Philadelphia Phillies: Tomorrow Behind the Plate
Planning for July, general manager Matt Klentak of the Philadelphia Phillies navigates the tricky waters toward success, but this is only the beginning.
The Wild Cards:
For the view and jubilation at the mountaintop, the adventurer escapes the norm.
Long before president Andy MacPhail hired a GM for wheeling and dealing, catching was a priority for the previous front office. Carlos Ruiz was approaching the end of his career, and the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t have an in-house successor for this vital position. Simultaneously, the organization could not re-sign Hunter Pence or Shane Victorino without exceeding the competitive-balance threshold of $178 million for 2013. So, management was able to acquire Tommy Joseph from the San Francisco Giants for Pence because Buster Posey was blocking the young receiver on the depth chart.
In this new age of sports medicine and stratospheric costs, Klentak occasionally has contagious optimism, and one case last season was Joseph’s health and minor league progress. Klentak discussed Joseph with MacPhail in an early May meeting. And as the GM stated, Joseph proved he could be injury-free and is forcing us to call him up. If he hits, he fits.
IN OTHER WORDS: “A catcher and his body are like the outlaw and his horse. He’s got to ride that nag till it drops.” – Johnny Bench
When 2015 began, backstop Andrew Knapp went from averaging .262 for the Single-A Advanced Clearwater Threshers to .360 for the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. And Klentak promoted him to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, where he produced a .266 mark. But the GM sent acquired catcher Jorge Alfaro to Reading in April due to his 2015-ending ankle injury at Double-A. Yet, even thought he averaged .285 with 15 homers and 67 RBIs, the September call-up saw limited action because he struck out eight times in 17 plate appearances.
Glancing at his wild cards, Klentak could deal one and hold on to another – an infielder or a catcher – and then decide the assignments for Alfaro and Knapp. Presently, Cameron Rupp has solidified the starting role behind the plate, and A.J. Ellis is in the decision-maker’s plans to mentor a rookie backstop. That stated, when the equipment arrives at Bright House Field in Clearwater, the fun will begin for the Philadelphia Phillies GM and manager Pete Mackanin: evaluations and meetings.
In March, if you listen closely, you will almost hear two patrons at Frenchy’s Tiki Pavilion as they compare Alfaro and Knapp. Who’s going to play for the IronPigs? Well, Knapp has earned the job but Alfaro is due for advancement, where he can prepare to be a regular on the red pinstripes with his powerful stroke and defensive skills. Bottleneck!
Juggling four catchers, Klentak will decide on the roles for Alfaro and Knapp with Lehigh Valley. But what will happen if everything goes according to plan? Well, Alfaro will receive the lion’s share of receiving duties with the IronPigs, while Knapp will catch, play some left field, and man first base for his at-bats.
Rupp will pick up where he left off and receive help with his pitch framing from Ellis. Then, the strategy will be to trade Rupp in July to a contender. And although it’s obvious, who is the catcher Ellis will never mentor? Joseph.
The Numerical Bible:
This review is not a sabermetrics article, which means no heavy statistical analysis. But because some readers rely on stats, this is only a reference: no reason to articulate the importance of these numbers.
These numbers do not include any postseason activity.
Hitting:
- Joseph, 25.5: 107 Gms., 347 PA, a .257 Avg., a .308 OBP, a .505 SLG, a .248 ISO, a .267 BABIP, 21 HR, 47 RBI, an .813 OPS and a 0.9 WAR.
- Rupp, 28: 105 Gms., 419 PA, a .252 Avg., a .303 OBP, a .447 SLG, a .195 ISO, a .315 BABIP, 16 HR, 54 RBI, a .750 OPS and a 1.6 WAR.
- Ellis, 35.5: 64 Gms., 196 PA, a .216 Avg., a .301 OBP, a .298 SLG, a .082 ISO, a .252 BABIP, 2 HR, 22 RBI, a .599 OPS and a -0.1 WAR.
Triple-A Hitting:
- Knapp, 25: 107 Gms., 443 PA, a .266 Avg., a .330 OBP, a .390 SLG, a .124 ISO, a .343 BABIP, 8 HR, 46 RBI, a .719 OPS and a 3.6 WAR.
Next: Storyline: Tomorrow at Second Base for the Phillies
Double-A Hitting:
- Alfaro, 23.5: 97 Gms., 435 PA, a .285 Avg., a .325 OBP, a .458 SLG, a .173 ISO, a .347 BABIP, 15 HR, 67 RBI, a .783 OPS and 4.0 WAR.