Philadelphia Phillies: Time to Acquire a Bat?
By Tal Venada
With the offseason at hand, a veteran hitter for the heart of the order is atop the agenda for the Philadelphia Phillies, and the front office is also hoping to add outfielder Roman Quinn‘s speed to the lineup in April.
But while fans have differing opinions on the next course of action, only general manager Matt Klentak will be responsible for the upcoming decisions. So, figuring out what the Philadelphia Phillies GM will do requires weighing his visible options.
The Right Fit:
When one factors in the cost, the risk, outside considerations, the commitment and its length, timing is the only influential element remaining.
Examining the stats on his computer, Klentak relives 2016’s highs and acknowledges his regulars’ shortcomings. And, recently, he revealed the players he’s happy with: Tommy Joseph, Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez and Cameron Rupp. But after the head honcho pencils in Maikel Franco and Odubel Herrera, what holes are obvious? The corner outfield spots.
With the countdown to the final game, Double D, a poster from another site, posed a question regarding the Phils’ weak outfield production. Well, firstly, this area must improve for the next campaign because the pipeline has not filled these two openings.
In the past, the Dom Browns had every opportunity to succeed, but the current crew moves on more quickly than their predecessors. So, Darin Ruf, Cody Asche and Tyler Goeddel are competing for bench roles, but Goeddel will probably end up with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Of course, including one in a trade package is another avenue the higher-ups will explore, unless a reserve outfielder decides to ink a deal in Japan.
Becoming a bench piece because of his batting average, Aaron Altherr hasn’t succeeded either. And Nick Williams will need another summer with Lehigh Valley to dramatically improve his plate discipline; moreover, Klentak isn’t counting on either for 2017. However, Double D, neither outfielder has an elite tool: Quinn has speed, catcher Jorge Alfaro has power, and Vince Velasquez has 95-mph smoke. In other words, Quinn–.263 with 5 SB and a .373 OBP–will have the best shot at hitting second on Opening Day if he impresses the brass in spring training.