Phillies Discussion (8/20/2026)

Other Stuff

Here’s a new Phillies Discussion. 

This should post automatically at 10:PM EST on August 20th.  Comments on the previous discussion should automatically close at the same time.

Important Dates

  • 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.)

 

141 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion (8/20/2026)”

      1. He’s a 6-6 Lefty who will be 23 in November. Those types tend to hang around for a while until something unlocks for them. Hopefully that is with us and not someone like the Rays…

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    2. If you ever heard the term “extension” regarding a pitcher and wondered what it is, just watch Bowker. He has arguably the best extension of any pitching prospect in recent Phillies memory. His torso is basically flat, parallel to the ground at release. Ball comes from a very low angle and much closer to the plate. Makes the stuff play up. Impressive

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    1. Rincon is starting to get on fans radar. I will say.. I wonder how much of a cat & mouse game these teams play with each other, trying to hide their talent from other teams? Then adding the second tier off which prospects they want to hold onto vs the other prospects. The top prospects are easier to identify, but Id be curious to learn how the FO views Escobar vs Rincon… and what preference they’d like to trade. To me, McFarlane was a bit down on the top 30 list, I wonder where other organizations had him. To the casual fan all they say was Marquez as non top prospect.. now he’s on the MLB Top 100. Interesting how the teams like try to fool each other. As for the Dodgers, it likely doesnt matter since they rarely have bad back to back drafts

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      1. The one thing that nobody talks about (even the professional sites, which is puzzling) but that gives Rincon a very high upside is his fantastic plate discipline. Even with a .263 average, Rincon’s OBP is .400 with a walk percentage at 17%. Listen, if you’re a plus plus fielder, have above-average power and walk at a 17% rate – you become a VERY interesting prospect and potentially a very productive major leaguer, even if your hit tool is only average-ish. Don’t sleep on this guy – he has real upside and I could see him shifting to second if Stott stays at third (which I hope he can). Alternatively, if Turner ends up playing outfield, Rincon could stay at short. Rincon is a very promising, very interesting prospect and I’m glad as heck they didn’t trade him at the deadline.

        Liked by 2 people

  3. I always felt the real season begins in September for teams that are within 5 games of a WC spot and holding a division lead.

    The Phillies have the best L10 record in baseball at 8-2 which is a good signal heading into the final 30 games. 34 remain but things are looking pretty good.

    Bottom line is I’m enjoying watching the baseball they’ve played of late.

    I came in with minimal expectations of just make the playoffs and see what happens.

    If there’s one thing that tells you how far a team can go in the playoffs I believe its BP. Those guys have to be at their best to make it through. Right now they are middle of the pack in terms of usage.

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  5. Stott looks great at 3rd. He is a huge defensive upgrade over Bohm. Amazingly he has figured out how to hit LHP and has an .856 OPS against LHP. Higher than his .727 OPS against RHP.

    He is having a really good season. Good article how he has worked with KLong to improve his approach.

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    2. Apologies because this has likley en discussed previously, but is it possible that Bohm’s improvement at the plate may be linked to not having to worry about defense at third base – or does his hit improvement in hitting not coincide with the position switch?

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      1. It could be, but who knows. He was very aggressive in ST and he looked primed for a big walk year but we all know what happened. Better late than never.

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      2. Bohm made an adjustment to his set up that I think has had an impact on his swing path. He used to start out with the bat parallel to the ground on his shoulder. Then as the pitch would come in, he would load his hands.

        Now you will notice his bat starts about 45 degrees. Less movement pre-swing. Imo that adjustment has had an impact but hard to fully know.

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    3. Is it possible that not having to worry about playing 3b has helped Bohm zone in at the plate?

      Im kind of dumbfounded because I was ready to give up on the team after the trade deadline and thought DD was a total moron. What do you mean everyone is going to have to change positions midseason? What do you mean you consider Andrew Painters return to be enough to not need to go get a starter? What do you mean you trust 2 weeks of Bryan de la Cruz enough to not go get another RH bat? And you are really gonna keep throwing Bohm out there?

      Since then Bohm has been MVP-ish (I dont think he magically turned a corner at age 30, but if he can stretch this hot streak through October it would be great), Stott has been awesome at 3b. BDLC has been fire and Painter has been dealing. I feel stupid lmao. I still don’t love Bryce running around in RF that much, but it kind of feels like this all works?

      If you remember when the Braves won the WS, sure they had plenty of stars, but so do we. They went on a run in the postseason because less prestigious guys like Soler and Duvall got hot and it worked. Could this be the Phillies version of this? With guys like Derek Hill/BDLC being the under the radar additions that actually make a difference?

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  6. The bad side about Graves’ outing last night was that he threw 43 pitches to get 4 outs. I’m always pulling for the left handers in the system. I hope Graves could be one to help the big league club.

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  10. i tell you this team does better when you trash them .. Bohm is a perfect example. Keep shoveling on fellas! These guys seem to feed off the negativity.

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  11. WestCoast: Didn’t see your reply on the Nola/HR frequency thoughts. I could be wrong, but I think it’s a combination of things.

    In 2022, Nola’s 4-seam sat around 95 and could touch 96+. Now he’s closer to 92, and that’s a big difference. Hitters can sit on the fastball or wait for one of his secondary pitches to hang. The bottom of the order teeing off on him at this rate is something we didn’t used to see. That few mph, it keeps hitters honest on his knuckle curve.

    Then you have the sticky-stuff crackdown (Speculating but…. I believe his spin rate dropped), pitch clock, and changing strike zone. Less spin hurts, and I think the pitch clock took away some of Nola’s ability to slow the game down and play cat-and-mouse with hitters. At 92, sequencing, deception and location have to be that much better.

    Add in aging process and the number of trips around the MLB Sun. He’s been in the league a long time,teams have a book on him. That makes it harder to fool hitters, especially when the velocity dropped.

    Power pitchers can get away with a lot more. Nola has to grind, but looks like he found a new groove. It’s good enough to be a 4th starter.

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    1. Thanks, that makes sense to me. In short, he doesn’t have much room for error. Would be great if he can keep up the recent positive trend through his last 5 or 6 starts. On the plus side, if the top 3 stay healthy, he won’t be needed much in the playoffs.

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      1.  he won’t be needed much in the playoffs.….if they win the division yes….if it is WC then he will need to make a start as a 4th ib the LDS if the t WC round goes for the full three games.

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        1. yes, if every series goes the maximum, and every starter stays on normal rest, the 4th starter would start 3 out of the 22 playoff games. So a wild card team needs a 4th starter, just not much. In other words, Sanchez, Wheeler, and Luzardo would start 19 out of 22 playoff games. And Nola would start a maximum of 3 games.

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    2. This is the reason why I didn’t want to give him 7 years. And all that talk about having success at lower velocities, there’s really only 1 pitcher who got it done at lower velocities as he aged and that’s Zack Greinke. And even Greinke, who’s likely going to the HOF, was replacement level by age 36.

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      1. there is a devils advocate to this.. someone has to pitch those innings, and well, Nola is the type of arm you’d want int there at then end of 7 years. Will see, but things are looking good as of right now. Will see in another month

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        1. There are always much cheaper arms out there willing to eat innings. The difference is that the Phillies are paying Nola to be a 2/3 and not a 4/5.

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    1. I think Gage and Painter will battle it for our 5th starter next year. I don’t see either has having a leg up on the other. I don’t think it is Painter’s job to lose. I think it will be a legit open competition. The loser will go to LHV to stay warm as the 6th starter.

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      2. They seem to be the logical two who are capable and ready for that role….unless one is dealt this off-season, but with the lockout not sure if trades will still be made with players on the 40 .

        I assume the 40 roster will still be official and updated a week or so prior to Dec 1st. And they may still have a Rule 5 draft I guess since none of the players selected will be on anyone’s 40 roster.

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      3. @v1 – I’m hoping you’re right but right now Wood struggles to get to 5 innings and is extremely homer prone.

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    2. rocco…….Wood had another great game. Reading has 20 games left in the season, he may get 4 more starts…he has already thrown 81 innings, double his previous high…….Phillies may curtail him at 100 or 110 IP. Not sure they will bring him up, like Mariners did with Anderson….if they do they will have to put him on the 40….not sure they want to do that before the lock-out. His development could be stymied if it is a long lock-out.

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  14. Very nice start for the Angels George Klassen the other night. He went in the Estevez trade along with Aldegheri who made his major league debut last season. The Angels don’t wait long to promote their minor league pitchers to the major league. Their pitching is always so woeful for the most part. If both those guys were still with the Phillies, I wonder what level they would be pitching at now.

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    1. People love to be like “just trade the prospects, they are often busts!” during the deadline, and then you look back at some of the “smaller” deals: Hao Yu Lee for Lorenzen, Klassen and Sammy for Estevez, even Marquez for Arraez to an extent (still not convinced this is a WS winning team)

      And what do you have there? A guy who appears to have arrived in the majors as a SP, a top SP prospect, and an everyday middle infielder.

      All for rentals who maybe slightly improved the team, didnt win a championship (jurys out on arraez i guess), and left the team after the year.

      Im sorry, I get that not all prospects work out, but this stuff matters. Even if these guys dont become MLB stars, they are at least pieces that they now have to go out and pay for.

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      1. My rule of thumb is, “Let’s see a guy do it for 2 years at the MLB level before we decide if he’s ‘arrived’ or not.” And even then, a guy like Spencer Strider or Matt Harvey (what about Skenes!?!?) may seem like a flash in the pan. I still don’t regret those trades.

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  15. If Painter throws like he has in the first three innings tonight, Nola won’t be needed in the playoffs at all. Painter looks great!

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  18. Fisher with a rough outing, pulled in 2nd inning after facing 2 batters. Hit 2 batters gave up 3 runs and a HR.

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  19. Painter seems to be improving and gaining confidence.

    7ip, 1r, 0bb, 8k!
    20 swinging strikes (5 different pitches), including all 8k’s! (Changeup2, curve2, slider2, four seam2). Four different pitches had multiple swinging strike threes!
    FB velo was up! 95-99, mostly 96-98. He was still firing 98 and even 99 in the 7th inning!

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    2. came here to post this…

      Now, imagine if the FO traded him?

      Might have been the biggest mistake since trading Sandberg. He’s officially arrived. 20 swings and misses is the tell. A 99mph+ FB at the end. Yup.

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    3. Painter did exactly what he needed to do: not feature his fastball as much. He’s not Miz, so work backwards and use your offspeed first and sprinkle in some fastballs later. You can see that he’s throwing all his pitches with conviction and they are playing up. He looked great.

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  20. Painter looked like the pitcher Keith Law has said he would be in his numerous writeups. He has developed a whole different swagger and level of confidence and it is showing up in his pitches. There will still be some growing pains but he is night and day different than the pitcher who was sent down to work on some things. Kudos to the kid ! Still only 23.

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  21. I know Painter’s progression has fustrated many of fans, especially the casual fan… but that Tommy John surgery .. very likely saved his career as a Philadelphia Phillie … will never know, but the way things have shaken out … to me feels like the FO couldn’t maximize his value therefore it always tipped in the favors to keep him .. lol or other teams didn’t want him. The same is happening to Aiden Miller

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  22. I’ll stop spaming rhe board, but things are looking pretty darn rosey for the FO lately. 2 more shake up that’s could happen… Nola & Wood to the pen for the playoffs? I’d wonder how Nola would do in such a situation knowing he can unload for 1 to 2 innings? Wood, is take the league by surprise Canidate, first look usually gives the pitcher an advantage. I’m not counting on it but … will see

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    1. I would be surprise if Wood is added to the 40, three or so months before Dec 1st…he is not Rule 5 eligible at this point either…he will be Rule 5 eligible after the 2028 baseball season, If the lock-out lasts 3 or 4 months or even more next season, let him still work in the minors and when the CBA is reached, he is ready to be called up and start his MLB debut.

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      1. Romus I need a favorite, talk about me I need to hit a number. You talked about Bohm he got hot , Rincon can’t hit right Hr next game. Painter is still hurt look at him..

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    2. The odds of the Phillies calling up Wood are slim to none. There’s no way that the Phillies will start his clock early, especially with the impending lockout. Not only that, the Phillies don’t usually call up starter prospects AND then move them to the bullpen. The Phillies want their prospects to build a routine that works.

      Forget about Wood in September. If Cortes is healthy, he should be the guy that’s up. Else it’ll be a either Lazar, Backhus, Rangel.

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      1. I would argue that having Lazar, Backhus or Rangel in a September game over Wood (assuming some games will actually matter) is malpractice. Who cares about starting the clock, thats small market BS. If they think Gage Wood would be a better reliever in Sept/Oct than these guys, they owe it to the team and to fans to bring him up.

        Having said that, with the amount of innings hes already thrown, it might make sense from that angle to not have him throwing into those months. But if its a money thing, sack up and do it

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        1. All teams manage the service time for their prospects, not only the Phillies. The Dodgers have so many injuries to their pitching staff and they would rather pick up Eric Lauer off the scrap heap instead of promoting from within. In fact, the Dodgers only have 3 pitchers under the age of 26 that has pitched for them this season: Wrobelski, Sasaki, Henriquez. That’s it. The Dodgers could have easily have promoted Zazueta or Root from AA.

          The Phillies have had the under age 26 pitchers Kerkering, Painter, McFarlane for this season.

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  26. So much of sports is confidence and momentum!
    The Phillies are building the confidence they need for October and are playing more and more loose! Bryan de la Cruz is bringing a jolt just like the Phillies Daycare did years ago. This team (and its fans) are having fun again!

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  27. Hoping Brew Crew win again tonite vs the Braves at Williamsport….Tues. Dodgers go down to Atlanta……good chance Phillies could be in first place before the weekend.

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  28. glad somebody along the line figured out painter needed to switch up the changeup to the circle change.. with velo at 100 and a good to great CU that should be effective for 4-5 innings alone really with his youth and new rubberband arm.. mix in the spin when needed and you got a chance at quality start each time out… now if he can get more movement on the FB and keep locating then you start looking like a #2 in a year or two.. i don’t see wheels playing for the phils come end of his contract.. if he plays i have to imagine he jumps ship and goes to GA where he’s been building his home.. gonna need painter, hope Gage keeps developing so we can matriculate some guys come 28 with sanchez/luzardo/painter/wood/nola.. etc

    glad they resigned Kyle, man you gotta have that long ball guy and he is it and should stay it 2-3 more seasons…. really blows with this CBA stuff.. be a shame to lose a year when they have talent on the roster

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    1. It’s highly unlikely that Wheeler will go to another team, unless the Phillies really lowball him. The Phillies have a history of rewarding their players so if Wheeler wants to pitch 1 or 2 more years, it will likely be in a Phillies uniform at market rate.

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      1. it’ll be interesting to see if he will take a pay cut. He really benefited from the current CBA. 42mil, he got paid, salaries don’t usually go down. 35 mil? It’s going to be interesting

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        1. It will be an inadvertent pay cut if there is a salary cap or more onerous luxury tiers (similar to what’s going on now in the NBA). I do believe that Wheeler wants to end his career with the Phillies.

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      2. If the Phillies don’t or can’t make a decent offer I could see the Braves stepping in. He resides full time in GA so them or maybe even the Rays.

        Obvioulsy it won’t be about the money but more so the chance for a ring.

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        1. Wil the Braves want to pay big dollars for a 38 year old pitcher?

          Heck will the Braves even entertain bringing back Ronald Acuna (age29) after this year on their team option of $17M again for the 5th year in a row….he may not like it however if they do?

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          1. Braves strategy is, if you are young and good, you are here for five and then gone, but not forgotten ……. don’t beleve me ……. ask Freeman

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          2. I mean who is saying its going to be big money? Not I. If Wheeler still wants to play another year or two who knows what he would take. Maybe he takes 2/$36 1/$20 who knows.

            All I was saying is that its not a lock the Phillies would re-up with him and the Braves being in GA and usually fielding pretty good teams might be an option for him.

            In short it would be a very short list of teams he would consider playing for IMO.

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            1. Yeah this is the thing, he says he is done after this deal, but hasn’t fully closed the door… if he views the $ isn’t as important as being in GA with the fam then he has the option to tell the Bravo’s.. hey want my services? i’ll play for you for 1 or 2 years on the cheap.. etc… not saying it will happen but my feeling is if he decides to play after his deal is up it’ll be with them… the phils won’t throw stupid money at him again and i doubt he has allegiance to philly beyond the payday/contract he currently has, also our team will be old and probably out of their window really.. maybe the braves are too and he just hangs them up, who knows but don’t see him coming back

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            2. Raisel Iglesias has had an average year, but he’s a FA. Dubon is also a FA. Albies only has 1 more club option left. Acuna has 2 more club options left. The Braves will have their own issues to deal with in due time.

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            3. DMAR…yes agreed it will be a very short list he will agree to play with, and also see the Brave offering literally a ‘home-town’ discount to him knowing he lives in the area.. Also assume , unless he really declines next season, the Phillies willing to match that Braves’ offering and probably topping it a bit. Whether or not he would accept is another matter.

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        2. The Braves MO don’t involve paying pitchers big money (let alone a 38 year old pitcher). They didn’t want to pay Max Fried. The Braves GM, Alex Anthopolous, is a younger, more progressive GM. Could I see the Braves giving a 1 year deal? Sure. At $40M+? That’s a tough ask.

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          1. The Braves aren’t smart about everything, but they are sure smart about most things, contracts included. The Braves don’t give deals with lots of dead years and, when in doubt, they will bypass a player who wants to be paid has his expected useful life. It can haunt them sometimes, but they never have a bunch of bad contracts.

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  29. I told you all to be patient with Painter. He has all the raw stuff and demeanor to suggest he can be a very good pitcher. I mean Sandy freaking Koufax had 6 mediocre seasons before he emerged as a star. Scherzer was also just okay for a while before he broke out. Tariq Skubal was nothing special when he first made the major leagues. It’s very common with pitchers.

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    1. NY Times early June article on Rincon:

      “When Bryan Rincon struggled to get his timing down during spring training, he turned to Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long for help. Long utilized Soto drills — named for Juan Soto, who popularized driving the knob of the bat into a tossed ball — as part of the process, alongside other drills and lots of conversation. 

      “I was talking (with him) about mechanics, the way that I swing and how to be more aggressive,” Rincon said. “And I’m learning. I’ve been learning how to be relaxed and still be aggressive.”     Those moments with Long paired with offseason work, Rincon said, have led to his best minor-league season yet. After devoting the offseason and spring training to improving his mechanics and approach, Rincon has looked like a different player.

      Rincon entered the offseason knowing he wanted to improve at the plate. Swinging earlier was one of his focuses, he said, but it backfired as he started being too early during spring training. Working with Long got him back in the right spot.     “He’s had the underlying skill set the whole time,” Phillies director of player development Luke Murton said. “(I’m) just very pleased and proud of where he’s at right now. There’s more to come with him.”

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            1. I am a big Edmundo Sosa fan, but Bryan Rincon has one exception skill that Sosa does not have – plate discipline. Rincon walks at elite levels making his offensive profile very attractive if he can just maintain a high enough batting average (with his walk skills and power, at .230, he could be a very good major league player with his already elite glove).

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            2. That would be a disappointing outcome. Hoping Rincon can be more of an everyday guy than Sosa. Maybe not as good as Lindor, but Bryan Rocchio has been listed as a comp for him many times and it makes a ton of sense.

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            3. I think if Rincon can’t hit, he becomes Brayan Rocchio (.639 career OPS). If he can hit a little, he becomes JP Crawford (.706 career OPS). Either way, Rincon has some value and he will likely need an opportunity sometime in 2027.

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  31. Inquirer today with a really interesting piece on Painter’s return to AAA. It turns out the pitching coach there used to be a psychotherapist and is a disciple of Harvey Dorfman, whose book saved Roy Halladay’s career.

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  32. I think it’s safe to say something that many of us thought has been going on for a while now Wheeler is not healthy. I hope they can shut him down and put him on the 10 day IL or something to let him heal up and get straightened out. His command/control hasn’t been this bad since he was in New York Met

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    1. I know people don’t want to hear this but Zack Wheeler is 36. At a certain point, he’s going to decline. Even if the season ended now for Wheeler, his WAR should be counted as a successful season.

      At age 36, both Verlander and Scherzer had really good years. However, Kershaw was pretty much finished at age 36.

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      1. Usually pitchers decline because they lose too much velocity. Wheeler has lost a little but not much and more importantly, he hasn’t lost velocity recently. I suppose it’s possible that a pitcher goes downhill because he loses control/command, but that seems much less likely. My guess is that Wheeler has mechanical issues he needs to iron out and he’s also still coming off that surgery so some fatigue would be expected. I expect him to bounce back significantly, it’s just a matter of when that will happen in my view.

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        1. If you have high velocity, you can get away with a lot if you’re around the zone (like the Miz). Once the velocity starts to go even a little, command comes more into play and the speed differential between your fastball and offspeed pitches declines. Skenes has went down from 98.8 to 96.8 and although 96.8 is plenty fast, he’s getting hit like never before. Skenes numbers are still pretty good, but his walk rate has trickled up, same with his HR and hit rate. It adds up.

          Wheeler has a lot of movement to his pitches but he’s been losing his command recently. It could be mechanical, but I wouldn’t rule out an age related decline either. Pitching takes a toll on the body.

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  33. Wheeler isn’t right, someone needs to own up to the reason.

    Only reason I can see for not counting all of Turner’s errors is to keep the competition for most errors in the ML close, lest he run away with the honor.

    The drama after each Arraez pitch can cease … it’s beginning to wear on me!

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  34. The 2022 Phillies draft might turn out to be one of the deepest ones they’ve had (no star, though)

    1st round – Justin Crawford

    2nd round — no pick

    3rd round — Gabriel Rincones

    4th round — Alex McFarlane

    5th round — Orion Kerkering

    6th round — Mavis Graves

    14th round — Bryan Rincon

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  35. Big game for Reading today, they were losing but 2 HR’s in the bottom of 8th by DeMartini (7th) and Nori (3rd) has put them up 8-6 after 8 innings.

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    1. DeMartini is a sneaky good prospect. He has good plate discipline and power and makes sufficient contact. But he didn’t get a lot of ABs this year (I assume he started the year injured), but he’s a guy to follow with some potential.

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  36. One final comment regarding Zach Wheeler‘s struggles I went back and did some research for the season numbers before June 24 and from June 24 to the present. The reason for that is because on June 24, that’s when the league actually informed the Phillies that they were watching Zach‘s foot position on the rubber comparing the before and after his ERA is almost doubled his walks per nine innings have increased. His whip has increased by .5 before June 24. He gave up zero home runs since June 24. He’s given up on home runs Is this a mental thing a coincidence or a correlation? Is this mechanical issue cause this is definitely an issue about both command and control, which seems to rule out anything injury related

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    3. yeah since the blue jays series it seems to be worse/in his head, his delivery seems slower, more intentional and it seems tight or maybe “uptight” is a way to kind of say it, his speaking with the media has been kind of Uptight too, not that anybody can blame him for that but he just kind of seems off in a lot of aspects both baseball and not…. to me it’s starting to seem a bit.. light at the end of the tunnel ish and he worked so hard to get back to form etc i’m sure fatigue is really setting in.. not in that it’s IP it’s that he was in philly all of the offseason rehabbing etc and it’s been kind of no breaks kind of 13 months… i felt that way with Otto too.. that guy played ball for like 2 years straight.. wasn’t shocked he eventually hit the bricks… that is a long time to really have no RnR.. ask the troops aboard the abraham lincon etc… soul sucking is the best way to put it…. i don’t think the command is there bc i just don’t think he’s focused/cares bc he’s tired… needs to ride the pine pony a bit or even just let him be away.. not even in the clubhouse etc

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  37. This pitching staff has done a lot since 2022. This is not the 5th year these guys are asked to go deep into the postseason. Wheeler/Nola in 2022, Add in Suarez, 2023 the same. Now you’re getting Sanchez/Luzardo. It may not be this year… but next year, it could easily be Sanchez, Luzarado, Painter as the big arms for the playoffs. That woudl make Wheeler’s FA a bit more interesting. In anycase, I hope he regains his form, and asks for 50mil, a year, an is worth every penny that he has been so far. That said, the answer is starting to become clear if he is not. Which is going be a lot of dough to beef up the offense.

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  39. I watched quite a bit of that Dodgers game last night as well as seeing them on Quick Pitch on MLBN. It will be interesting to see if they can turn it back on come playoff time.

    But right now FF is starting to show some effects of his age. Betts has an OPS+ of 93 for the season though he is coming on some. Shohei is still great but I can see them getting clipped by a hot team in the NL.

    I’ll give our boys a pass for the last 2 nights.

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    1. Freeman is not elite anymore but his WAR is still 3.3 (similar to Bryce Harper) and Freeman is 3 years older (age 36). I would be very happy if Harper has 3+ WAR at age 36. Not only that, Freeman is only under contract for 1 more year. Needless to say, the Dodgers reaped the benefits of giving Freeman 6/162 (24.3 WAR and counting).

      Betts is a larger concern for the Dodgers. He’s only 33 but he’s played athletic positions and they don’t normally age well. His OPS has been in decline for 3 straight years. And unfortunately for the Dodgers, he’s still owed 6/202. We’ll see how the Dodgers will manage that contract.

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    2. DMAR…..Dodgers also have key guys on the IL..Pages and catcher Smith…perhaps they can be taken in a series by a hot team. Their pitching may be the key for them. in the play-offs….they have been there before and are experienced..

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      1. Yep and they were walked off last night by the Braves. If no one is taking the Braves seriously at this point it might be time.

        That Dubon kid is really paying big dividends for them.

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  40. Nola second half so far:

    8 starts, 46 innings, 52 strikeouts, 3.52 ERA

    Realmuto second half so far:

    115 plate appearances, .267 batting average, .708 OPS

    In neither case does it match their prime, but it’s not bad.

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  41. I missed most of the game. Can someone explain to me what happened between Crawford and Turner? Can’t find it anywhere.

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      1. Something along the lines of, Turner held the ball too long on a relay(?) and Crawford gave him an earful. Then Turner gave him the death stare. Not trying to spread any rumors but I read it on one outlet and haven’t seen it anywhere else.

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        1. I didn’t see anything like that, but it’s possible I missed it while taking care of my dog or doing laundry.

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    1. Rincon’s OPS is now (back) up to .914. I hope he gets some time at Lehigh this year.

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      1. Come to think of it, he probably should. Bohm won’t be coming back and there’s no guarantee that Arraez is re-signing with the Phillies. Rincon is going to be at ST, but he could be in the mix for an infield job.

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    2. Cody Bowker is getting interesting. He has a funky delivery and the Phillies already pushed him to Reading after getting drafted last year. But the Phillies don’t have an opening in their rotation until 2028, when Wheeler becomes a FA. I still think that if Wheeler comes back on a short term deal, it’ll be with the Phillies, but Bowker could make it interesting.

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      1. WHIP is great. He looks the part so far at just 22. It wouldn’t be crazy to think he finds his way onto the roster as a bulk reliever next season assuming there is one.

        Plus no one likes to think about it but injuries are inevitable in a rotation.

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        1. Doubt Bowker stays as a starter……,those guys do not last as starters, unless of course with his unusual delivery he can bring the velo to the mid-90s and higher on a regular basis. Has that been the case with him to date? The guys like Hoby Milner, Tyler Rogers, Ryan Walker et al…..give it a go as starters but eventually fall into the relief arena for pitchers and serve their purpose MLB hitters eat up those guys after they see them one time.

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        2. There is no indication that the Phillies view Bowker as a bulk reliever and that’s not the Phillies MO. Remember last season when people wanted Painter as a reliever and it wasn’t even a possibility? Phillies like their starters to stay as starters (especially their prospects) until their performance dictates that they get converted to a reliever (like Seth Johnson).

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  43. Reading is on a hot streak with their 6th win in a row, they are 3.5 games up on Somerset for 1st place in the 2nd half. They have scored 301 runs, 3rd best in the eastern league and only 4 runs back of 1st overall. Would be good for them to make the playoffs if they can keep this up.

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  44. One truism about prospects is that development is rarely linear. There is a difference between tools and production and that is usually due to a skill gap. Teams draft the tools and develop the skills. Sounds easy, but really it is hard and it’s rare when a prospect has good tools, struggles for a long time but then pops.

    When it happens, it usually is a pitching prospect with great stuff and poor command. In all of my years following Phillies prospects, I don’t recall it happening often with hitting prospects. That a position prospect will be a terrible hitter for most of his career and then all of the sudden pop. Sure you will have some older prospects beat up on minor league pitching, but that rarely translates to MLB pitching. But I mean real prospects, who are age appropriate for their league.

    Bryan Rincon might be that outlier prospect. The defense has always been great, but for the first time in his career, his hitting is really impressive. As Catch pointed out, the first thing that jumps out to me is his BB rate of 16.6%. He has always had a good walk rate, but for the first time this season his K rate is pretty reasonable too at 21%, a drop from 29% last year, while his Slug increased 71% from last year. Lower K’s with a huge increase in power…that’s impressive. He has always been good at stealing bases too.

    It’s still hard for me to fully buy into a pop up prospect, but I am very encouraged. And man do we need it following the disappointing season that Aidan Miller has had. Fun to dream that he might be our guy. I don’t see a Lindor comp, but the Brayan Rocchio comp mentioned above seems pretty good to me. Wonder if he will get a cup of coffee in September? or go to the AFL?

    https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/phillies-prospect-bryan-rincon-breakout-season-double-a?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

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    1. Rincon has already been to the AFL….twice, not sure they will send him a third time….maybe Australia.

      His development really was curtailed by the injuries and missed time and then the trying to come back from the injuries. In 2023 he got into 99 games, which was not too bad. But then in ’24 it was only 35 games during the summer and 19 in the AFL. And finally last year, 84 in the summer and back to the AFL for another 14….so it has been sporadic playing time during these periods. Hopefully he stays healthy for a long sustained period of time. A Roman Quinn career is not what he wants.

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  45. Going way back I can think of only Ryan Howard and to a lesser degree Rhys who did struggled early in their pro careers; both also came from college so Rincon’s is even a more impressive development til this point.

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      1. I thought Rhys struggled multiple years, only 1st year he had .715 OPS in minors. Howard had OPS of .840 .827 in first 2 minor league seasons. They came in as 21 year olds so they did not rake until 23/24. But they didn’t rake as soon as they arrived in NYPL in upper NY.

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  46. Kiley McDaniel ranks our system 28th in baseball. He had Marquez ranked 46th overall prospect. Right next to Gage at 43.

    Quality depth rank: 29
    Previous rank: 17

    The Phillies embrace risk in the draft and in trading young players for big leaguers. Right-hander Ramon Marquez was the headliner to land Luis Arraez and Marquez was a big riser, landing No. 46 on the updated top 100 last week. In the draft, the Phillies embraced hit tool and reliever risk with many of their top picks; obviously that has worked out for them at times in the past.

    Shortstop Aidan Miller’s lost season to injury and the graduation of Andrew Painter and Justin Crawford hurt the ranking here, but the emergence of right-hander Gage Wood (43rd on the top 100) and outfielder Francisco Renteria (sitting at 119th right now, for those curious) has helped.

    https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49734496/2026-mlb-prospect-rankings-update-farm-systems-30-teams-brewers-dodgers-orioles-rays

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    2. I’d be lying if I said I know these guys and what they do, but when you have been as consistently awful at drafting and developing talent as the Phillies have been, change can only be viewed as a potential step in the right direction.

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    3. Wow Corinne Landrey has really has come a long way…I remember when she wrote in the Crashburn Alley blog about 10 years ago. She was one of the best, if not the best in analytical reasoning. And always a Phillies fan.

      Liked by 1 person

          1. pretty sure crashburn was what brought me here, once that place ended this was really the best spot to talk ball with the proverbial heads

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  48. have a chance to watch some Rincon video and there’s three things that make me excited about his future as a prospect first towel will he hits the ball the other way with serious power the other way. Second his bat speed really quick to the ball. Third how he controls his bat hard to describe, but I know it when I see it. Very excited to see the future for this young man.

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