OT: 2018 Phillies Thread.....
- Thread starter Grant Green
- Start date
Doesn't look like a kid making his first MLB appearance. Looked very much in command. Trevor Plouffe gets his first knock as a Phillie.
Good to see Hunter doing a little better of late. Braves down 6-1 now. Looking good for being a game up all alone in 1st.
Phils have been 8-2 in their last 10 games. Nice way to roll into the All-Star break.
Final from ATL. Toronto wins 6-2. First place Phillies, one game lead over ATL.
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Looks like the Phils will be playing the NL West winner in the Divisional Series. Any preference for the opponent? (OK, just having some fun, it's been a long 5 years wIthout good baseball 
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Looks like the Phils will be playing the NL West winner in the Divisional Series. Any preference for the opponent? (OK, just having some fun, it's been a long 5 years wIthout good baseball
If we're playing what-if, I want the Giants. We owe them (as we would say back in the Coal Region)...a good beatin'.
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So Phils just need to go out and pick up a decent middle reliever and a right handed bat to platoon with Williams out in right field (this also allows for whomever isn't playing that game to give the Phils something off the bench for pinch hitting purposes). If they make the big move with a big name, ok. But finding a reliever and right handed hitting corner outfielder should be pretty easy to do.
yeah, he has gotten hot of late ... hitting over .400 in the last X number of games. Not something that happens all that much when batting out of the 8 hole. The Phils have been working with him to modify his swing. Hard to say if those efforts are what has caused the light to go on, or if he's just gotten hot.
He had two excellent defensive plays as well in last night's game. It does further muddle things on the left side of the infield for the Phils. Franco looked to be on his way off of the team. Then Crawford gets injured, Velentin exhibits mixed results. Kingery went through a drought at the plate, but seems to be getting his stroke back. He doesn't seem to have enough power for 3B, and his defense is still a question at SS. 2nd is supposed to be his natural position, but Hernandez has stayed healthy this season, and showed that he's a legit 2Bman. Machado will be an upgrade over any of them, though at what price?
what is your opinion of Kingery. I just don't see it. He is average at best shortstop defensively and is really struggling at the plate. Looks a little lost out there at times. If I were Kapler, I think I might tell Kingery that i am going to sit him for two weeks after the all start break to just take a break, work on some things with the hitting coach, get his wits about him, and then see how that works (worked a little bit with Franco it seems). Let Kingery know not a permanent demotion, but that he will be out for X weeks other than typical Sunday games and pinch hitting, etc...
https://www.mlb.com/news/orioles-holding-firm-on-manny-machado-offers/c-284495976
This would be less than I said it would cost. In a heart beat I make this deal.
On MLB Network Radio on Friday, former general managers Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette -- the cousin of current Orioles GM Dan Duquette -- discussed what type of package might be able to get Machado to the Phillies.
The suggested trade: Machado for Phillies shortstop J.P. Crawford and pitching prospects Adonis Mejia and JoJo Romero. That would give the Orioles a big league shortstop to replace Machado in Crawford, a top prospect in the 21-year-old right-hander Mejia (the Phillies' No. 2 prospect and the No. 74 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline) and another solid prospect in the 21-year-old left-hander Romero (the Phillies' No. 6 prospect).
Also, I think the author screwed up his name. It's Medina not Mejia, unless there is a translation thing I am missing.
Watched the game on Mets network as I don’t get Comcast. Mets announcers noted Kapler came from Dodgers and last year they had Puig batting 8th and it made him a better hitter. Have to be patient as you won’t see good pitches in spot before pitcher. It looks like it’s working with Franco.
on a side note, Ruben Amaro, Jr. coaching first base for the Mets. Is is common to go from a GM/VP of operations position to a first base coach. I can understand why Ruben didn't get hired back into another GM role because he stunk at it, but would have thought somebody would have hired him in the front office as an assistant GM or director of operations type position.
I’d be reluctant to give the Orioles much of anything to ‘rent’ Machado for the rest of the season. Yesterday Salisbury said, fwiw, that the Phillies have all but given up on Franco, so maybe they trade him to an AL team this year.
That's the Phils #2 and #3 pitching prospects, and their #1 field player prospect (Baseball America), or their #2 and #3 pitching prospects and their #2 field player prospect (MLB).
That's a lot to give up, though probably acceptable, if Machado were to sign a contract extension. If he wouldn't agree to that as part of the trade, then i wouldn't make the trade for a half-season rental player.
Kingery is a 2nd baseman, thru and thru, only playing SS now because they haven't moved Hernandez. SS is the most elite defensive position in the game (well, some would argue C, but that is apples and oranges) and "average at best" there will be more than fine when he is at 2nd in the future.
Kingery just turned 24 and just broached the 1500 AB mark for his entire career. For comparison sake, Machado hit .280/.760 with 14 HRs and 70 RBI during the full season he hit the 1500 AB mark - and he's the 2nd best player in the game. I would not be surprised one bit if Kingery ends up something like .250/.700 12HR 60 RBI with less ABs than Machado 1st year. Kingery is going to be more than fine and will be a cornerstone for the franchise going forward. Expecting him to become Machado is unrealistic, but he will be an All-Star in the future.
There is no f'ing way you sit him for 2 weeks. Here and there, and if you pick up another player, you can spot him in situations that will benefit him, but anybody worrying about Kingery at this point is entirely too impatient. Move Hernandez in the offseason and hand him the keys.
I guess it comes down to do you believe this year that Machado puts you into World Series contention.
pretty good way to evaluate it. To me, you take on a costly half-year rental player if he's likely to be the difference between losing the LCS or getting to the WS, or between winning or losing the WS.
Machado is an elite player, and certainly would make the Phils better. That said, I don't think the Phils have the bullpen, the starting pitching, the defense, or the bench that gets them to the NLCS or to the WS.
The tough part in the analysis, at least to me, is that the NL is wide open this year. In the East the Phils and the Braves look pretty good, and the Nats may, at some point, play up to their potential. In the Central, the Brewers look pretty good, and the Cubs and the Cards are lurking. I don't watch a lot of the West, but pretty much any team except the Padres seems to have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. So you could make a case that Machado would make the difference between getting to, or winning, the NLCS, though I still think that's being overly optimistic unless the bullpen, bench, and defense are addressed.
If you expand the analysis to the World Series, I don't think Machado makes any difference to the Phils even if they are lucky enough to get to the WS. The Red Sox, Yankees, Astros, and Mariners all appear to be far better than the Phils.
All that said, playoff baseball can be a combination of matchups and which team is hot. Nobody knows how the Phils, or any of the aforementioned teams, will be playing in October.
Agree with you dicemen99. Kingrey is starting to heat up a little but no where near his killer previous seasons in the minors. He wasn't even supposed to be up in the Majors until maybe May this year! So yes everyone should be a little patient with him.
One thing he has been doing is getting into a lot of bad counts. Very often he'll be quickly down 0-2. To me his swing is a little long right now.
One thing he has been doing is getting into a lot of bad counts. Very often he'll be quickly down 0-2. To me his swing is a little long right now.
agreed. fortunately for him/Phils fans, he shows a lot more discipline once he has two strikes in the count.
Yep--why the Phils lost to the Cards in 2011. They got hot at the right time and got a little lucky with matchups.
Swapping JP for Machado at SS. I have seen nothing to believe that JP can hit enough to keep a starting SS job. And the other two prospects are just that, prospects. JoJo may at best be mid to bottom rotation starter. Doesn't seem like a ton to give up, but obviously still prefer to get a longer term deal in place for Manny.
i agree with Tom that Phils shouldn't go after Machado unless a long term deal can be put in place as part of the trade. Phils getting a 3 month rental doesn't do anything as they aren't going to win the WS with or without Machado in 2018. Phils have finally restocked the farm system after Amaro gutted it to win now by trading everything away earlier this decade, why go back to that. Phils have a really interesting young team with some more nice pieces in the farm system. I would gladly do that deal if Machado can be signed, but not just for this year only.
It may be optimistic, but I really do think he could put us in the WS. As you point out, currently, the NL is wide open.
Agreed. The AL has a lot of power teams. Be surprised if any NL team goes more than 5 games.
Who did he really have at the end though? JA Happ? Villar? I think his bigger problem was dumping some too soon and others too late.
Blanton, Thome, Victorino, Pence... All gone for basically Tommy Joseph. The ended up only 7 out of the wild card, but threw in the towel right there when some stars were hurt and they had a losing streak.
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Interesting Kap has Knapp in the 9-hole tonight after batting him leadoff Sunday. Effectively kinda the same thing I guess.
This team needs serious help off the bench. Three times this series Kapler's first guy off the bench to pinch hit has been Valentin, and he's been horrible.
Fair point, the Phillies as an org are loyal to a fault. Nobody ever seems to leave when they get fired. They create jobs for them, ala Sarge, Charlie, Pete, Morandini...that's one thing but player personnel is another.
Something must be up with Altherr. I don't care about right-left, Aaron has had some big hits this year. If they keep passing up on him for guys like Valentin, then it's time to make a move.
