The Phillies’ 4-Corners Offense

Cutting the diamond into two parts, old-school baseball lifers back then believed a team’s power was at third base, first base, left field and right field; but – despite the analytics – the Philadelphia Phillies now have three home run hitters who had 20 or more long balls last year in those four spots.

Promotional Situations:

To be at the top of anything, you have to be among the best and have good fortune as well.

In the major leagues, 30 franchises have a combined 750 jobs for players, which means approximately one for every dozen candidates including those in other countries with professional baseball. Comparably, general managers and skippers have only 30 openings apiece. In other words, a decision-maker has to produce just like a pitcher or a hitter: They have a limit on their fairness.

While most hitters are streaky, the more consistent ones land in Cooperstown. And when it comes to luck in baseball, Charlie Manuel once stated during a TV interview it’s 40 percent. Ergo, a player or a club is never as good or bad as their hot or cold streaks respectively.

In rebuilding organizations, youngsters see opportunities with the parent club, and their competitive drive and mental toughness shows up in their statistics. Of course, 2017 is incomplete so far. Yet even though the red pinstripes have a dozen players or more with comfortable holds on their positions, only Odubel Herrera due to his contract has definitely secured a spot.

While fans have strong views, they are similar to their contemporaries for other teams and stars. For instance, the faithful for the Washington Nationals are enjoying the euphoria of a 13-6 record with a .684 winning percentage and anticipating a direct route to the postseason. How many victories would a .684 mark yield? A projected 111. Meanwhile, the New York Mets with an 8-11 record and a .421 percentage are on pace for only 68 wins. But neither will happen.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:     “Baseball is not necessarily an obsessive-compulsive disorder, like washing your hands 100 times a day, but it’s beginning to seem that way. We’re reaching the point where you can be a truly dedicated, state-of-the-art fan or you can have a life. Take your pick.” – Thomas M. Boswell

Devouring stats daily, the locals are critical of slow starts and slumps. However, no franchise hands a player a job: They earn those spots like Tommy Joseph with 21 homers and 57 RBIs for 2016. He worked for that partial guarantee of two months: 200 at-bats. Of course, it comes with the pressure from MiLB standouts at his position, teammates, friends, relatives and the hitter himself.

For what it’s worth, the other half of the dynamic duo is struggling. Right fielder Dylan Cozens is averaging .140 with four long balls and 10 RBIs. That stated, he was hitting .229 last April with four homers and 13 RBIs after his first 18 games with the Double-A Reading Fighting Phils. Too soon, perhaps?

Behind his desk, Klentak sees the same .296 for outfielder Nick Williams the fans do, but the GM isn’t basing advancement on his average. Remember, Williams’ problem is plate discipline and the exec doesn’t like what’s on his computer screen. However, while the faithful and scribes go to FanGraphs, Klentak has scouting reports to arrive at his conclusion. What does the below evaluation scream? Awful!

Williams’ rating:

• K% is 32.8 percent.
• BB% is 1.7 percent.

According to FanGraphs, these are their rankings.

Next: Not So Fast, Phillies Fans

While Howie Kendrick is on the disabled list, Aaron Altherr after a solid camp is up to .364 with two stolen bases. So, how long does Altherr have to impress the decision-makers? Three weeks.