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Phillies lead ‘race’ for top 2018 draft pick

By Matt Veasey

PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 29: The Phillies' unlit scoreboard is shown at Citizens Bank Park on August 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rain cancelled the game against the Atlanta Braves and is rescheduled as a doubleheader tomorrow. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 29: The Phillies' unlit scoreboard is shown at Citizens Bank Park on August 29, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Rain cancelled the game against the Atlanta Braves and is rescheduled as a doubleheader tomorrow. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /
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For the second time in three years, the Philadelphia Phillies may find themselves holders of the top overall pick in the MLB Amateur Draft.

On Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies will begin playing the final full month of their 2017 schedule. The club will enter that last full month with the worst overall record in baseball.

The Phillies dropped the final two games of their most recent series against the woeful Atlanta Braves by a combined scored of 14-3. Now the club opens up a four-game weekend set with the Miami Marlins on Thursday.

That series in South Florida begins an 11-game away trek against division rivals, the Phillies’ longest road trip of the season. It continues with three against the New York Mets, and then a four-gamer with the Washington Nationals next weekend.

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Entering play on Thursday, the Phillies sport a record of 49-83. The San Francisco Giants (82), Chicago White Sox (79) and Cincinnati Reds (77) are currently closest to the Phillies in the loss column.

Should they finish with the worst record, it will be for the second time in three years. In 2015 the Phillies finished 63-99, the worst record by any Phillies team since the year I was born. That 1961 squad dropped 107 games and currently stands as the worst Phillies team in more than 70 years.

The current group is on pace to win just 60 games, which would make it the worst in the last 56 years for the franchise, and the only one in that span to lose 100 or more games.

HEADED FOR TOP PICK IN 2018 DRAFT

Finishing with the worst record in the league would again give the Phillies the top overall pick in the MLB Amateur Draft. After earning that “reward” in 2015, the club made outfielder Mickey Moniak the top pick in the 2016 Draft.

Many evaluators currently rank University of Florida right-handed ace Brady Singer as the top available talent. However, it is far too early to worry about who will actually emerge by next spring and speculate as to who the Phillies might pick.

The real issue is that this has to stop. This must be the last time for a long time that the club is in contention for such a high draft pick.

Next: Cubs set multiple HR records in 17-3 win over Pirates

The Phillies are fielding a losing team for a fifth consecutive season. The emergence this year of position players Rhys Hoskins, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro is a positive sign. But more talent is needed, and it’s time to stop looking at the short-term band-aid of stopgap players.

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