Phillies add Rhys Hoskins to spring injuries list

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Rhys Hoskins and Roman Quinn both battling spring injuries

The Philadelphia Phillies are scheduled to begin a highly-anticipated 2019 regular season one week from tomorrow. Including the Wednesday afternoon game in Clearwater against the Detroit Tigers there are just six game dates remaining on the Grapefruit League schedule. Two of those will be split-squad affairs.

Opportunities for the players to experience game conditions prior to Opening Day are dwindling quickly. With that in mind there are a number of Phillies players still battling injury issues which will hinder their ability to participate.

Scott Lauber of Philly.com noted this morning that first baseman Rhys Hoskins is suffering from a sore shoulder. He is being held out of game action at least through Friday, but at this point it is believed that he will be in the lineup against the Atlanta Braves on March 28 at Citizens Bank Park. He still hopes to be able to play in a couple of spring training games before then.

Lauber further noted that the Phillies would move starting third baseman Maikel Franco over to first base on Friday, and that Franco would cover the position if a longer term need were to arise. The Phillies would play Scott Kingery at the hot corner in such a scenario.

Jerad Eickhoff has returned to the mound following off-season carpal tunnel surgery. He should start at Triple-A. (D. Benjamin Miller/WikiCommons)

Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported on Tuesday that both Roman Quinn and Tommy Hunter would likely open the season on the Injured List. Quinn suffered an oblique strain back in late February and has appeared in just one game down in Florida. Hunter was shut down at around the same time with a strain in the flexor muscle of his right pitching arm.

Also on the mound, Jerad Eickhoff underwent carpal tunnel syndrome surgery back in October. The right-hander had experienced some recurring symptoms in January which slowed his entry to spring games.

Eickhoff has now made two starts and is on track to open the season as part of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley starting rotation. As long as he remains healthy, he would likely be the first pitcher to be re-called should a need arise in the Phillies rotation.

Injuries continue to rise at 2019 Phillies spring training

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Hernandez joins a growing list of Phillies hurt in Clearwater

Barely two weeks into spring training and players are dropping like flies with the Philadelphia Phillies. Already down two position players and a pitcher over this past week, the injury ranks grew by one more today.

It was announced this morning that second baseman Cesar Hernandez suffered what was described by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com as a “Grade 1 right hip flexor strain” while running the bases during Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins in Clearwater.

Per the Summit Medical Group: “A hip flexor strain is a stretch or tear of a muscle in your hip. You use the hip flexor muscles when you flex or lift your knee, do high kicks, or bend at the waist.”

The injury presents with pain in the area where your thigh meets your hip. Treatments requires that an athlete such as Hernandez cease all activities that cause the pain. In his case that would be pretty much every baseball activity.

Per Zolecki there is no timetable for his return. Assuming Hernandez injury actually is a Grade 1, that is the mildest version. However, these types of injuries normally take a few weeks to fully heal. Rushing back could only cause a recurrence and worsening. In the worse case these injuries can take six weeks or more.

For a player whose speed and ability to pivot and otherwise move around the second base position, this is certainly a setback. This could well open an oppportunity for soon-to-be 25-year-old Scott Kingery to get most of the playing time at the Keystone position in the coming weeks, and to wrestle away the starting job.

Hernandez turns 29-years-old in May. He is signed for this coming season at $7.75 million, and would again be eligible for arbitration next winter. He can then become a free agent following the 2020 campaign.

Phillies lose reliever Tommy Hunter as first pitching injury of 2019

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Hunter becomes the first arm to go down in spring training

When objectively evaluating the Philadelphia Phillies 2019 roster for potential strengths and weaknesses, the bullpen would have to be listed on the “strengths” side of the ledger.

The addition of a few talented veterans this off-season to a solid returning group and some growing young arms has the pen looking stronger and deeper than it has in years.

Now less than two weeks into 2019 spring training that bullpen depth will begin to be tested. It’s first member has gone down due to injury. Tommy Hunter will be shut down for in indeterminate amount of time with a Grade 1 strain of the flexor muscle in his right pitching arm.

The flexor mass is a collection of muscles and tendons which come together in the forearm near the elbow. They function by allowing you to turn and flex your wrist. The injury as it affects a pitcher such as Hunter is described as follows by Robert G. Najarian, MD with Inova:

“With flexor mass strains, pitchers usually don’t feel pain until the follow-through phase of the pitch. That’s when you need the flexor mass to snap the wrist to get the ball in the strike zone. When the flexor mass is injured, the ball often ends high and pitchers can have problems locating their pitch.”

In general, Najarian states, the injury is treated with rest, anti-inflammatories, and a strength/rehabilitation program. Some players are out for just two weeks. For others the recovery can take as long as six to eight weeks. It all depends upon the severity of the injury and the individual player’s ability to recuperate.

The hope is that the Phillies and Hunter caught the injury early enough that this method of recovery will do the job. If such an injury is allowed to go untreated for too long, it could result in ligament damage and possibly the dreaded Tommy John surgery.

Hunter was signed by the Phillies as a free agent in December 2017 to a two-year, $18 million contract. The 32-year-old, 11-year veteran will not throw for two weeks and then will be re-evaluated.

The Phillies bullpen ranked around the middle of baseball last season. The club’s relievers as a group ranked 18th in ERA and BAA, 10th in K/9, and 11th in saves and K/BB among the 30 teams of Major League Baseball.

Hunter was likely going to be called upon by manager Gabe Kapler in the 5th-7th innings. He is one of a strong group of right-handed relievers that also includes David Robertson, Pat Neshek, Hector Neris, Seranthony Dominguez, Juan Nicasio, Edubray Ramos, and Victor Arano.

Phillies 2019 bullpen just one piece short of elite status

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Juan Nicasio brings a veteran presence to deeper Phillies bullpen

Philadelphia Phillies general manager Matt Klentak had four major boxes that needed to be checked off when this off-season began if he wanted to truly build a contending team for the 2019 season.

Those four were a proven impact run-producer for the middle of the batting order, a better defensive lineup, another veteran starting pitcher (preferably left-handed), and improvements to the bullpen.

With the additions of Andrew McCutchen in left field and Jean Segura at shortstop, the defense should be improved. The club continues to search for the middle-order bat and the southpaw rotation arm.

It cannot be argued that Klentak has not improved the bullpen. Given health, the Phillies relief corps is both talented and deep, and should prove to be a strength for manager Gabe Kapler.

The Phillies have added three new arms to their bullpen. Right-hander Juan Nicasio and left-hander James Pazos arrived as part of the Segura trade from Seattle. Then just days ago the club signed one of baseball’s top relievers over the past decade, David Robertson, as a free agent.

Those three join a returning group that could include any from among righties Hector Neris, Seranthony Dominguez, Pat Neshek, Tommy Hunter, Victor Arano, and Edubray Ramos. There are two returning lefties in Adam Morgan and Austin Davis as well.

The Phillies could still use a better situational left-handed arm. But a closer look at the statistics shows that the arms needed to win match-ups with big lefty bats may already be here.

Robertson had a 53/10 K:BB ratio against left-handed hitters a year ago. Those opposing lefty batters hit the right-handed Robertson for just a .176 BAA as well as a .378 slugging percentage.

The one negative for Robertson against those lefties was that they got to him for a half-dozen home runs over 132 plate appearances against him. In comparison, he surrendered just one long ball to a right-handed batter over 151 plate appearances against.

During his breakthrough rookie campaign a year ago, lefty batters hit for just a .188 average against Dominguez. His biggest problem with them were walks, as Dominguez handed out 14 free passes to lefties in 116 plate appearances. Compare that to just eight right-handers that he walked over 115 plate appearances.

Relievers Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek being shopped by Phillies

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Tommy Hunter now among those reportedly being shopped by the Phillies

The MLB Hot Stove season is in full swing as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches. The Philadelphia Phillies appear to be involved in a new rumor every single day, and today is no different.

Last week’s hot rumor was that the club was “shopping the hell” out of first baseman Carlos Santana. Now comes word that the Phillies have two more of the veteran free agents signed last off-season, relievers Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter, on the trade blocks.

A 38-year-old right-hander who brings a dozen years of experience in Major League Baseball with a half-dozen different organizations, Neshek first came to the Phillies in a November 2016 trade with the Houston Astros.

Neshek was flipped at the 2017 non-waiver trade deadline to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for a trio of prospects led by infielder Jose Gomez, who now ranks #16 on MLB.com’s top Phillies prospectslist. Neshek became a free agent that fall and re-signed with the Phillies on December 15, 2017.

Hunter is a 32-year-old right-hander who has also pitched with a half-dozen different MLB organizations across his 11-year big-league career. He signed with the Phillies as a free agent the same day as Neshek last December.

Neshek is owed $7.75 million for next season with a $7 million team option for 2020. There is also a $750k club buyout for that season. Hunter has $9 million owed to him next year and then he will become a free agent.

The first word that the two relievers were being shopped around came today via Jon Heyman on Twitter:

Jon Heyman

✔@JonHeyman

phillies not only have carlos santana on the block, as @Ken_Rosenthal said but also tommy hunter and pat neshek. the relievers had solid years, but with so many quality bullpen arms on the free agent market, timing for trades may not be easy

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Phillies have enough to sign Bryce Harper and still go after Mike Trout in two years

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Signing Harper (L) would not preclude also signing Trout (R) and others

There is an old saying when discussing finances – you can’t have it all. Nearly everyone, even most wealthy folks, have to make choices at some point about how to spend their money.

Back in April of this year, Forbes released their annual Major League Baseball team values. The Philadelphia Phillies came in at ninth on the list with a $1.7 billion value attached.

But just because the Phillies are valued that highly doesn’t mean they can spend a billion dollars on player salaries.

How much can the team actually spend? Can they really afford a free agent contract of the magnitude that Bryce Harper or Manny Machado would surely command?

If the Phillies lay out the huge sum that it will cost to bring one or both of those young superstars to Citizens Bank Park for the 2019 season and well into the next decade, how would that affect their ability to put together a further competitive roster?

The team and the fan base certainly would like to be able to afford homegrown young stars Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins. And what about the ultimate Phillies fan pipe dream, bringing Mike Trout home when he becomes a free agent in a couple of years?

Well, I’m here to tell you that it can all get done. Well, at least most of it. In the end you might not have it all. But you will have a lot, and what you do have should excite you.

FISHING FOR TROUT

First, let’s assume that you really, really want the Phillies to sign Trout when he becomes a free agent after the 2020 season. That is your ‘Plan A’, the one thing that you want above all others, with everything being equal.

I don’t have to stretch my assumptions to believe that is the case. Any Phillies fan who has been listening to talk radio and following the fans on social media for the last couple of years knows full well that bringing Trout to South Philly is their dream.

Let’s assume it is your dream. What would that take? What might a long-term Trout contract look like?

Figure in what Harper and Machado are likely to get this year. Factor in that Trout will turn 29-years-old when he hits free agency in the fall of 2020. Know that he will have already made over $146 million by that time.

Trout may be looking for the same 10-year deal that will likely be the ask to land either Harper or Machado, even though he will be a couple of years older than both players are now. Such a deal would take Trout through his age 38 season, basically the rest of his career.

Phillies getting solid bullpen work from Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek

Hunter (L), Neshek (R) have been strong out of Phillies pen

Much has been made of the Philadelphia Phillies off-season signings of starting pitcher Jake Arrieta and first baseman Carlos Santana as free agents. The two veterans have each experienced ups and downs this year, reflecting the overall performance of the team.

There were two other free agents brought on board by general manager Matt Klentak as well. Right-handed relievers Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter each had slow starts to their 2018 seasons. But as the club has slumped over the last month or so, the two veteran hurlers are closing the season strong out of the Phillies bullpen.

Neshek was known to most Phillies fans after he spent a strong first four months of 2017 with the team. He was traded from the Houston Astros to the Phillies in November of 2016, missing out on the first World Series championship in Astros history last fall.

With the Phillies, Neshek became a National League all-star for the second time in his career. Over 43 games he allowed just 28 hits in 40.1 innings with a dominating 45/5 K:BB ratio. The club was then able to deal him at last year’s trade deadline to the Colorado Rockies for a trio of low-level prospects.

After his 11th big league season had ended, Neshek became a free agent once again. On December 15, Klentak re-signed him, this time to a two-year, $15.5 million deal with a $7 million team option for a third season in 2020.

That same day, the 10-year veteran Hunter was inked to a two-year, $18 million contract following a strong 2017 campaign spent with the Tampa Bay Rays. Just like that, Klentak had greatly improved the Phillies bullpen for the 2018 season – at least on paper.

Things didn’t play out as hoped for the two veteran relievers, at least not at first. Neshek spent the first three months on the disabled list suffering from a strained right shoulder. He finally pitched in his first game on July 1.

Hunter was healthy, he just wasn’t very good. Before Neshek was activated, Hunter had pitched in 29 games over those first three months. In 25 innings he had allowed 33 hits, had a .308 batting average against, and a lofty 5.04 ERA.

But since Neshek’s July 1 activation, the pair has been solid nearly every time called upon by manager Gabe Kapler. The two pitchers have combined to throw 51 innings in which they have allowed just 40 hits.

Neshek himself has allowed 19 hits over 20 innings across 24 games. He has a 1.35 ERA, a 1.100 WHIP, and a 13/3 K:BB ratio. Hunter has vastly improved since the arrival of Neshek. Over his last 28 games he has allowed just 21 hits across 31 innings. He has a .193 batting average against in that time, a 2.32 ERA, and a 19/7 K:BB ratio.

The big change for Hunter was not necessarily support from Neshek, but an increased emphasis on the use of his cutter. Ben Harris with The Athletic quoted Kapler at the end of August on the effectiveness of the pitch: “We have stressed to Tommy just how good that pitch is…I will say that’s our practice to show guys how effective, how special their weapons are so they use them more frequently.”

It hasn’t been all rosy for the two relievers. With the Phillies leading the Nationals by 3-2 on August 28 at Citizens Bank Park they combined to blow what should have been a victory for Aaron Nola.

Phillies bullpen bolstered by rookie Austin Davis

Davis proving a reliable bullpen option (Photo: Zimbio)

The Philadelphia Phillies bullpen was much maligned during the first few months of the 2018 MLB season, and for good reason.

Through June, closer Hector Neris had blown three Save opportunities. He also had fashioned a horrendous 6.90 ERA and had allowed three earned runs or more on four separate occasions.

Veteran left-hander Adam Morgan had a bloated 5.24 ERA and had blown five Save chances. Luis Garcia had a 4.74 ERA before going on the disabled list in mid-June.

The two free agents signed by the club in the off-season in order to improve the pen were not contributing. Tommy Hunter had a 5.04 ERA through June and had blown his lone Save opportunity. Pat Neshek spent the first three months on the DL and wouldn’t make his first appearance until July 1.

The poor performances and injuries led the Phillies brain trust to take a look into the minor league system for some help. There they found a 25-year-old southpaw on the AAA Lehigh Valley IronPigs pitching staff who was having some success.

Born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, Austin Davis had been the Phillies selection in the 12th round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of California State University in Bakersfield, California.

At the time of his selection, “The Baseball Draft Report” commented that Davis was “looking like scout pick for sure, as ’14 numbers (only season of D1 experience) weren’t pretty; really impressive stuff: 88-92 FB, 94-95 peak, 78-82 SL with upside, good 78-82 CU, low- to mid-70s CB; pro body (6-5, 240 pounds)…”

Once signed, Davis quickly began demonstrating that “really impressive stuff” during a minor league career that saw him rise incrementally through the system with sustained success. Over parts of five seasons, the lefty would surrender 228 hits over 265.1 innings across 135 games with a 270/92 K:BB ratio.

His 3.1 BB/9 and 9.2 K/9 marks along with a 1.206 WHIP were nothing special. But Davis had a knack for avoiding serious trouble, which is an extremely valuable quality to a baseball manager.

This past December, “Baseball Ross” provided the following commentary on Davis while taking a look at Phillies prospects who had been passed over by other clubs in the Rule 5 Draft:

“A big 6’4 power lefty out of the pen.  Watched him pitch in the low to mid 90’s at Clearwater last year where he went 2-0 striking out better than a batter an inning.  At Reading he gave up only one earned run to left-handed hitters to pitch to a 0.61 ERA against them.  The 24-year-old would make a great LOOGY out of a major league pen…”

Promoted from AA Reading to AAA Lehigh Valley early this spring, Davis was enjoying a stellar season out of the IronPigs bullpen. He had a 2.43 ERA while yielding just 19 hits over 29.2 innings with an outstanding 38/8 K:BB over 22 games.

Davis has now been with the Phillies for a full month. Seven of his 11 outings have been scoreless, and he has a 17/5 K:BB while allowing 12 hits over 13 innings.

Bullpen becoming a strength for the Phillies

Seranthony Dominguez (R) has strengthened the 'pen

The Philadelphia Phillies dropped a 3-0 heartbreaker on Wednesday night at Citi Field. The host New York Mets won it on a two-out, pinch-hit, three-run home run from Brandon Nimmo off Phillies reliever Mark Leiter Jr to gain a split of the four-game series between the division rivals.

For some Phillies fans, this might seem like just another in a string of games blown by the bullpen. The relief corps has been much maligned this season. Some of the individual pitchers have certainly deserved the criticism at times.

What those same fans may not have noticed is that the Phillies bullpen has been extremely effective since the calendar turned to July. 

Frankly, games like last night’s are going to happen to almost every team over the course of a long 162-game season. However, a look at the statistics shows that the Phillies bullpen may be turning into a strength.

Here are the numbers put up by the various Phillies relief pitchers, beginning with games of July 1:

As you can tell from Leiter’s figures, this was the bullpen performance up until the time he stepped on to the mound last night. Prior to that appearance, Phillies relief pitchers had a cumulative 1.06 ERA during the month of July.

In fact, it looked as if Leiter was going to continue that excellence when the inning began. He retired the first two Mets batters to start the frame.

After a two-out double by Amed Rosario, the Phillies right-hander got to 3-2 on Jose Reyes. But the veteran Mets hitter layed off a low-and-away changeup, drawing a free pass to set-up Nimmo’s walkoff heroics.

Yes, if you want to get technical, as well as to generalize, “the bullpen blew it” last night. But the Phillies relief pitchers have actually been helping this team as the dog days of summer have begun.

Even though the offense has managed just four or fewer runs in eight of the 10 games this month, the club has gone 7-3. That improved work from the bullpen has been an important factor.

Not ready to commit to the Phillies as 2018 contenders just yet

Phillies need one or two pieces to stay in contention

It’s the day after Independence Day, and an off-day on the Major League Baseball schedule for the Philadelphia Phillies. The team leaves today on an 11-game road trip leading up to the MLB All-Star Game. It will be July 20 before home fans get to see the local nine play again on the grass at Citizens Bank Park.

The Fightin’ Phils just took both games of a quick two-game series with Manny Machado and the Baltimore Orioles. They can now be considered as hot as the weather. Winners of five of their last six games, the club has stormed to 10 games over the .500 mark for the first time all season.

That recent hot stretch of play has them sitting just 1.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East Division standings. The Phillies are just a game back of Atlanta in the loss column. They also currently control the second of two National League Wildcard playoff berths.

Overall theirs is the ninth-best record among the 30 clubs in Major League Baseball, fifth-best in the National League. Following five straight losing campaigns in which they finished no higher than fourth place in the division and at the bottom three times, this season can be considered nothing but a success to this point.

So why am I reluctant to fully commit to the idea that these 2018 Philadelphia Phillies are truly a playoff contender right now?

First, let me say that I’m excited for the future. The organization has been going about the rebuild in the right way over the last few seasons. Minor league talent has been accumulated through trades and the draft. Much of that talent has begun to surface to help the big club, both now and for the future.

I was fairly on the fence regarding their free agent signings this past off-season. Jake Arrieta – approved. Carlos Santana – disapproved. Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter – hopeful.

My reluctance with committing to the current Phillies being able to sustain their present pace and remain in playoff contention comes from an evaluation of their statistical performance. If nothing is done by management to improve these weaknesses, they will most likely cause this year’s team to fall short of the postseason.

Offensively, the Phillies current ranks among the 15 National League ball clubs in select key categories are as follows: runs (10), batting average (13), on-base percentage (5), OPS (11), home runs (7), stolen bases (9).

Defensively, the Phillies current ranks within the National League are even more challenging. They are just 14th of the 15 clubs in fielding percentage. The team has committed the second-most errors. Their limited range is exposed by the ranking of 11th in assists.

Some of the offensive shortfall can be attributed to youth. Per Baseball-Reference, the Phillies hitters have the youngest cumulative average age in all of baseball:

Oldest average age of hitters:
1. #Angels
2. #Giants
3. #BlueJays
4. #Mariners
5. #Royals

Youngest:
1. #Phillies
2. #WhiteSox
3. #Yankees
4. #Cubs
5. #Padreshttps://t.co/1cVzUJwzTy

— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) July 5, 2018