Folks we all know the baseball season is a long one, 162 games spreading across the summer and into October for the best of teams, that’s why it hurts even more that we’re not even at the end of May and already the Phillies are finding new ways to crush us every night. There’s a lot to unpack as to why this team is the way it is, and quite honestly this blog would be far too long if I covered them all. So I’m going to focus on just a few that I think are the most glaring causes for concern.
Centerfield, or lack there of it
First off, the centerfield situation. A position not many had great deals of hope for going into the season, and it certainly hasn’t impressed. The Phillies have tried four different guys in centerfield and none have been able to cement a spot. Now of course Adam Haseley took some time away from the team for personal reasons so I have no bad words to say about him, and with his return seemingly imminent as he gets into game shape in clearwater, there’s hope that we might finally get some consistent production. The Phillies seem sure that Mickey Moniak needs more time to develop resulting in him being set in a spot on the Triple A roster, and with Roman Quinn out injured, that leaves 37 who has unsurprisingly not been productive, and appears to not even be on the same page as his teammates, with him cutting in front of Bryce to take away a play that in no situation is his. Centerfield is a priority at the trade deadline if Haseley can’t find some success but for now it remains a black hole.
Defensive liabilities all over the field
Before last night’s game against the Red Sox, Dave Dombrowski said “We knew we weren’t going to be a real good defensive club. But you hope that you can play well and catch the balls that you can catch”. Well for the entire season, the Phillies have been incapable of doing so.
From Cutch, to Bohm, to Didi, to even Harper? The Phillies defense is horrendous, fundamentally bad on every level. I’ve lost count of how many simple flyouts Cutch has misread and let them turn into doubles, basic groundouts to short that Didi has thrown into the dugout, and even worse, Bohm is just flat out not a third baseman. After what feels like a very long trail of groundouts to third being thrown away, resulting in 7 errors (tied for the most amongst major league third baseman), the worst came in last nights game. Missing a clear play at the plate only to attempt a pick-off at 2nd that led to him throwing a wild ball into centerfield all in all scoring 2 runners and making an Aaron Nola start look a whole lot worse than it should have been.
For now I’m not sure there’s an immediate solution to the defense; Cutch is here to stay until the end of the season, and until the DH arrives in the NL I don’t see anywhere you can move Bohm (barring some time in the minors to reset which I think is necessary). The Phillies should however be very active at the trade deadline and this winter’s free agency. With Kris Bryant’s departure from the Cubs possibly looming, going all in now to acquire him via trade would be a tremendous upgrade defensively at third, and with a loaded shortstop class there are definitely options in the coming free agency. For now though we’ll likely have to suffer through mind-numbing defensive errors.
The Joe Girardi issue
Its becoming very clear that Girardi is not the manager we thought we were getting when he arrived in Philadelphia. The list of bad decisions is becoming alarmingly long; from bad lineups, to the constant double switches at unnecessary times often taking the hottest players out of the game (cough, Jean Segura, cough), to horrible management of the bullpen and to a clear lack of leadership. David Hale has seen more high leverage innings than he should ever get. Connor Brogdon, one of the team’s best relievers, is never used in the spots he should be (aka the ones Hale is for some reason given). The double switches are unfathomable, even more so when Girardi claims he doesn’t want to use them and yet apparently can’t stop. The team has no fight or hustle and looks completely lost, it appears that Girardi has no control over the clubhouse and can’t even motivate them to play fundamental baseball, and this can all be summed up with the heated fight between him and Segura during the Blue Jays series. The Phillies should seriously be considering moving on from Girardi come seasons end (unless he can remember how to manage) because as it stands this team is going absolutely nowhere with him at the helm.
I keep trying to remind myself that its a long season, that surely it can only be up from here right? Well time will tell. Of course there’s a lot more issues with this team, the offense, injuries, the bullpen (surprise surprise), but if I make this any longer than it is then I think I might lose my sanity. Follow me on twitter @philliescam and let me know what you think about the Phillies struggles if you like!
And hey, at least we have the Sixers!
Philly Or Nothing 