Philadelphia Phillies: Only keeping four 2018 starters?

First Basemen

Rhys Hoskins (left field) gets the second strongest keep label on the team because of his 33 home runs and 94 RBI. He might be listed first over Nola since he’s an everyday player, but despite fine power numbers, his first full season has reinforced what his brief MLB introduction last season suggested – he can be streaky – like most power hitters. His intelligent plate approach and keen eye suggest he may be less slump-prone as time moves on.

Carlos Santana (third base) should be moved, but only for someone worthwhile. The switch-hitting walk machine scores and drives in runs, but the fact of the matter is that the Phillies now have another first baseman-outfielder waiting at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Joey Meneses (.311/.360/.510), who wouldn’t cost anything like Santana’s $40 million for the next two years, and promoting him would allow the Phillies to keep Hoskins in left, or not, and use proven run-producer Santana to either repair the starting rotation or the outfield by trading him.

Justin Bour’s category is NGIS, which is not another TV show about ultra-clever government detectives. NGIS, instead, means “nice guy, I’m sure.” It also means, in this case, somewhat interesting rental player whose contract is up. Bour, like others, is arbitration eligible; non-tender or trade him after the process.

Second Basemen

Cesar Hernandez was the Phillies second baseman for most of the season, and in both 2016 and ’17 had the highest batting average on the team. However, despite his speed and willingness to hustle, Hernandez’ offensive numbers (walks notwithstanding) have fallen off somewhat steeply in the aggregate. He would an interesting piece for a team trying to build itself up by adding a couple of “professional” veterans. Hernandez is also arbitration eligible; work through the process and evaluate trading him depending on circumstances in February.

Pedro Florimon (shortstop, third base, outfield, pitcher) is a utilityman listed here at the first position that makes some sense for him. The only year he played a nearly full season, he hit .221 for Minnesota – five years ago. His contract is up. Florimon should be non-tendered since he’s arbitration eligible. (But go through arbitration if you can’t clearly replace him by January with better utilityman who knows he will be an utilityman. Florimon’s .231 average is the best of his career besides that weird .348 for the Phillies in 15 games in ’17.)

Shortstops

Scott Kingery (second base, third base, outfield, pitcher) and J.P. Crawford (third base) should be replaced through a trade for Andrelton Simmons or Jean Segura, who are both mid-contract in deals the Phillies could handle. However, management is not likely to do that.

They will pretend Kingery and Crawford are “battling” for the Opening Day start at shortstop in ’19, and will continue their somewhat pointless shuffling of the defensive lineup just in case several players are all in a car accident together, and the shortstop needs to be replaced by the second baseman, the third baseman by the first baseman, and so on. At the end of spring training, Kingery, who has started 94 games at short to Crawford’s 27 this season before Sept. 25, will probably start at short.

All of this could be undone by an injury to Maikel Franco or Hernandez leaving, in which case the Phillies will put Kingery at second base, Crawford at short, and start all over again in ’19, knowing as little as they did Opening Day in ’18.

Third Basemen

See Santana above.

Maikel Franco is another tough call. Once again, this streaky player had a hot streak. Bottom line offensively – before play Sept. 25 he was hitting .270 (18 points above his career average), and what he does until the end of the year won’t change that number or his 68 RBI very much since Phillies management will continue to tinker with the lineup until the bitter end.

Franco is a somewhat underrated fielder. There are surely advanced metrics on him that say, “Oh, no – that’s wrong!” But what an eye test suggests is he still has excellent reflexes five years into his career (three as a full-time player) and makes the important third baseman’s bare-handed pickup as well as anyone. Reluctantly, keep Franco unless a package can be assembled that moves him for someone terrific after negotiation or arbitration. And if he’s kept, work harder at moving Santana.