GDT 6/28/22 Atlanta Braves (Morton) @ Philadelphia Phillies (Wheeler)

[bkeich]

Moniak came up to bat 3 times with at least one base runner on. He ended the inning each time (once there was also a pickoff). He has NEVER shown, for even the slightest amount of time that he can hit ML pitching.

We are not suppose to be in a build for the future mode here, his continued dead weight status is just killing this team.

Bohm and Stott were 4-7 tonight but scored 0 runs.

[zambonir]

They are not playing any of the young players to build for the future or give the kids a chance. They are playing them because they have nobody else. Same goes for Herrera and Munoz and Camargo really. Unless they want to actually get aggressive and give something up before the market bakes - and perhaps they should - they'd just up with another a journeyman or someone like Lorenzo Cain who's just as bad.

If there’s even a small silver lining, Harper’s absence will enable the Phillies to take Nick Castellanos (and sometimes Kyle Schwarber) out of the outfield and into the designated-hitter spot for which they were ticketed before Harper tore a ligament in his right elbow in April, forcing him out of right field. Any combination of Mickey Moniak and Odúbel Herrera against right-handed pitchers or Matt Vierling and newcomer Oscar Mercado against lefties makes the Phillies’ defense better.

Not by a whole lot, I reckon, but still better. And Vierling probably should get non-platoon time if they aren't busy playing him in the IF.

Bryce Harper set to undergo thumb surgery Wednesday; ‘no timeline’ for his...

[bkeich]

They are not playing any of the young players to build for the future or give the kids a chance. They are playing them because they have nobody else. Same goes for Herrera and Munoz and Camargo really. Unless they want to actually get aggressive and give something up before the market bakes - and perhaps they should - they'd just up with another a journeyman or someone like Lorenzo Cain who's just as bad.

I think, if they are really still talking about playoffs you have to start making a few moves. Playing Moniak is just silly, it is the equivalent of just "passing" when he comes up to bat. There have to be better players out there that we can move a minor prospect to get (something in the 20-30 range). That is "IF" they still think the playoffs are a possibility.

It is also messing up any chance that Moniak will ever be a player. He needs to spend ALL OF THIS SEASON at AAA.

[andyb]

Moniak was playing well enough in AAA that he deserves 10 games up here to see if anything has changed. Likely it has not, but it is not as if we have dramatically better options. Herrera has been just as bad the last month. Vierling has not shown he can hit right-handed pitching consistently. Neither has Mercado.

There are no good immediate options. In that light Moniak did show enough in the Spring and at AAA to deserve a small chance now. It is a small chance though since Moniak has options and probably does need more AAA time.

[Philsmania]

I was at the game. In the 6th, me and most of the people sitting around me were absolutely perplexed that Thomson didn't pinch hit Vierling for the struggling Moniak when the Braves brought in a lefty. Thomson's postgame justification for that decision that I heard on the radio on the way home was that he wanted to save the RH bat for later in the game against another lefty. But, that is a pretty flimsy excuse, in my opinion. You got to take advantage of opportunity when it knocks.

LOB's were also a killer. Phillies had 16 of them, 11 left on base by Moniak (4), Castellanos (4) and Herrera (3). And, of course, the bullpen.

[andyb]

I wondered that too - because with Mercado they now have TWO right-handed bats off the bench.

[zambonir]

Well, I guess the Phillies saw it bkeich's way but why did they need just one game to get there then?

(Assuming Hall is replacing Moniak. They still need another move for Falter later this week too.)

[andyb]

Adding a left-handed bat in Hall means subtracting one. That is either Moniak or Herrera.

The move for Falter really needs to come from infielders and that will have a similar question. The veteran in Munoz versus getting Stott AAA playing time. Absent additional injuries of course.

[zambonir]

It would be different if Moniak or Herrera were great outfielders. But the bar is really only "better than Castellanos." Truth is you could still make the argument for just moving on form Herrera, the odds of him getting hot again and having an okay month are probably higher than the odds of Moniak starting to put it together with regular playing time, but it's probably closer than we think. And probably neither of them are the answer on August 2.

[EDmuch]

To me all of this debate misses the point: the semi-catastrophic failure of Castellamos. Moniak is just a marginal player brought up from AAA. Castellamos is being paid $25 million or something like that.

[zambonir]

Nothing to be done about that though. A few days off/benching might be worth trying, but in the end he has to play, and not even because of his contract. If he never turns it around this year that's a whole other problem (heading into next year) but he also wouldn't be the first player - especially on a new team - to have a crap first year and then get back to somewhat normal levels for a year or two. Except of course that if normal levels are .850 he's still not that great.

I mean, if you want to fire Dombrowski if this poorly constructed team misses the playoffs, and because he misspent all that money on the wrong relievers and gave up a draft pick to sign a personally beloved player who was not only redundant but is only valuable with a 1,000 OPS, I'm here for it. But instead we probably get to watch him screw up the 2023 roster (and manager) too, and by 2024 it could be ugly.

[bkox]

Many of the prior years FAs are struggling.

Kris Bryant still has 0 HRs in Colorado.

Javier Baez has a .627 OPS

Rizzo is taking advantage of the short porch in NT but has a 745 OPS/.205 BA away from NY

Trevor Story has a .718 OPS, Seagar at .731, Semien at .652

Cutch at .688, Avisail Garcia .587.

So far only Freeman, Correa, Joc Pederson, and Marte are living up to their contracts.

I honestly wish we had just resigned Cutch for a year instead of Castellanos.

[Patchmk88]

I actually think Schwarber is pretty close to living up to his contract so far.

[bkox]

I agree... BUT.. I want to see what happens when June ends lol

[BostonRoss]

Trevor Story has a .718 OPS

Story is tied for third in the AL in defensive WAR (at a new position!) and is fourth in the AL in RBI. He has 1.9 WAR, a little more than Schwarber.

[zambonir]

Still can't imagine that Story contracts looks good, especially with him moving to 2B. But you can say the same about Semien I guess (and you could also say maybe Segura's option isn't so bad).

[BostonRoss]

I dunno, $23M for 4 WAR isn't too bad. And he may move to SS next year if Bogaerts opts out.