2022 Phillies Major League Regular Season Discussion

[zambonir]

Right on cue, Phillies Twitter just posted. Eflin, no Harper, Castellanos DH, Herrera RF.

https://twitter.com/Phillies/status/1526644497022693376

[andyb]

No reason to rush Bryce in a 162 game season.

Interesting that they have now reversed themselves on who plays CF when both Herrera or Quinn are playing. Patience with Herrera may be wearing a bit thin even though on the surface his offensive stats are decent. He just never walks any more so I doubt he sees too many strikes again. Good sign for Moniak if he can get healthy.

[andyb]

Bryce Harper is recovering from Sunday’s PRP injection. He is not playing tonight as expected. He might not play Wednesday if soreness remains.

— Todd Zolecki ( @ToddZolecki ) May 17, 2022

[zambonir]

Jayson Stark: Bryce Harper said yesterday he might not be... - The Athletic

Line-up really does get very weak when you've got two black holes in the OF (and Herrera is one lately, and an outs machine even when he's slugging). Plus SS, plus the catcher not producing like usual.

On the bright side I hope they keep Stark on the Phillies for homestands.

[andyb]

Lineup is out and Schwarber is taking a turn at DH. LHP in Snell so they will have one left-handed bat in the lineup (Herrera) that otherwise would be sitting.

I wonder if they'll sit him for the day game tomorrow too though have him available to pinch hit. JT probably could use a DH day the way he is dragging and Stubbs has been pretty good of late.

[zambonir]

Scott Franzke is going to handle play by play on TV for tomorrow afternoon’s Phillies game in place of Tom McCarthy, who is attending his daughter’s graduation from TCNJ. Pat McCarthy will have the radio call. Franzke has never called a Phillies regular season TV game.

— Matt Breen ( @matt_breen ) May 18, 2022

[bkeich]

So, I wonder what the "by this date" is for Harper to have surgery. To go to next years Spring Training at the start (say 2/15) and assuming a 9 month recovery time, the last day was 3 days ago. If the recovery time is 6 months than he has 3 months.

If I were the Phillies I would be asking the doctor's for their opinion of a recovery time if / when the surgery becomes all but certain. Having him DH in a season where we miss the playoffs yet again and then miss the first part of next year seems like a disaster.

Is it time for long term planning yet?

[zambonir]

That ship has clearly sailed. He needs four weeks just to recover from the PRP. Then you're probably looking at an interval where he's throwing, but not in games. Possibly even another MRI to clear or not clear him to throw. No way they just end his season (or publicly give up on making the playoffs) until July. He's obviously already gotten all the opinions (from the LA practice, which is Jobe's), nor is he at risk of further injury so long as he DHs. That both of those things could turn out otherwise is not a reason to have surgery the doctors currently say you don't need. And if it was, he shouldn't have even played one game as DH. Unfortunately the same could also be true in October - the choice between rest and surgery will still exist. Right now, there's no rest.

[bkeich]

Yes, the question is (and we don't know the answer) of whether the doctor's are advising to have surgery. I hope that the team and Harper are not trying to "save" this season by putting it off (if it is being suggested).

[Austinfan]

Kingery is in AAA, Moniak should probably join him in two weeks, so by the end of June we should have some depth at Lehigh. Marchan should also be back at some point, Maton, Hall.

Unfortuantely the pitching at Lehigh and Reading has left something to be desired.

[zambonir]

I think we definitely know that the doctors are not advising him to have surgery or he would be having surgery! That's the reason he was getting a second opinion in LA (and from the practice that literally invented Tommy John surgery) in the first place. And the PRP is what they advised.

Sure, sometimes players are told they might need surgery and choose not to have it but it's far more common - and just good medical practice - to try every other option first. That it may or may not be convenient to the team goals is part of the game too.

[zambonir]

Well there's some news

Phillies’ Bryce Harper will likely remain a DH until at least after the All-Star...

The doctor who administered Sunday’s platelet-rich plasma injection told Harper Wednesday that he should be prohibited from throwing for six weeks, two weeks longer than the original plan.

The new timeline, which was suggested by sports and pain medicine physician Steve Yoon of Los Angeles’ Kerlan Jobe Institute, means Harper will not be able to throw a baseball until June 26.

He’ll then need to build arm strength before the Phillies can use him in the field, a process that manager Joe Girardi guessed would take an additional three or four weeks. He said it is “safe to say” that Harper will not play the field until August.

“Our hope is that is not the case,” Girardi said when asked if Harper will not play the outfield again this season. “Our hope is that the procedure we did helps it scar over and he’s fine. It worked before but there’s no 100% guarantee.”

[andyb]

As suspected, no Bryce again this afternoon. JT at DH in a day game after a night game.

[gmwannabe]

is it safe to say that the Phils are not too offensive when Bryce is out. Casty has cooled off. Schwarber has yet too heat up. Odubel and Quinn show not too much in CF. Rhys, more cold than hot. I just don't see a successful year. Although. Wheels is back to being dominant, Nola can be very good and Eflin coming back can really help. sorry forgot about the Lone Ranger, he looks pretty good as well. they have to start hitting consistently.
gm

[Taudawg]

Toon soon to tell in my opinion. Phillies are 7th in Relative Power Index. They have scored 175 runs and given up 157 with an expected W/L of 21-16. We know it hasn't happened that way. The Phillies have played the 8th toughest schedule so far - based on W/L of opponents. The easy part isn't here yet, but the Phillies remaining strength of schedule is 29th out of 30, AKA 2nd easiest. The Phillies really just need to hang around .500 until June 10th (when Backs roll in), and from then on, not play down to their opponents.

All that said, it does feel as though there is some disfunction to this team. I would love to see a good shake up. I don't believe firing the manager does much, but if there is guy out there Dombrowksi likes, do it. Then Dombrowski should try to be both buyer and seller at the deadline. Dealing from a weak position, I'm not sure what that looks like, but that's his job.

[zambonir]

I definitely don't think firing the manager mid-season accomplishes anything now. I felt it could happen if things were really spiraling, like, a consistent .400 team or worse, which they were very much on their way to being before the West Coast road trip. And it could happen in August but at that point it would just be an internal promotion before the search begins.

The XW-L is a nice change from previous seasons, really. I think we've seen enough good things to think they will stick around in competing for the wild card, as well as enough bad things to know they won't be the top wild card (or a division contender). The suggestion that the humidor actually will have less of an effect in better weather (as was the case out West) is promising as well. Yeah it affects both teams but the Phillies seem to be hitting the ball harder than most teams.

I still don't shut down Harper and "wait 'til next year" because frankly, why would next year be better/different? Sure there will be money to spend and holes to fill but also a lot of players potentially getting worse or at least older - some of whom aren't so great now either.

[Philsmania]

Fansided suggested hiring Scioscia.

[zambonir]

I know he's a Philly guy but that would really seem like Girardi 2.0. I just don't like the idea of making a mid-season panic move and then also committing to his replacement immediately.

[flyers19rw]

I don't see any value in firing Girardi. He manages every game for the long haul of the season not as if each game is the seventh of the WS. Right now the club is in a bad spot. Harper is out; Schwarber forgot how to hit; Segura is banged up; there's a kid at SS who is not ready for prime time; no lead off hitter. None of that is Girard's fault. It's time for the players to show up and maybe a bit of help from Dombrowski to acquire someone to fill in a hole or two.

[zambonir]

But what would you give up, is the question, and how soon? Those pre-July trades are pretty rare anyway.

Six Center Field Trade Targets the Philadelphia Phillies Must Consider