Phillies: Clubhouse princes amid 2019’s whipping boys
By Tal Venada
Regarding hope, Phillies fans favor the homegrown product they’ve been anticipating for two or three seasons to deliver victories, but sometimes with disappointment they mistake growing pains for incompetence.
Tomorrow’s labels:
Based on recent Philadelphia Phillies campaigns, learning on the job is mostly acceptable if the future star’s miscues aren’t fundamental. Unfortunately, some positions require trial and error through repetition, although it can annoy even the most loyal supporter.
"IN OTHER WORDS “The search for a scapegoat is the easiest of all hunting expeditions.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower"
When the team suffers a defeat or is on a losing streak, some locals need a goat to shoulder the normality of rough patches during the 162. And a base-running blunder, a misjudged defensive play, a slump and/or an error at a critical moment are convenient reasons to doubt a regular’s ability. Ergo, strike one!
As for an unusual situation, Odubel Herrera was stepping back from the plate on the first pitch and/or the second regardless of location. So, a first impression might be a lack of caring because he has three guaranteed years, but another observation is management’s recording of number of pitches per at-bat.
While planning is important, some faithful supporters mock long-term thinking as an excuse for not winning now. They don’t buy the five-summer strategy and consider it defending general manager Matt Klentak, when he needs to be accountable for every misstep, real or perceived. No happy medium?
Regarding the scapegoat, he’s the player who isn’t performing up to the fans’ expectations, not the franchise’s. Yes, some believe he’s the reason the Phils struggled from August 6 through September’s end. They fell out of contention due to Klentak, Kapler, the regulars, some starters and many relievers.
On the other hand, the clubhouse prince mostly expresses the right words at the right time and otherwise keeps his mouth shut. So, he does his job and doesn’t ruffle any feathers because he understands the consequences from his bosses and the paying customers.
If he feels differently, he keeps those unsanitized words to himself, or he could risk being the fall guy. Of course, the favorite who makes expected mistakes doesn’t face the criticism for every single miscue. No, the faithful root for him to succeed as he develops in the major leagues.