Phillies: Matters settled and unsettled until April

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Crawford will have two months to cement the shortstop job before Kingery advances to the majors. Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images. /

After entering Phillies’ camp with a purpose, players without a definite position know their fate is not only in the hands of general manager Matt Klentak but also on the ball they throw and the bat they swing.

Friendly competition:

Before a hurler fires the first pitch of the Grapefruit League, the Philadelphia Phillies will open two hypothetical doors before Friday: rounding into shape and battling for a roster spot and playing time. The second one is the threshold of a tomorrow unrealized.

IN OTHER WORDS: “Be thankful for quality competitors who push you to your limit.” – Michael Josephson

Aside from the obvious stars in the Opening Day lineup, the Phils will also have some unchallenged regulars who will enjoy their first at-bat in Atlanta. For instance, Maikel Franco and J.P. Crawford will man the left side of the infield for April and May.

However, right field and catching are the maybes. And while those five competitors will scratch and claw to succeed, the two underdogs are Cameron Rupp and Andrew Knapp.

The rotation has an ace, two experienced starters and two open slots. That stated, the competition will be fierce for those bottom two rungs, and the question is whether a flamethrower like Nick Pivetta or a finesse pitcher like Ben Lively will impress management enough in March. Who will win those slots?

In the bullpen, two signed setup men are joining five holdovers, and a handful of non-roster invitees could leave an impression on a coach, the skipper or an exec. Of the latter, Francisco Rodriguez is 2018’s version of a previously dominant closer hoping for one more campaign.

The long shots waiting in the wings are Scott Kingery and right-hander Thomas Eshelman, but they won’t be with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs for even the entire first half. No, they’re only in this category for spring training.

As for the regulars, they have the right side of the infield, center field and left field. They’ll work on honing their skills and preparing themselves for the long 162. How many bombs will Rhys Hoskins launch when it counts?

The Phils expect more power out of Alfaro this season. Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images. /

No safety net:

From April’s starting lineup, Jorge Alfaro will be vulnerable to losing time behind the plate. Firstly, Rupp might be Aaron Nola‘s batterymate on Opening Day in Atlanta, and a lot will depend on Alfaro’s hitting from mid-March on.

Keep in mind, Alfaro averaged .241 with seven home runs and 43 RBIs for Lehigh Valley over 324 at-bats before his promotion. Additionally, the team wants him to pop some homers, which could drop his average. Ingredients for trouble?

After blasting 16 bombs with a .252 mark, Rupp in 2017 dropped to .217 with 14 long balls. So, will the competition spark a resurgence or was 2016 a career year? On the other hand, the Phillies’ receivers aren’t top defenders either.

Other than 2015’s radar blip with a .360 average, 11 home runs and 56 RBIs, Knapp has been a .260 hitter before and after his eye-catching time with the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils. Last summer, he batted .257 as Rupp’s backup, and he has the potential to be a solid second part of the catching tandem.

Even though the red pinstripes need two starters, Eshelman will probably open the season with the IronPigs. This will motivate him to dominate Triple-A offenses for two months and lead to a promotion with his confidence peaking.

Like Eshelman, Kingery’s cut will be near camp’s end because they’ll want to advance him when he’s on a hot streak. But his MiLB assignment will be a challenging decision, and fans will be extremely vocal when he returns to Triple-A. But who will be the most difficult call for Klentak? Eshelman!

In his prime, one misstep was all Utley needed to gain an advantage. Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images. /

Game speed:

The topic from a recent Twitter conversation was the difference between the on-field experience and its perception by fans. In other words, the game only looks easy; it isn’t. It’s the quality of the competition.

Selected from high school or college, a star–and perhaps a teammate–signs a professional contract and joins a rookie league club, but most of the players there are as good or better. Through each level, however, one of every six doesn’t advance to the next plateau.

Finally, the jump to the major leagues from Triple-A is the best player from each group of six, and it requires not only talent but hard work to reach the highest level. Yet a spot on the active 25 might not be as a regular or a starter. Ergo, being a setup man in the majors is better than a cog in the Triple-A rotation.

IN OTHER WORDS: “I remember going from rookie ball to A, to double A, then to triple A. At every level it seemed like the game was faster. The bigger the situation, the more the game speeds up. That’s all mental. It messes people up.” – Derek “the Captain” Jeter

To compete at the top tier, Joe from down the street is not heading toward second base, Chase Utley is. And if you, for instance, slightly bobble the ball, he’ll take an extra base on you. Always be alert!

On every pitch, the infielder–like the other eight–must anticipate his reaction if the ball is hit to his left or right, on the ground, or in the air. And the catcher’s signal, the hurler’s stuff that day and the weather are the clues added to each calculation.

Hoskins has all the ingredients to be a franchise player for the Phillies within the next three summers. Photo by H. Martin/Getty Images. /

Between the ears:

Actually, Yogi Berra said it best. Half of the game (sport) is physical and 90 percent of each game is mental. Ergo, you aren’t seeing 90 percent of the player’s experience on the diamond.

ONLY YOU: “Baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.” – Lawrence “Yogi” Berra

No amount of hard work and/or mastered technique offsets the mental component of baseball. And keeping emotions in check is a must regardless of the situation or a misplay.

IN OTHER WORDS: “You have to be mentally ‘there.’ Your talent is there, but you have to be mentally there, too.” – “Billy the Kid” Wagner

While the battery and the hitter are dueling for success, the offensive opponent waits for a mistake by the pitcher. In other words, the 30 percent he misses his spot by more than an inch. Bang!

This could be the first dominate season for Nola. Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images. /

The Numerical Bible:

This review is not a sabermetrics article, which means no heavy statistical analysis. But because some readers rely on stats, this is only a reference: no reason to articulate the importance of these numbers.

Phillies catchers:

Rupp, 29.5: 88 Gms., 331 PA, a .217 Avg., a .299 OBP, a .417 SLG, a .200 ISO, a .298 BABIP, 14 HR, 34 RBI, a .716 OPS and a 0.8 fWAR.
Knapp, 26: 56 Gms., 204 PA, a .257 Avg., a .368 OBP, a .368 SLG, a .111 ISO, a .360 BABIP, 3 HR, 13 RBI, a .736 OPS and a 0.7 fWAR.

Alfaro, 24.5:

Phillies: 29 Gms., 114 PA, a .318 Avg., a .360 OBP, a .514 SLG, a .196 ISO, a .420 BABIP, 5 HR, 14 RBI, an .814 OPS and a 0.6 fWAR.
AAA: 84 Gms., 350 PA, a .241 Avg., a .291 OBP, a .358 SLG, a .117 ISO, a .345 BABIP, 7 HR, 43 RBI, a .649 OPS and a 0.9 WARP.

Phillies:

Franco, 25.5: 154 Gms., 623 PA, a .230 Avg., a .281 OBP, a .409 SLG, a .179 ISO, a .234 BABIP, 24 HR, 76 RBI, a .690 OPS and a -0.5 fWAR.
Altherr, 27: 107 Gms., 412 PA, a .272 Avg., a .340 OBP, a .516 SLG, a .245 ISO, a .308 BABIP, 19 HR, 65 RBI, an .856 OPS and a 1.3 fWAR.

Williams, 24.5:

Phillies: 83 Gms., 343 PA, a .288 Avg., a .338 OBP, a .473 SLG, a .185 ISO, a .375 BABIP, 12 HR, 55 RBI, an .811 OPS and a 0.8 fWAR.
AAA: 78 Gms., 306 PA, a .280 Avg., a .308 OBP, a .511 SLG, a .230 ISO, a .358 BABIP, 15 HR, 44 RBI, an .839 OPS and a 2.0 WARP.

Crawford, 23:

Phillies: 23 Gms., 87 PA, a .214 Avg., a .356 OBP, a .300 SLG, a .086 ISO, a .306 BABIP, 0 HR, 6 RBI, a .656 OPS and a 0.2 fWAR.
AAA: 127 Gms., 556 PA, a .243 Avg., a .351 OBP, a .405 SLG, a .162 ISO, a .275 BABIP, 15 HR, 63 RBI, a .756 OPS and a 2.0 WARP.

Next: Phillies: New rotation target for 2018

Kingery, 23.5:

AAA: 63 Gms., 286 PA, a .294 Avg., a .337 OBP, a .449 SLG, a .155 ISO, a .348 BABIP, 8 HR, 21 RBI, a .786 OPS, 1.1 WARP, 10 SB, 2 CS and 6.8 Spd.
AA: 69 Gms., 317 PA, a .313 Avg., a .379 OBP, a .608 SLG, a .295 ISO, a .324 BABIP, 18 HR, 44 RBI, a .987 OPS, 4.0 WARP, 19 SB, 3 CS and 8.7 Spd.

Eshelman, 23.5:

AAA: 18 Gms., 121 Inn., 10-3, a 2.23 ERA, a 3.20 FIP, a 3.76 xFIP and a 0.94 WHIP.
AA: 5 Gms., 29 Inn., 3-0, a 3.10 ERA, a 5.02 FIP, a 3.57 xFIP and a 1.10 WHIP.

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