The Phillies’ 4-Corners Offense
By Tal Venada
If you go back to the 2008 squad, most of the power came from the corners. Ryan “The Big Piece” Howard, Jayson “J-Dub” Werth, “Pat the Bat” Burrell and Pedro Feliz were the starters. Power-wise, Howard had 48 home runs, Burrell contributed 33, Werth popped 24, and Feliz had 14.
2016 stats:
- Third Baseman Maikel Franco with 25 HR.
- Right Fielder Michael Saunders with 24 HR.
- First Sacker Joseph with 21 HR.
In the batting cage, Franco hears instructions from hitting coach Matt Stairs. How can you see the ball when your eyes aren’t on it? Track it! Watch it into your swing!
On the other side of the field, Joseph is averaging .200 with one long ball and seven RBIs, but in his last nine games he’s batting .281 with one homer and four RBIs. Is Stairs working his magic?
Or, maybe, Joseph doesn’t want to lose at-bats to Brock Stassi. Well, the rookie has two knocks in his last five ABs, but for now he’s still a bench piece and happy to be on the 25-man roster.
"IN OTHER WORDS: I remember going from rookie ball to A, to double A, then to triple A. At every level it seemed like the game was faster. The bigger the situation, the more the game speeds up. That’s all mental. It messes people up.” – Derek Jeter"
While the Philadelphia Phillies carry their .500 mark into the Miami Marlins series, first sacker Rhys Hoskins of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs has caught the attention of national writers. They are speculating about his readiness to replace Joseph because the IronPig is hitting .321 with four home runs and seven RBIs. However, he only has 53 at-bats in 17 contests, and it will take much more than that to impress general manager Matt Klentak.