Trade Bait or Phillies’ Placeholders
By Tal Venada
"CURVE BALL: “You have only two hemispheres in your brain – a left and a right side. The left side controls the right side of your body and the right controls the left half. It’s a fact. Therefore, left-handers are the only people in their right minds.” – Bill “Spaceman” Lee"
In the sports department of a local newspaper, the new guy told the beat writer he believed Hoskins should get a shot at first base. But the scribe pointed out that Joseph had put up similar stats before his advancement to platoon with Ryan “the Big Piece” Howard in ’16. And the writer added that Joseph has proven he can produce in the big leagues. General managers – the scribe continued – don’t swap a known for an unknown, unless the Triple-A player is a highly touted prospect with jaw-dropping numbers.
Triple-A Comparison:
- Joseph, almost 25 in 2016: 27 Gms., 100 PA, a .347 Avg., 6 HR, 17 RBI, a .981 OPS and a 0.7 WARP.
- Joseph’s 311-PA Projection: 84 Gms.,18 HR and 53 RBI.
- Hoskins, 24: 76 Gms., 311 PA, a .304 Avg., 18 HR and 62 RBI.
- See plate-discipline percentages and statistical comparison for advanced numbers (last page).
"FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “I went to college for a reason, and that was to skip the minor leagues. I spent a year in the minors and got my at-bats in, and then I felt like I was ready for the big leagues.” – Mark “Tex” Teixeira"