Philadelphia Phillies’ Heart of the Order

While the front office has provided a regular for all eight positions, some are wondering about the middle of the lineup, and others are skeptical regarding elevated hopes for the 2017 Philadelphia Phillies.

Offense Revisited: 

Doubling the value and quality of – for instance – entertainment helps to balance the mundane aspects of the daily grind.

If you break down the batting order, you’d find each slot having a function and working as part of one unit. Additionally, when manager Pete Mackanin fills out his lineup card, he strategizes for the end of the game, not just the beginning. In other words, balancing the offense means splitting up the left-handed and right-handed hitters. It’s math. Averaging .280 against same-handed pitchers means hitting .300 versus easier competition and .260 against the better hurlers: those closers in the ninth inning with the outcome on the line.

At the top of the order, Cesar Hernandez is the leadoff man and Odubel Herrera bats second, which at least gives the Phils right-side and left-side coverage. On, however, the opposite end of the lineup, Mackanin has Cameron Rupp and Freddy Galvis to add runs and pick up some slack during the long 162. Ergo, important.

Batting third for the Philadelphia Phillies, Howie Kendrick – applause – has a history of roughly averaging .290, but he hasn’t recorded 13 homers since 2013 and 75 RBI since 2014. And while the corner infielders and the right fielder have power, Kendrick can produce a higher average. Expectation: Kendrick, 33, who is in his contract year, needs numbers for a three-season deal; so general manager Matt Klentak absorbed his $10 million commitment for four months of offense and a July trade chip.

On the other hand, Roman Quinn must prove – by playing daily – he can be successful at Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and be healthy, while Aaron Altherr and Daniel Nava will probably be the outfield reserves.

Kendrick’s stats:

• 2013: 122 Gms., 513 PA, a .297 Avg., 13 HR, 54 RBI, a .775 OPS and a 2.6 fWAR.
• 2014: 157 Gms., 674 PA, a .293 Avg., 7 HR, 75 RBI, a .744 OPS and a 4.6 fWAR.
• 2015: 117 Gms., 495 PA, a .295 Avg., 9 HR, 54 RBI, a .746 OPS and a 2.2 fWAR.

Hitting cleanup for Philadelphia, Maikel Franco – chants of Maik, Maik, Maik – learned he can’t be the entire offense; but adding Kendrick and Saunders will relieve the pressure the third baseman struggled with last summer. Yes, Mackanin reviewed the 2016 campaign with Franco and told him in October to have a plan, relax, coax walks, hit doubles; and the home runs will come. Recently, Franco took the first step publicly in an interview by admitting his lack of plate discipline to a beat writer at the Phillies Winter Banquet in Bethlehem. Expectation: Franco is a power hitter who can blast 30 long balls or more, and he’ll average .280 and drive in 100 runs if he improves his approach.

IN OTHER WORDS:     “Home runs just come from accidents by me, … I just try to hit it solid and sometimes they go out. The record is nice to have but I’m not trying to hit them.” – Craig Biggio

In the five-spot for the Phils, Michael Saunders – we want a hit; we want a hit – is also in a contract season and the sole left-handed bat in the meat of the order. The idea here is to split up Franco and Joseph in the lineup with Saunders because the opposing manager might have to compensate with three relievers in the later frames instead of only one due to a right-left-right alignment. In other words, the strategy is to force the other team to use their bullpen.

Health-wise, Saunders is two years removed from knee surgery, and ’16 was his first full summer since 2013, which explains his defensive difficulties for the 2016 Toronto Blue Jays. Expectation: He could have tired in the second half last season, but now more stamina might help him maintain a .280 mark with 25 homers. Keep in mind, he has a club option for 2018, and Klentak will probably exercise it if right fielder Dylan Cozens isn’t ready for more than just a September call-up.

Saunders’ stats:

• Total: 140 Gms., 490 AB, .253 Avg., 24 HR, 57 RBI and an .815 OPS.

• First half: 82 Gms., 305 AB, .298 Avg., 16 HR, 42 RBI and a .923 OPS.
• Second half: 58 Gms., 185 AB, .178 Avg., 8 HR, 15 RBI and a .638 OPS.

• Home: 69 Gms., 241 AB, .266 Avg., 10 HR, 25 RBI and an .834 OPS.
• Away: 71 Gms., 249 AB, .241 Avg., 14 HR, 32 RBI and a .797 OPS.

Batting sixth for the Phillies, Tommy Joseph – (bugle call) charge! – will be more comfortable in this slot and can protect Saunders. And less pressure will help because the league will make adjustments to him that he will have to overcome. Expectation: His projection is a .260 hitter with 25 home runs or more and 80 RBI.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:     “The passion is my favorite part of the city [Philadelphia]. You go from ‘we love you’ to ‘we hate you’ back to ‘you walk on water.’ You’re driving, and somebody might wave or somebody might flip you off.” – Jim Thome

If you listen closely, you can almost hear the conversation between Matt Stairs, the new hitting coach, and Mackanin. The skipper expresses his extreme optimism about ’17. And planning to work tirelessly with the youngsters is the promise Stairs makes to Mackanin. And what is the manager’s reply? Good luck!