3 Phillies at a critical juncture

Crossroads:

Machado is returning to short for Baltimore, so the battle here for ’19 could be at third base between Franco, Crawford and Kingery. And even if those three produce, Machado could still sign with Philly, May the best men win!

At the hot corner, Franco has two possible outcomes besides another disappointing season. For instance, if he averages .260 with 25 homers and 80 RBIs, his rebound will be enough to satisfy management going forward.

"WORDS OF WISDOM: “Adversity is a crossroads that makes a person choose one of two paths: character or compromise. Every time he chooses character, he becomes stronger, even if that choice brings negative consequences.” – John C. Maxwell"

Franco could nail down the position if he hits .280 with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, but he produced those numbers during his competition with Crawford from Sept. 5 on .279 with six bombs and 14 RBIs. Statistically, those 26 games project out to 46 long balls and 108 RBIs over a full summer. A motivational cure?

Crawford also has two sets of numbers. If he bats .250 with a .350 OBP, he’ll certainly be returning, but .280 with a .380 OBP may change a few minds behind the front-office door. To illustrate, he averaged .287 with a .385 OBP, nine homers and 27 RBIs for the second half with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Regarding Kingery, the second sacker hit .294 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs after his promotion to Lehigh Valley. So, if his projection is .280 with 15 bombs and 75 RBIs annually, he’ll be in Klentak’s plans. But the production of .260 with 10 long balls and 50 RBIs adjusted for a full 162 will be satisfactory.

On the other hand, another dreadful campaign for Franco could mean a move to another team. And Franco, Crawford, and Kingery as Phillies will be what if they do not live up to expectations? An IronPig!