Philadelphia Phillies: Concerns for the early season remain
By Rick Soisson
The Good Problems?
Number 3 – Cesar Hernandez/Kingery, 2B: This is a good problem to have, but it could be mishandled. Hernandez is a capable veteran who has hit .294 the past two seasons. He could probably play third if need be. Kingery is quite apparently the second baseman of the Phillies future, and he could also probably play third.
After Kingery stays in the minors long enough to tie him to the team through 2024 (minimally a couple of weeks into the season), it will be interesting to see whether problem number five above has gotten off to a fast or slow start. That may affect whether Kingery arrives quickly or later, where he plays to start his big league career, and whether Hernandez is traded or benched. It would seem prudent to play Kingery at the position he plays best, but manager Kapler has already shown he doesn’t care about that notion as such.
Number 2 – Hoskins, LF: There isn’t a team in baseball that wouldn’t want the two concerns that come with Rhys Hoskins, but quite a few would likely undo the concern the Phillies created for this player themselves. That is, bringing in Santana at first base moved Hoskins to left field, and it remains to be seen how he functions there for the best part of a season.
In his third of a season in ’17, Hoskins played at least part of a game 30 times in the outfield and 27 times at first. What will happen when the left field number jumps to 120 or 130? Second, it remains to be seen whether Hoskins is actually a 25-home run guy or a 45-plus bomber. Everyone recalls the excitement of his setting various “fastest to” records last season on his way to hitting 18 homers in 34 games. Does anyone really know what happened, however, when he didn’t hit another one in his final 16 games? Was it exhaustion? Had some pitchers figured him out? Both? Is the second Hoskins concern a very good one to have? Maybe not.
The reality is we don’t know he’s not just a serviceable fielder who manages 25 home runs in a few good years. Arguing against that is the fact the 24-year-old selects pitches to swing at very well for his age.