2022 Phillies Major League Regular Season Discussion

[zambonir]

We all love homegrown players which is also why it's a bummer Kingery didn't work out, and that they traded Crawford. We also were rather attached to Roman Quinn even as we knew it probably wasn't gonna happen.

And it's also been interesting to watch the cultural/historical shift from players "disloyally" leaving their teams for more $ to teams "disloyally" dumping their players instead of giving them more $. But I support both player free agency and front office's making good decisions about older/more expensive players.

So the question still remains about Hoskins and Nola. Would certainly rather spend $ on them than a new veteran FA, but you still have to like what the Braves ultimately did (replacing Freeman with a younger player) and Turner is probably still a better use of $ than Hoskins going forward (even with the former likely getting more $ and years).

That the Phillies might finally have some young cheap players who can make up 1/3 to 1/2 of a roster has of course been long-awaited. It's just too bad DD didn't discover this "mantra" before he signed Castellanos or gave Didi that second year, even if things now seem to have worked out (with the help of the checkbook). Still think there is probably going to be a 1-2 year hiccup between Schwarber, Castellanos and JT (offensively) declining and replacing them (at least internally). And Nola and Hoskins would also be on that list if they're re-signed.

[flyers19rw]

I wish that folks would get off of Castellanos. He’s had a rough year so far but he won two games for the club last week (one with his bat and one with his arm) and is showing signs of getting on track again. He has not slacked off with his effort. In fact is playing a position that he didn’t dream of playing when signed here. For some players, going to a different team needs a period of adjustment. NC is a pro, he’ll come around and earn his check.

[bkeich]

He has been hitting pretty well lately

[allentown]

He has been hitting much better of late. DD still should not have signed him, and certainly not for 5 years or $100 million. Girardi reaching out for and then looking out for one of his guys gave us Didi and his extension, now DD doing the same gives us Castellanos for $100 million, at a time he wasn't getting much interest on the FA market. Bargain or the other teams knew he was a $100 million man going forward. I'd rather have Hoskins going forward, but think that option was closed out by this signing.

[zambonir]

He has not slacked off with his effort. In fact is playing a position that he didn’t dream of playing when signed here. For some players, going to a different team needs a period of adjustment. NC is a pro, he’ll come around and earn his check.

He started 134 games in right field last year and has never actually been a DH (not even in 2020) so we probably would have heard how he was struggling to keep his head in the game if he had hit this poorly while DHing. The funny thing is he was supposed to make the transition to LF (at least part of the time).

And Ronald Torreyes won a few games last year with his bat and his fielding too.

Seriously, I'm happy he seems to be coming around and never really doubted he would but it still doesn't make it a good signing, not now and certainly not by 2024 (and meanwhile Hoskins probably leaves).

The only good unintended consequence, as it turns out, is that they didn't use that money on a 3B or SS (and yet there's still the possibilty they'll do just that next year anyway).

[BostonRoss]

I have to wonder if before the season they just thought Hoskins wouldn't be able to stay healthy and that they would have neither Schwarber nor Castellanos in the OF for much of the time (and not at all in 2023 if they thought Hoskins wasn't even worth considering keeping after this year). One of them at 1B and one at DH.

Now ironically, they'll have five corner OF/1B/DH people once Harper returns. Other than Bryce, Hoskins seems to be the best of the bunch (unless Hall can continue what he's done in the few weeks he's been in Philly). Rhys might not even be a worse defensive outfielder than those guys (though he was pretty awful). Hoskins has already played as many games this year as in 2021.

[zambonir]

That might be a little bit on the speculative side, but also not implausible. If nothing else it suggests they already knew Rhys wouldn't be here after next season, and maybe sooner. I think there was some hesitation about moving on from him after the offense missed him so much late last season (and in 2020 as well IIRC) but in a non-lockout trade and free agency market he might have been gone.

It is indeed ironic that Rhys was deemed to be unplayable in LF and they haven't really had anyone better since (except for those few months of a healthy, relatively younger Cutch).

[zambonir]

Harper not ready to face live pitching but Thomson still believes he'll be back

[zambonir]

Something to note: Phillies catching depth took a big hit this afternoon. Rafael Marchan was placed on 7-day IL at Triple A while Donny Sands was placed on COVID-related list. Both are on 40-man roster.

— Matt Gelb ( @MattGelb ) August 9, 2022

[zambonir]

This was in the NBC story too, but headline is more explicit. We probably won't see Bryce in RF again this year (and perhaps that's not a huge surprise, but now it's official).

Bryce Harper likely to return to Phillies as strictly a designated hitter

[BaseballCat]

I won’t miss you Keith

Keith Hernandez asks not to cover Phillies games: They're 'not up to it' —...

[EDmuch]

Based upon the Hoskins story in today's Inquirer perhaps there is an aawakening as to just how valuable Hoskins is to the Phils.

[zambonir]

I like Keith, but also, where's the lie? (for the past decade, that is).

What he actually said was pretty even-keeled. And he was probably joking at least a little bit (he's missing the first series to attend a Cardinals celebration and made the other a normal off-weekend).

“They never seem to disappoint,” Hernandez answered. “Over the years — and they’re hot right now, so I’d like to see them — but as far as fundamentally, defensively, the Phillies have always been just not up to it.”

While we can't catch the Mets I'm hoping by that second series it's at least a rivalry again... and perhaps a playoff preview. He'll regret missing them if so.

[flyers19rw]

I can’t get too upset about what a former cocaine freak has to say about anything. Perhaps he’s suffering from the residual effects of his past habits.

[BaseballCat]

Some truth to the statement, but expect some professionalism. Hope we mop them up and play pretty good D. Just a stupid thing to say

[BostonRoss]

Hernandez is jut trash talking. I don’t think he wants to give up his salary when the Mets play the Phillies.

But sure, just enjoy the defensive wizardry of Pete Alonso.

[phillychuck]

Mets are heavy betting favorites behind Scherzer tonight:

[zambonir]

Since I mostly bet for fun (and with very little dollars) I just took the Phillies (3 whopping dollars for a $4.20 win. If you take the +1.5 runs $3 would pay $1.93.)

But I still stand to win a couple of thousand dollars for very little risked if they win the World Series!

[Patchmk88]

Tonight is going to be the hardest of the three to win. I expect the Mets will be heavily favored in all three though.

[zambonir]

Hey, it's baseball, you just never know.

So, given the way Scherzer is pitching at 38, and Verlander at 39, should the Phillies be more aggressively thinking about locking up Nola, as well as optimistic that Wheeler will continue to be worth his contract right to the end? I think we are probably still scarred by Halladay and Lee (but the good examples, Charlie Morton also among them, are also the outliers).