Call to the pen
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Phillies’ Lineup Changes Ahead

By Tal Venada

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 3: Maikel Franco
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 3: Maikel Franco /
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With Hoskins in the Middle of the Order, Galvis Running onto the Field To Man the Hot Corner Is a Possibility This September.
With Hoskins in the Middle of the Order, Galvis Running onto the Field To Man the Hot Corner Is a Possibility This September. /

Klentak reaches decisions on players much faster than his predecessor. More and more, Franco’s shortcomings continue to disappoint: The third sacker’s average was .280 in 2015, .255 for 2016, and is .227 this campaign. Currently, Franco has 17 homers and 58 RBI, which projects to 25 bombs and 85 RBI. In other words, Hoskins can replace Franco’s production, hit for a higher average, and do so with plate discipline. Trading Franco, of course, will allow Kingery or Galvis to man the hot corner and Kingery or Crawford to be in the lineup.

"IN OTHER WORDS:     “it gives us a lot of versatility and flexibility. Looking ahead, we’ve got a lot of good young players coming through the system. As they make their way, we’ll have some tough decisions down the road.” – Tim Purpura"

Regarding the pressing requirement for a left-handed bat with pop, Cozens might get a September call-up because he’s on the 40-man roster. But if he doesn’t surprisingly bottle lightning, he could spend another four months with Lehigh Valley. That stated, the Philadelphia Phillies will be in the market during the offseason for the left-side hitter they will need between Hoskins and Joseph. But an even tougher question is the position for that left-handed threat.

According to Tom Housenick of the Morning Call in Allentown, Hoskins has been taking fly balls during batting practice for the last couple weeks. Ergo, around July 17 to 24. Why would they just put him in left field without a few weeks of preparation? In other words, this began after the Triple-A All-Star Game on July 12 and has only a little to do with Aaron Altherr‘s two stints on the disabled list: July 17 to 26, and August 5 presently. Translation: Hoskins is ready for the Show, his performance will determine Klentak’s winter approach, and now he’s proving he can handle left field: A spot previously held by Greg Luzinski and Pat Burrell.

Next: Phillies' Offseason Expectations

If an MLB general manager wants to keep one of 30 such jobs out of the entire country, he must find some way to fit the pieces together. So, not only does he search the roster of the other 29 franchises but also looks at the IronPigs’ and the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils’ talent. Why would he do otherwise?

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