Phillies 2nd Baseman for the 2018 Whiz Kids
By Tal Venada
When you review his stats for 1950, Mike Goliat was one player without sparkling numbers, but he had his career best in most categories. He averaged .234 with 13 long balls, 64 RBIs and a 1.3 fWAR. Therefore, he played well above his head that campaign, compared to his other three MLB seasons.
While the Philly fandom considered Cesar Hernandez a placeholder, he realized his benching when coach Larry Bowa told him in salty language his job was on the line. And since he unexpectedly returned to the lineup shortly thereafter, he has been a solid .300 hitter and not the .280 bat skipper Pete Mackanin expected. In fact, he’s hitting higher than his potential replacement with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils.
Hernandez since June 23:
- 128 Gms., 478 AB, 155 H, a .324 Avg., 8 HR, 34 RBI, 21 SB and 11 CS.
"IN OTHER WORDS: “A good base stealer should make the whole infield jumpy. Whether you steal or not, you’re changing the rhythm of the game. If the pitcher is concerned about you, he isn’t concentrating enough on the batter.” – Joe “the Little General” Morgan"
Before every series and contest, managers, coaches and players have meetings. What do these powwows cover? Well, the hurlers discuss getting opposing hitters out and form their strategies with video, scouting reports and their knowledge of each regular. For instance, second sacker Jesmuel Valentin had averaged .333 through April 20 with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs but batted only .148 since then until May 14 – his placement on the seven-day disabled list with a shoulder strain.