next couple of weeks. I sure wish they had placed a waiver claim for Carlos Corrosco

        LikeLike

        1. I hope next weekend series vs the Mets is not critical for the WCard first spot/ lead….then maybe Thomson can rest the relievers he plans on using in the playoffs…Kimbrel, SerA, Soto and Alva.
           Would be a good time to see Orion do his thing vs MLB hitters.

           LikeLike

           1. I hope not also, Romus. “Alva” should have been “rested”, too. Perhaps Suarez is an answer for relief pitching in the playoffs, but of course the other question is…. what is the solution for starting pitching?

              LikeLike

              1. That third game. if it goes to three, in the opeing WC playoff I assume will be Suarez….a lefty after two RHPs of Wheeler and Nola….do not think Thomson will put Suarez in the pen to begin te play-offs.
                 If the Phillies do win the opening series, then Thomson may have to go with Walker vs the Braves or Dodgers to open that next series.

                 LikeLike

122. I understand that everyone does not agree with me, but Miller is 3 years away. I have no interest in replacing Bohm next season. I don’t think Matt Chapman is on DD’s radar and our FA spending will be on Pitching.

     LikeLike

     1. I don’t think anyone is actively looking to replace Bohm next season.

        If an opportunity presents itself, we have to be open to it. But as long as he’s cost controlled, he’s at least a little valuable.

        LikeLike

123. Dan, I find him more than a little valuable so we disagree there. We have to be open to all possibilities, sure, but the bottom line is I hold Bohm in higher regard than some here, and that’s ok.

     LikeLike

     1. There is no doubt that Bohm has been clutch this season and he has had his share of walk off hits which is great to see. Those are good memories.

        But as they say, numbers don’t lie. The numbers say that he’s a poor defender AND he doesn’t hit enough to be a corner infielder. A lot of us have explained why that is the case, me included. You may not agree with that, but you are in the minority. If you dangled Bohm in trade talks, nobody would be trading anything significant for him. My buddy, the Blue Jays fan, would not want him AND the Blue Jays need a 3B next season. Heaping praise for Bohm won’t change the fact that he’s valuable ONLY because he’s currently pre-arbitration and making minimal money. He was also the #3 draft pick so his ceiling has to be higher than most, but that fact is starting to matter less as he gets more experience under his belt.

        Bohm is currently a starter for the Phillies and I understand why he’s a starter, and I’m ok with that. But he needs to drastically improve in order to stay with the Phillies as he gets more expensive. Bohm has 3 more potential years with the Phillies as he enters arbitration. He’ll likely be the starter for the Phillies at 3B in 2024. He might be part of the plans in 2025. If Aidan Miller progresses as expected, Bohm might not be part of the plans in 2026.

        LikeLike

124. Matt….I do not think people are ready to move Bohm off third right now, I am happy with him there now also….but GMs do have to look to the future.
     And I guess the question will be in three years or so,
     …how much are the Phillies willing to pay Bohm when the time comes when he gets to that point of his career where he could get fairly expensive,
     …..which will probably be in his Arb 3 year…his age 29 season (2026).
     And he is a Boras client…so there will be little discounts for the home team.
     Also, if things go as planned with Miller by then, he could be ready to step up to the majors.

     https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/alec-bohm-26026/

     LikeLike

     1. Believe me, I am, not arguing with anybody about Bohm. I like him and am happy we have him, and that is simply my opinion. And it only reflects this season and next, and maybe 2025. I don’t expect Miller to be ready before 2026, and then Bohm becomes much more expensive, and that is a whole different story. My trying to be the GM only extends to next season. LOL

        LikeLike

        1. Same here Matt. I see Bohm the same as I see Hoskins who was valuable while being cheap and is replaceable now that he has become expensive.

           Pointing to his career war is worthless for measuring his value over the next 2-3 years. His offensive #’s across the board are better in 2023 than they were previously so he’s showing progress while making minimal salary. They have bigger needs to fill (pitching) in the next 2 years.

           LikeLike

125. Interesting article in the Philadelphia
     Inquirer by Matt Breen on Kyle Kendrick following Doc Halladay into coaching.

     Talks about the void in your life when your whole life has been baseball and you are done at age 33. Trying to resurrect at AAA and tired of the long bus rides, etc. and then the reality of “what the heck am I going to do”? Good read!

     LikeLike

126. Since 1992, only 1 player hs played in both A levels, AA, and AAA, and then the MLB Playoffs. That was in 2003, Contreras from the Yanks. Pretty amazing if Orion is added to that short list.

     LikeLike

     1. The way the Phillies’ bullpen is performing, if they win the WS, Orion might be the pitcher mobbed on the mound at the end of the clinching game.

        LikeLike

127. Wow, they really are into it today, huh? 3 mess ups on 1 play. Turner really needs to elevate his defense. I thought he was a better shortstop than he is. Wheeler appeared to be a tad miffed.

     LikeLike

128. Walks

     LikeLike

129. Phillies win. Closing this to comments. New discussion at

     Preview to the 2023 Offseason Roster Moves (Phillies Discussion)

     LikeLike

Comments are closed.