Leadoff to cleanup:
Fatefully, McCutchen’s 162 ended after 58 games, and his contribution is a distorted memory for Phillies fans. But when he went down, the Fightins were 33-26 and he had a .256 mark with a .378 OBP. For a full year, though, his 10 homers, 29 RBIs and 45 runs project to 28 bombs, 80 RBIs and 124 runs. Clearer now?
After batting .300 or more for three straight campaigns, Jean Segura hit .280 due to, perhaps, switching leagues and facing unfamiliar pitchers. Also, he has three prime seasons remaining, so rebounding is a reasonable possibility.
The local media forgot how a younger Bryce Harper had suffered injuries with his Chase Utley-like abandon before considering his future. Now, he takes the extra base, dives for game-saving catches, and plays the way he always wanted to. You can count me among the few who knew this part of him.
As for Harper’s stats, he batted .260 with a .372 OBP, 35 four-baggers, 114 RBIs and 98 runs. But if you had expected 40-45 round-trippers, consider that his home runs and RBIs were career highs, plus he didn’t take an inning off. And he’s entering his prime ages of 27 through 32.
For the crew of the Starship Enterprise who want to trade Rhys Hoskins for an established starter after a down second half, he has played big league ball for 2.3 summers. Translation: He’s in his third campaign at near MLB minimum pay with four years of franchise control and at the threshold of really making an impact.
The man is going to start a family and is working to earn a lifetime’s income. Yeah, he’ll come into ’20 on a mission, plus the execs won’t move a roughly $0.6 million contract for a $15 million pact. They can sign a free agent for that and avoid the haunting Hoskins could unleash like launching his 20 first-half bombs in 2019.