The Phillies’ Immediate Future
By Tal Venada
Before and after:
Barring a star falling into their laps, the hometown nine will begin spring training with their current roster. They will go with a Major League offense ranked 10th in second-half runs, the addition of left-handed power, six fire-men for the final nine outs and starters going 5 -6-innings behind a stud.
"WORDS OF WISDOM: “People who write about spring training not being necessary have never tried to throw a baseball.” – Sandy “the Left Arm of God” Koufax"
To Klentak, ’18 is the bridge to ’19. He realizes the Phillies have yet to play .500 for an entire 162, and a winning season is a next step to a contention window. So, the GM sticks to his rebuilding plan after the worn-out novelty of acquiring youngsters for aging veterans.
Based on the active 25, the red and white could make some noise in the Wild Card standings through August. The idea this year is for management to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and address those needs for 2019’s run for the divisional crown.
Finishing 2017 with a 37-36 record, the Phils showed a marked improvement in the advancement of Nick Williams, Rhys Hoskins, Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford. Additionally, Santana will provide a substantial boost to increase run production.
Besides strengthening the relief corps to hold off other teams, the red pinstripes will be counting on plate discipline to put pressure on opposing pitchers. In other words, OBP will be an essential factor on the lineup cards of skipper Gabe Kapler.