Ah, opening day. Better late than never, I guess!
We have our list finalized, there is a real game live on TV tonight … for the first time ever, things feel … semi-normal?
Therefore, I was feeling more joyful today and decided to torture myself a little by remembering the struggles of the old Phillies of 2019.
Of all the mistakes the Phillies made last year, there was one aspect that was not surface level that caught my eye more than any other. No, it wasn’t the health of her bullpen, nor was it the lack of depth on her list, it was her inability to pinch. The 2019 Phillies were absolutely helpless when it came to pinching.
Yes, I know it is not the most pressing problem, but it was a legitimate problem that plagued the Phillies during the season of recent years, and in 2020, where we faced a 60-game sprint, within which each result matters , the situational blow becomes infinitely more important.
Through 474 plate appearances, the Phillies as a team in substitution-based scenarios cut:
.192 / .263 / .315, .578 OPS, 11 HR, 37 BB, 147 K
For those who keep track of it at home, that’s an absolutely horrible line.
This derogatory result was born out of the terrible banking contingent of the Phillies, whose names you probably haven’t heard in a long time:
Boys like Sean Rodríguez, José Pirela, Logan Morrison, Mitch Walding, Aaron Altherr, Dylan Cozens, Rob Brantley and others …
With names like those, it’s no wonder the results were so lackluster.
That said, it appears that the Phillies have quietly assembled a squad that should fix this problem quite dramatically.
This is how your bank is being formed in 2020:
Leading the pack, infielder Neil Walker, who had an excellent 2019 from the bench.
He slashed .324 / .425 / .588 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs in 40 plate appearances as a substitute, which is a substantial improvement for the Phillies, and he would have pretty easily led the team bench in 2019. Plus , hits from both sides of the plate, making it a versatile and dangerous bat from the wings.
Next up is the local boy, Phil Gosselin, who finally gets his shot at an opening day roster (after some “contract stuff” is sorted out before Friday).
He put up a .342 / .390 / .368 bar with 3 RBIs in 41 minor appearances in 2019 (10-by-32 in pinch-hit scenarios) and was arguably the Phillies’ most effective pinch hitter overall . Last Year Sure, he’s not the slugger you want to hit the winning home run with, but, with the “runner-up” rule in today’s game, a solo is all a team needs to do it.
Also, it hit somewhere around .900 (yes, .900) at summer camp this year, and that’s not even an exaggeration. In the last 6 days, Gosselin has THIRTEEN successes …
If anyone earned his place in this club, it’s Philly Phil.
Then comes everyone’s favorite backup receiver (ha), the only one, Mr. Andrew Knapp.
Knapp, another hitting trade hitter, wasn’t as bad off the bench as one might assume based on his regular-season stats.
In 48 substitution appearances, Knapp slashed a fair .256 / .333 / .302 with 4 RBIs. He wasn’t “good” per se, but, with the encouraging signs we’ve seen of him at summer camp, I’m sure he’ll have a much more effective year at the plate in 2020 … at least, compared to his beyond poor 2019.
Kyle Garlick is next on the bench, and boy, does he provide the power these 3 previous hitters lack.
What you can expect from Garlick; Probably a lot of strikeouts, yes, but when I make contact, it will be significant.
He had an amazing 2019 in Triple-A, placing a .314 / .382 / .675 bar along with an OPS of 1,057 and 23 home runs, and he also managed to bring that into a limited Major League span, hitting a .521 clip. posting a .842 OPS in 53 plate appearances with the Dodgers.
It has a heavy, right-handed punch, and that’s something every bench needs.
To round off, there are your everyday players who will rest from time to time. Boys like Jay Bruce, Roman Quinn, and Adam Haseley.
These people’s talents speak for themselves, however, they are likely to be the favorite bats to switch to the game once a starting pitcher comes out / for situational matchups.
So, let’s recap: we have:
- Two veteran infielders with brilliant emergency numbers as recent as last year.
- A backup receiver who was better in pinball scenarios than when taking regular at-bats.
- A great hitter who broke Triple-A last year and managed to hit .500+ at the major league level.
- The rest of our MLB hitters.
Yes, I’d say it’s an update on Rob Brantley and Sean Rodríguez …
