Positive Phillies’ Firepower

While many are quick to dismiss the regulars in the starting lineup, their perception also colors their conclusion about the management of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Double or Nothing:

Finding what is over the next ridge has always been due to insatiable curiosity, and a new horizon will appear when you reach the current one.

If you picture the pressroom used by the Phillies’ skipper for his postgame comments, you would barely be able to fit the most important members of the front office in there. In other words, general manager Matt Klentak is in charge of a large department.

Concerning player development, two staffers recently compared stats of some regulars with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and they discussed power numbers versus plate discipline. Yes, he strikes out too much but he is a legitimate long-ball threat. Therefore, Klentak will make an allowance for his shortcomings because starters like him are in demand.

"IN OTHER WORDS:     “It could be, it might be, It is. A home run!” – Harry Caray"

As the conversation continued, they agreed control years are important to keep your homegrown talent. On the other hand, it’s a big decision when a Scott Kingery is moving quickly through the system. Yes, we don’t have to burn a 40-man spot for him until after the 2019 campaign. But if he forces us to bring him up in 2018, Klentak will not have a single doubt.

Before management swaps and replaces a regular, the GM will decide if the starter isn’t productive. But if he is, Klentak will not consider Triple-A and MLB stats to be equal. In other words, Cody Asche could still be wearing red pinstripes because he hit .296 before his call-up. And Domonic Brown could be manning left field based on his Triple-A numbers in 2012. Meanwhile, the armchair GM hopes they learned their lesson with Chase Utley. Not Brown or Asche?

During the beginning years of a major league player – called a rookie for a reason – he must make mental and emotional adjustments to the faster game speed at the top professional level. For instance, Freddy Galvis and Cesar Hernandez were only going to be bench players not too long ago: placeholders for Kingery and J.P. Crawford. Now, the former could be a third sacker with Hernandez at second base, and the latter has experienced a drop in his status as a prospect. Weren’t fans calling for Crawford to be a call-up last September?