Phillies Discussion 8/21/2025

Other Stuff

Well hopefully the Phillies beat up the Nationals and then did well against Seattle.

This is your Phillies discussion.

Reminder, I’m away from internet access again, maybe as long as two weeks.  I’ll try and monitor the site as best as I can.  This is the second discussion to bridge the gap of my absence.  Generally open discussions close automatically within 7 days of being published.  So, there may be some overlap with earlier open discussions.

I hope to be back for the conclusion of the homestand that ends with the Nationals.

Important Dates

  • April 4, 2025: MiLB roster limits decrease from 175 to 165 players
  • July 24, 2025: End of FCL regular season
  • July 28, 2025, 5:00 p.m. ET: Deadline to sign some 2025 draft picks
    • Deadline applies to players drafted out of 4-year colleges and HS
    • Players drafted out of JUCO are under a draft-and-follow policy, they can sign between the end of their JUCO season and the beginning of next year’s Draft for up to $225,000.
  • July 31, 2025: MLB trade deadline at 6:00 P.M. EST
  • August 12, 2025: Final day to assign draft picks to a roster
    • Draft picks must be assigned to a roster 15 days after signing a contract
    • UDFAs must be assigned to a roster when they sign a contract
  • August 15, 2025: Date prospects can be promoted and still retain rookie status
    • A player retains rookie status if he does not exceed 45 days on the active roster
    • A player retains rookie status if he does not exceed 130 at bats
    • A player retains rookie status if he does not exceed 50 innings pitched
  • August 19, 2025: End of DSL regular season
  • September 7, 2025: End of Threshers’ regular season
  • September 7, 2025: End of Threshers’ regular season
  • September 14, 2025: End of Reading’s regular season
  • September 21, 2025: End of IronPigs’ regular season
  • Note: These dates will be used unless/until notified differently.

Transactions 

Sorry, I’ll bring this up to date when I return.

163 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion 8/21/2025”

    1. Waldrep is interesting. He did not appear to have a very good year in AAA, but perhaps he turned a corner before he was promoted. The Braves do have very good luck in developing pitchers, but very bad luck or planning in keeping them healthy.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Braves biggest issues is their cheap. They EASILY could outspend their injuries, in many past years. Maybe not this year.. but they’ve been cheap as hell for the last 25+ years.

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        1. Part of the Braves problem is they are publicly owned and their financial results are openly published. I think that has something to do with them being circumspect on contracts. Fact is that the new complex – apparently with retail stores etc. – has helped them to earn enough money that they can somewhat compete with the big guys. However – they have been so lucky in handing out below market contracts – and having young players sign them – they have gotten away with a lower salary structure than they should have.

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          1. I don’t think the Braves have been lucky – I think they’ve been smart and strategic. This is a bad year for them and you never quite know when an organization is going downhill (the Cardinals, in my view, have become a bad organization), but the Braves have generally handled their business in a very intelligent way that has allowed them to punch above their weight.

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        2. The Braves spend enough, they just don’t spend like the big boys which is fine. In order to compensate for this, they sign their young talent early, they make shrewd trades, and they rush their drafted pitchers. The issue with this tactic is that they have to consistently hit on drafted players, which isn’t easy.

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          1. My overall point is, that the Braves do a lot of great things – have drafted well, hit on a lot of players in a row… that also signed team friendly deals. They basically had Stockholm syndrome players in Murphy & Olson, to go with Albies & Acuna. They let Swanson walk too boot. Point is.. they could have added some FA pieces that separated them from the Dodgers & Phillies at one point, but didnt. A lot of years of that. I believe one of their biggest swings was for Realmuto. Wouldn’t give up what was needed. That one probably hurts. How did they NOT get Wheeler…. He’s from there. Well, I’m glad thehy are CHEAP. Hope they stay that way.

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            1. Braves have a lot of pieces but their biggest issue since they got rid of freddy is they now have no culture… or at least not baseball culture.. think they have probably hit an inflection point and wouldn’t be shocked to see them start selling off pieces

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    2. rocco…..you are correct injuries…they rush them up…and Waldrep had elbow issues last year, and to top it off, he features a plus splitter for a 23-year old…but that is a no-no long term for arm health, eventually it does the arm in….rarely see young pitchers being groomed on a split fastball. Use to be teams, for whatever reasons, avoided having their young pitchers learn the pitch.

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  2. This team is pretty simple and having been somewhat critical of the FO this years moves could payoff big time.

    But the simple is the offense has to be alive in the playoffs.

    The pitching now is good enough straight through with a bit of a set back in losing Wheeler (but still capable) and the defense is really good. Trea’s improvements are noticeable so let’s hope they stick through the what 13-14 games it takes to win a WS.

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      1. Romus. We discussed that some yesterday. One and hopefully both contribute to the next 6 weeks or so. I watched Mets last night for a few innings. HP ump was not good. So, I asked Ruff how will teams use the ABS if implemented. Who will challenge? Catcher? Pitcher? Hitters are probably the worst on knowing a strike. Last night Tischner missed at least 6 in the first couple innings. Maybe more. Both ways. Then he called Soto out in the 3rd on a pitch that had been a ball before. Anyway, with only 2 challenges for a game I wonder how teams will use it especially early on. If you lose both then you are done for the game. One thing that appears to me is true is umps miss more fastballs than breaking pitches. I have no data on that. Just watching game.

        Always good to see Mets lose.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I think the odds of Nola finding a bounce this season are low. I’m pinning my hope on Sanchez, Ranger and Luzardo and then the backend of our BP in the playoffs.

        Offense will have to be red hot in order for that to work but I do give that a chance.

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      1. That last changeup he threw reminded me of Ryan Madson. I can see why he’s making hitters look bad already.

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  4. I’m back in Florida. I went to the Complex with my friend Steve Potter to watch some guys take BP. Dawson and Barker were in the final group. Saw this strange looking alignment –

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  5. And this –

    I asked coach Ricker what the intention of this was. He said it was to get the batters used to keeping their hands in to get the bat on inside pitches. To help prevent them from over-extending on their swings and being vulnerable to inside strikes.

    He was more eloquent. I hope I did not destroy his explanation with poor memory and improper wording.

    Yes, that’s Logan Dawson. Jack Barker is batting; his bat is extending from Dawson’s helmet.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Romus …… Don and I were having a discussion about career batting averages and I mentioned that I thought Billy Hamilton taught you the “bat singeing technique”! If not so, feel free to correct me.🤔

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  7. Wonder how this will effect local Comcast Sportsnet programming.

    “MLB and ESPN are seemingly going to continue their relationship but with a new shape. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that the league and the network have an agreement in place which would give ESPN the right to sell all out-of-market games digitally. These rights have previously been sold by the league to consumers as the MLB.TV package.       The new developments today are potentially seismic. MLB.TV has existed in essentially the same format since 2002. Baseball fans purchase the product through the league and get access to every MLB game, with some exceptions for local blackouts and other games guaranteed to be exclusives for certain broadcasters. If this deal goes through, it’s not exactly clear how it would impact existing MLB.TV consumers but Marchand writes they would likely have to get an ESPN subscription on top of an MLB.TV subscription. It’s unclear how this would impact those who purchase MLB.TV through cable or other linear subscription.”

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    1. Romus. I saw that. It also said that 5 teams will be featured in the deal. Did not mention the teams but said big market and attendance would be factors.

      Nats just beat Mets 9-3. Mets have now gone 21 and 35 in last 56 games.

      Also, Brewers bookend the Cubs. I kidded they would not go 5-0. Keeps them at bay with this.

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    2. Romus. I saw that. It also said that 5 teams will be featured in the deal. Did not mention the teams but said big market and attendance would be factors.

      Nats just beat Mets 9-3. Mets have now gone 21 and 35 in last 56 games.

      Also, Brewers bookend the Cubs. I kidded they would not go 5-0. Keeps them at bay with this.

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    3. I have no interest in being forced into both an ESPN and MLB subscription. If that happens, I’m a full-time radio listener. Unfortunately, I don’t expect fan-friendly decisions, just money-making ones.

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  8. Below is a link for Matt Winkelman’s most recent weekly prospect write-up where he discusses two of our most talented and hotly debated prospects – Saltiban and McGarry.

    The bottom line is that it’s very hard to know what to make of either guy, except that both have exceptional natural ability and haven’t performed up to what we hope their potential might be.

    As for McGarry, the inconsistency and walk rates are terrible. But nobody will deny he has talent. Odds are he never becomes much of anything. But there’s like a 25% chance he becomes a useful pen arm or 4th/5th starter and there’s a 10 or 15 % chance he becomes a stud.

    https://philliesminorthoughts.com/phillies-minor-league-recap-week-20-8-5-8-11/

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Not sure about this, but McGarry with 5 seasons in the books as a Phillies prospect,, come Nov, may becomes a Rule 55(a) free agent. Unless the team resigns him to a minor league contract. As a college draftee, not sure if it is 5 or 7 years in an org. When it comes to international signees at 16 years old, or HS guys drafted or signed UDFA, it is 7 years in an org, then they have an option to go free agency.

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  9. i am looking at Reyes numbers, did nothing for 4 yrs. Now is lighting it up in reading. Freak yr or did he just improve.?

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    1. Something must have clicked for him in winter ball…decided to play in Colombia vs the DR for two straight winters….but in 2023 he seem to start to turn it around and this year in Reading he exploded…maybe some of that is a park factor. But there is a chance he could crack the bottom half of the 30.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. The Phillies FO has a potentially interesting set of circumstances as I understand it…

    Deadline for the postseason eligibility for a player is August 31, midnight…

    Before I go into the scenarios, Does a player have to stay on the mlb roster from Aug 31 to the postseasons … or can they be shuttled back and forth? If so, Alvarado presents an interesting scenario. If the player has to stay on then it’s a moot point.

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    1. pretty sure the player has to only be on the 40-man roster or 60-day IL by Aug. 31st to be playoff eligible.

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      1. if that’s the case, would the FO try to make a series of moves to get Rojas back on the roster for late inning defense or take a chance on McGarry catching fire, maybe extend the decision on painter .. maybe get Crawford and his SB & bat in the lineup. Will see, something to keep an eye on. It’s not often you essentially go into the playoffs down a roster spot. Which they would be if, they don’t do something with Alvarado during that time

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  11. Miller with a good night. 3-5 with 2 hr.

    nice to see him finishing the season strong. Thought he might repeat AA to start next season but now expect him to start in AAA.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Just giving a quick update…. (not that anyone asked)

    1. Cornelius Randolph is still playing indy ball down in mexico. And;
    2. He just turned 28 a couple of months ago.

    When was the last time you thought about Cornelius Randolph? LOL

    Liked by 2 people

    1. He played with my next door neighbors kid last yr. Wonder if there together in mexico? I know the kid plays in Mexico

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  13. With Phils idle and Mets blowing their game, it was a good night to check out the Iron Pigs with Kemp getting a walk off hit, Rojas going deep and Lazar getting the win. Kemp also factored in yesterday’s walk-off so it’s good to see he’s taking the demotion in stride. Who are the September call-ups? Kemp or do they take a chance on Crawford? Stubbs could also get called up as could Rojas if they rate his speed helpful in a close game in the late innings. As for pitching, it would likely be Lazar but a lot depends on how Nola pitches in his next two starts. There isn’t much rotation depth with Abel dealt and Painter looking unsteady. Maybe Rangel if they need a starter?

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  14. How many call ups can be made now? I know years ago you saw like 40 players in the dugout. Is it 4 or 5 now that can be added? Thanks.

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  15. Thanks guys. I knew it was not many. I had mentioned to Romus that I had made copy of schedule left and that those last 9 games are against Marlins, Dbacks and Twins. At least 6 are at home. I think Phillies will play up for the top teams, but these guys have a tendency to let up on lesser competition. Those games may be really important for one of those top 2 spots. Romus had mentioned they will be playing younger guys by then but that is not the case with only 28. I do remember the days when the dugout in September was full of players. You could have a specialty player like a pinch runner in the group.

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  16. Interesting write-up about Painter in the Athletic – I think the very last line of the article is something to consider about his performance this year.

    Over in Philadelphia, there’s a similar problem for Painter, who’s not on the 40-man roster, but there may be an opening now that Zack Wheeler is recovering from surgery to remove a blood clot near his shoulder. Many around baseball  are down on Painter due to some lackluster top-line results in Triple A, but it’s possible that the pitches themselves are better than the overall package right now.

    You could look at this mix and take the negative view, that there’s really only one elite pitch in here once you consider stuff and command, and that only one of his pitches has above-average locations. That’s fair.

    But there’s another way to see this mix. It’s possible that he would look much better if he stopped throwing the sinker and the changeup right now. They are his worst pitches overall, and throwing them is probably costing him with walks and strikeouts. It’s laudable — and predictable — that the Phillies would want him to throw three fastballs and have a large pitch mix, but when you see Painter in the big leagues, he’ll probably focus on the four-seam, cutter and curveball most of all. And those three pitches rate as 60s and 70s.

    Sometimes, guys in the minors really are working on things.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree with this. They are probably working on all sorts of things with Painter, and they should. While I think their track record on developing hitters is somewhat mixed, they have done a really good job developing pitchers recently, including Mick Abel. And what they did with Cristopher Sanchez is beyond amazing.

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      1. If you consider the “working on things” possibility. Tonight’s start could be interesting. The Phillies have 9 days to add Painter to the 40 man roster to make him playoff eligible. If this is even a consideration, and I’m not saying it is, they may want to see how he performs with a more limited repertoire in a few outings prior to making that decision.

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    2. I have a hard time putting a lot of blame into the two pitches which combined account for just over 10% of Painter’s pitch mix. In the same breath, he’s been throwing the sinker in games for only about six weeks. I’d actually make the argument he needs to throw the change-up more because he has a 50% swing-and-miss rate on the pitch.

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      1. I don’t think you can blame the pitches themselves but overall sequencing and things like that he may be better served in MLB letting JT call a game with his best stuff. Last time I watched him he was spamming his slider.

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        1. I agree wholeheartedly with this. I would really like to know why Payton Henry has caught the vast majority of Painter’s starts rather than Garrett Stubbs. I would think you’d want the veteran big league guy who is roundly applauded for his work behind the plate to handle the development of maybe the organization’s most important prospect.

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          1. Do not the four of them…..catcher and back-up, PC and pitcher…. between innings go over all the vitals….how the arm feels, what pitches are working, what pitches need to be worked, and I assume not so much in the minors perhaps, but next set of batters coming up in the next inning. Stubbs probably is in on the conversations the occur between the innings..

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  17. With the Nationals coming to town, the Phillies really need to take at least 2 games in this series. Although their record doesn’t show it, the Nationals are really a pretty tough opponent. They proved it last weekend with the Phillies and these past four days against the Mets. I hope the boys in red pinstripes are ready for them.

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    1. They have played pretty well lately. They have some good young players. I watched bits of the last two games. Once their young pitchers get it figured out, they will be solid. Told Ruff that their closer looked really good last night against Mets. Got 4 outs so may not be available. Not sure if he finished on Wednesday or not. Most likely since it was a one run game.

      It is the Nats and the teams at the end of the schedule that concern me the most. I think the Phillies will be ready for Dodgers, Brewers, Mets, etc.

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    1. If it makes you feel any better, the $67M is just the guaranteed part. Max is $88.5 million with incentives/escalators in the deal.

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        1. He’s been up with the O’s for about a week. Played in 4 games so far, hitting .286/.333/.357.

          Funnily, he got robbed of a HR which would have been his first career hit.

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          1. That’s just the opinion of a Twins beat writer. It was a preference for a deal that included Tait over a different deal that included Miller. The other pieces in each trade were different. We have seen that Tait was in the Abel deal. The Miller deal included a different player or players. But yes, the Phillies were willing to part with top prospects if the return was right.

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    2. rocco……teams are leaning that way with a lot of high young profile prospects, especially the Latin guys. Braves may have been the first to do it with Acuna and Albies. Basallo will be up next year…so they keep him until he is 29 or 30 years old. Maybe teams learned form the Nats with Soto and back in 2019, Harper…brought them early and they left at 26 years old for free agency. Sox signing Anthony is another example of securing the services for many years.

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  19. If anything, Basallo, is their # 1 prospect, considered top 5 in all prospects and can really hit ! He is lefty batter with catching and 1b positions – he also dh’s alot. He is only 21 and for that money it will be a very good deal – most likely -for the Orioles. He has also been widely recognized as one of the best minor leaguers for the past three years in all of baseball.

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    1. Mike anderson , 5 tool player. Minors won triple crown. 36 hr with 330 average I think that’s right. 8 yrs I majors 246 hitter. 28 career homeruns. 4.4 war. Point is lot of money for unproven player

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      1. There is no bigger bust in Phillies’ prospect history than Mike Anderson. He made Mike Schmidt look like the lesser prospect. Seriously, for a while, he did. And he never even became a second division regular. Oh well.

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    2. I think he ends up as their first basemen…his catching has some holes that need to be ironed out and then there is also 28-year old Adley Rut. there. Though he is in a little slump this year after coming back at the end of July. Basallo’s bat will play well at first base.

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  20. With the unknowns piling up concerning Wheeler’s condition, this could be the 2026 starting rotation: Sanchez, Nola, Luzardo, Walker, Painter. How does that look to you guys?

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    1. Awfully early to be writing off Wheeler for 2026. Would be surprised if he’s not leading the rotation next year.

      A blood clot is serious but it’s being treated and there have been many athletes in different sports who returned after treatment without issue.

      Walker is the real wildcard for 2026. Think the team would like to move him during the off-season but not by eating a bunch of the last year of his deal. He’s pitched well enough this year to make him tradeable and not be a total salary dump.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. It’s hard to know what the market for Ranger will be this off-season. Many of us assume Suarez would get a qualifying offer that he would decline. With Wheeler up in the air, Nola a bit of a question mark, Walker coming to the end of his contract after 2026 and Painter a question mark, I can see the Phils offering Ranger something like a 2 year $40 M deal which he might accept.

        Ranger wants to start and it’s hard to point to 5 better starting pitchers the Phils will have under contract to begin 2026. I haven’t seen anyone predict Ranger will return after this season but I could certainly see it under the current conditions.

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        1. Do you think Boras will advise Ranger to accept a two year deal? I am sure Ranger wants to return, but anything less than 5 years for a 30 year old pitcher would go against Boras’ playbook. Plus his velo keeps dropping….eventually he could have issues going deeper into games as he ages. I do think they will QO him….and let him test the market and then make an offer if he cannot find another team that will meet his terms..

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          1. You end up where I am. If the market for a guy who’s not a proven innings eater is soft, then a short term Phillies offer with a good shot to start may carry the day. A team offering Ranger a 5-year dealis one team desperate for starting pitching.If you said 3 years, I think that could happen.

            As for the Phils, they don’t offer for 2026 the super-deep rotation they’ve had this year. If Ranger walks, then Taijuan is back and they might see a need to add. Ross won’t be back and there’s a need for someone to fill a swingman role.

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            1. There are a few free agents hitting the market….many with warts…ranging from age thru post-injury rehabbing. …..guys like Bassitt, Dustin May, and even Zack Eflin and many others….so there will be guys there and Dave Dombrowski will have his pen and money out there ready to go..

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            2. Plus, they have Matt Manning, a pitcher they are currently “fixing” in Clearwater. He would be under team control for three years via arbitration if he pans out.

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            3. I believe Matt Manning has no more options left. So the Phillies will have to decide whether or not he makes the 2026 opening day roster.

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  21. Reading has been a Phillies affiliate since 1967. In all those years, the third-highest single-season stolen base total has been 55, which Aidan Miller has a shot at reaching (he’s at 47 at the moment). He won’t catch Bob Dernier’s 71 SB in 1980* or Jeff Stone’s 90 SB in 1983. But even if he gets to 51, that’ll be the highest since Stone. Not too shabby.

    *P.S. — Dernier in consecutive seasons had 77 SB in A ball, 71 SB in AA, and 72 SB in AAA.

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    1. That brings him up to 97.2 IP this season. His career high is 103.2 in 2022. Depending on how deep he goes in starts the rest of the way, Painter has five maybe six starts left before reaching an innings limit. That would likely preclude him from pitching in the playoffs. But maybe the Phillies make a decision to bring him up to help down the stretch. If the rotation takes another hit, don’t rule out Manning as a replacement.

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    1. Yes, it was a bad throw to third.

      The play at the plate he had no chance on — the throw from Marsh hit the runner and kicked away.

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      1. The Crews bat was the difference…0-2 and ilo of wasting a few high heaters, tries to go get him on the very next pitch, and he serves it into right field near the line for a double. Get Crews out and game over.

        Wish Phillies could get Crews…I can see a real quality player unfolding in him.

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          1. I hope this is a joke. The guy has ridiculous stuff and he’s bound to blow a save every now and again. Even Mariano Rivera blew saves. By the way, I did not want to him to go the rest of the regular season without blowing a save – you don’t want that type of added pressure in the playoffs. Just like how I would never want my football team to go undefeated in the regular season – it’s good to get through and over a loss – it helps a team/player to be resilient. By the way, Duran didn’t lose his composure after the errant throw – he just mowed down the next two guys. I loved seeing that.

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  25. nice night of pitching

    Painter, Graves, Cabrera… all performed well

    Crawford with 27th dbl

    Felix Reyes continues to rake at Reading 6ft 4 , 23 yrs old. Goes3-4

    hitting .333 this season , nothing amazing, just watching

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    1. Graves has a chance of becoming a special pitcher…tall with good breaking stuff with higher than normal spin rates….even his FB is ticking a bit upwards, but usually sits in the 91/93 area code. As he gets stronger that velo could go up 2 or 3 mph. Phillies are high on him…interested in seeing next season how he will do vs AA hitters, especially n the Reading park.

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  26. It’s just one play, but still . . . . On this play, Aidan Miller shows incredible athleticism. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything quite like this. Also, his OBP is up to .368 and he just seems to have turned a corner here in August at the plate. It will be very interesting to see if he has the same (slow) adjustment period next year in AAA (yeah, he looks ready for a promotion now) or if he really has taken his whole game tot he next level. The good news is that he’s still just 21.

    https://www.milb.com/video/aidan-miller-goes-yard-twice?t=playerid-805795

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    1. Personally, I would let Miller play out the year at Reading. He can start 2026 at Lehigh.

      Miller looks jacked. Physically, he looks like a major leaguer right now. It’ll be interesting to see if he will get reps at 3B at Lehigh.

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      1. Yep, no hurry, has nowhere to go anyhow ….. can spend time working on cutting down on errors which no one on here seems to care about.

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        1. Skeet……of the 17, he may have more throwing errors than fielding errors…that can be corrected. Somewhere in the metric universe there may be a way of finding that out. Remember how many Jeter had at Greensboro in his yuong career.

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  27. Miller last night 3/4, 1BB, 1 2B. This run has lasted long enough to convince me not to worry about him–at least for now %)

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    1. Uh, not sure what box score you’re looking at, but last night, Miller was 1-1 with a double, 2 bb and 2 hbp. So he got on base 5 times with a double. He must be taking hbp lessons from Otto Kemp.

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    1. We now cannot count on Wheeler ever returning. Looks like we need to target another arm this offseason. This sucks.

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      1. This is the reason why you have to be wary of paying pitchers into their mid to late 30s. Not only could they decline, but they can still get seriously injured.

        I get that the Phillies paid Wheeler 3/126 partly because he was underpaid in his initial 5 year deal. I was ok with the length but not with the AAV. Now nobody knows when Wheeler will pitch again or how effective he will be if he comes back. And the Phillies are still on the hook for his remaining contract (now 2/84).

        And I hate to break it to you, but I doubt the Phillies will be targeting another EXPENSIVE arm in the offseason. The Phillies will have to roll with Sanchez, Nola, Luzardo, Walker, Painter until Wheeler can get back.

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        1. that is still a solid rotation in the top 15 in mlb. I am nervous for wheeler too and wish him the best.

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  30. He’s having the full venous thoracic outlet syndrome surgery. Can’t throw at all for 8 weeks. Any surgery of that scale is rough.

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  31. I was very concerned when Ruff told me he had a blood clot. Just not a good thing for anyone. Let’s all hope that everything goes well and he is able to recover his health going forward. Baseball is going to be a secondary thing for a while. Best wishes Zack.

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    1. Examples of pitchers who have made a comeback from TOS include Matt Harvey, Chris Young, Merrill Kelly, Alex Cobb, Ryan Thompson, and Cole Henry. 

      Personally, he may not be the same pitcher he use to be…age can be a factor. Phillies need to prepare for some change next season…time for Painter to step up

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      2. Just a further clarification there was a retrospective study Done from the time period 2001 to 2020 looking At MLB pitchers And the recovery from this particular surgery. Though the average age of the pitchers Arranged anywhere from 27 to 34 median was 30.6 years old. Surprisingly 81% of these pictures returned similarly, or better than previously. statistically speaking the pictures had similar statistics year before and after surgery (including whip, ERA, etc) The only outlier was an average .94 innings more per game Postoperatively. issues with the study included small sample size… hope this helps

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      2. This is nothing like Halladay’s issue. Night and day difference, although you never know for sure how it will turn out.

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        1. Whatever………night and day, hah……both aging superstar pitchers….both with upper arm/shoulder issues…..both with surgeries.

          Only difference…labral repair vs TOS….but outcome could very well be the same.

          Please spare me the condescending attitude!

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          1. Well, thanks for the lecture, Doctor! It is a huge difference. Rotator cuff and labrum surgeries are essentially the end of the line – you’re never going to return to full capacity and you’ll be a shadow of what you once were. Pitchers often do recover fully from TOS. Next time spare ME your lazy analysis.

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          3. I apologize for being testy yesterday, but I wasn’t being condescending – I was just saying that the prognosis on TOS is a lot different than other shoulder injuries. I also said you really can’t know for sure how it will turn out, so I acknowledge there’s risk in all these things. I wasn’t trying to start a blog war.

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            1. No problem…my apologies also…..yeah, until he fully heals and is pitching again next year sometime, we will just not know if he will ever be the same as these last five years, just hope for the best for Zach Wheeler. Amazing how things can change so fast.

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  37. This is not the Phillies first experience with a pitcher and Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.

    The Phillies signed free agent reliever Mike Adams in December of 2012. He was an excellent setup man for the Padres and Rangers in 2010 and 2011. His effectiveness and innings pitched dipped a little in 2012, but the Phillies were still signed him to a 2-year/$12M contract.

    Adams had offseason surgery in October of 2012 before signing with the Phillies. His surgery was likely for a thoracic condition less serious than the venous version that Wheeler has. Adams was expected to return to action in 3 months.

    Adams did in fact start the 2013 season with the Phillies but suffered a couple of visits to the IL in May for a back strain and June for biceps tendonitis before being shut down in July after 28 appearances.

    Adams started the 2014 season on the IL while still rehabbing from shoulder surgery. He returned in mid-April but was again placed on the IL in June with rotator cuff inflammation. He returned for 3 September appearances. He made just 22 appearances in 2014.

    Adams signed as a free agent with the Dodgers for the 2015 season but elected free agency rather than report to their Triple-A affiliate effectively retiring from baseball.

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    1. I believe Merrill Kelly also have the same procedure Zach is about to have. Kelly had his procedure in Sept 2020. He went on to start 27 games in 2021.

      So there is some hope…

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        1. Listen, I love Crawford, but, as good as he is, he’s not hitting for much power. It’s not because he can’t hit the ball hard, it’s because he hits such a high percentage of balls on the ground. Matt Winkelman discusses this in great detail in his blog. Unless he can begin to loft the ball, his home runs will be few and far between. Not the end of the world, but it’s a real thing.

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    2. And Rojas now has a higher BA and OPS than Crawford. The difference between AAA and the majors is significant.

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        1. yep, and that’s why everyone needs to slow their roll with Crawford hitting CBP and becoming a catalyst at the top of the lineup. Like Kemp was going to replace Bohm or solve LF.

          I have high hopes for him but it’s going to take some time.

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          1. Well, in a way you are correct, but Crawford’s test of AAA for 2025 was passed imo. So, I don’t think he can show much more where he is at.

            His next hurdle is does his success translate to MLB. Only way to know is to be given the “opportunity” to perform. There are no guarantees that it does translate.

            Rojas and Kemp are examples that didn’t “stick”, but both are back in AAA hitting .3xx and presumably working on polishing tools that will permit them to stick. The proof of the matter is you have to make it count when you get the “opportunity”!

            Liked by 1 person

            1. I agree, at this point, Crawford has punished Lehigh (same with Kemp) and needs an opportunity. Whether or not Crawford sticks in the bigs is totally on him.

              Worst case, Crawford is going into ST looking to start at CF.

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        2. Justin is 21 doing what he is doing in AAA. That’s huge. It also doesn’t mean he will be an above average MLBer. Nobody really ever knows if a prospect will make the adjustments to stick.

          But at some point you have to find out. And you have to be willing to give young players a long leash.

          Maybe that won’t be this year maybe it will. The FO is not going to tip its hand.

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  42. The Phillies made the last two games against Washington too interesting. They passed a lot of scoring opportunities. They are leaving too many runners in scoring position. That can’t happen when the playoffs come.

    Kerkering comes on in the ninth, gives up a homerun, then gets those next two outs to get, not earn, the save. I know it needs to be the final inning but that save should have gone to Banks. Getting out of that inning was huge.

    Speaking of: Lazar, who I like a lot, enters the ninth yesterday with a three run lead. His line goes like this: 1B, BB, FC, 1B, PO, 2B, K. Runners now on 2nd and 3rd. LHV hangs on to win 5-4 and Lazar gets, not earns, a save.

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    1. Lazar’s best role in the bigs is probably 7th inning or long man. His SO rate is not great.

      Possible bullpen locks for 2026: Duran, Alvarado(option picked up), Banks, Strahm (option picked up), Kerkering.

      I’m guessing Lazar gets in, one of Johnson/Robert and FA will round out the 8 relievers.

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    2. My expectations are moderate so I’m not going to be disappointed if they don’t go too far into the playoffs.

      Its a great group of guys and I really enjoy rooting for all of them to do well.

      32 Games left and 7 of those against the Mets. How they play those games will tell a lot.

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      1. And then there is three on the road to the Dodgers, then the Brew Crew. So the Mets’ 7 and the six on the road…13 critical games coming up of those last 32 with 9 away. If they go 6-7 on those I would be meh…8-5, I would be elated.

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    3. Amidst discussion of prospect probabilities of success, it’s pretty incontrovertible that the Phils lack a single keystone outfielder now or going forward. What they have are platoon players or guys like Castellanos who should be a DH or moved.

      That’s the best argument I know for giving Crawford a sniff of the big leagues =- not to pencil him in as a keystone outfielder but to experiment to see how much of his 2025 AAA performance can translate at the next level.

      I’m pretty confident Weston Wilson and Max Kepler will not be back in 2026. Harrison Bader is a coin flip at the moment. But there’s a need to add a left-handed and right-handed bat, hopefully one with some pop who can hit in the middle of the order. If Crawford can be be a left-handed table setter, it wouldn’t be bad to get an inkling before this season’s through. And let Kemp compete with someone brought in from outside the organization to be a lethal right-handed bat. Rojas competes with Bader and,if Rojas is ready, he’s certainly the cheaper alternative. But make no mistake, despite overall team success in 2025,the Phils have an under-performing outfield.

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      1. Except giving Crawford a “sniff” of the OF for the last 30 games of 2025 will tell absolutely nothing about his role for 2026.

        My expectation is that Crawford will be penciled into the 2026 outfield and it will be his job to lose during ST and in the 1st half of the season. They are not going to spend big $$ on an OF piece unless they cannot come to a deal with Schwarber and need to pivot.

        I do have to chuckle at the idea of Kemp being a lethal right-handed bat since he hasn’t proven to be that yet.

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        1. Glad I could make you chuckle since the assertiveness and self confidence in your posts makes me chuckle at the thought that you are John Middleton going incognito.

          The Phils, with 1 position player call-up on Sept. 1 could do worse than bringing up Crawford for the playoff run. I don’t see how it would hurt his development and he has skills that could help on the margins.

          Kemp doesn’t have a wealth of competition to be a contributing right handed bat. In a world where Alec Bohm is occasionally slotted into the cleanup spot, I wouldn’t rule out a role — despite your smugness — in a future lineup. To me Kemp’s nest shot is as a LFer since as a third sacker, his fielding skills are behind Bohm, Sosa and perhaps soon, Aidan Miller.

          To me Kemp offers more than Weston Wilson as his floor. I can see the Phils spending on a right handed hitting outfielders with pop, irrespective of what happens with Schwarber. With the bullpen situation much improved, improvement of the outfield appears the team’s biggest off-season need.

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  43. I guess I didn’t make myself clear enough. I was trying to write/say that the “save” rule doesn’t make sense a lot of the time. Romus, what do you think about the “save” rule?

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    1. It is now celebrating its 50th anniversary since implemented…….I can live with it I guess……as for yesterday……Kerkering and Banks scene, maybe they should have half-saves awarded……they do that in the NFL with sacks.

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