Cesar Hernandez is holding off critics with a hot start to the 2019 season

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Cesar Hernandez has been hitting well for over a month

This piece has to begin with a disclaimer. Few writers who cover the Philadelphia Phillies on a regular basis have been more critical of second baseman Cesar Hernandez over the last couple of years than yours truly.

If I’ve called for the Phillies to jettison Hernandez and install Scott Kingery as the starting second baseman once, I’ve done it a hundred times since the winter prior to the 2018 campaign.

Hernandez registered career highs of 15 homers, 60 RBIs, and 91 runs scored. He led the Phillies with 19 stolen bases, tying his career high mark.

However, Hernandez slashed just .220/.321/.332 over the 2018 season’s final two full months. The Phillies were in first place and 11 games over the .500 mark when his poor hitting began in earnest on July 29. By the time it all officially came to an end on September 29, the club had finished in third place. They were 10 games out, and produced a sixth consecutive losing season.

Hernandez wasn’t the only reason for that 2018 collapse. Not by a long shot. But he was consistently unproductive. Many of the other players who made up the bulk of the losing during the previous few seasons were gone already. Freddy Galvis, Dom Brown, Cody Asche, John Mayberry Jr, Cameron Rupp, Tommy Joseph. All either released or traded away.

The 24-year-old Kingery had struggled in his first taste of the big-leagues last season, but also had been forced out of position to shortstop for most of the year, a position he had never previously played. Kingery had been a star in the minor leagues during the 2017 season, after which he was signed to a club-friendly long-term contract.

The Phillies looked to make wholesale changes to their lineup entering the 2019 campaign. Trades brought in a new shortstop in Jean Segura and a new catcher in J.T. Realmuto. Both Andrew McCutchen and Bryce Harper were signed to take over the corner outfield spots. Rhys Hoskins was moved back to his more natural first base position.

The idea that the Phillies could upgrade the second base position as well was a natural for those of us in the anti-Cesar camp. Find a taker for a player who would turn 29-years-old this year. Turn the Keystone over to Kingery at his own natural position, where he had won a 2017 minor league Gold Glove.

The calls got even louder as the first few weeks of 2019 unfolded. Kingery came out blazing hot, slashing .406/.457/.719 over his first 14 games. Meanwhile, Hernandez was slashing just .246/.329/.391 with just five extra-base hits over his own first 18 games.

J.P. Crawford becomes latest phenom promoted by Phillies

Crawford becomes latest Phillies phenom given a shot in 2017

At first blush, 2017 would appear to be yet another in a recent string of Philadelphia Phillies lost seasons. It has been six years since the last winning Phillies club. This will be the team’s fifth straight season finishing last or next-to-last in the NL East Division.

Any outsider who simply peers at the standings and sees their 52-85 record, the worst in Major League Baseball, could be excused for not realizing that something more is going on here. But it is.

While the Phillies are indeed 33 games below the .500 mark, a glance at their game results table reveals improvement. The club has registered a 23-25 mark since dropping the first two games out of the MLB All-Star break in mid-July.

On August 10, Rhys Hoskins was promoted from AAA Lehigh Valley. The 24-year old natural first baseman was hitting for a .284/.385/.581 slash line at time with the IronPigs. He would ultimately be named both the Rookie of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the International League.

Three days after entering the lineup as a left fielder, Hoskins registered his first big league hit. A day later, he drove his first two big league home runs out of Citizens Bank Park.

The show was on. In 105 plate appearances over 25 games, the rookie has hit for a .307/.419/.750 slash. He has also bashed a dozen homers, driven in 25 runs, scored 22 times, and become the team’s cleanup hitter. Hoskins was named the National League Rookie of the Month for August.

Phillies winning spurts tempered by lessons of history

The Phillies have won eight of their last 12 games

The Philadelphia Phillies walked off the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night. The 4-3 victory in eleven innings gave the Fightin’ Phils their eighth win in the last dozen games.

Despite the hot stretch of winning baseball over these last two weeks, the Phillies remain in last place in the NL East Division standings.

The Phillies are 24 games behind the first place Washington Nationals. They sit 20.5 games out in the National League Wildcard race. The Phils are even 10.5 games behind the two teams tied for fourth in the division, the Braves and the New York Mets.

I’ve noticed a pattern with these little winning spurts by the Phillies in recent years. When they start winning, all is right in the world. Not only for the players and manager Pete Mackanin, but also fans and the media who follow the team on a regular basis.

When the Phillies are winning, social media explodes with platitudes for the current players, extolling their skills and feats. Talk begins of players in their mid-upper 20’s who will be part of the “winning future” core.

As someone who has always considered themselves a “glass half-full” personality, it pains me to add the “but” to this piece. It’s something that I learned a long time ago, an old saying: “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”

Phillies rebuild reaches difficult transition phase

Hernandez, Herrera, Galvis part of recent losing core

For a fifth consecutive year, the Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of a miserable season.

The glorious winning decade of success from 2001-2011 reclaimed old fans and captivated a new generation of younger fans. All of that glory and excitement is now, sadly, a faded memory.

The collapse of that Phillies era came shockingly fast. Age, injuries, and poor decisions by the previous management regime conspired to erase any hope of a seemless transition into another generation of similar success.

For a couple of years, the Phillies went through a necessary transformation. There were purges everywhere, from the roster to the front office, even up to control of the ownership group.

The new regime took over where the old had ended, completing the job of turning the page from that faded former glory. As new prospects were brought in via trade and the MLB Amateur Draft, the farm system gradually regained respect from the wider baseball industry.

During the transitional period, a group of players has been taking the field for a few years now as the core of the Phillies lineup. That core group has not experienced very much success.

Phillies need to be bold at the trade deadline

NL All-Star reliever Neshek will be dealt by end of July

The Philadelphia Phillies are barreling down streak towards the July 31 MLB trade deadline with numerous rumors beginning to swirl around the team.

Most of the speculation revolves around the obvious players. Anyone 30+ years of age who is a pending free agent is likely to move.

The list includes starting pitcher Jeremy Hellickson, relievers Pat Neshek and Joaquin Benoit, and outfielders Howie Kendrick and Daniel Nava.

Another possibility to move is catcher Cameron Rupp,  already losing playing time to Andrew Knapp behind the dish. If Rupp is dealt, the Phils could call up Logan Moorefrom AAA Lehigh Valley to serve as the backup while Jorge Alfaro continues to start with the IronPigs.

Can Phillies fans expect their team to receive anything of any substance in exchange for any of these players in any trade? The answer, unfortunately, is a resounding “no” to that question.

Day of Reckoning Draws Near for Placeholder Phillies

Time is running out for Rupp, Galvis and the current placeholder Phillies

As management and ownership of the Philadelphia Phillies moved through their own transition period over the last couple of seasons, the roster has also been turned over.

Gone now are the last vestiges of the first decade of play at Citizens Bank Park. Heck, a few of those individuals – Charlie Manuel, Pat Burrell, Jim Thome – have already been enshrined on the Phillies Wall of Fame.

As the front office and playing roster changes have taken place, a group of ballplayers has taken over on the field over the last few seasons. This core group was always meant to be placeholders, while the real, serious talent was developing in the minor leagues.

That core has consisted of infielders Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis and catcher Cameron Rupp. I would also put 3B/OF Cody Asche, 1B/OF Darin Ruf, and outfielder Domonic Brown into the group.

Each of those players has been given an opportunity at one time or another to seize a starting role with the Phillies, to show that they can be a big league regular.

Only Hernandez has shown any consistent ability to successfully compete on both sides of the ball. Galvis has been strong defensively, but aside from some unexpected power has been an extremely inconsistent offensive performer. Rupp is inconsistent in every facet of the game.

This group began to really take over in the 2015 season. The Phillies bottomed out that year, finishing with the worst overall record in Major League Baseball.

A year ago, their 71 wins was an eight-game improvement. But that record was still two games worse than the disheartening 2013 and 2014 teams had finished.

Just one week ago today, the Phillies took an 11-9 record and a six-game winning streak out on the road to visit a pair of anticipated contending teams, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.

After dropping six of the seven games at Dodger Stadium and Wrigley Field, the limitation of this group are becoming more and more apparent.

Phillies 2017: Who Leads in the Clubhouse?

It’s a question that, for a few years now, has had no legitimate answer: who is the Philadelphia Phillies clubhouse leader? Or which players comprise the leadership group?

Past generations would have answered that question with names such as Pete Rose, Larry Bowa, Darren Daulton, and Jimmy Rollins. Players who excelled on the field. Players who were willing to stand up in the locker room to help motivate their peers when difficult challenges loomed.

For me, a truly legitimate clubhouse leader needs to embody two major characteristics.

First, they need to be someone who is performing at a standout level in Major League Baseball terms.

Second, they need to be someone who is foundational. They need to be someone who is going to be around for at least the next few years.

There is a third characteristic that becomes vital, assuming the player can meet those first two basics. That would be that the individual needs to have the respect of, and preferably the affection and admiration of, his fellow players.

Phillies Appear Committed to Andrew Knapp as Backup Catcher

Coming into the 2016 season, the Philadelphia Phillies appeared to be gearing up for a battle. The particular battle that I’m referring to here was for their catcher of the future.

The position was being manned at the big league level at the time by Cameron Rupp, who had never distinguished himself. 

The backup was going to be veteran Carlos Ruiz, who was surely going to be dealt before the season was over.

Either a poor performance by Rupp, or a trade of Ruiz, or some combination of the two was going to open up an opportunity in Philadelphia. One of two prospect catchers would be racing for the chance to step in if that happened.

Unfortunately for those two backstop prospects, Rupp performed well in the 2016 season. That performance solidified his hold on the catcher position in the short term.

As for the beloved “Chooch”, he was indeed traded away – but in return for another veteran catcher, A.J. Ellis.

2016 Winter Meetings: Philadelphia Phillies

As he prepares to attend his second MLB Winter Meetings as the Philadelphia Phillies general manager next week, Matt Klentak may have a few dark horse moves up his sleeve.

While the rumor mills surrounding the still rebuilding Fightin’ Phils have been relatively quiet, there have been some whispers of possibility. In the usual game of whisper down the lane, a couple of the Phillies’ starting position players keep popping up. Those two players are catcher Cameron Rupp and second baseman Cesar Hernandez.

Rupp is now 28 years old and coming off a solid season. It was his first as the clear-cut #1 catcher in Philadelphia. Rupp hit .252 over 419 plate appearances in 105 games. He ripped 16 homers and 26 doubles, while knocking in 54 runs. He also drew praise for his defense and handling of the staff.

Hernandez is 26 years old and coming off his first full season as the unquestioned starter at second base. He did see plenty of action in 2015, especially following the trade of Chase Utley. 

Hernandez led the Phillies with a .294 average and .371 on-base percentage, and his 17 steals were tied for second on the club. The switch-hitter also led all of baseball with 11 triples.

Philadelphia Phillies 2016 Grades: Catchers

Entering the 2016 MLB regular season, the catching position appeared to be one in which the Phillies were in a holding pattern at the big league level while the organization waited for a pair of top prospects to develop further.

The likely starter was going to be Cameron Rupp, with longtime veteran Carlos Ruizserving as the backup until such time as he was traded away to some contender.

At that point, if not sooner, catching prospect Andrew Knapp would be promoted to the Phillies to begin his own big league career.

Knapp had been one of the 2015 Phillies organizational Paul Owens Award winners, the top hitting prospect in the club’s minor league system last season.

Also down in the minor leagues, one of the pieces obtained from Texas in last year’s big Cole Hamels trade was catcher Jorge Alfaro, who was seen by many as even more talented than Knapp, though further away developmentally.

Rupp wasn’t seen by most as much more than a backup catcher at the Major League level, hitting for just a .233/.301/.374 slash line across 299 plate appearances a year ago in his first significant, regular playing time.

As could be expected, these last six months since the club was sorting it all out back at spring training in Clearwater have been a mixed bag where those catching expectations are concerned.

Chooch's Place in Phillies History

It was just two days ago that the announcement came, one that I had expected would be coming by this year's MLB trade deadline or soon thereafter: the Phillies had traded away longtime starting catcher Carlos Ruiz.

I wanted to wait a couple of days before writing anything, letting the departure of Chooch sink in fully, before trying to write anything that might have been overly emotional or sentimental in the immediate aftermath of the deal.

Unfortunately, that is simply not possible with the Phillies primary catcher for the vast majority of the past decade, one of the pieces in what I have come to refer to as the Phils' "Core Five" that dominated the National League for a half-decade or so.

Along with teammates Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels, Ruiz helped the Phillies win five consecutive NL East crowns from 2007-11.

The group won the 2008 World Series together, back-to-back NL Pennants in 2008-09, and set a franchise record with 102 victories in the 2011 season.

With all of the victories came a cleansing of sorts. More than a century of mostly frustrating futility from the franchise, aside from the oasis from the mid-70's through early-80's, was washed away.

Chooch and company turned Citizens Bank Park in South Philly into the city's place to be

Phillies Trade Chips: Cameron Rupp

One of the more positive developments during this season of slow growth for the rebuilding Philadelphia Phillies organization has been the progress of the starting catcher.

Cameron Rupp, who turns 28 years old in September, was the club's 3rd round selection in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of Texas.

Rupp was born in Dallas, Texas, and is a huge, vocal fan of the Dallas Cowboys. Philly fans can decide on your own whether you want to hold that against him.

He rose incrementally through the Phillies farm system before making his big league debut in 2013, but didn't see consistent playing time until last season, when he began to platoon with aging veteran Carlos Ruiz.

This season, with Ruiz in the final year of his Phils' contract, the club has turned the starting role over to Rupp for the first time, and he has responded well.

Rupp is hitting for a .276/.323/.487 slash line

Phillies 2015 Report Cards: Catchers

Just three men donned the old 'Tools of Ignorance', as the equipment required to field the catcher position has become known, for the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2015 season.

Those three include longtime fan favorite Carlos Ruiz. The man known as 'Chooch' is now, along with first baseman Ryan Howard, one of just two remaining players from the 2008 World Series champions. 

The 2015 campaign was the 9th straight in which Ruiz served as the primary receiver for Phillies pitchers.

Also seeing considerable time was Cameron Rupp, who appeared in just three fewer games than Ruiz, and made just two fewer starts at the catching position. 

The third to make an appearance behind the dish was Erik Kratz, who caught in three games, starting two, after re-signing with the Phillies in mid-August.

It's hard to imagine that any of the three will be the Phillies longterm answer at the catching position. 

The organization is flush with high-end catching prospects including 19-year old Deivi Grullon, 23-year old Willians Astudillo, 22-year old defensive whiz Gabriel Lino, and soon-to-be 24-year old Andrew Knapp, who was the organization's Paul Owens Award winner as the top position playing prospect.

Perhaps the jewel of them all is 22-year old Jorge Alfaro, who was a big part of the compensation received from the Texas Rangers in the Cole Hamels deal at the 2015 MLB non-waiver trade deadline. He is currently the Phillies #4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

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Carlos Ruiz - F: as with Howard and Chase Utley in the infielder grades handed out earlier this week, this is a sad version of 'Chooch' now handling what has become the backup catcher duties for the Fightin' Phils. 

The player who received NL MVP votes from 2010-12 and was a 2012 NL All-Star is now barely even a shadow of that once-integral piece to a championship puzzle. 

Ruiz hit for just a .211/.290/.285 slash line with 2 homers and 22 RBI over 320 plate appearances during the 2015 season. 

Defensively, his poor .984 fielding percentage was well below the league average for a catcher, and he committed 11 errors. 

Ruiz threw out just 19 percent of baserunners trying to steal when he was behind the plate. 

His advanced fielding numbers reveal that he was a poor defender, and he had a negative WAR (-0.8) for the first time in his career. 

You can make a fairly decent argument that the Phillies might be better off just paying off the $8.5 million dollars he is owed next season, along with the half-million buyout for 2017 that his contract calls for, and releasing him at this point. 

Back in early August, Tom Housenick with The Morning Call stated "the Phillies are looking for an everyday catcher moving forward because Ruiz's career is just about toast." 

The only argument that I would make is with the characterization "just about" - Chooch IS toast.

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Cameron Rupp - C: some might consider this a bit of a generous grade for the man who finished the season as the Phillies regular starting catcher. 

But when you consider that he banged nine homers and drove in 28 runs in what was a half-season of overall work, and add in an improved handling of the pitching staff as his playing time increased, it is a fair grade. 

Rupp started just two fewer games than did Ruiz behind the plate (81-79), and the 26-year old committed just four errors in accumulating a .993 fielding percentage that was pretty much league average. 

At 1.0, Rupp also had a positive WAR figure, and he punished left-handed pitchers to the tune of a .303/.370/.545 slash line. 

Rupp is definitely the Phillies starting catcher heading into the 2016 season, and barring injury will likely maintain that status all of next year. 

After that, at least one of the young prospects should begin putting pressure on him to keep the job beyond next year.

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Giving the 35-year old Kratz any kind of grade based on 12 games and 23 plate appearances would be completely unfair.

He started the only two Phillies games not started by either Ruiz or Rupp during the 2015 campaign, and also received a pair of starts as a first baseman.

The position could go a few ways in 2016.

The Phillies owe Ruiz the money anyway, so they could simply bring him back as the backup to Rupp, at least until any of the minor league prospects are ready for their first taste of the big leagues.

Expect that as the most likely scenario, but again, don't be surprised if 'Chooch' and his buddy Howard end up simply being released.

Chooch on the Block

Carlos Ruiz is another veteran on the trade blocks

A month from now, Carlos Ruiz, the beloved fan favorite Phillies catcher known as “Chooch”, will turn 36 years old. He is the least discussed member of the club’s ‘Glory Era’ aging stars in public trade talks. So, is Chooch on the trade block?

Let’s first look at what he has to offer. What would any team that might need a catcher find attractive about the Phillies veteran?

Despite playing the most difficult, physically demanding position on the field, Ruiz has been healthy and reliable. Since his first full season in 2007, Ruiz reached at least 370 plate appearances in 7 of 8 years.

He has, in fact, gone over 400 plate appearances 5 times, including in 4 of the last 5 seasons. Yes, Chooch is turning 36. But he is healthy, strong, and remains one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. 

Based on FanGraphs values which were looked at this past season, based themselves on fWAR value, Ruiz was the 6th-most valuable catcher in the game behind elite names like Brian McCann, Yadier Molina, Buster Posey, Russell Martin, and Miguel Montero.

Cameron Rupp Ready for Full Season With Phils

Cameron Rupp should be Phillies 2015 backup catcher

The Phillies made Cameron Rupp their 3rd Round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft. A catcher out of the University of Texas, Rupp advanced through the minor league system a level at a time over the next few years.

In 2012 at High-A Clearwater, Rupp’s bat began to display some pop. He cracked 22 doubles and had 10 homers with the Threshers.

Rupp then split 2013 between AA-Reading and AAA-Lehigh Valley, and against the more advanced pitching he increased his homer total to 14.

In September of that 2013 season, Rupp received his first callup to the Big Leagues. It was the classic ‘cup of coffee’, as he appeared in just 4 games, making 3 starts, going 4-13 with a double and 2 RBI. 

Rupp was back at Lehigh Valley to start the 2014 season. But a June injury to starter Carlos Ruiz resulted in his 2nd callup.

For a month from late June through late July, Rupp was the regular starter. In 16 games he hit just .183 with 4 doubles and 6 RBI.

Now entering the 2015 season, assuming the club makes no significant moves at the position, Rupp should be the backup to fan favorite Chooch all year long. 

“..OUR CATCHING SITUATION IS NOT ETCHED IN STONE OTHER THAN CARLOS NATURALLY.” ~ RUBEN AMARO

This means that the 26-year old will be an injury to the 36-year old Ruiz away from the starting catcher role.

GM Ruben Amaro addressed the situation at the Winter Meetings in early December: “our catching situation is not etched in stone other than Carlos naturally.”

Rupp is more suited to a backup role than an everyday starter behind the plate. That’s what the team will be getting if he is forced into a heavier workload.

He is a decent receiver with a strong arm defensively. Offensively he has some pop, but is a weak overall hitter with no speed and with holes in his swing.

Cameron Rupp has been a high draft pick, has worked his way through the Phils system, and has gotten a taste of the Majors. As long as it’s in the backup catcher role, he should be ready for an increased opportunity with the Phillies in 2015.