Philadelphia Phillies: To think outside the box, or not to?
Frustrated Philadelphia Phillies fans hope that new manager Joe Girardi will be willing to think outside the box early on if necessary
The new Philadelphia Phillies manager, Joe Girardi, has endured the spotlight in New York City. What he hasn’t endured is the sort of laser focus his new team’s fans can bring to a discussion of baseball when they’re frustrated.
After all, among other distractions, New York newspapers have to divide their sports sections between the Yankees and Mets. Oh, and don’t discount the fact Phillies fans have not been cheering on a team as generally good as the Yankees since 2011.
What if Girardi’s team stumbles out of the gate, or at least part of it does – that is, what if the back end of the rotation is as bad as even optimists suspect, what if the bullpen proves to be as iffy as it looks right now, and what if Rhys Hoskins is still walking too much instead of planting balls in the left field or right-center seats?
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These are the three areas most likely to be problematic, probably in descending order of likelihood, assuming Andrew McCutchen’s knee is properly healed. What if all three areas above look wanting pretty quickly?
It will be time for the Philadelphia Phillies and Mr. Girardi to think outside the box, and maybe earlier than fans might think.
The back end of the Philadelphia rotation is widely presumed to involve a three-way competition for two slots, and everybody in Eastern Pennsylvania is tired of even hearing the competitors’ names, so they won’t appear here.
What happens if either or both of the “winners” of the fourth and fifth slots falter in two consecutive starts? Answer: Ranger Suarez needs to be stretched out to take the next start for one of them. That’s the first out of the box notion recommended.
This would send one of the early starters either to the bullpen or to Triple-A. For transition’s sake, let’s say that’s the minors, which would necessitate a bullpen replacement, and perhaps a second weird move.
Two More Outside the Box Moves
That would involve picking up the phone and offering 46-year-old Ichiro Suzuki a spot in the bullpen as a three-batter specialist. It’s just nutty enough to work, and it would certainly sell some tickets. According to reports, he’s already throwing BP for the Mariners this spring. And he actually has posted an MLB inning pitched – against the Phillies – displaying a number of pitches.
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You may consider this suggestion tongue-in-cheek if you wish. At a minimum, Girardi should consider the bullpen roster to be a serious merry-go-round beginning as early as May 15; keep ’em moving in and out, as well as up and down to Triple-A, as needed until people put together three to five effective appearances in a row.
Finally, here’s a sort of hard-hearted assessment of first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who is coming off a disappointing year after his red-hot career start late in 2017: The last thing Philadelphia Phillies fans – or any MLB fans – need is another .239 career hitter who’s an average fielder at first base and doesn’t drive in 100 runs a year.
The out of the box suggestion here is Hoskins may need to be platooned with one of the many veterans the team has signed to minor league contracts and, again, maybe as early as May 15. Everybody who owns a Phillies cap hopes Hoskins eventually heats up again, but failing that, until he is traded if he starts slowly, he appears to be a guy who tires out playing a full MLB season.
Hoskins was second in baseball in walks last year. He needs to be more aggressive and lead or challenge for the lead in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, or OPS.
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All that said, there are three Philadelphia Phillies who get passes from early outside the box thinking – Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, and J.T. Realmuto. They are the cornerstones of the coming decade along with Girardi.