Phillies: Stars or placeholders

Perceptions:

To reiterate their progression, these stars reached their impact year: Hoskins in the first, Schmidt in the second, Nola and Hernandez in the third and Arrieta in the fourth. Yes, if a fan reaches a conclusion during the first campaign, it will probably be inaccurate. Standard forecast: Players improve.

The faithful view a rookie three different ways: They are okay with, like, or dislike. For instance, the locals had favored Scott Kingery before he even arrived. And they were okay with Jerad Eickhoff, but they didn’t take long to dislike Dom Brown.

For now, J.P. Crawford is disappointing some fans, and his .214 average last September was their first impression. Others are already giving up on him and suggesting a trade. Of course, he could turn things around. But if he doesn’t, the paying customers might not be so forgiving in July.

Of interest here, posters on a positive Phillies site stated Adam Morgan can’t hold a lead, Nick Pivetta can’t go past five innings, Aaron Altherr is broken, and Crawford can’t beat the shift. The difference is the negative Phils site had recommendations to improve the team.

In fact, many on both sites want Kapler fired: They’re winning despite him. One fan proposed starting Nick Williams and Kingery every day, sitting Carlos Santana, Maikel Franco and Altherr; and the armchair GM also questioned Franco still being here. However, others were also somewhat abrasive regarding Santana.

"WORDS OF WISDOM: “Have you ever considered that your perception of reality could be wrong? If you haven’t, this is a pretty good sign that it is.” – Ernie J Zelinski"