Positive Phillies’ Firepower
While many are quick to dismiss the regulars in the starting lineup, their perception also colors their conclusion about the management of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Double or Nothing:
Finding what is over the next ridge has always been due to insatiable curiosity, and a new horizon will appear when you reach the current one.
If you picture the pressroom used by the Phillies’ skipper for his postgame comments, you would barely be able to fit the most important members of the front office in there. In other words, general manager Matt Klentak is in charge of a large department.
Concerning player development, two staffers recently compared stats of some regulars with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, and they discussed power numbers versus plate discipline. Yes, he strikes out too much but he is a legitimate long-ball threat. Therefore, Klentak will make an allowance for his shortcomings because starters like him are in demand.
IN OTHER WORDS: “It could be, it might be, It is. A home run!” – Harry Caray
As the conversation continued, they agreed control years are important to keep your homegrown talent. On the other hand, it’s a big decision when a Scott Kingery is moving quickly through the system. Yes, we don’t have to burn a 40-man spot for him until after the 2019 campaign. But if he forces us to bring him up in 2018, Klentak will not have a single doubt.
Before management swaps and replaces a regular, the GM will decide if the starter isn’t productive. But if he is, Klentak will not consider Triple-A and MLB stats to be equal. In other words, Cody Asche could still be wearing red pinstripes because he hit .296 before his call-up. And Domonic Brown could be manning left field based on his Triple-A numbers in 2012. Meanwhile, the armchair GM hopes they learned their lesson with Chase Utley. Not Brown or Asche?
During the beginning years of a major league player – called a rookie for a reason – he must make mental and emotional adjustments to the faster game speed at the top professional level. For instance, Freddy Galvis and Cesar Hernandez were only going to be bench players not too long ago: placeholders for Kingery and J.P. Crawford. Now, the former could be a third sacker with Hernandez at second base, and the latter has experienced a drop in his status as a prospect. Weren’t fans calling for Crawford to be a call-up last September?
Even though he averaged .294 at Lehigh Valley, Aaron Altherr appears to be a .280 hitter, which is enough to claim an outfield spot for ’18. Of course, everything will begin anew in April, and the league will find other ways to challenge him. But producing every summer is not a given as Cameron Rupp has found out. Ergo, no guarantees.
Altherr’s stats:
- Overall: 77 Gms., 265 AB, .279, 13 HR, 43 RBI and an .864 OPS.
- Projection for 162 games: 25 HR and 81 RBI.
According to Fangraphs, low walk rates are only acceptable for players with exceptional power numbers. Stats are through July 8.
Plate Discipline:
- Altherr in MLB: K% at 26.2% and BB% at 8.2%
- Williams at Triple-A: K% at 29.4% and BB% at 5.2%
| Rating | K% | BB% |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent | 10.0% | 15.0% |
| Great | 12.5% | 12.5% |
| Above Average | 16.0% | 10.0% |
| Average | 20.0% | 8.0% |
| Below Average | 22.0% | 7.0% |
| Poor | 25.0% | 5.5% |
| Awful | 27.5% | 4.0% |
Promoted recently from Lehigh Valley, Nick Williams is here due to an injury, not performance. Yes, he batted .350 in his last six contests at Triple-A with six free passes and eight punch outs, but he only earned a brief look from the higher-ups. However, the league already knows he strikes out too much and walks too little. But motivation-wise, Klentak understands Williams won’t like returning to the IronPigs, will try to avoid it, will benefit from better coaching in Philly, and will do everything he can to keep earning a big league salary, which is considerably more than the minors.
Because the critics have unmet expectations for Maikel Franco, they see every hitting mistake as proof of failure. In fact, the third sacker may immediately realize he didn’t follow the ball to his bat and made the adjustment on the next pitch. Improvement? He might be trying to concentrate on every pitch – albeit with partial success – if you look at each AB positively instead of negatively.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “I’m not thinking home run, I just want to put a good swing on the ball. When you go looking for home runs, you get off of your swing. So you don’t think of homers when you go up to the plate.” – David “Big Papi” Ortiz
Franco’s stats:
- Overall: 82 Gms., 314 AB, .220, 13 HR, 45 RBI and a .666 OPS.
- Projection for 162 games: 25 HR and 85 RBI.
Enjoying a comparison to Utley, Kingery isn’t the first phenom to be the next household name. And many haven’t lived up to their trumpeted billing. Meanwhile, Klentak wants to see 400 Triple-A at-bats before he advances Kingery to the Philadelphia Phillies. And although the infielder doesn’t have to be on the 40-man roster until after the 2019 campaign, he could arrive next June. Yes, Aaron Nola’s promotion was in his second season, but the Phils’ need was greater at that time.
Since his struggles in April, the faithful have decided that Tommy Joseph is expendable and a mere placeholder. They think of Joseph in the “past tense” with limited expectations because they made up their minds before May 1. On the other hand, if the first baseman continues at his current pace, he will be two homers and 19 RBIs shy of 30 bombs and 100 RBIs. But he’ll only hit .260 and not be perfect defensively, no?
Joseph’s stats:
- Overall: 81 Gms., 290 AB, .255, 15 HR, 43 RBI and a .789 OPS.
- Projection for 162 games: 28 HR and 81 RBI.
IN OTHER WORDS: “As a first baseman, hitting home runs is what’s expected of me. But I don’t really try to hit home runs.” – Derrek “D-Lee” Lee
Although he’s averaging .289, first sacker Rhys Hoskins has better plate discipline than Joseph but is currently in a little slump. He’s batting .208 with three home runs and eight RBIs from June 24 through July 8. However, he won’t require a 40-man spot until after the 2018 season. And even though Joseph is blocking him, he’s having an excellent first half but will have to rebound from this bit of adversity to advance.
Next: The Phillies' Before and After Test
Regarding the pipeline during rebuilding, fans don’t need much encouragement to expect the same MiLB numbers in the majors. In other words, Kingery and Hoskins – like Crawford in 2016 – have what in common? The grass is greener.