Phils-Pirates
- Thread starter LafayetteBear
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I see McCutchen is close to the Mendoza line. Maybe the Pirates were smart to let him go.
What is their minor league system like? They are off to a nice start this year.
Phila win again this evening.....my question...it is early....but are the Phils legit?
Other than the Pirates (excluding these two games) the Phils have played some bad teams in the Reds, Rays and Marlins. They lost 4 of 6 to ATL which is not a good team. Jury is out but let us see what happens. I look at it as a good thing because if they went 1-2 vs. those teams people would be bailing. We need a bounty bowl on Freddie Freeman. He looks like the greatest player in the history of baseball against the Phillies.
I thought the pitch he got hit with was worse the other night. I wish no ill on Freddie, but he's Kryptonite to the Phillies like The Jones Brothers were, Andruw and Chipper. Freeman is one hell of a hitter.
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They have won the majority of their games against poor competition but you play who you play. Their pitching has been notable. Pivetta and Vince have looked good early, both showing a better understanding of pitching and not simply trying to overpower hitters. Vince has impressed me. A couple of games ago he had 90+ pitches and only 51 were fastballs. He used all his secondary pitches in all portions of the count and said his approach has been to throw down to contact. That is a HUGE step. Pivetta has had great stuff. Still not sure about their pen but we will see what Hunter brings when he is activated. If Pivetta and VV have made that step forward and Eickoff returns, their pitching is competitive enough.
Offensively, they need someone behind Hoskins. I saw way too many holes after watching them for March. I think they will be up and down offensively for stretches this year, just my opinion.
What you said. . .
They have beaten up on bad teams, but everyone plays them so it is what it is. They are stacking wins in April, which helps in September. Keep in mind, this is with nothing from Santana and save a coupe games, not much from Franco either. Will be interesting to see how things play out with Kingery and Hernandez. Do you just stick Kingery somewhere else and he learns the new position? I don’t get paid to make that decision . I tell you if Arrieta holds up, they will be in a playoff race until the end. Go Phils!!
Whiz Kids Part II
Cheese Whiz Kids. Come on. It’s Philly.
Kapler seems to be very impressed with Hernandez. I said in a different thread that trading Hernandez just to open the space for Kingery would be a mistake in my opinion. Hernandez has put up good numbers at the position for too long now. I’m not sure what the answer is if they pursue say Machado at third. Kingery is not a SS to me but could be a third baseman more so than at short. Kingery is obviously here long term and they have this year to figure out where he would play. If he could play short and you think Machado is a play, then it fits with JP being the super sub until he hits well enough to show he must play everyday.
Cesar
Santana
Odubel
Hoskins
Machado
Kingery
Nick
Alfaro
Phil’s don’t have the offense to challenge the top of the NL East. Lost 4 of 6 to Atlanta. Atlanta isn’t a bad team, they have one of the better lineups and it is young. Braves are gonna be good in the near future. The phils got swept by the Mets who are a good team but their better sticks (Cespedes, Conforto, Bruce) are really struggling out of the gates. Whenever they get dialed in the Mets and Nationals will run away with the division if they both remain healthy.
Kingery has gotten a whole lot of publicity as the top 2B prospect in the Bigs. Has he been playing second regularly for the Phils? How has he looked thus far this season?
Cincy may be the guy to ask, but in my opinion it turned out to be overrated. I think it now is generally regarded as middle of the pack at best. This does not bode well for a small market franchise that certainly isn't going to go out and sign big time free agents. The Phils on the other hand will, which they've proven already. Gotta admit though, at the time I didn't think the Arietta signing was wise given where they are. I may have been wrong.
He has played both infield and outfield and all IF positions other than first. Offensively, he is off to a decent start. I watched him closely in Clearwater for the month of March. He’s compact with quick hands. The comparisons are naturally made to Utley but he is stronger than Utley at same age. He will be a core piece along with Hoskins obviously.
Kingery is naturally a great defensive player unlike Utley. Utley had to really work to become good defensively. Kingery reminds me of Craig Biggio more than Utley. I think Kingery can be an everyday CF like Biggio was off and on during his career in Houston. I would trade Herrera to clear a spot for Kingery everyday, if I got Machado. I view Crawford and Williams as potentially part of the core besides Hoskins and Kingery. I don't view Odubel as part or potential part of the core. Machado wants to play short again so they could always still move Kingery to 3B. If playing short is a big deal in Machado's FA, they could always plays Crawford at 3B and keep Kingery playing super ultility role until they can get a clearer picture of Crawford as a MLB hitter.
I don’t disagree. Odubel makes me shake my head. I think he just loses focus and hasn’t been totally on board since they have been so bad in his time here. I do think he could be very good on a contending team that is focused every game. He has a friendly contract and would probably bring you the most in return. Altherr has really struggled - I think they won’t get an accurate read in either him or Nick given them playing and sitting, playing and sitting. These guys need everyday play to really judge them. Unless they feel comfortable with Kingery in the OF, they might not feel comfortable trading Odubel. They really needed to understand what they had in Aaron and Nick, they won’t get as good a read this year.
All the people I know who interact with Odubel like him. He isn’t a bad guy by any means.
You are spot on with this post. They continue to get pieces, I think they just need to step back and figure out how the puzzle goes together.
I would give Williams the lions share of time in OF, he needs to play everyday. Clearly, Kingery is one of the building blocks. If things don’t shake out, they trade Hernandez for something substantial.
For now, enjoy the winning.
Yes, I agree. If not for Hoskins ridiculous start last year, a lot more attention would have been directed on the solid play of Nick last year. He was really productive. I am like many here who thought that staying the course and running out Nick and Aaron was the way to go. But getting Santana threw a monkey wrench into that. I like both Aaron and Nick. I think Altherr might give you better power, Nick maybe a tad better in everything else.
Hernandez is very consistent. If traded, they better get a good piece back for him. At some point, I still think he has a big year hitting and steals combo.
It’s a good problem to have. It’s just Kingery already has the monster contract, so he will be here.
Yes, the Santana deal felt forced. Not sure why they felt the need to go get him.
I think in the future, you will need someone to take Areieta’s place. I think they hope Sixto continues to dominate he minors and comes along soon.
Like I said, I am just going to kick back and enjoy the wins . . .
