Controversy has found the Philadelphia Phillies before the games even began.
Last season the Philadelphia Phillies rookie manager, Gabe Kapler, created his first controversy in his very first game. He pulled emerging ace Aaron Nola after just 68 pitches from a game the Fightin’s were winning – and then lost.
This season Kapler didn’t even have a chance to put his Phillies on the field before the carping began. The print edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer arrived on doorsteps Opening Day with the top story in the Sports section featuring a feigned left hook headline, and a straight right-hand sub-head. Veteran writer Marcus Hayes’ editors led with “For openers, a suggestion,” and followed with “Kapler has already botched the Phillies lineup, but here’s how to fix it.”
On the internet, the word “botched” moved into the headline.
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Ah, jeez.
Moreover, Hayes didn’t have one suggestion; he had several. First, he wasn’t wild about Maikel Franco batting eighth; second, he didn’t like Andrew McCutchen batting first over Jean Segura; third, he wasn’t fond of Cesar Hernandez playing second over Scott Kingery, and certainly not if Hernandez won’t lead off. (Hayes implicitly sees the Phillies long-time lead-off man as only the third best alternative now, and he’s probably right about that.)
As expected, Kapler seems to have suggested by spring training practice that his continuing lineup will be what it was for the last game that didn’t count – Mar. 25 against Tampa Bay: McCutchen, Segura, Bryce Harper, Rhys Hoskins, J.T. Realmuto, Odubel Herrera, Hernandez, Franco, and the pitcher.
Now, there are a number of arguments that can be made for and against Hayes’ points. Probably his weakest implied argument is that Kapler has written this lineup in stone despite the fact that the Phillies used almost 140 different lineups last year. Hayes knows this – it’s right there in his piece. Nonetheless, the writer actually used the term “outrage” in regard to Kapler’s three errors.
Really, Marcus? The first-ranked of these outrages is Franco batting eighth? The back of this guy’s uniform has read MODERATE DISAPPOINTMENT for three seasons. His OBP figures for those three years have been on both sides of .300 and not far from that figure at all. Yes, he seems to have gotten into better shape this winter, but honestly – outrage?
Well, there’s nothing Phillies fans like more than a good argument, and if nothing else, Hayes has probably inspired people to seriously eyeball the box score lines for Franco, McCutchen, and Segura for the next week.
Of course, by then the Philadelphia Phillies lineup will have probably had three variations of their opening day order. Kapler won’t be able to keep himself from fiddling with it.