Rejuvenated Phillies keep Dodgers stumbling towards NL West crown

Hoskins four RBI pace Phils past Dodgers (Photo: LA Times)

I had the pleasure of taking in the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Let me tell you, this was not the same Phillies team that sputtered through the 2017 season's first four months. It also was not the same Dodgers team that ran away and hid in the NL West race.

The win was the fifth in the last seven games for the once-again Fightin' Phils. Since just after the MLB All-Star Game break back in mid-July, the Phillies have a 31-31 record. They have been competitive for months.

"It was nice to beat the Dodgers with Kershaw and Darvish pitching," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said per Ben Harris for MLB.com following the game. "It's a great way to start the series. The guys have come alive."

The once dominant Dodgers are in free-fall coming down the stretch. Los Angeles has won just five of it's last 15 games.

On a night made extremely windy and at times wet thanks to Hurricane Jose spinning off the east coast, the Phillies got off to a cold start.

Dodgers' starter Yu Darvish shut the Phillies lineup down over 5.1 innings, allowing no earned runs on four hits. He struck out seven and walked just one batter.

The recent trade acquisition from the Texas Rangers was staked to a 2-0 lead. Yasmany Grandal pushed a wind-aided home run just over the left field wall in the top of the 3rd inning. In the very next inning, Curtis Granderson was robbed of a home run by that same wind, but his double scored Cody Bellinger for that 2-0 cushion.

The Phillies finally got to Darvish in the 6th, and as usual of late, it was rookie sensation Rhys Hoskins doing the damage. Hoskins slashed an RBI down the left field line to score Cesar Hernandez, cutting the lead to 2-1 and chasing Darvish from the game after 97 pitches.

Philadelphia Phillies are no longer a pushover

Williams (L), Hoskins (R) keys in Phillies new lineup

For a fifth consecutive season, the Philadelphia Phillies will finish at or near the bottom of the overall Major League Baseball standings.

But over the past month, something is obviously different. What had become a doormat team is once again beginning to live up to the “Fightin’ Phils” moniker.

Since breaking out for a dozen runs on Saturday night, August 19 at AT&T Park in San Francisco, the Phillies have a 12-12 record.

On Wednesday night, manager Pete Mackanin‘s suddenly revitalized lineup thrashed the visiting Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park by an 8-1 score. It marked the 11th time since that explosion against the Giants nearly a month ago that the club has scored at least seven runs.

The reason for the dramatic turnaround in the Phillies offensive attack is as obvious as the results. The lineup has been infused with a handful of talented rookies, all of whom have made a difference. That difference is finally bringing back hope to the fans after a half-decade of suffering.

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.”

The Philadelphia Phillies are simply not ready to contend - yet

Much is being written by local scribes who follow the Philadelphia Phillies on a daily basis regarding the increased competitiveness of the club thus far in the 2017 season.

Those writers are echoing the comments of Phillies team officials. In signing manager Pete Mackanin to a contract extension, GM Matt Klentak had this to say per Ryan Lawrence of Philly Voice:

“I think the effort level of this team – we can see progress in what’s happening right now. Pete can see it, we all can see it’s happening before our very eyes. Obviously, it’s not reflected in our win-loss record yet, but we can see the progress happening.”

25 of the Phillies first 35 games in 2017 have been decided by either one or two runs. That includes both games of Sunday’s split doubleheader with the division rival Washington Nationals. Unfortunately, the Phils are just 9-16 in those tight games.

Jerad Eickhoff should be a long term workhorse in Phillies rotation

The surprising Eickhoff looks like a long term mid-rotation starter

At the 2015 MLB trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies shipped their ace starting pitcher Cole Hamels to the Texas Rangers.

It was a crucial deal for the Phillies rebuilding program, coming as the team was dismantling the 2008 world champions and moving on from a core that had captured five straight NL East crowns.

In return for Hamels and hard-throwing reliever Jake Diekman, the Phillies received a package of five prospects. The Phils also agreed to take on the contract of injured pitcher Matt Harrison.

Those five prospects were the key to the deal for the Phillies. Those players were catcher Jorge Alfaro, outfielder Nick Williams, and pitchers Jake Thompson, Alec Asher, and Jerad Eickhoff.

No disrespect at all to Eickhoff, but he was easily the least well-known of the prospects. But having turned 25 years old just weeks prior to the deal, he was also the closest to being ready to help the Phillies in the short term.

All Signs Trending Upwards for Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies powered their way past the Miami Marlins by a 7-4 score on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park, tying the Fish for second place in the NL East standings.

The Fightin’ Phils used three home runs, including a grand slam from Maikel Franco‘s suddenly percolating bat, to rally from an early 2-0 deficit.

Vince Velasquez provided manager Pete Mackanin‘s club with a tidy 6.1 inning effort. He allowed six hits and three earned runs in a 97-pitch outing. Velasquez also struck out three and walked two batters in registering his first victory of the season.

The win was a fifth consecutive victory for the Phillies, moving the team above the .500 mark at 10-9 as we approach the end of the first month of the 2017 MLB season.

Exactly one year ago on this date, the Phillies were also a game over that .500 mark. At 11-10, the Phils would continue to rise in the standings over the next three weeks. They would reach a high-water mark for the 2016 season of 24-17 on May 18th before it all came crashing down.

While that fast-starting Phillies season of a year ago deteriorated into a fourth straight losing campaign, there are signs that things may turn out differently this year.

2017 Phillies Spotlight Pitcher: Vince Velasquez

The Philadelphia Phillies spent roughly six weeks down in Florida for spring training this year. And for a second straight spring, Vince Velasquez demonstrated power pitching in the Grapefruit League.

Last year, Velasquez was competing to become the team’s 5th starter. He pitched so well that awarding him that role right out of 2016 spring training was an easy decision for manager Pete Mackanin.

This year, Velasquez dazzled once again. Over five spring starts, the right-hander allowed just 12 hits over 19.7 innings with a 25/9 K:BB ratio. He registered a 2.75 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, with opposing batters hitting just .171 off him.

Those nine walks, however, are still a bit too high. But the other numbers continue to reveal his dominating stuff.

Velasquez has a chance to pitch at the very top of the Phillies rotation in the next few years. Of course, his continuing command and discipline issues, and the development of other options, could force him to a high-leverage bullpen role just as easily.

Philadelphia Phillies 2017 Preview and Prediction

Embed from Getty Images

Maikel Franco debuted in 2015 and hopes to push the Phillies forward


The Phillies will pack up their gear following their final Grapefruit League game on Friday against the Tampa Bay Rays. It will then be time to say goodbye to Clearwater until next February.

Equipment and personnel will then begin heading north for next Tuesday’s 2017 season opener at Cincinnati against the host Reds.

The lineup taking the field next week at Great American Ballpark should look very different from the one that will come to Florida next winter.

The Phillies rebuilding program is largely winding to a close. In the 2015 season, a Rule 5 draft pick named Odubel Herrera became a spring sensation. He would become the first piece of the longterm lineup rebuild.

In 2016, Maikel Franco took part in his first full season in the big leagues. Tommy Joseph was promoted in May, and platooned at first base with the now departed Ryan Howard. He will get his own first full-time shot this year.

Those three are the only players likely to be in the 2017 Opening Day lineup who have any shot at being a part of the next winning Phillies team. Instead, for a fifth consecutive season, fans of the Fightin’ Phils will be watching a ‘placeholder’ lineup. At least to begin the season.

Predicting the Phillies Opening Day Roster

Club management with the Philadelphia Phillies, itself the object of much change, has spent the past couple of years shaping the organizational talent for the future.

Some of that young talent has already reached the big leagues. This is most especially true on the pitching staff.

In the everyday lineup, the very best prospects in the Phillies system are nearly ready for their first full-time shot. The 25-man roster that opens the 2017 regular season in just over two weeks is going to look very different by the end of the season.

But let’s not get that far ahead of ourselves. This will be a look not at the Phillies of July or September, but the club that will travel to Cincinnati for that 2017 Opening Day.

The players who begin the season in a Phillies uniform include a number who are on borrowed time. That is because the club has intentionally signed a few players specifically with the knowledge that they will likely (hopefully?) step aside later in the year as the prospects become fully ready.

One major caveat here is that the players listed remain healthy. A minor injury at the start could delay a player who would normally make it. This would provide an opportunity, even if temporary, to someone else. But injuries aside, this is how I see things breaking with Pete Mackanin‘s club at this point.

Brock Stassi Making a Spring Bid for Phillies Roster Spot

The Philadelphia Phillies have been giving young prospects an opportunity to play over the last couple of seasons as their rebuilding program got underway.

Those opportunities have continued this spring as some of the club’s top prospects begin to make a real push for regular big league roles. This includes highly rated shortstop J.P. Crawford, outfielders Nick Williams and Roman Quinn, and catcher Jorge Alfaro.

But it has been a far less heralded prospect who has emerged to steal the spotlight during the 2017 Grapefruit League season down in Florida.

Brock Stassi is a 27-year old first baseman. He was the club’s 33rd round selection in the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft out of the University of Nevada-Reno.

Stassi has spent the ensuing six seasons battling his way incrementally up through the Phillies farm system.

In those six minor league seasons, Stassi has hit for a cumulative .263/.347/.390 slash line. He has produced just 42 home runs in more than 2,200 minor league plate appearances.

The left-handed hitter is limited to first base, so his only path to a regular big league role is with his bat. To this point, he simply has not hit enough to be considered a true prospect. As a result, MLB does not rank him among the Phillies current Top 30 Prospects.

Phillies Five Key Developing Youngsters

Embed from Getty Images

Aaron Nola could become a future ace for Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies have spent the last two to three years rebuilding the farm system, and introducing youngsters into both the lineup and pitching staff.

This upcoming season should prove to be one of major transition for the club. Five of the eight players in the everyday lineup may not be around, at least not as starters, the next time the team is a contender.

The 2017 starting pitching rotation will feature at least two arms who similarly are not expected to be around when the Phillies again challenge for an NL East crown.

There are a number of young, developing players and near-ready prospects who have a chance to impact the club for years to come.

Five players in particular seem to be keys to any chance that the club might have to legitimately challenge for a .500 season as soon as this year.

One of those players is out on the mound, a former number one draft pick. Two of the players roam the outfield, trying to break through from highly-regarded prospect status. And two young left-side infielders have as much developing talent as anyone in the organization.

Click below to move through each set of players:

NEXT: YOUNG KEY IN PHILLIES PITCHING ROTATION

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 2017: Club Missing a Bullpen Opportunity

On the first day of workouts for Philadelphia Phillies pitchers and catchers, manager Pete Mackanin took the opportunity to make a public announcement regarding his bullpen.

The substance of that announcement is, for me, a sign that this may not be the man to lead this team into contending status.

“When you look at Jeanmar Gomez’s year last year, although he had a poor month of September, he saved 37 games and I think blew only six saves,” Mackanin said per Ryan Lawrence at The Philly Voice.

“Premier guys have those kind of numbers. You don’t see very often a guy like Brad Lidge save 48-for-48 in 2008. He had a hiccup but at the same time I believe that he deserves to be called the closer at this point.”

Gomez had more than a hiccup. He completely collapsed over the season’s final six and a half weeks. And the fact is that he was never a classic “closer,” never dominated opposing lineups at the end of games.

Can Phillies Improve by Eight Games Again in 2017?

The Philadelphia Phillies finished with a 71-91 record in 2016, good for fourth place in the NL East standings. 

That victory total was an eight-game improvement over their last place, worst in baseball finish of 63-99 during the 2015 season.

As the Phillies’ rebuilding program continues, no one in the game expects them to be contenders in the 2017 season. It’s simply too early in the process yet for that to happen.

The 2017 season will be about bringing up more of the highly rated young prospects from a greatly improved minor league system. It will be about giving those players, and youngsters already on board, a chance to show they belong in the big leagues.

The day-to-day cast of characters is not likely to be changed very much from what we saw this past season, but there is an important question to ask. Can the Phillies hope to again show at least an eight-game improvement?

Another eight games up in the win column would mean that the Fightin’ Phils finish with at least a 79-83 record in the 2017 season. Such a record would likely mean that the club was never very far off the .500 break-even mark for much of the year.

Unless a big bat is brought in via trade or free agency, something that does not appear likely at this point, the lineup is not going to change very much.

Philadelphia Phillies: Off-Season Recommendations

The Phillies and we fans are suffering through a fourth consecutive losing campaign in which the club won no more than 73 games in any season.

There is progress, however, down through the organization, and hope for the future. 

The minor league system is full of exciting prospects, a few of whom have made their big league debuts over the last two seasons.

The Phils are also moving into an era of tremendous financial strength. The club has just $24 million in contract obligations on the books for the 2017 season, $2 million for 2018, and nothing beyond that.

As more and more talented youngsters arrive over the next year or two, the Phillies will be able to supplement them with big free agent signings.

Phillies

CALL TO THE PEN 1 W

MLB: Top Ten Prospects of the Rookie Leagues - GCL, AZL

MORE HEADLINES AROUND FANSIDED:

1 w - Phillies Lower-Minors Prospects Ranked by Baseball America2w - Phillies Jerad Eickhoff Championship Week Gem3w - Phillies Freddy Galvis Power Surge: Waiver Worthy?8w - Phillies Aaron Altherr: Intriguing Wavier Wire Add9w - Phillies Promote Top Prospect Jake Thompson: Fantasy Impact

More News at That Balls Outta Here 

They will also have the financial and organizational prospect strength to go after players such as Mike Trout in trade, if they so wish, surrendering a package of players and taking on a large, long-term contract.

My recommendations for 2017 are fairly simple and straightforward. I want to see more of the kids come and receive significant playing time next year.

I want to see J.P. Crawford, Nick Williams, and Jorge Alfaro on the field. I want to see Jake Thompson and Ben Lively on the mound.

I want to see Tommy Joseph play first base on an everyday basis against all types of pitching in all situations. 

With Ryan Howard gone and based on his own production this year, Joseph deserves that opportunity.

There is talk of the Phillies adding a few free agents, including at least one veteran power hitting corner outfielder and a starting pitcher.

If that does happen, and considering the anticipated free agent class, I do not want to see the organization tie up long-term dollars for a player 30+ years of age.

I am frustrated by the last four years of losing, but I am not impatient, and I do not want the team to go off their plan out of frustration and make a bad investment that proves a setback.

Given health, my ideal Phillies 2017 lineup would include

Philadelphia Phillies 2016 Grade: Coaching Staff

In 2015 the Philadelphia Phillies were the worst team in Major League Baseball, finishing at the bottom of not just the NL East or the National League, but all of MLB with a 63-99 record.

That finish was the worst for the organization in 43 years. It came on the heels of back-to-back 73-89 seasons.

So entering the 2016 campaign the Phillies were mired in their worst stretch of poor play since the late-1990’s teams suffered through seven straight losing finishes.

Hopes were not high for this current team. Most prognosticators had them finishing in last place once again. The most optimistic believing that they could finish in fourth place, ahead of the similarly rebuilding Atlanta Braves.

You could count me among those optimists. In fact, in my own preseason prediction, I had the Phillies finishing in 3rd place with a record of 75-87, ahead of both Atlanta and the Miami Marlins in the division, a full dozen games better than a year ago.

RELATED STORY: Phillies 2016: Editor's Prediction

The Fightin’ Phils headed out on their final road trip of the season a week ago with a record of 69-83, and my prediction was still well within their grasp.

They needed to finish 6-4 over the final 10 games to make it happen.

Phillies Closing August in Poor Shape

Following Tuesday night's 3-2 defeat at the hands of the NL East rival Washington Nationals, the Phillies have played the schedule to a 12-13 record during the month of August.

While that might now seem like too bad a mark, a look at the club's recent play and some of the mitigating circumstances shows that they are entering September in much worse shape than fans hoped would be the case.

Over the last two weeks the Phillies have won just four of their 13 games, and have now lost four consecutive series of three games or more. Only the two game Interleague split with the White Sox was a non-loser in that stretch.

During this stretch, other than the pair against the Chisox, the Phils have faced some really good, contending ball clubs in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saint Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and now the Nationals.

Those four teams are a combined 50 games over the .500 mark, and the group includes two divisional leaders (Nationals, Dodgers), one of the two current NL Wildcard teams (Cardinals) and a Mets club that is just 2.5 out of that WC race.

However, more than the competition level is at play here. The Phillies are simply not looking very competitive most nights, and do not seem to be playing with the same spirit, drive, and intensity that characterized their early season success.

Phillies Enduring a See-Saw 2016 Season

At the beginning of the 2016 Major League Baseball regular season, more than four months ago now, I came out with my predictions for the upcoming Phillies season.

In that prediction piece, I picked the club to finish a dozen games better than their putrid bottom-of-baseball 2015 campaign, going 75-87 when the books were closed on 2016.

That would mean that my prediction would show the Phillies to have played at a .463 pace over the course of this season. So where are the Phils now?

On this day off in the schedule, the Phillies sit at 58-67 for a .464 winning percentage. To this point, nearly five months in, the club is pretty much exactly on the pace that I predicted at the beginning.

But if you think back, there was a point in the season where everyone following the team was getting a bit ahead of themselves.

The team last reached their 2016 high-water mark of seven games over the .500 mark at 24-17 on Wednesday, May 18th