2021 Phillies Major League Regular Season Discussion

[LoneStarPhan]

Looks like the lineup card printed out for the umpires was done before the changes were included while the lineup cards given to the opposing team and distributed to the press box were updated.

Having a staffer from the front office printing the cards and proofing them might be a good way to go. Also, seems like there should be a cut off time to print all the official lineup cards, all at the same time, and then distributing them. At least, I would hope, they would all then be the same.

[zambonir]

Agree that Knapp ain't it. but he's the best hitter of all the current options, especially if we're ignoring the current season's SSS (though his great season last year was itself a SSS). He already has as many PH ABs as Torreyes has total ABs. And Marchan himself may not be any worse than Torreyes or the current Kingery.

Where's Phil Gosselin when you need him, does he have an opt-out?

[andyb]

Where's Phil Gosselin when you need him, does he have an opt-out?

It probably begs the question of whether we need an older right-handed bat signed for Lehigh Valley now. Closest thing we have is Listi. Of the 5 outfielders only Kingery is right-handed.

[BaseballCat]

Angels Select Phil Gosselin, Designate Scott Schebler

Ask and ye shall receive...

[zambonir]

Haha honestly when I typed that I figured it might have already happened.

But yeah - the Phillies probably need a AAAA RHB, but at the same time such a player - especially one who is available - will also be of limited impact.

Everything going forward really turns on Kingery - both the need for a CF and the need for a bench upgrade.

This is admittedly a troll (by Phils-adjacent writer Michael Baumann) but he suggests that the Phillies could not only trade for Bryant, but put him in CF ("would represent an upgrade even if he played defense in handcuffs"). More seriously, he'd be a Cutch upgrade - perhaps long-term as well as short- but we're a ways away from that.

The 10 Most Interesting Kris Bryant Trade Destinations

[andyb]

Though many might also say Bohm should be the Cutch successor in LF, especially in a world where Hoskins is around. All that talk about improved 3B defense seems like it was "happy announcer talk" to me. His advanced metrics are in the same mediocre range as last year and the eye test has him continuing to double clutch virtually every ball hit to him. He is just not a smooth athlete over there and while he might improve a bit, this could be like Franco where he will always be a negative at 3B.

[bkox]

Do the Phillies have the players to even make any significant deadline deals?

[Austinfan]

That will probably wait a year or two, depending on Stott, Garcia, etc.
If you move Bohm, it would be to move Didi and get a better fielding SS or move Segura to let Kingery return to 2B.

[andyb]

Though remember if Bohm goes to LF, we have $20 million to spend on an infielder if Kingery can't recover and Stott is not ready. The key really is plugging Bohm's low cost bat in the lineup somewhere. The reality is our offensive prospects are not good enough to count on much the next couple of years. We might also just have to live with Didi's defense at SS as his bat would not stand out at 3B.

[zambonir]

A good point about Bohm and LF, especially with Haseley now off the table as anything other than a hopeful bench option.

For sure I still hope they get out from under either Didi or Segura next year, and I still think they'll consider spending that Cutch money on a SS. The guy who just started his first game at Jersey Shore is not a factor before 2023 IMO.

Regarding deadline deals, let's just hope the team is playing well enough to make it a consideration.

And let's also hope Bohm doesn't turn into Franco. Ridiculous as that notion seems, I'm sure it felt equally ridiculous when Maikel only had 200 ABs. (And yes, Franco has survived to be a decent player on bad low-budget teams, but we need more than that from Bohm, especially if he doesn't stay at 3B).

[zambonir]

Well, Kingery's back anyway, and Moniak too.

Matt Gelb: The Phillies placed two outfielders on the... - The Athletic

[andyb]

Joyce sounds like a day to day injury they just could not have with Harper also day to day. Kingery probably plays against LHP. Mix and match with Herrera first against RHP in CF (at least tonight). I wonder if Vierling could get a quick promotion to LHV. He played a great deal in major league camp and the alternate site, so he may be ready for the jump.

Not an OF, but Ruben Tejada signed to AAA. Barely played in the majors since 2017. Light-hitting but solid defensively.

https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1390024882394734597

[zambonir]

They might keep Torreyes down there for a while just to have the 40-man spot. He still gets paid.

[Austinfan]

Bohm is nothing like Franco as a hitter.

You could see the flaws in Franco's approach to hitting, and he never really corrected them, pull happy and not very disciplined, as pitchers learned his weaknesses, they exploited them.

Bohm hits with power to all fields, he's still learning to deal with ML pitching, but doesn't have an obvious weakness outside of inexperience.

[andyb]

The comparison was their mediocre defense that will never be better than below average.

[zambonir]

Yeah, I agree that Bohm's core hitting ability suggests a much better outcome, but until this sophomore slump - which, to be fair, is really just a mid-season rookie year slump in terms of actual games played - is over we can't just assume he's an All-Star, or even a sure thing starting major leaguer for years to come. Either way, as a 3B he has to hit a high offensive bar and the same is true if he moves to 1B or LF.

We just need to start producing All-Stars rather than solid line-up pieces. Not a million of them, just one!

[bkox]

Archie Bradley said he expects to be back with the Phillies when team returns from road trip on May 18. He’s been on the injured list with an oblique injury since April 11.

— Matt Breen ( @matt_breen ) May 6, 2021

[andyb]

Bohm probably needed that half season at AAA that he did not get. Now, stepping back for a moment, we actually don't know how good a hitter Bohm will be. His BB rate has dropped and his K rate has increased this year. It is not a horrible ratio, but it is also not a great trend as it has not been accompanied by more power. Bohm actually does not have more than 45-50 game power at the moment. He has 7 HRs in 301 plate appearances and it is not as if they are all doubles. He hits lots of singles to the opposite field also.

Now his exit velocity numbers are good and his BABIP is low, suggesting he has had bad luck this year. But that does not change the bad K rate. I think Bohm has the potential to be a very good offensive player. But there is also the chance that he is merely good (say 800 OPS consistently) in an era where that coupled with below average defense leads to a player in the 1-2 WAR range. He has at least close to average speed and a good arm, so the defense might be average in LF if they ever made that switch. Nick Castellanos is a pretty good hitter, but for his career he has 10.5 WAR or roughly 1.5 per full season. That might be Bohm unless he can find another level as a hitter that we have not really seen yet.

[David_Criss]

What am I missing? Looks like the Phillies list 42 players on their 40-man, with Seranthony being on the 60-day so 41.
Jankowski bats lefthanded, but is a great outfield glove, but alas the 40-man issues.

40-Man Roster

[andyb]

They have exemptions for Muzziotti (visa issues, has not reported yet), Haseley (personal leave), and Torreyes (COVID). So they technically can have 44 players on the roster now though the Torreyes exemption will disappear quickly. Technically it may not even exist if the Phillies still have call-up options on the 40.

Of course, whenever they move on from Herrera and Torreyes as seems likely, that is 2 more 40-man spots to play with if they wanted someone like Jankowski. Hard to believe they could call him up without designating Herrera since they play the same position and are both left-handed.