So, as most MLB fans know, this very bad thing happened to the Philadelphia Phillies. On June 25 Bryce Harper, the reigning MVP and candidate to repeat, the NL All-Star voting leader at DH, had his thumb broken by a Blake Snell pitch. Harper called it “a gut punch,” and the MLB.com writer covering the Phillies copied the phrase into a headline.
Uh-oh. Write in the Phillies for no better than third place in the NL East, and bet it heavily, right?
Could the Philadelphia Phillies adjust and compete after Bryce Harper’s injury?
Because the Mets and Braves both heated up at exactly the same time that the Fightin’s won 14 of their first 16 games in June, Philadelphia couldn’t move out of third even when totally dominant. Without Harper, then, what could reasonably be expected to happen?
Five days later, it was clear that interim manager Rob Thomson and those executives above him on the Phillies’ org chart were not throwing in the towel.
The brain trust of Offensive Juggernaut That Wasn’t for the first two months of the season clearly decided that they had enough somewhere in the organization to at least compete until Harper’s return or, dammit! they’d learn the reason why not.
The Phillies are a very expensive club, and after their big gut punch, they remain committed to doing what’s needed to wedge themselves into the NL playoffs, even if it involves Darick Hall, Mark Appel, Oscar Mercado, and a struggling infielder named Bryson Stott.
Stott was already with the team on June 25. That day he did not play; he was hitting .161 and had driven in 19 runs in 45 games. The RBI total wasn’t horrid, but…sheese….
Both Appel and Hall appeared in their first games as Phillies June 29, a 4-1 loss to the Braves. Appel, a pitcher, had been an overall number 1 draft pick (Houston, 2013), but took forever, indeed until Wednesday, to reach the majors. Hall, a much lower draft pick in 2016, had established himself over parts of six seasons in MiLB as a dangerous power hitter. Mercado, like Appel, was a 2013 pick (St. Louis, round two) who had played parts of four seasons with the Guardians.
In other words, management was indicating to the likes of Matt Vierling, Odubel Herrera, and even a popular player like Rhys Hoskins, “Look guys, you don’t produce, we’ve given uniforms to these guys too.”
Thus far, Appel has finished two games in non-save situations without giving up a run. Hall went hitless in his first game, but in his second he blasted two homers in a 14-4 blowout of Atlanta, a game in which Mercado also appeared.
Since Harper’s injury, Stott has contributed five hits, four walks, and two RBI. In four games, he has raised his batting average 19 points and his OBP 35 points.
Also, if the Phillies are going to compete, two other specific players have to produce: Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos. Both of these off-season acquisitions had disappointed for lengthy stretches this season.
On June 1 Schwarber was hitting .192 with 12 homers; through June 29 his batting average has risen 25 points, and he has added 11 longballs. Castellanos has, since Harper’s injury, had a 4-for-5 game and added a home run to his season’s total, now eight.
Matt Vierling has had three hits in nine AB since Harper’s injury, including two doubles. He has scored four runs in three games.
So, yes, the Phillies are still in third place and have cooled off from their torrid early stretch in June, but they have made it clear that they will tinker as needed to remain in contention with the Braves, Giants, and Cardinals or Brewers for the last two NL Wild Cards.
The Philadelphia Phillies have not thrown in the towel after Bryce Harper’s injury.