2022 Phillies Major League Regular Season Discussion Part 2

[Lucky_Beagle]

I think it also seems strange to be putting out a timeline of Tue- Sat for Harper to play without adding to it. Is he only going to take an at bat or two the first coupe of games....he isn't playing the field so can't he be getting some of his "live" at bats elsewhere if needed (pitchers throwing on the side, Cyr on his way out of town . What are they going to do if as andyb says he smokes the ball 3 times tue and/or wed and feels great?

[andyb]

Well he is not eligible to come off the 60-day IL till Thursday I think. In a normal world I do think they want him to get 15-20 plate appearances. Even if he hits a couple of HRs tonight his timing will probably need some work. It would be useful to see both lefties and righties also. Guessing he'll hit at least 3 times every game, more if he feels good. Guessing he has upgraded the clubhouse spread all week too.

[zambonir]

Certainly the Phillies and Harper are free to change the plan, even if it disappoints thousands of Iron Pigs fans. I just don't think they will. There's no reason to rush him to face the Pirates (especially as he likely would still have Sunday off) and they were also very conservative with Segura. His first couple of games will be about how the injury feels (pain, range of motion), the next three will be about finding a groove.

If he goes 10 for 10 and leaves on Friday the Pigs fans would just have to live with it; would actually be more frustrating to have tickets for, say, Thursday, and he needs a day off (or only PHs) due to soreness.

[julio]

Yairo Munoz has been recalled to take the roster spot vacated by the Darick Hall option to AAA.

The Phillies have recalled INF Yairo Muñoz from Lehigh Valley (AAA). Following last night's game, the club optioned INF Darick Hall to Lehigh Valley.

— Philadelphia Phillies ( @Phillies ) August 23, 2022

[andyb]

And straight into the lineup batting 7th and playing RF (Castellanos to DH). Yes that also means Schwarber is playing LF and Bohm 3B so no further injuries. Castellanos is probably the player they thought would DH the most at the beginning of the year but he has hardly DH'd at all.

[zambonir]

Remember when Bohm and Stott were losing playing time to Camargo?

[andyb]

Well Stott is sitting against the LHP today. I think Camargo has been playing hurt since his first injury. His sprint speed is the slowest on the the team so far (24.8). On the fast side we have a close contents between Vierling, Zimmer, Sosa, and Marsh (all 29.something). Stott is also faster than Didi. I do think our new manager values speed and defense more than the last manager.

Statcast Sprint Speed Leaderboard

[Austinfan]

I thought Vierling wasn't fast enough to be a good defensive CF?
Though he does need work on tracking balls to match up against Marsh and Zimmer, but that's a high standard.

[mdougherty12]

We'll see. We dismissed Irvin, and he's put up 3.3 WAR in 54 starts the last two seasons.
Junk balling lefties seem to be like cockroaches, hard to kill.

I tend to doubt that Cole Irvin would have had the same success in Philly the last two seasons. Between the poor defense and the HR-friendly ballpark, Philadelphia isn't a great spot for a guy who pitches to contact and gives up a fairly high number of fly balls. Oakland is much friendlier for that type of pitcher.

[andyb]

I thought Vierling wasn't fast enough to be a good defensive CF?

I can't recall anyone ever saying that. He is a bit below average in CF, but that is more his overall outfield ability. This season has not been kind to Vierling. He really looks like a platoon utility player that can only hit left-handed pitching well enough to play. Flexibility is nice, but guessing he'll have competition next year for that role opposite Marsh.

[zambonir]

Yeah, it's just interesting that he ultimately fell behind Munoz (and Maton too). I don't know that you tender Munoz but you definitely don't tender Camargo.

At the time of course, Bohm and Stott also weren't good (on either side of the ball) but Girardi wasn't patient with them and did not balance having three guys for two jobs despite Dombrowski saying he'd be able to- and then he deferred to the veteran bench IF to boot!

[andyb]

Imagine Munoz and Maton would get overexposed in a larger role too.

Vierling really looks like the league has a book on him now. All the exit velocity metrics are not going to help you if you are swinging at bad pitches. He could still be an important part of future teams. He just needs a reset and a new Spring Training (and hopefully he is reduced to mostly a platoon role when Marsh is back).

[Aquapong]

What’s the name of Harper’s personal chef? Dan? I wonder if he’ll still use him on rehab.

I watched a series of Youtube videos with a former MLB prospect in them and one thing the minor leaguers look forward to is when major leaguers under contract come through on rehab assignments because they normally buy food for the team while they are there. So the chow is good for a week or so.

[andyb]

If I had to guess Bryce has arranged a caterer or just 5 great restaurants to feed the clubhouse all week. Can't get away with buying 10 pizzas and a few cases of beer any more. Not sure if his personal chef is equipped to cook for 40 5 nights in a row.

[zambonir]

If they even have five restaurants! (I kid, the LV has come a long way. But also in my experience most minor league players would still be quite happy with Olive Garden or Outback.)

[Taudawg]

Harper homers, he’s ready

[Austinfan]

At $26M a year, he can afford a week's worth of meals!
And a lifetime of memories for those who never make the Show.

[schillingfan]

Two homers and three walks!

[andyb]

The A's claimed right-handed reliever Tyler Cyr off waivers from the Phillies. Cyr, 29, is from Fremont and was a 10th-round pick by the Giants in 2015. He has a 2.93 ERA in 214 minor-league games.

— Matt Kawahara ( @matthewkawahara ) August 24, 2022

[Austinfan]

I didn't even know we had him until he was called up! Guess I won't miss him.