Phillies Discussion (5/18/2026)

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This is your new Phillies Discussion.

The Phillies have reached .500 for the season with better baseball since Mattingly was named manager.  I don’t think he’s any better than Thomson.  Nothing really looks different.  (Kinda supports my contention that the team is run by the analytics department rather than the manager.)  I think the players are embarrassed that they got Thomson fired.

I’m still suffering from “romus disease”.

Important Dates

  • February 16, 2026: Beginning of new waiver period (February 16 – April 24, 2026). Outright Waivers secured on or after February 16, 2026, remain in effect for 7 days or until 5 p.m. EST, April 24, 2026 (the 30th day of the 2026 season), whichever is earlier. MLR 10.
  • March 26, 2026: Active rosters reduced to 26 (13 pitchers) by Noon ET
  • May 2, 2026:Florida Complex League starts
  • June 1, 2026: Dominican Summer League starts
  • July 11, 2026: 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game, Philadelphia PA
  • July 12-13, 2026: MLB First-Year Player Draft, Philadelphia PA (Phillies drop 10 slots)
  • December 1, 2026 (11:59 p.m. ET): MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement expires.

Note: These dates will be used unless/until notified differently.  (Note that there are many more dates to add from Spring Training through the end of the 2026 season and calendar year.  I will add when I have accurate dates for them.)

385 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion (5/18/2026)”

  1. I said to a buddy when looking at their run diff since Mattingly took over which was +37 compared to -24 before. Same players basically. His retort was Wheeler and Stubbs changed the mood LOL. Maybe but not that much.

    I think a handful of players realized when Mattingly was signed the brass was just looking for an excuse to replace Thompson and once that shoe dropped the tension was gone.

    Rocco I thought Painter’s start last night was more than adequate for his 7th start in the MLB.

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  2. And here we go again with Kemp. Again I’m not sure how they expect to get him regular ABs and why things would be different this time around.

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        1. Garcia 3-54 I don’t care how good his glove is , you telling me can’t find a better hitter who can field?

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          1. So 19m for Casty and 10m for Garcia… 29m and we can’t get anything out of it?.. woof.. basically have to play anybody who is cheap.. can’t keep pissing money away

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  3. Rocco. You are being awful critical. See if this makes it. I was thrilled unlike some here that Topper was let go. I would have done it after Dodger debacle. To have one of the best relievers in baseball and not figure out to use him till you are behind. Stupid. Anyway, all is good now.

    The Phillies are playing with enthusiasm that has been missing for quite some time. They seem to be having fun again and to me from afar the team seems to be much more aggressive.

    I sent Ruff a caption the Reds announcers put up since Mattingly has taken over. Best record in MLB, 5.1 runs 4th best, 27 HRS 2nd most, 2.91 team ERA 4th best. That even accounts for Nola starts

    Long ways to catch Braves but they got to .500 much faster than I envisioned. At least the change was made. Yeah.

    Hi Romus, Rocco, Ruff and all if these posts. May be my once-a-week post. Phillies are fun to watch again. I am ok with Painter. Garcia. Wow. RF is just a problem child for Phillies.

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    1. Yeah i thought it would be till July till they hit the .500 mark with how flat they were looking before regime change… liking Donnie M’s moves so far, seems to be handling the games well.

      I think a little bit of all star game at the bank we better play some baseball that makes it so they have to talk about the phillies when the ASG shiz is happening.. maybe get a few players on the team.. it’s not a major thing but you can’t be Harp/Schwarb/Turner/Wheels.. those high money guys and not press/push for some good numbers to try to get on that ASG roster.. don’t get chances to play at home in the ASG often if ever.. i’m sure many miss that in their careers as it rotates

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      1. Harper and Schwarb have no issue with making it…Wheels may want to take the break and rest. Marsh may be there however.

        Looks like Dave D’s remarks after last season. about Harper’s level of play, may have stirred the hornets’ nest in Harper.

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  4. I’m not worried about them catching the Braves – it’s not 1975, they don’t need to win the division. I’m worried about them continuing to improve and getting some righties hitting on the team so they are ready for the playoffs. This team has potentially great pitching and the defense is fine, overall. If they hit enough, they have more than a puncher’s chance.

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  5. I think they probably have to let this Garcia thing play out a little longer, especially since a ready replacement is nowhere in sight. At least he can field and at least he appears to be a good dude. But the lack of hitting is the same old, same old that we’ve experienced with DD’s annual “rent a hitter” – somehow those deals always work out for the Braves and never work out for the Phillies. I don’t think the Braves are any better at working with hitters, I just think they sign the right guys and we do not – it’s probably as simple as that.

    As for Kemp, they have to keep trying and Kemp is still young and developing. He’s just going to have to try to figure out how to make it work playing part time. But like I’ve been saying, if he hits, they are going to play him so it’s not like he’s really blocked – they are dying for him or Reyes or somebody to hit well. But people here shouldn’t give up on him – it can take a while for guys to learn to hit in the big leagues.

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  8. I just read an article on the Atlantic on the Braves catcher Drake Baldwin going down with an oblique strain on his side. There were 18 comments by Braves fans responding to the article and three of them specifically pointed out how the Phillies are now breathing down their necks, I believe we are in their headspace. I also believe if Aaron Noah can figure things out, we will chase them down by the end😀

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    1. If Nola cannot figure it out in the next few weeks….logically, and as they did in the recent past, the team will put him on the IL and see what he can do to correct himself.

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        1. Hah…….maybe rest.

          Chase Burns tonite for the Reds…..drafted June 2024…number two overall pick out of Wake Forest….made debut June 2025….now in 2026, on his way, so far, to the all-star game,

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          1. dont show this to the posters here who argue any time you discuss promoting a guy who isnt 24 yet

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            1. It really isn’t an age thing (unless maybe the guy is 18 or 19) – it’s all about whether he has shown he has dominated the level he is at and is ready for a higher level of competition. Like I always say, players tell you when they are ready for a promotion by their play and if they are not ready, as a general rule, you’re doing yourself no favors by promoting the player. If promoted too soon, the player won’t succeed at the new level and he’ll be sent down again and you’ve wasted developmental time at the correct level and perhaps also hurt the player’s confidence.

              Liked by 1 person

            2. First off, good reply. I want to make it clear that I may disagree with some things but I respect everyones thoughts. I think my main disagreement with some of the posters here is AAA. I know players like Juan Soto who get promoted for A ball and dominate are unicorns and that is not the norm.

              But if a guy is crushing AA, and he seems like a DAWG, I say promote him.

              I also never bought the confidence thing. If a guy has the mental makeup you want, he’ll understand that hes not expected to kick butt immediately. I think getting some early years innings/games in the bigs would only help players like this.

              Gage Wood is a good example. No, absolutely do not promote him to the bigs today. But if he gives 5-6 good AA starts, I would not hesitate seeing him up. He seems like he has the makeup for it and I dont think the AAA step of pitching to 4-A type players would provide any true value that he couldnt get in the bigs.

              Its a fine line because you see yahoos on twitter being like “call up dante nori!” and guys who wanted to see Miller break camp with the big club (before it was clear how serious his injury is) and in cases like that, yeah, they need more seasoning.

              But MLB history is filled with guys who came up from the minors and played meaningful roles in playoff runs. Mostly pitchers, like Price, K-Rod, hell lets go back to Marty Bystrom lol. All I am saying is if Gage shows he can handle AA, I don’t need to see him dominate the Oscar Mercados of the world in AAA to promote him

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        2. It’s curious why 2 years ago when TJ’s velo was down they put him on a weighted ball program yet with Nola we never heard anything of the sorts… maybe he was on one but it did sort of work for TJ last year to get a few more mop up innings/5th man out of that horrid contract.

          with nola’s contract we really need to hit the lab with him and best figure a path forward, would have hoped they did that already but it appears not, not sure if WBC and his seniority and topper not forcing things played into his prep for the year.. his K’s were nice in WBC but that competition wasn’t what he is seeing now.. if he can’t hit 95 anymore or even 94 with command they are going to eat a lot of dollars

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    2. Personally I don’t think there is anything for Nola to figure out. From start to start its going to be about the command he has that night. He’s going to have some good ones and some bad ones.

      Some nights his 2 seam is really working and other nights its non existent.

      As for the Braves all teams battle the marathon of 162 games and health going into September and October.

      How many times did the Braves win the division and get knocked out by us and then we won the division 2 years in a row and got bounced.

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      1. I agree, Nola is already 32, he’s not going to magically get his velocity up. Giving these contracts to players in their 30s, you’re just hoping that the decline (which will come) will happen later rather than sooner. Unfortunately for the Phillies, it looks like it happened in year 2 of his deal.

        And before people say that the Phillies got unlucky, Patrick Corbin was declining by age 30. Zac Gallen? Age 29.

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  9. For all those who feel that the Phillies got unlucky when they drafted Mickey Moniak #1 overall in 2016, the Twins optioned Royce Lewis, their #1 overall pick from 2017. Lewis was looking like a future star in 2023, but he has slowly grinded down to the point where the Twins had no choice but to take him out of the lineup. (.539 OPS).

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    1. If I’m not mistaken Lewis is another player that was chronically hurt throughout his young career.

      I always defended Micky with the stance that he didn’t draft himself #1 overall. The Phillies brass did that to be cute with signing bonus money.

      It falsely created an expectation of him that wasn’t real.

      You can juxtapose that with Jackson Holiday who was a consensus top pick and a near HOF’s son. He has just been activated from the IL to begin what is technically his 3rd big league season at the age of 22.

      Two humans two different kinds of pressure but both with enormous weight.

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  10. Romus …… is Marchan playing himself out of the major leagues? I don’t think Kemp ever has the inclination to avoid a pitch. Tonight they threw behind him and he never even flinched. Put another one in the U G L Y column. Also, Sosa displaying why he’s not a regular and Garcia …… we really know how to throw the bucks away!

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    1. Kemp is like Chase Utley…take a hit for the club…many guys bail out like it was bullets coming at them…..Kemp 78 HBPs in approx. 425 pro games.

      Irks me when a batter is up there , with bases loaded, and he has two strikes and ball comes at his waist…Utley turned to his back and let it him him…..most players jump out of the way…then whiff on the next pitch.

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      1. I saw on Savant, Sosa has a 54% chase rate compared to Turner, Schwarbs, Harper 30 — 37% ish rates. 3 hits last night and their starter was good, I’ll give him that …… so when Boston cleaned house, they cleaned house …… are we waiting for the new permanent skipper to bring his boys to work in the spring.

        Without mentioning names, time for some different viewpoints. Just saying, “Topper” was let go because results weren’t there ………. well, other results from staff are lacking and have been for some time as well.

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  11. Kemp sure looks overmatched this year. He didn’t do that much at AAA with regular st bats either. I doubt he’ll hit but Carlson was certainly worth giving a flier to. Rincones was moved to Lakewood and played RF tonight, although he hasn’t hit much yet. Nori has cooled off too. They are looking for OFs but nothing has clicked yet. As for Nola going on the IL, who exactly would take his rotation spot? We have no one at AAA worthy. Wood to Reading suggests to me that if he does well there, a promotion to the majors’ pen in the 2nd half is not out of the question.

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    1. guy got to be tired… wasn’t his story something like of 18 months straight of baseball between all his ladder climbs.. then he gets to the show and postseason etc and high hopes but injury and finally got some downtime… saw his OL is preggers.. i think he’ll get the stick back at somepoint and if they can get him going but I do feel he got hit with the … dang, this is a lot of work i’m tired.. i need some life space for a bit.. hard work to climb like that guy did.. he deserves some space to get it worked out.. those EV’s when he barrels are still there

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    2. Rincones is rehabbing at LKW but at best he’s fringe MLB platoon. Another young man that spent a lot of time on the IL.

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    3. With Nola throwing the way he is throwing the chatter is going to come for Wood to be called up but he’s not ready to log the kind of innings it takes for a deep playoff run.

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    1. The weird thing is to me, he never actually LOOKED all that good. Like, it seemed like hitters should be able to hit him based on his stuff. But last year they just didnt. I think he is a solid early inning lefty reliever, but i think some flukey numbers led the team to believe he is more than that.

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  13. Anyone have any insight into Braydon Tucker SP at Reading? Seems like this is fourth year of pretty consistent solid results. RHP does not strike out one per inning. Is that why he is under the radar? UDFA I believe.

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    1. He wasn’t drafted, he doesn’t have a big SO rate, and he’s already 26 at Reading (turning 27 in July). Braydon Tucker is actually older than Orion Kerkering. Age matters when it comes to prospects.

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  14. Rocco ….. feel free to talk to your analyst (Romus) today if you start to stress out …. I know certain curlers bring on those anxiety attacks.😲

    Incidentally, Schwarber is out again ….. what’s the problem?

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  16. Right now, the worst contract the Phillies have given out is the 5/125 extension to Ryan Howard and he delivered negative WAR for the Phillies.

    But Nola’s 7/172 could be worse. Yes, he had 4 WAR his first year, but he was negative WAR last season and after today’s game, he’ll likely be negative WAR for this season too.

    This is going to be hard to watch. Nola turned into a 4/5 pitcher last season and he’s not improving at all.

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    1. I think I’m one of the last hold-outs on Nola being decent…That ended sometime between last start and today’s start.

      He’s cooked.

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      1. I have a very distinct theory about what is going on with Nola and also with Zach Gallen who is practically the same pitcher as Nola (and even looks like Nola!). I’ll share that later – but moral of the story is that the league has changed and those guys have to change with it, or they are done.

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  17. Matt Winkleman just posted this about Nola (not sure the graphic will come through):

    I need to write a full thing about Aaron Nola, but I would categorize a decent portion of his problems as ABS + a poor reaction to trends. Hitters are not chasing overall, and they are especially not chasing vs Nola. He has responded by throwing his pitches in the zone more. Here is 2025 vs 2026.

    [image or embed]— Matt Winkelman (@mattwinkelman.bsky.social) May 20, 2026 at 1:44 PM

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Okay, so as to not bury the lead, my view is that Nola really hasn’t changed much – if at all. The league has. What do I mean? In the last 10-15 years or so, MLB pitching has completely transformed. Pitchers throw MUCH harder. But now, it’s not just about velocity, they have learned to spin the ball MUCH better. Crazy moving breaking pitches are, quite simply, the norm. It used to be that very few pitchers could spin and move pitches like Nola and hitters weren’t used to it. But now most pitchers can move the ball a crazy amount and hitters ARE used to it. So Nola’s built in advantage is essentially gone and it has made him more hittable because he also doesn’t throw especially hard. I think exactly the same thing has happened to Zach Gallen – who pitches just like Nola. These pitchers aren’t unicorns anymore – they are a different variation of the same thing the hitters see all the time except they throw even slower, making them more hittable by comparison.

      So, unless Nola figures out how to do something very differently, I don’t see him (or Gallen) recovering and their futures as strong starting pitchers look quite dim right now.

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    2. Said this months ago. UMPS that in the past liked to call a more liberal K zone have been reigned in a decent amount.

      And conversely umps like Laz Diaz (one of the worst) at missing solid strikes and balls might actually succumb to his own incompetence.

      Saw a game the other night where Sal Perez challenged him on two consecutive pitches and won.

      The other thing I like about ABS is no more calling a ball on pitch clearly over the plate just because the catcher set up inside and the pitch was away.

      Its interesting though that some hitters have been quick to adopt their approach while others still chase way out of the zone at an alarming rate.

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  18. I think is what Nola has become, 4-5 innings, 3-4 runs: a 4/5 pitcher who is unfortunately getting paid as a 2/3 pitcher.

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    1. with an era of 6 over the last two years, he’s a AAA pitcher. Maybe he can reinvent himself but man, he looks done. I don’t kill them on the contract bc he had a solid track record of success and he wasnt a power guy who craters once the velocity dips but man, i dodnt see this coming.

      however, I’d expect a CBA to have an amnesty clause sobone contract, upon player release, doesnt count against the cap

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  19. Major league pen is awful other than Duran. Any chance McFarlene could handle the jump?

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  20. Garcia needs to sit for a few days. There’s no reason to throw him a strike right now because he keeps swinging at balls out if the zone. He needs a reset. $30M for our RF production….Ugly.

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          1. I wonder if the Phillies would buy into the Christian Walker rebound and send Adolis over to off-set money. Since Bryce is no longer a gold glove caliber 1B, he can hide in a corner OF and we would bring in a gold glove caliber 1B who happens to hit right handed.

            That might be an option as opposed to trying to find an outfielder (Bader, Buxton, etc.,).

            Just a thought.

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            1. Yeah V1, that’s why I was saying it might be easier to get a Christian Walker type since the RH outfielders are so few and far between.

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          2. Easy to say. Hard to find a RH hitting corner OF who is good and realistically available. There are not many options and the cost would be extremely high.

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            2. I think the best option we might have at the trade deadline is Taylor Ward from Baltimore. Not an elite hitter but definitely better than Garcia and he mashes against LHP.

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            3. How can y know , who is available.? I just hate that we don’t have any good pitching prospects. That seems to be what team want in most trades.

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  21. On my last visit to Coca Cola Park, Otto Kemp hit 2 HR’s….today I was treated to 2 HR’s by Felix Reyes, a long one into the wind to left, and a blast to right field seats. Pigs win 13-1.

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    1. Can you start going to some games at CBP? We could really use some homers from Kemp in Philadelphia.

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  22. Rough couple of games, but it’s the first lost series in quite a while so I won’t dwell on it too much.

    One thing, though; Harper needs to be told he’s not allowed to challenge calls except in very specific situations anymore. He’s absolutely awful at it.

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    1. Challenges in first or second AB…..and is wrong most of the time.

      Offensive Challenges:

      Kyle Schwarber: Leads the team in offensive overturns with a 7-4 .

      Alec Bohm: 3-1 record.

      Edmundo Sosa: 2-0 record.

      Bryson Stott: 2-1 record

      Bryce Harper has had a total of 6 ABS challenges this season, posting a record of 1 win and 5 losses

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  23. Looking at the box scores from the farm last night, Jean Cabrera got rocked in AA, where is after being demoted.

    I gotta say, I am surprised and disappointed. I liked him a good amount. I thought that there was very little chance of him becoming an elite MLB starting pitcher, but also a very little chance of him not being a MLB 4/5. Now I wonder if hes gonna make it at all

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    1. Ever since Sixto and to a lesser extent, Spencer, failed to pan out, I’ve been skeptical of any arm that comes through the system, Painter included. Jean always gave off an Adonis Medina vibe for me. I have very little faith in the Phillies churning out great players anymore.

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      1. And so go the expression…..TINSTAAPP. And before Spencer. Medina and Sixto….Pettibone, Hernandez , Morales, Kilome, Eshelman, Irwin all the way back to the Baby Aces .

        Ranger was one of the lone success stories outside pf Nola, as the 7th pick in the 2014 draft.

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        1. Christopher Sanchez was acquired and developed from start to finish by the Phillies. He’s perhaps the best pitching developmental story in the entire history of the franchise. You have to include him in this list. The Phillies have actually done a pretty decent job developing pitchers here in the recent past and there are some very fine arms in the system. If you want to pick on their farm system (which you can) that’s not where I’d start. Name me the last star outfielder the Phillies drafted/signed developed and kept who wasn’t the first pick in the draft (Pat Burrell). Seriously, it was Juan Samuel. Over 40 years ago. A blind squirrel picking players using a Ouija Board could have done better than that. Totally pathetic.

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      2. You need not feel like “Only the Lonely”! A good many of us have adopted the Missouri slogan “show me”!

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  24. another multi hit game for Burkholder. Up to .288 and 7 SBs

    Ferrebus at at .353 with his 14th dbl

    McFarlane with 1.1 more scoreless and era at 0.57

    Reyes 2-4 with 9th HR. .344. ( is he a 4A player or just need more seasoning)

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      1. It was pointed out above that Nori has really tanked in the last month plus.

        L7 Days .043

        L28 Days .193

        L90 Days .245

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    3. Problem for guys like Reyes and Kemp is that they could be everyday players but we’ll never know because they don’t get to play everyday.

      That’s not to say they can do in the MLB what they have done in AAA just that in order for them to be all they can be they need to play on the regular so they can figure it out.

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      1. Also should clarify my point of an everyday player which can be someone that hits .245 for a .760 OPS. Not a star but servicable provided the defense isn’t atrocious.

        Garcia by Phillies standards is considered an everyday play with a .207 avg and 606 OPS but he does play ++ Defense.

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      2. …… and the window of opportunity is slammed shut very quickly if they don’t perform and the non-starter/bench player stigma quickly attached. “Time waits for no man” ……… especially a mlb player in the minors ……… with the exception that you have a DD contract in hand aka Turner.

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      3. This is the dilemma for contending teams because they can’t wait for young players to establish themselves because they are chasing wins.

        Rookies almost have to be good from the start.

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  25. Cleveland is 9-1 in their last 10 so they can really upset the mojo we’ve had going on…

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    1. Nobody should be taking the Guardians lightly. They do things people here wish the Phillies would do, like exercise real plate discipline and walk. They run the bases aggressively and successfully. Ramirez and Kwan have only just started to get going. If the Phillies weren’t starting Suarez (I’ll be there tonight, with both Guardians and Phillies gear on) and Wheeler, I’d be betting the Phillies to drop this series. I’ve said it before, but again, the Guardians are one of the best-run teams in all of sports.

      Note that they’ve struggled for years trying to produce a good outfield. Injuries have held back DeLauter and others, and those years might now be behind them.

      This just might be the year Cleveland sheds The Curse of Rocky Colavito.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. We have a chance I. This series. If you don’t use Nola, painter, Alvarado, banks, Garcia, in any game

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        1. If our first four don’t hit we have no chance. Enough of Garcia put Reyes in left for two weeks everyday. See what happens

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  26. Phillies pitching director was saying Wood’s FB was so dominant in Low-A that it would have just been more of the same at Hi A thus the double jump. In AA he won’t just be able to blow guys away with his FB.

    In AA he’ll need to hit more corners and edges of the zone with the FB and build up his command of the slider and splitter.

    Challenge is development not level.

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  29. 1rst 5 …. 2 — 18 Golden Sombrero for Schwarber and a really fine pitching performance that was totally wasted!

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    1. I really want DD gone. He made so many bad moves with contracts. How does he keep his job?

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      1. Thanks, Steve. Lovely job depicting the human side to our beloved game. Kudos to you for seeing the real behind the scenes.

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      2. Young men playing a game…..some will master it…..most will not…but all have the heart to try.

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      3. This story says just as much good about your character Steve. Thanks for sharing their stories and thanks for doing what you do with accuracy, calm, and respect.

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  31. Phillies are 25 — 26, in those games the team has scored 3 runs or less in 20 games (39% of the time).

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      1. For context, the Yankees have scored 3 runs or less 18 times, and the Dodgers 21 times. The Braves are at a “measly” 15, whereas the Nats sit at 19.

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        1. Dan really who cares I care about our offense. I could care less what yankees do. I know we are terrible. Why do people try to make it , like when your kid says well tommy got a f in math. So my d is good. No it isn’t tommy isn’t my kid.. I care what we do and now we are terrible.

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          1. rocco…some good news………. from what I understand, Phillies did sign 17-year-old South Korean right-handed pitcher Chan-min Park to a $1.2 million deal. Park will or has traveled to the U.S. to complete his medical evaluations and finalize the contract. So far his signing bonus is the largest given to any pitcher in the 2025–2026 international signing period. Park is 6′ 3”, 205 lbs Park and throwing up to 94 mph. He’s has four pitches–fastball, slider, curveball, and a changeup/splitter–and a polished operation.

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          2. By all means, try to improve our offense. But keeping perspective on what is going on around the league is necessary. Because just because we want better doesn’t mean there IS better.

            What we need is a right handed hitter, preferably an outfielder. But those aren’t really available.

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  32. Phormer Phil Undate: Found, 6’8″ Carlos de la Cruz has signed on with the Charleston Dirty Birds where he will have as a team mate, former 1st round pick Cornelius Randolph.

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    1. Good signing. I saw somewhere that if he was in this year’s draft he would go somewhere at end of first round or Comp round.

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      1. His HS in Korea has already produced 4/5 MLB players over the last 10 years.

        “In a market where we haven’t traditionally signed a lot of players from, it was a great opportunity for us to not only sign the top arm out of the country,” Phillies international scouting director Derrick Chung said, “but also to get the Phillies’ name out there.” The signing marks a significant step in the right direction for the Phillies’ efforts in the Pacific Rim. The club has expanded its scouting effortss in Japan from 2022 onward and hosted Korea Baseball Organization and Nippon Professional Baseball officials at Citizens Bank Park in recent years. But the payoff has been limited. But now the Phillies have signed one of the marquee amateur players from South Korea, joining a strong international class. Park likely would have been a first-round pick in the KBO but was intrigued by working his way through the minors and eventually landing in Philadelphia.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. While it is really difficult to determine- as we don’t have complete data on signing bonuses- it appeared that the Phillies had enough pool money left to use part of that received from the Griff McGarry trade to sign Park of $1.2M. I wonder if the Baker trade means that we have an additional big bonus signing lined up?

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  35. In the interest of trying to help improve our offense, I decided to look at the top RH outfielders currently to see what might be available.

    The first name that sticks out is Randy Arozarena. He’s not a good defender, but with a bat you won’t find many better. He’s got a track record and he’s posting his best offensive season yet as a 31 year old, and he’s a free agent in 2027. So he could easily be on the block. But while the Mariners are a game under .500, they’re by no means out of the race in a weak AL (and especially AL west). So if he gets put up for sale, we’ll have to wait until much closer to the deadline to know if we can even make a competitive offer.

    The next name on the list is one v1again mentioned already: Taylor Ward. The Orioles are floundering in the only AL division with more than one good team. There’s a very real chance they decide to sell within the next couple weeks, and Ward will definitely be on the block. He’s another early-30s 2027 FA, but one with a rockier track record. The good news is he’s a more passable defender than Randy, and he has power (36 HRs last year, his 3rd season in the past 4 above 20). The better news is he’s having one of his best offensive seasons ever. The bad news? It’s coming in an extremely unconventional (and likely impossible to continue) fashion. His power hasn’t shown itself this year (only 2 HRs, although a respectable 15 doubles). But he’s getting on base at a ridiculous .410 clip because he’s almost DOUBLED his career BB% (20.5%). His BABIP is also high, so there’s regression coming. But he could be worth the gamble if his power returns as the walks stabilize.

    Then we have Spencer Steer. The Reds are another team hovering around .500, and we won’t know if they’re sellers for a while yet. If the Brewers can start to run away with the division, they likely will as they don’t like to spend money to begin with, and Steer will be at the top of the list as a 2027 FA. He’s not a perfect fit as he’s really a 1B, but he hits enough to put up with his defense. At his best, he’s a good all-around offensive threat. 20+ HR power, walks a decent bit, strikes out about league average rates, and has shown the ability to hit around .270. And that’s what he’s showing this year. Offensively, he’d fit right into the middle of our lineup, doing exactly what we all hoped Bohm would do when he was coming through the system. And as a 28 year old, there’s even some room for growth in his batting profile.

    And… that’s it. That’s the end of the list. Every other good RH hitter that has even stepped foot in the OF is either on a competing team, has too much team control to even consider trading (for what we could offer, at least), or has said time and time again that they won’t approve a trade (Trout, Buxton). So we have 3 realistic targets, with 2 of them having a very real possibility of not being put on the trading block.

    So what do you guys think? Offer too much to get the jump on the Taylor Ward market?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I had suggested before maybe some form of trade to get either Christian Walker or Wilson Contreras to play 1B, and have Bryce shift to an outfield corner. That would supply us with a RH power bat to hit cleanup.

      Or there’s also our old buddy, Harrison Bader. Giants are awful and Posey seems to be aggressive when a change is needed. That would allow Marsh to go to right, Crawford to left, and have Bader patrol CF. San Fran would have to take back Garcia to help off-set money.

      (Totally crazy but maybe not…) do we dare ask to expand the deal to include Alec Bohm and a prospect for Luis Arraez? Stott can handle third, and Arraez is seemingly having a defensive resurgence at 2B. We would be adding a .300 hitter somewhere in our lineup as opposed to the pathetic Alec Bohm/Adolis Garica.

      Like

      1. Willson Contreras the player would be nice to have. But he creates problems everywhere he goes, so no thanks. Christian Walker is good, but is he good enough to send Harper back to the OF? I’d say no. Keep in mind, going back to the OF would significantly increase Harper’s injury risk (if he’s even willing to do it).

        As for Bader… his OBP is lower than Garcia’s batting average. He’s a direct downgrade on a longer contract (granted playing the more difficult position… for now). Arraez would be interesting, but we’d have to move Stott, not Bohm. And it would make our defense worse without addressing our OF issue. Is the offensive upgrade worth the defensive downgrade? Maybe, but I’m not positive when we’re riding our dominant pitchers to wins in the playoffs.

        With regards to Bohm, it’s not worth losing prospect capital just to move his contract. He’s not making that much. If we want him off the team, just cut him. But he’s been picking it up as of late.

        Like

    2. Yes. Exactly. Not a huge list. And none of them are stars. And the cost will be far more than most people think. Ward for example is going to have a very high price tag.

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      1. Think outside the box right hand shortstop , move turner to outfield. Second basement Stott to shortstop different options then just a right field er

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  36. Spitballing but if RH hitting OFers are in such low supply, id either look for a LH power hitting OFer or go with an infield upgrade. Yes, a RH hitter is ideal ,but LH hitters can hit LHP too. The Philies need to increase their offense regardless at his point. They have the pitching & defense. They need the offense. The FO just needs to find upgrades. Now, I’d also like the idea of moving an infielder to the OF as a solution, Stott & Turner are prime candidates to move. They need to start giving them reps if so. As they did with Sosa. I like adding Arraez if he can field again. It’s what they need in a lot of ways. If SD is tanking that bad, I wonder how much it would take to get Tatis or Machado? SD does big deals. There is the outside chance of Miller, albeit very low, to make a push for a roster spot. I’l give it a 5% chance of happening whcih is likely “optimistic”

    Like

    2. It’s Taylor Ward or bust. Spencer Steer is possible but not sure Cincy wants to give him up because he is under team control until 2029.

      So imo it is all Taylor Ward. And it is going to be expensive. It’s going to hurt prospect wise.

      Like

      1. Well…will just say im not to enthusiastic about the “solutions”… does adding Ward fix this offense? I don’t think it does. A lot of his numbers are up… except his power. Thats kind of troubling. Luckily there is more of the season to unfold. The Phillies should go for it, since the CBA is going likely force their core to age another 2 years… time is now, and they don’t technically know if they have Wheeler past this season. KC, DET, BOS, HOU, and possibly TOR are currebly out of it. DBacks have a chance to take yet too so will have to see. Im not trading the farm for Ward, he seems like a Garcia gamble at this point. They have to ride the arms, and squeak out a lot of low scoring games.

        Like

        2. Probably be wise for the Phillies to get him double-jumped promoted to Reading to face better hitters…..if he does well his value will go up further than it is now facing low A hitters..

          Then again, they may just go slow with him until he is ready for Hi-A.

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          1. Romus I don’t think, that they will jump him. If I read it right. He needs to work on third pitch.

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            1. Yeah that probably is a good idea. His FB velo looks good along with his change-up…..not sure what his spin rate is on his breaking pitches…maybe that is something they are working with him on.

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            2. Marquez – Spin Rates from 5/23 :

              Sinker – 2300 to 2450

              Cutter – 2200 to 2395

              Change Up – 2000 to 2360

              he’s coming off shoulder issues this spring – was kept back in extended spring because of it. He’s also only 20 years old – no need to rush him however I believe at some point he will bump up to High A. He’s really fun to watch in person – a true pitcher with mix – highly regarded by scouts I interact with – will also throw a slider didn’t use it last outing else was misread by Hawkeye

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  38. I really hope the Phillies do the right thing. Trade Wheeler, give him a chance to win a title. This team is done.

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  39. Another 2 — 18 performance by the top 5. Yes, they are the big money guys, 😅😂🤣😄😝

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  40. Don, ……… hint, invert the lineup, ……. I know John won’t like it, it puts all the money at the bottom …… ugh hhh ohhhbhb, I get it!

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  41. I think many of us realize that their ship sailed,after the 2023 season, that was the year for them to win the World Series. It’s very sad and frustrating how the president of baseball operation signed these guys to such long-term contracts we all know what history consistently shows us when you take that route

    on the good news front perhaps Andrew painter is starting to settle in; in his two starts for this home stand an ERA of 2.92 that is an excellent performance from your number four starter

    Like

    1. Yes, I thought he has had 2 creditable starts back to back, good to see for him and for his development.

      Like

  42. In the previous thread I wrote that the Phillies have proven in the past few years, especially in those post seasons that they cannot hit elite pitching. Dan K reminded me that “elite pitching is elite because nobody can hit them”.

    I can’t argue that but this team is proving that they cannot hit “really good” pitching either. The high-priced players on said team are not doing their jobs. If it continues this way, the Phillies will be in jeopardy of making the post season.

    Like

    1. The Phillies have now played 53 games (almost a third of the season). Only 3 hitters have over 1 WAR so far: Marsh, Schwarber, Harper.

      We knew JT was going to decline with the bat, luckily his defense has been very good so his value hasn’t been negative. But I can say that I expected JT to be like this. His days of .750+ OPS are long gone.

      The biggest issue is Trea Turner because he’s still owed a boatload of money. Turner put up 5.4 WAR last season is more of an outlier than the norm going forward. Shortstops don’t age well either.

      Unless Turner gets hot, this team is not making the playoffs.

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    2. I think it’s fair to say that they can’t hit good (or better) lefties. Righties need to be elite (or close to it) to consistently keep them off the board, though.

      Having Trea find his swing again would help a LOT with that issue with lefties. We desperately need one of our top 4 hitters to be right-handed.

      Like

      1. The thing that this team has failed to realize is that you can play guys like Schwarber/Harper/Marsh now and sometimes they will hit a lefty 4 starter and their stats vs lefties wont be atrocious all the time.

        But in the playoffs, you arent seeing these guys. You are seeing number 1 and number 2 starters and the star bullpen arms mostly. When all you are seeing is LH beasts, of course these guys are going to struggle. Thats why balance is key.

        If teams are going to combat harper/schwarber/marsh/stott with good lefties, they are going to struggle, and guys like Bohm Turner and Garcia are going to have to come through. And they dont. Ever. Bohm is to the point where I hope he strikes out with men on base because otherwise hes hitting into a DP.

        But yeah, i dont need people throwing stats at me like “marsh is doing better vs lefties” or “look at schwarbers stats vs lhp last year” because IF they make the playoffs, they arent going to see the types of LHP they see weekly in the regular season

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    1. It definitely is a positive sign but it shows that prospect progression is not linear. Burkholder was drafted in the second round in 2024, now 20 and at Clearwater. Konnor Griffin was drafted in the first round in 2024, now 20, and posting 1.5 WAR at the ML level.

      Burkholder has a long road ahead of him.

      Like

  44. Oh my God, this hitting !!!! Dreadful. You get three great starts (two complete shut down starts) by your starting pitchers and you score 4 runs the entire series and go 1-2? And it’s not really an aberration, it’s who they are. They have to keep throwing those younger hitters out there (at least in the outfield) and hope for improvement because the veterans aren’t hitting either. Boy the Aidan Miller injury could not have been timed any worse. When you come right down to it, this team has never replaced the bat they once had in Rhys Hoskins and it’s been a killer (not that he’s the same player anymore – he really isn’t – but having a legit righty slugger was huge).

    Dombrowski does seem to know his pitching – but he’s never had a feel for hitters on this team and it’s killing them.

    Like

      1. Yeah, but it’s frustrating beyond belief. You could watch baseball for your entire life and not see a 1-2 starting pitching combo on your local big league team as good as Wheeler and Sanchez, let alone with Luzardo as a third and a top tier closer and solid middle guys. To waste that pitching with a team that cannot reliably hit, is crazy frustrating especially since this problem has been ongoing since the 2023 playoffs. Sure, I get trying to run it back in 2024 and maybe even 2025, but to go forward with the same crew, but older, this year with some inadequate gap fillers (such as Garcia) was inexcusable. The biggest issue is that, yet again, we just don’t graduate enough quality bats from the minors, nor are we good at dealing for young, under-the -radar hitters. No new impact players from the minors, no quality free agents, no clever trades for hitters – and now we are looking at the same predictable results in the playoffs, assuming we make the playoffs. And by the way, nothing is more boring than watching a team that can’t hit. It’s the worst.

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        1. It’s no surprise that the Phillies won in 2008 when they assembled arguably the greatest home grown core in franchise history:

          Jimmy Rollins: 47.9 WAR

          Chase Utley: 64.6 WAR

          Cole Hamels: 59 WAR

          Ryan Howard: 22.8 oWAR. Let’s face it, he was a DH playing 1B. And his numbers would have likely been better if the shift didn’t blow up his career.

          So they were all YOUNG, GREAT players who happened to be on the team AT THE SAME TIME. It’s also not a coincidence that all 4 players were ranked in the top 100 in their minor league careers.

          Where’s the home grown talent now? Aaron Nola has 35.1 WAR but he’s almost 33 (past his prime). We had high hopes for Stott after his second year but he’s replacement level now. Alec Bohm has been replacement level his entire career. The high profile busts were Domonic Brown (was the #1 prospect at 1 point in his career) and Mickey Moniak (#1 overall pick).

          Outside of Aidan Miller (who’s hurt), who’s the next hitter? It’s likely Francisco Renteria but he’s at least 3 years away. There are no guarantees with Nori and Escobar.

          The jury is still out on 22 year old Justin Crawford, but soon to be 22 year old Miller is the key to the beginning of a new hitting core.

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  45. If (and this is extremely unlikely), the Phillies decide to sell, AND the Guardians decide that this is their year and a veteran ace will greatly increase their chances of finally winning the WS, the two teams match up well. Wheeler’s contract would be large for them (and he’d have to agree to move), but it would only be 1.5 years, and they have lots of young catching talent and outfielders who are almost ready and can hit. If you have access to the Athletic, have a look at Zach Meisel’s column today for more on that last sentence.

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    1. I think they should give Wheeler, a chance to win a title. They are wasting so much good pitching. After they fire DD. Then try to move contracts. Like Romus said. Will be tem yrs before they will have a chance, to win

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    2. I think the Guardians need hitting more than pitching, and I’m not sure if the Guardians would be willing to absorb the remaining $60M+ on Wheeler’s contract. But I think this talk is moot because I don’t think Wheeler will waive his no trade clause.

      I would rather trade Marsh and Mayza and see if the Phillies can pry one of their young OFs like Jace Laviolette or Jaison Chourio.

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  46. The Phillies are not trading Zack Wheeler this year for a myriad of reasons. It’s not going to happen and I doubt they would trade him next year unless the team was in a true free fall. You can debate whether this the right move or not, but, folks, it’s not happening.

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    1. I think they should. It’s hopeless with no prospects and look at the contacts. This team is cooked until at least 2031. Can’t trade realmuto, turner, Harper with those contracts. This GM screw the phillies, just like Morey did to sixers.

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      1. Can’t fault a GM for going for it, but I think DD needed to exercise some measure of fiscal responsibility. The Mets tried to spend their way into a title and it failed spectacularly, and to their credit, they tried very hard to get out of it.

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    2. I’d be curious to see his desire to be a brave, that’s home no? can/could we get much in a deal… ….. ……

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  47. Hi Rocco, Romus and Ruff and others. I just finished filming the next season of the White Lotus.

    I read through the posts. Really just lots more of the same with the Phillies. Pitchers give up 4 runs in 3 games and the team goes 1-2. That is cruel.

    Romus, I think your fear of the next half decade may be real. Rocco, I am not sure who you trade that has a chance of making this team hit better.

    Outfield has been an albatross for several years now for the Phillies. They just cannot seem to get the right guys out there at the same time. Bader was great for six weeks or so, but I think we all knew that was not the real deal.

    I watch the team when I can, but I do not make it imperative. I do not have any answers, but I still believe the best chance for this group to hang a WS flag came and went in 2023. Everyone goes nuts when Schwarber hits a HR. No one says anything as he Ks 4 times in a row or fails to put a ball simply in play when that would get a run in.

    Rocco. better go. Just got back to the mainland and a time change. LOL

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  48. The Phillies are 7-12 when the starting pitcher is Left handed. and 19-15 when the starting pitcher is right handed.

    Harper (1.007 OPS), Schwarber (.930 OPS) and Marsh (.838 OPS) are mashing against RHP. Crawford is holding his own (.737), but the rest of the lineup has a sub .650 OPS against RHP.

    Against LHP, Schwarber (.975) and shockingly Stott (.952 OPS) are mashing. Bohm (.792), Garcia (.768) and also shockingly Marsh (.728) are holding their own against LHP. But the rest of the lineup is bad against LHP. Harper (.687), Trea (.601) and JT (.423) are a mess against LHP. Crawford is really struggling early against LHP (.279 OPS).

    This is obviously a real problem. Trea is having a terrible start to the year. But I have confidence that he can turn it around. JT is just a defensive catcher at this point. He is completely washed offensively. The lineup really has no depth against either handed pitching.

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    1. If they could find a CF, would moving Crawford to RF and platooning him with Garcia make sense? Garcia in vs LHP, Crawford vs RHP. I know Bader is having a poor start to the season and he’s owed 13M next year but with SF struggling at a -51 run dif or there about, I would think they could pick up him on the cheap if no other options present themselves and SF falls further out of the wild card race.

      With Bohm’s struggles, it’s too bad Chapman is signed for so long and to so much money, he’s also off to a poor start to as he might make an interesting gamble on a stop gap for Miller (since there might not even be a season next year).

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      1. Crawford doesn’t hit enough to be a corner OF. He has to be a CF for his profile to work. He doesn’t have power so he has to play good defense, get on base and steal bases. Otherwise he becomes a AAAA guy.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. I made this point above but ill say it again: Schwarber and Marsh have done great work making themselves somewhat decent vs LHP. But in the playoffs, they are only going to see the best LHP. No number 5 starters, no Tim Mayza level pen arms. So despite how respectable their numbers are, its reasonable for them to struggle if teams in the postseason pepper them with legitimately good lefties, if the RH bats arent picking them up.

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  49. Wheeler is definitely not being traded. He and Sanchez are a terrific duo and would be awesome in a playoff series, if they can get there. JT is what he is at this point and was a massive overpay. However the pitchers like him and that’s a big deal. Turner will find his way at some point I’m sure. I’m not sure about Garcia though, he looks awful, and I really hate watching Sosa play LF. Kemp has looked bad at the plate (while Reyes has been killing the ball back at AAA. I guess they aren’t throwing him off speed pitches there.) We need more offense, especially against lefties but I’m not sure where it’s going to coming from.

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    1. You most likely are right. My suggestion on trading wheeler is to give him in his final yr, a chance to win. It’s the classy thing to do.

      Like

  50. I have no idea how the Padres are now 9 games above .500 because they really can’t hit. Manny Machado is a borderline HOFer and he has -0.4 WAR at age 33. Tatis jr. has zero WAR and no HRs!

    The Padres might have a scarier mix of long term contracts than the Phillies and that’s saying something.

    Liked by 1 person

  51. Hi guys! It looks like I might be back. I thought I was okay last week but a hardware problem on both of my laptops popped up. I have corrected both and it looks like my WordPress problems have disappeared again. We’ll see how long they stay away this time.

    Catch, I found 3 of your recent comments in the spam folder. I don’t know why they were directed there. I have approved them and they are in the stream above. Monday’s comments were not affected.

    Like

    1. Yay Jim is back…

      Its interesting when you can’t post for a while to see how your perspective changes.

      When you can post everyday or after every game it looks like an EKG report LOL

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  52. The DSL starts on June 1st. It looks like the Phillies will field just one team this year. There are 18 players on their DSL Roster (formerly DSL Red) and 18 unassigned players from the international signing period at the Dominican Complex. The former DSL White site no longer exists.

    Like

    1. Are the Phillies streamlining their DR Academy?

      I see someone like Romeli E. stateside now…whereas in the pas,t a 17- year old would spend a year in the DSL

      Do you think there will be something in the new CBA that will now put further restrictions on the total number of players, especially in the DR academies?

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      1. The Minor League CBA expires after the 2027 season – it is widely known that MLB prefers to outsource the development process to collegiate programs. We have discussed that on many occasions at the complex.

        Baseball America did a story this spring detailing what might happen. From my discussions, interactions and correspondence there is a very likely chance that both the Low A level of play and the complex leagues are eliminated. There’s also been discussion on potentially eliminating the DSL. The concept would be to turn the complexes into year round training and rehab centers with informal games being on the training regimen akin to extended spring training rather than formalized leagues such as the FCL. Return on investment studies commissioned by MLB have indicated that the complex leagues and two levels of A ball don’t have appreciable returns in player development as compared to the cost to run them. 

        Folks often wonder why more “impact” major leaguers aren’t developed – did you know that most amateur Latin players spend very little time playing actual games – since teams are interested in skills and tools the players train accordingly in training academies endorsed by the “buscones”. “Tricky League” games are often their first exposure to actually playing a competitive game yet those are often still focused on showcasing skills. It’s one of the reasons many young players fail as they venture into pro ball careers – they just don’t have exposure to learning the nuances of playing actual baseball games.

        All that being said the Phillies will announce shortly their intentions for the coming DSL season – the anticipated reduction to just one club has more to do with most of the international dollars being spent on just a few players this year rather than multiple ones. Other organizations will continue to field two teams. 

        In my opinion when the new minor league CBA is signed the minor leagues will be reduced to somewhere in the range of 110-115 stateside roster allowances with three levels of play, the draft will be reduced to ten rounds and the DSL will continue but further roster restrictions will be introduced. Hope I’m wrong but the stars sure seem to be aligning that way. 

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        1. Thanks Steve……I always thought MLB and Manfred would prefer colleges do the bulk of developing players for those three years in college……like the NFL, and now also the NHL is leaning in that direction…….a very definitely cost savings for professional teams.

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  53. The Phillies makeup for the playoffs is going to look a lot like this. Great pitching, and a lot of 1-0.2-1 games.

    Turner needs to start getting on base so schwarber’s can beef up his RBI totals.

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    1. Mattingly has to do something with Turner. I get a guy with his track record needs a long leash to get going but he never really was an ideal LO hitter despite his speed.

      I caught a show on MLBN Friday with Jimmy and Ryan hosting some type of podcast and they had Kenny Lofton on as a guest.

      The back and forth was interesting considering their approaches as LO hitters was polar opposite. Jimmy of course defending his hyper aggressive approach at the plate, Kenny providing perspective on how he wanted to see as many pitches as he could.

      Ultimately there is no right or wrong but it does have to work…

      Like

  54. Welcome back Jim. I never know what I have here.

    4 Games, 4 Runs given up, 2=2 record. That is crazy.

    It is funny. I told my grandson last night one of the things that is killing the Phillies is that Turner is striking out so much it at least seems to me. I did not remember that.

    Maybe move Marsh up to that spot and see what happens. I know it is 3 Lefties but when you are not scoring you have to try things. Hopefully this posts.

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    1. Don….spot on with Turner….such a long swing for a little guy, and the killer, with two strikes he does not adapt and shorten his swing for contact, sheeesh!

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      1. Romus looking at guys batting average. The kid we traded Crawford is hitting 199. Bo not hitting, turner. Some proven hitters not hitting. I Hate ABS. If 99 percent of ball is off plate still a strike. I will do what Don did if I have trouble with Word Press. Go to Thailand and buy a new Computer

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  56. Well a win is a win …… we had great pitching and we made the most out of 3 hits in 28 abs by 2 guys.😏 …… Rocco, take your meds …… your “main man” is on the rubber today!

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  57. Luzardo really gutted one out last night. He threw a ton of pitches and his control was way off. Some of the balls the Padres hit probably would have been over the wall at the Bank.

    The Phillies outscored the opposition 7-4 in the last four games and they were 2-2 in those games. It would be nice to win 2 of 3 in SD and LA. I think they get Yamamoto this weekend.

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  58. Rocco. A new computer was one of the perks for landing the main role in White Lotus. But is looks very similar to my old one. Hmm.

    Romus. Sometimes you have to think outside the box. Doubt there is anything in Turner contract that says he has to bat leadoff. Hoosier Donnie needs to try something different. Maybe that might get his attention. Maybe not.

    I noted one other thing at end of game. Marchan struck out. He is now 5-61, At 73 I would have only made possibly 5 more outs than Marchan. Plus, I was a really good bunter back in the day. Forgot. Bunts are not part of the game anymore. LOL

    Anyway, nice to be able to post and see all the comments. Afraid the Phillies of 26 are much like the Phillies of recent past years. As Parcells said,
    “We are what our record says we are.” A .500 team.

    Liked by 1 person

  59. Yes, the incredible thing about all of the putrid hitting (Schwarber, Harper and Marsh aside – you can’t target them) with the massive contracts is that it could have been MUCH WORSE if DD got his way and signed Bichette. We likely dodged another bullet there. After a full 5 years of DD, I’m pretty comfortable saying that he is pretty freaking bad at evaluating hitters. Many, many expensive, bad misses and he specializes in guys who love to chase the low, outside, unhittable breaking pitches – more fishing than lake in the summer.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Fortunately, we don’t have an owner who is going to require our next GM to trade our cornerstone superstar in his prime just to save money. So we don’t have to worry about ending up like the Red Sox.

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          1. Potentially Painter, but I’m just making a joke about the poor Sox.

            Detroit and Boston had similar outcomes, but from vastly different experiences. Detroit ownership said, “win now at any cost.” So they were just pushing the rebuild down the road and eventually forced to tear it down.

            Boston, on the other hand, was actually pretty well set up to STAY a good team. But their owner cared more about money than winning. So they tore it down willingly.

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        2. Included in the Betts deal was a big salary dump of David Price who was making $31 mil AAV. But yeah, that deal was a disaster for Boston.

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  60. Romus. My grandson is huge Tigers fan. He is singing the 2026 Tigers blues these days.

    There is going to be a day of major drop off for these core guys. Guess we are going to find out when it happens. Lots of LT deals. Doubt many trade candidates in the group. Just going to have to ride out the waves and see where they land.

    Like

    1. Don….Tigers do have some talented position players coming on soon…McGonigle, Clark and a few others.

      I hope the Phillies position prospects prosper…..Miller, Nori, Escobar, Ferrebus,,,,and further down Renteria, and Espinosa. They will need for them to develop into impactful players.

      Like

  61. Was at the game yesterday.

    Padres record is solid, but that lineup – only 1 guy over .275 and Machado at .177; Tatis 0 HRs (will be a true streak if it stays at 0 after Nola’s start).

    Like

  62. One time Phillie Spencer Turnbull has signed with a team in the Mexican Northern League.

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  63. Matt Gelb had a piece on RF, saw this response and thought it was interesting,

    https://x.com/kendallbaker/status/2059316626269372562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2059316626269372562%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=

    Says that all RH OF have combined for a .695 OPS, the lowest figure since 1969. Also says that 5 of the 6 worst seasons for righty OF’s since ’69 have come since 2022.

    Here’s Gelb’s article you have a subscription,

    https://x.com/MattGelb/status/2059265430955647110

    Like

    2. Yeah. That’s what I was saying the other day. Easy to say “upgrade RF with a right hander who hits LHP well.” But hard to find realistic targets that are true upgrades worth trading top prospects for.

      Like

      1. Thats why I suggested looking for right hand infielder and move turner.we know he can play outfield. Pretty sure stott can handle shortstop.if we find a second basement only. Gives you more options. Looking for only a right fielder. Is really putting blinders on our FA. What’s crazy to me is how well Edwards hits left hand pitching. I know he would cost a ton

        Like

          1. Ketel Marte is a great player but he’s already 32 and owed a somewhat reasonable 4/76. It becomes 5/87.5 if he stinks. And he won’t be cheap, it’ll definitely cost Gage Wood and more. At a certain point, he’s going to decline. Do we really want to go all out for 2026? There’s 5 teams ahead of the Phillies in the wild card standings and we’re already a 3rd into the season.

            Like

  64. I’ll add this, the Phillies right-handed hitters this season:

    – AVG: .202 (Worst in MLB)

    – SLG: .305 (Worst in MLB)

    – OPS: .571 (Worst in MLB) –

    wOBA: .261 (Worst in MLB)

    – wRC+: 62 (Worst in MLB)

    – Barrel %: 4.4% (Worst in MLB)

    https://x.com/Paul_CasellaMLB/status/2059312497241346330

    The Phils vs. lefties since Mattingly took over:

    AVG: .278 (3rd)

    SLG: .507 (1st)

    OPS: .855 (2nd)

    wOBA: .370 (2nd)

    wRC+: 137 (2nd)

    https://x.com/tgpschmenk/status/2059356821542908091

    Like

  65. Why is McFarlane still in AA. Basically unhittable this season 0.51 ERA in 18 appearances.

    Do you think he is being groomed to be a 7th or 8th inning guy late in the season??

    Is Braydon Tucker a viable prospect?

    Like

    1. Yes, I expect McFarlane to get a shot in the big leagues in the 2nd half. He’s already on the 40. I’m also surprised he’s still at Reading but he’s still improving his control after 12 innings in a row without any earned runs.

      Like

    2. What’s the rush? The Phillies bullpen is not the reason why they are not a top team. McFarlane’s walk rate at Reading is 4.1. The other relievers on the Phillies who have a walk rate over 4 are Banks and Alvarado and not surprisingly, they are not performing well. If you can’t throw strikes, big league hitters will feast on you.

      McFarlane will be in Philadelphia soon enough. He’ll definitely be in ST looking for a job (especially with Mayza and Alvarado being FAs).

      Liked by 1 person

    1. LOL see Rocco you will get the occasional good game out of Nola. Personally I love the guy not for his present talent simply for the competitor he is.

      Maybe in my old age I’ve become more sentimental in that having a home grown guy who at times pitched well above what he was earning I’m ok with who he is today and what he is earning.

      Like

  67. 3Rs. Did someone suggest yesterday moving Turner out of the leadoff spot? I just saw that on the Phillies site that Hoosier Donnie did just that. Sometimes change is good.

    Nice to see Nola had a good game. He appears to be one of the nicest guys. Carlton was not bad. Anyone known only by one name Lefty is pretty good when everyone knows who you mean.

    Like

  68. I’ve always been a big Nola fan. He never causes a problem, very quiet and unassuming. Enlighten me. Wasn’t one of his first starts with the Phillies in the same series that Hamels pitched his no hitter (and a couple of weeks later traded to Texas)?

    Phillies got 4 runs is the series versus the Guardians. In their first two games against the Nationals the past two nights they have been shelled 10-2 and 6-3. Appears that Washington is hitting the ball and being very competitive of late.

    Like

    1. The Nationals have a very good, young core of offensive players. Their kryptonite is pitching. Both their starters and their relievers are mediocre on the whole.

      They’ve got a good chance of being competitive in upcoming seasons and for a while. But currently, they’re not likely to make the playoffs.

      Like

      1. One guy I thought would be the next star was Dylan Crews from LSU. He is now in AAA Rochester. Not sure what happened to him, other than he struck out too much.

        Like

    2. Washington did the rebuild the correct way, but it still took a lot of bad seasons. The catalyst was obviously trading Juan Soto and getting back Abrams, Wood, Gore (who they recently traded to the Rangers). Unfortunately, their pitching is really suspect.

      Like

  69. Just saw an article on  Hendry Mendez who seems to be killing it with the Twins and just got a promotion from AA to AAA. Through 17 games with the Saints, he’s hit .400 with three homers, 15 RBI, a 1.113 OPS, and 15 walks to 10 strikeouts.

    One thing that stinks from being good but not great are the trades made at the deadline to chase ghosts.

    And again its not that Duran and Bader weren’t good for us down the stretch its just that they didn’t move the needle.

    Like

    1. I don’t think people here realize how hard it is to win a title. And you can’t have it both ways, asking for trades and then complaining that the other guys are ripping it for the other team.

      If Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait become stars for the Twins, good for them. I was ok with dealing them for Duran when it happened. I don’t play the hindsight game. All that’s going to do is cause you grief. Also, you need to give talent to get talent.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Duran has been everything we hoped for and more. I would do the trade over tomorrow. When you have a great closer, the entire bullpen changes dramatically. Statistically, that shouldn’t be the case, but it completely is. If you don’t have a real closer, you don’t have a real bullpen and you’ll always be frustrated and searching and losing games in painful ways that linger. Worth it.

        Like

    1. Bryce Harper would be one of the worst defensive RFs in baseball. People seem to casually forget that Harper had problems catching fly balls near the track. The last time Harper played most of his games in RF, it was 2021 and he was 28 years old. His dWar that year was a putrid -1.3. Harper is now 33 and you expect he’ll be adequate in RF? He would be -2 dWar easy, and you’re exposing him to more injury running balls down.

      Like

  71. Guys – All good comments on the Nationals! Does anyone have an answer about Nola’s first game (or second) coming in that Hamels no hit series?

    Like

    1. Yes, Nola’s second career start came the day after Hamels threw the no-hitter. He went 7.2 innings giving up 4 ER (2 HRs), and our old friend Hector Neris added 1 allowed (solo) homer himself.

      Bu the Phillies won that game, too. 11-5 thanks to multi-hit days from Dom Brown, Odubel Herrera, Cameron Rupp, Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez, and even Ryan Howard.

      Oh, and Nola also had a hit, a walk, and his first career RBI.

      Like

    1. At a certain point, the Phillies will have no choice but to DFA Garcia, move Marsh to RF, and give Reyes LF full time. So I hope Reyes continues to rake.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Don’t forget Rincones who returned to LHV last night and had 3 hits today. Rincones is a platoon bat who needs a righty hitter to complement him. I wonder if they’ll swap Kemp with Reyes again. Kemp has lost all playing time.

        Like

    2. One of the biggest mistakes a team can make with a hitter with great minor league numbers is giving him a short audition and burying him if he doesn’t do well right away. MLB history is chock full of guys who didn’t catch on immediately and then took off. Felix Reyes becoming a really legit hitting prospect is a huge development – they need to give him a real chance to succeed. I suspect that one or both of Kemp and Reyes will ultimately become competent big league hitters and I don’t need to tell everyone that this team needs real hitters in the worst way.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Both Kemp and Reyes definitely need a more extended look of REGULAR playing time. But the issue is that they also just aren’t good defenders. So while I’d love for either of them to hit their way into a starting LF job, it’s not as if we lose nothing by just benching Garcia. If they don’t hit better than he does, then we’re losing out on both sides of the ball.

        That’s part of why I wanted Kemp back up; at least he can play 3B, too. But now Bohm has started hitting again, so we’re back to, “well actually, it COULD be worse…”.

        It’s very hard to have multiple rookies starting full time on teams with playoff aspirations.

        Like

  73. Thanks for that info, Dan K. I was pretty sure Nola started his Phillies career just when Hamels was ending his. And Cesar Hernandez – isn’t he Moffo’s uncle.

    Like

    1. There’s lots of fun names from that game’s box score. Darin Ruf, Freddy Galvis, and Cody Asche also made trips to the plate for the Phils.

      Oh, and some guy named Kyle Schwarber was 1-2 with a single and 2 walks for the Cubs.

      Like

  76. Congrats Rocco. My granddaughter hit one about a foot from the top of right center couple weeks ago. She got a single. I asked her later what you were doing. Answer. I was in my trot.

    Great series for the Phillies. I do have a question for both of you. What was it like to play with GCA back in the day? Simply an awesome streak for Sanchez. He does it so effortlessly. Keep it going Phillies.

    No Apple TV for me on Friday.

    Like

      1. True.

        T. Mac did a game of FUBO last year as well. Somehow, I picked it up. All of these streaming and others wear me out.

        I pass on Skubal. I saw where someone had Miller, Wood, and Rincones in deal. No guarantee on those 3 but a rental for a couple months is too big a risk

        Like

  78. As has been mentioned several times, there is a dearth of RHH true impact OFs. The best option is Taylor Ward, who is an upgrade over Garcia but is clearly not a star.

    Another approach is to not upgrade the offense at all and instead go after Skrubal. Health must be confirmed. So let’s get that out of the way. And the cost will be high and you have to be willing to match his offseason asking price. But a playoff SP rotation of Skrubal, Wheeler, Sanchez (and Luzardo for 7 game series) is as dominant as it comes. Better than the rotation of Halladay, Lee, Hamels and Oswalt.

    That is a true impact player. The cost is likely Miller and Wood. Or potentially Painter instead of Wood. Plus 4 other prospects. But Skrubal (if healthy) gives us a real shot to beat the Dodgers in a playoffs.

    Like

    1. Going after Skubal, doubling down on Pitching, since there are no clear upgrades to the offense. I probably do it, especially if the Bullpen is firing on all cylinders at the deadline. Will be stressful to watch but … I agree. Facing those 3 … Damn. That weakens the other teams offense, thus, ours doesn’t have to be as good. The FO has to ask, is … this the best window over the next 3 years? The answer is likely “yes”.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I agree. This is unquestionably our window.

        To be clear, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Aidan Miller isn’t in the package. If somehow we could avoid giving up Miller and Renteria then I am all in. Pick any 5 prospects not named Miller or Renteria. But that might not be enough.

        Like

    2. The closest comp for a Skrubal trade was the Max Scherzer trade to the Dodgers in 2021. Because that was a rental. DD’s acquisition of Sale was for 3 years of control. So not a comp. The package was:

      1. Keibert Ruiz. Dodgers No. 1. MLB Pipeline: No. 41
      Elite bat-first catching prospect

      2. Josiah Gray
      Dodgers No. 2
      ESPN/Kiley McDaniel: No. 36
      Near-MLB-ready starter with swing-and-miss stuff

      3. Gerardo Carrillo
      Around Dodgers No. 15–20 range
      Not Top 100
      Hard-throwing pitching prospect

      4. Donovan Casey
      Around Dodgers No. 20–30 range
      Not Top 100

      Like

      1. I wouldn’t do it LOL.

        If the Phillies are gonna get to the WS it will be because the Dodgers suffered some serious injuries. Their run diff right now is +120 so they are light years ahead of the Phillies for 2026.

        One player here or there won’t change that calculus.

        Miller may not ever play baseball again so if another team wanted to take a chance on him and give me something nice I wouldn’t blink. And if he does resume playing the chances this isn’t a recurring issue throughout his career are very slim.

        Liked by 1 person

    3. Leery of Skubal and health concerns…..Skubal’s first had TJ in 2016 and then he did later require flexor tendon surgery in his left arm in Aug of 2022. Most recently, in May he underwent a minor arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies and bone fragments from the same pitching elbow, typically requires l months of rest and rehabilitation….he throw so violently and he may be a ticking time bomb.

      Like

      1. anyone who throws is a ticking time bomb. according to reports he is throwing now and his velocity is where it was pre-injury.

        bottom line is this…without a major addition, like a true elite player, this team is not going to win a world series. we have too many holes in our lineup. adding an impact bat is really hard. there just aren’t many out there to get. Skrubal (if healthy) is a gamechanger. he can win a 1-0 game. So can Wheeler and Sanchez. imo he is our best shot.

        Like

        1. We have impact bats they just need to be awake come playoff time. The piper will come calling for the Dodgers in due time so if I’m the advisor to the Phillies my strategy would be to structurally build my system for that inevitable outcome.

          The more we try to chase it in the short term the further away its going to get.

          Like

      2. Romus. I told Ruff that his violent delivery would make me weary. He has lots of moving parts that can be injured. Very good point.

        Like

  79. One the upcoming CBA, early but I needed something to complain about after the Padres sweep!

    MLB should create 2 “bad contract relief” slots in the next CBA.

    • One slot for contracts under $20 AAV
    • One slot for contracts over $20 AAV

    Teams could also combine two smaller bad contracts into one slot if needed. The players still gets paid, but only a portion of their salary counts against payroll/luxury tax calculations.

    One of the following penalties should also apply:

    • a percentage of the contract still counting against payroll
    • draft pick penalties
    • reduced international signing pool money

    The goal is to improve the product on the field. Right now, teams get trapped playing expensive underperforming veterans because the contract becomes untradeable. That clogs roster spots, prevents upgrades.

    A player like Castellanos is the perfect example. And looking ahead, it could eventually apply to aging stars like Turner or Harper in their later years. This system would allow teams to keep fan favorites in reduced roles while still having the flexibility to improve the roster instead of being handcuffed by sunk costs.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. ha! They are their own hemisphere. The rest of the mlb needs a solution. If the mlb wants teams to compete with the dodgers, they are going to need to loosen the reins on the teams near the dodgers, not the bottom feeders. They won’t compete without getting a full rebuild on. Even then…

        Like

        1. Easy……MLB needs to get some gonads…..have a International Draft…same slot money as the Rule 4……if certain groups protest, tell them to strike and go on with basball with whomever plays…after 2/3 years the quality will come to the top.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Japan has to be modified in some way in terms of the posting fee and if a Japanese player has X number years of service time in the Japanese Professional league they should receive a contract commensurate of that but not get to sign with whomever they want.

            They must sign with the team that drafts them and if they refuse they cannot be eligible for a period of 3 years to enter back into the draft.

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        2. Easy……MLB needs to get some gonads…..have a International Draft…same slot money as the Rule 4……if certain groups protest, tell them to strike and go on with basball with whomever plays…after 2/3 years the quality will come to the top.

          Like

    3. One change that I think is very important is including any deferred money spread evenly over the actual contract term for cap reasons.

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      1. all good groundwork. The players should agree, since they are all technically still getting paid.

        Like

    4. The “Bad Contract relief” slots are only geared towards big market teams. It doesn’t benefit the small market teams at all because they are not the ones doling out the mega contracts.

      Obviously the flip side to big market spending is that some of them don’t work out (actually a lot don’t work out). So that kind of levels the playing field a little for small market teams when big market teams are stuck with immovable contracts.

      If I’m the commissioner, I wouldn’t do this. The big market teams may not be doing well but they are still drawing fans. More parity in baseball is a good thing, and it shouldn’t be dominated by teams with money to throw around.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. And if owners like Amgels’ Moreno and Mets Cohen, and I guess now Middleton is in that category…..do not have the wherewithal to realize 10 year contracts to 30-year old players will probably not have a very good return on investment in the long run- as in a WS ring….then it is on them, as they say.

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  80. let’s see how the team plays the dodgers. Wheeler, Luzardo, & Painter? Not a bad matchup to gauge, plus the bullpen. Well, they’ll have to beat them this year with Diaz as their closer . Crazy they were able to get him. O … and some guy named Tucker. What a crock!

    Like

    1. update – Tucker is a disappointment & Diaz is injured until July.

      crazy … how many FA are crapping the bed – Tucker, Bichette, and others

      Like

      1. Phillies dodged a major bullet with Bichette, but I don’t know why DD wanted him in the first place. The Bo Bichette red flags:

        1> When the team that drafted you doesn’t want to pay you, that says a lot especially since they gave Vlad Jr. $500M.

        2> Bo’s defence and foot speed were already in full decline. There was already talk that he would have to move off SS.

        3>Injuries were starting to take its toll.

        4>Offensively, he had a poor 2024 and was on his way to another average 2025 when he got hot in the second half of last year.

        5> All this and he’s only 28? What will he look like at age 30+?

        Like

    1. all three are good people also. Griffin has worked extremely hard to get his legs in condition to play each day and to maintain that health. The club has decided to leave Renteria in the Dominican for this summer due to multiple reasons. He’s done very well in extended spring games which I include reports on each week in my summaries. Current plans are that he will come stateside to play next year.

      Liked by 1 person

    3. This is a case of staying patient with a raw but talented athlete. He fought the injury bug for extended periods but is healthy now and seems to have figured some things out. I agree, this is a super exciting development.
      Another exciting development is that Pan appears healthy in his comeback and is lights out.

      Like

    1. Imagine driving on the road and Felix Reyes hammers a ball through your side window…

      Like

    2. I have to assume he only sees fastballs in AAA because he handles them well. The off speed pitches, not so well though…

      Like

        1. I have seen Felix Reyes live about 15 to 20 times. I believe he can hit, and I think Steve Potter believes he can hit. But, I also thought Dylan Cozens was the real deal.

          Liked by 1 person

  83. Salary cap and floor proposed. This is the way! Much more competitive. And get rid of the loopholes like deferred salary.

    Current payrolls above $245.3M proposed ceiling:

    • Mets ($334M)
    • Dodgers ($300M)
    • Yankees ($291M)
    • Blue Jays ($282M)
    • Phillies ($281M)
    • Braves ($267M)

    Current payrolls below $171.2M proposed floor:

    • Orioles ($167M)
    • Mariners ($162M)
    • Royals ($146M)
    • Reds ($132M)
    • Brewers ($128M)
    • Rockies ($117M)
    • Twins ($105M)
    • Pirates ($104M)
    • Rays ($103M)
    • Cardinals ($94M)
    • Athletics ($94M)
    • Nationals ($93M)
    • White Sox ($90M)
    • Guardians ($80M)
    • Marlins ($78M)

    Like

    1. The $171.2M floor is a lot higher than I expected. I’m stunned that the small market owners would agree to that number.

      All in all, it’s a very fair salary cap range. Scott Boras won’t be happy but I think a lot of mid range players will be very happy. For example, I think Edmundo Sosa would easily get 3/30+ from someone, same with Alvarado. Tim Mayza could get 2/20. If you’re a 3/4 starter, you’re easily getting $18M+ per year.

      The union head is starting to do damage control but I think a lot of non stars would go for this deal. I’m excited to see how this progresses.

      Liked by 1 person

    2. I believe the cap and floor will be about $100M difference….cap $250M and floor $$150M.

      The floor may be even lower since small market owners may put up some defense.

      Like

    3. The owners are going to have to concede on something big for the players union to agree to that. They will want the service time dropped from 6 years to 3 or 4?

      Like

      1. 100% that will never go that far. 6 years of control is the owners holy grail, that won’t go down at all. Maybe they can start arbitration after the second year (instead of the third).

        The amount of money required to bring teams to the floor is more than the amount that teams will have to shed. And even then, there will likely be a grandfather rule for teams that are over.

        I think the union head knows it’s a decent offer and I think a lot of non-stars will go for it. But the union head will complain and all that and try to get some more concessions before going to a players vote.

        Like

          1. The star players wouldn’t go for it, but there are a lot more non stars than stars in the league.

            Like

    4. interesting… but as a Phillies fan, this will likely change their “competitive advantage” to outbid for players in FA. If the floor teams have to spend, they may put out stupid numbers short term for players. Think a Bichette deal. Probably not as crazy as Tucker’s. I would hope that the team has the option to not spend to the floor and be penalized. Which could bump up the payroll thresholds for those competing. I also still think the league needs to have an on going way to dump horrific contracts, as j mentioned above. All this is heading in the right direction. Will see who agrees first

      Like

  85. Painter, Escobar, Nori and Pan for Skrubal (after confirming health).

    Who says no?

    I am convinced that Skrubal is the only move we can make that would actually alter our probability enough to make it worth a big package. A trio of Skrubal, Sanchez and Wheeler in a 5 game series (add Luzardo for game 4 of a 7 game series) makes us the favorite in every game. Elite pitching is how you win in October.

    It’s a heavy price. Painter might fix his fastball shape and return to a potential 1. But right now, as is, his stuff is solid, not elite. His fastball is one of the top 10 worst in MLB for starters by pitch value at -5.5. His slider is his best pitch but he won’t be a good or great pitcher unless he fixes his fastball.

    Escobar has potential to be an every day 2B. I am not in love with Nori. This might be a sell high time. Pan throws hard and seems fully recovered from TJ.

    I say yes to this deal. Who agrees or disagrees?

    Like

    1. why would it take to add in Riley Greene? I know an another LH but an OF under team control. Wouldout farm have enough?

      Like

      1. Greene is young and under control until 2029. There is no chance Detroit is trading him. No reason to. The only reason that Skrubal is on the table is because he is a FA at end of year and Detroit doesn’t want to pay him a monster contract.

        Like

    2. why would it take to throw in Riley Greene too? I know another LH but is an OF under team control. Would we have enough in our farm without giving up Miller?

      Like

          1. That may be the case however we’ve all heard that before. For someone like Buxton who is way underpaid relative to his production (when healthy) it could be seen as his only leverage to tack on $$$$.

            Or for him to limit where he goes. There are always back channels working these types of situations.

            Imagine being Buxton and thinking about a looming strike or lockout. He has 2 years (27-28) remaining at a little more than $15 million per plus he can gain another $11 million on each of those years if he reaches certain performance metrics.

            He’ll be 35 the next time he is an FA

            Like

    3. Hard no for me. Don’t see it making a difference. We had some of the best starting pitching last year and it wasn’t enough.

      Had we done something in the offseason to significantly help the offense maybe I’d reconsider but those years after Halladay went down and Jimmy Chase and Howard declined off a cliff are still fresh in my mind. I don’t want to see that again.

      I want to watch the afore mentioned kids and see them grow. They may or may not become everyday MLBers.

      That said I’ve no doubt DD will try to do some type of surface move to give the appearance he is trying. Wash rinse repeat type of stuff. We’ll see.

      In the end a move described will see the season end with less good young cheap potential players and no Skubal and no trophy.

      I get that they don’t want to signal to the fans that they don’t believe this team can win it all but behind closed doors they have to know the bill is sitting on the desk and it must be paid.

      Like

    4. Not sure I would want to do it…..Skubal turns 30 after the season and with Boras and as a free afent he will want 7/8 years of bookoo money. Already has had a TJ surgery and now this year the latest elbow procedure and he is a violent pitcher.

      I do it if the price was not as high.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Ooh, another word (technically two) we loaned from French. Beau coup (pronounced like you spelled it), translates to roughly, “beautiful hit” or, “beautiful pile” in the context of money.

        Like

    5. interesting wrinkle to this offer… how does the FO view Painter vs Wood? If you ship out Painter, Wood is likely still an above average #5 starter on the cheap.
      id be more inclined to say “yes” if he was extended. I have no idea if Skubal would want to sign in Philly.
      id lean more to yes, because this could be wheeler’s last year. Skubal would replace him & his salary, and it keeps that 1-2 punch going forward. That said, we all thought Painter was supposed to be that guy, and on the cheap to fill out the offense until his payday.
      I do it,BUT I’d also need to empty more of cupboard for an offensive upgrade. Burton? Gotta convince him to head to Team USA, I mean Philly.

      Like

      1. Hopefully they see the future of Painter and not the present…

        Thus they hang onto him

        Like

  86. Owners again are talking hard cap and I’d be betting we see a significant loss of games in 2027. Owners generally win in the end especially given how the Dodgers went crazy with their spending.

    The floor spend will give them leverage in the media as well as the 50/50 rev share even if we here are more intelligent than the average joe to know that’s baloney unless they open the books.

    That’s before they start playing the card that certain players are getting near billion and half billion dollar contracts.

    Whatever your opinion of owners they employ thousands of people not including players.

    Owning a team for these guys is more vanity than it is a money maker until they sell.

    I’m a capitalist at heart but it does have its pitfalls…

    Like

    1. Fair points… I’d love to see compensation start going to performance base, much like a salesmen on 100% commissions! It would be hilarious, i know they would never go for it… but imagine Castellanos deal, how that would change it? Nola’s? It be fair, the GM should be the same as well. Number of wins above expectations. It would be fun to see for a little while at least. Picture the 3rd basemen for Angels, signed in FA from the Nats. Watch his attitude change real fast once he realizes he can’t dog it by sitting home all year and getting paid millions. It’ll never happen, but it would be have it’s hilarious moments

      Like

    1. I imagine they are recalling Reyes and going to play him consistently and have Garcia as a defensive replacment.

      At least that’s what I hope they are doing. I love McCutchen but he has nothing left in the tank. He was hitting 192 with an OPS+ of 66

      Like

      1. Yes, that is what it’s looking like. Reyes is bombing AAA (1.112 OPS!), he has nothing left to prove there. He’s ready to start full time in LF and show if he can hit big league pitching.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Hopefully he can relax this time around and not try to do too much. Despite the difference in talent between AAA pitching and the MLB he obviously has the skill set to do something in the MLB.

          The bar is really low for what they are asking him to replace (offensively anyway)

          Like

    1. What really surprised me about Reyes was his competence in the field at various positions. I had thought that he was more or less a DH. He may well be that ,but to my untrained eye at least he catches the ball.

      He has to work the pitchers more if he gets another chance. Because the guy can do some major damage if he’s selective enough.

      Like

    1. He had a 1/3 of the team’s hits last night, ugh…..how bad can he be ….. seems he fits right in!

      Like

  92. Romus just wondering. Back in the day Did player get to leave for paternity leave or kids graduation?

    Like

    1. The mlb HR leader, a .326 hitter and a “ugh” and “that’s all folks”! ……. what I’d like to do Romus is not singe the bats, but burn the bats! Let’s get a bonfire, sing songs, drink cool aid, …… and burn the bats ….. save 1 for prosperity ……. Marsh’s!

      Like

      1. Oldruff Seems Jim is not starting new discussion must have trouble with Word .You with all your wisdom should start a new thread most of us hang on your ever weird

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      2. I am thinking O’s 32-year old OFer Taylor Ward may be headed north to Philly. Question is…what will DD pay in a form of a king’s ransom for him. He is a power RHB, but not the HR power guy this year so far.

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    1. Rocco ….. I’ll notify Don he’s now the property of the O’s, I hope the Geritol was an open bottle or we gave too much!

      Liked by 1 person

  96. Wow, letting Jeff Hoffman walk was the right move for the Phillies. He didn’t have a good season last year, he’s having an even worse season this year, and he just had a meltdown for the ages a few minutes ago. Man, he looks like he has zero confidence out there.

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  97. Ramon Marquez 4.2 inn. 3hits. One ER. 7 Ks . 2 BBs. 1.45 ERA for Clearwater. 20 yrs old FB. Sweeper. Slider . Change up.

    FB sitting 95.

    Liked by 1 person

  98. Adolis Garcia has issues with the bat but not with his glove. He made a spectacular catch to save a run. He’s an elite defender in RF.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Thought the bbq had a smoky flavor reminiscent of wood ash from Louisville Slugger’s, other than that I thought it was great!😇

        Liked by 1 person

  100. Phils haven’t scored more than 4 runs in a game in their last 10 games (though they’ve gone 5-5 in those 10 games). With their multifaceted offense, full of weapons, how long can they keep this up? As long as Schwarber doesn’t hit too many homers, they might be able to stretch this streak to 20 games or more . . .

    Liked by 1 person

  102. Miller is “no longer doing baseball activities.” Extremely not good.

    Who plays 3B next year?

    In happier news, I realized this morning that Burkholder hits RH, the first such prospect , it seems, in a while

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    1. Partly because getting to the park is a pain; it’s in the middle of nowhere (relatively speaking) and traffic gets horrific when you get close.

      But also because LA has the most fair weather fans of any team in baseball. Which is not to say they don’t have a lot of die hard fans, as well. But the fair weather fans in LA tend to be the ones that can actually afford the good tickets.

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  105. I know that Andrew Painter is only 23 and in his first big league season, but it’s hard to watch sometimes. First, his fastball just gets ripped. Second, his command is not great.

    He’s the type of pitcher where he needs to work off his fastball and it’s not happening this year. The 2 HRs he gave up today was off non-fastballs that he left in the middle of the zone. They both went a long way.

    I would consider sending him down to Lehigh to work on some stuff.

    The issue now is that there’s nobody worth of a promotion from Lehigh to start.

    However, Reading has 2 candidates but they both would need to be added to the 40 man: Adam Seminaris and Braydon Tucker. I don’t remember the last time the Phillies double jumped somebody to make his starting debut (Kyle Kendrick maybe?) but these are desperate times.

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    1. if the numbers that Daniel posted are correct, then pitching is not the problem……now Stott…Bohm….and Garcia…those are problems.

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    2. I think its hard to see right now and its possible it never materializes but I believe these experiences and this season will be invaluable for his future.

      But everything you stated is true

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    3. The secondary stuff is good, but his fastball is one of the worst in MLB despite sitting 96+. It’s just too straight and gets hammered. I honestly don’t know if that is fixable or not. Obviously it is not an easy fix or they would have done so by now. If he can’t find a way to get outs with a 96+ fastball, then he won’t be more than a 4/5 starter. But it is befuddling why a 6’6″ pitcher with that velo can’t get outs with the fastball.

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  106. I hope when Garcia gets to 190, they sell. My God he stinks I love people who talk about his glove. I would bet every team has outfield inn minors who can field and not hit. Good fielders are easy to find. Hitter that can field is hard. I just don’t get playing that stuff. Try Reyes before trade deadline. Play the kid they just brought up. Release Garcia. It’s really a shame to waste the starts they get out of three of there pitchers Painter is a big disappointment but really you want to call up 30 yrs old from eastern league . There is a reason there there minor league fillins

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  107. I thought Darick Hall got HBPs a lot….but I think Otto Kemp has him beat….80 times so far in less than 425 professional games. Takes them for the team I suppose.

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  108. Personally I’m rejecting any notion that they need to win now. If anything they need to figure out how to get a bit younger…

    Hopefully JM gives DD a graceful exit before he starts to part off the farm for a few rentals that won’t have any effect on overcoming the Dodgers.

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    1. Francisco Renteria triples on a lost-in-the-sun fly ball to right field in his first AB with the DSL Phillies per Mitch Rupert

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  110. Phillies individual stats from May:

    Schwarber .243/.304/.592 .896 OPS

    Harper .258/.366/.527 .893 OPS

    Marsh .333/.378/.456 .833 OPS

    Bohm .277/.333/.479 .812 OPS

    Stott .227/.269/.474 .743 OPS

    Crawford .195/.253/.312 .565 OPS

    Turner .189/.222./.306 .529 OPS

    Realmuto .192/.259/.259 .520 OPS

    Sosa .167/.212/.292 .503 OPS

    Garcia .125/.218/.182 .400 OPS

    https://x.com/PhilsTailgate/status/2061252232876609854

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  111. Rich Hofmann suggested in his newsletter that Bryce move back to RF. Probably a little easier to bring in a RH 1st baseman than a RH ofer at this point. Christian Walker?

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    2. Harper to RF needs to stop. Has people seen what Garcia is doing in RF? Harper can’t do any of that, not even close. If Harper moves to RF, it won’t take long for people to see how bad he is, and then people will start saying that he should move back to 1B. This subject should be a non-starter.

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        1. There’s no doubt that Harper can hit better than Garcia, but I think Harper in RF is easily top 10 worst defender if not top 5. He was terrible 5 years ago!

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  112. Bryce Harper mentions on an ESPN article about how baseball has made more fans and that a work stoppage now would be a lot different now than back in 1994. At least Harper sees the danger in a stoppage and maybe more stars might be amenable to a salary cap.

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  113. Renteria first game today, he stinks, is 2-3 with a triple 2 runs scored stolen base.but he made a out. Terrible

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    1. Hah………and as a 17-year old OFer  in the opening game this afternoon in the DSL. Scouting report on him has him with some elite skills. Two years ago he played in th Ven Major League facing some former MLB pitchers and hit .285 in a very SSS……I wonder if he rakes in the DSL the Phillies will bring him over to th CLW Complex later this season?

      https://www.si.com/mlb/phillies/onsi/news/francisco-renteria-the-next-phillies-international-superstar

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    2. Hah…..and as a 17-year old in the opening game this afternoon in the DSL. Scouting report on him has him with some elite skills. He may rake in the DSL…..maybe he will see CLW in July or August. Great scouting reports on his skills.

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      1. Romus really think they will strike. Think there is any video of games, don pitched in, it will help us get thru strike . Watching his pitch against ty cobb and those guys on his era

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