Phillies Lethargic Start Must End Quickly

There is nothing worse than a summer without a Phillies pennant race. I know that there will be many claiming that “we didn’t have one last year” and look how that turned out. That is the thing about oddities, anomalies and lightning striking at the same spot. It’s rare. Counting on a rare occurrence to happen again is a fools errand. Coincidentally, foolish is a great way to describe the Phillies start. Before you hit the panic button, with three wild cards it is way too early to give up on a team that rallied to go to the World Series last year. It’s not too early to ask what the hell is going on?

BASE RUNNING BLUNDERS

This team plays sloppy baseball. They apparently lose focus easily. It’s also clear that there aren’t any “public” ramifications for the same errors being made over and over. Rob Thomson and his laid back style was celebrated when he came into a bad situation in 2022 and settled everyone down. That shouldn’t be a reason to accept sloppy play. It’s his job to send a message to the clubhouse that it’s unacceptable. At least in the early going the same mistakes keep happening and nothing is improving.

CLUTCH HITTING

The Phillies are getting plenty of hits, but they aren’t getting clutch hits. Last season, JT Realmuto was bad at the plate for months and then got red hot. They can’t afford a repeat of that performance in 2023. In ten games he has one walk, 3 runs batted in and he’s hitting .200. That’s actually worse than his 2022 start.

The Phillies 3 best bats through 2 weeks are youngsters. Stott, Bohm and Marsh are off to scorching starts. They need to have some of their higher priced veterans come up big before the division race unravels. A summer chasing a wild card berth doesn’t have the same juice as chasing a division title. Just look at last season. Citizens Bank Park was a ghost town with the team in post season contention. Fans need to believe all season, not just in a Red October.

WHY I AM CONFIDENT

The Phillies deserve the benefit of the doubt that they can rally after what they accomplished last October. They also will get Ranger Suarez, Bryce Harper and Darrick Hall back in the next 2 months. The roster is a little thin right now and reinforcements are on the way.

The future is bright with the way the youngsters are hitting. I’m expecting that the veterans will start to reflect the back of their baseball cards soon and that should bolster their scoring.

Nola has been a disaster, but he isn’t a 7 ERA pitcher. That has got to improve. Wheeler has been slightly better but isn’t looking like the pitcher we have come to know the past few years. The bullpen is getting its wheels broken off of it early and Thomson has to start trusting his starters to go further in games when they are pitching well.

If the Phillies don’t have this figured out in the next 2 weeks I will be very surprised. I’ll also be very disappointed.

Last night when the Philadelphia Phillies played the Marlins, we saw old friend Jean Segura playing third base for Miami. It reminded me of this tweet that I posted in April of 2021.

The Phillies got to the World Series last season, so Segura will always have a special place in our hearts. But at the time of the tweet, it didn't look like they were heading to October baseball. Segura would have been another player on a long list of Philadelphia Phillies who were forgotten or considered a "bust out." 

This one was easy, but doesn't totally fit the narrative. Unlike outfielders and starting pitchers, the Phillies have been successful with catchers. Boone, Dutch Daulton, Ruiz, and now JT Realmuto. All have been a part of a World Series, and all have been vital parts of the team. Unfortunately for Lieberthal, who played 13 seasons with the Phillies and is now on the Wall of Fame, he came in during the 94 season and left before the Phillies won the division in 2007. 

You are laughing. I know you are. But in the late 90s when the Phillies were bottom feeders, Brogna was a dim bright spot. He hit at least 20 home runs in each of his 3 full seasons with the Phillies and drove in over 100 runs twice. After leaving the Phillies he hit 4 home runs and only had 29 RBI. Something about the Vet helped Brogna's career.

He is the genesis of this piece so out of respect, I will leave him in here. If not Segura, you could make the case that Cesar Hernandez should be here, but Segura was much more successful. 

Scott Rolen would be the obvious answer here, but people remember Rolen. Heck, the dude is being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. So the guy that fits this conversation is Polanco. A guy who had two stints with the Phillies. He ushered in Chase Utley to second base in the early 2000s, and then came back to play third base. When I ask you to name third baseman in Phillies franchise history, your first, second, third, or fourth thought would be Polanco. In total, his 7 seasons with the Phillies were productive but didn't lead to anything big.

If you are my age, you've had it good at shortstop. Jimmy Rollins for over a decade and now Trea Turner. You can't go wrong there. But there was a shortstop in between who wasn't bad (except when he came back) and that is Freddy Galvis. A guy who played almost every game had enough pop to hit 20 home runs, and was an excellent fielder. Do I miss Galvis? Absolutely not. Was he a decent ball player during the bad days of the Phillies post 07-11? Yes.  

Kenny Lofton played one season here. One. You forget that he played with the Phillies. When you look at what he did, you are amazed that you forget what he did. In 2005 Lofton hit 335, THREE THIRTY-FIVE. He didn't hit bombs, he didn't drive in runs, but he was a staple at the top of the order for a young team. 

I will start with Rowand. You will always remember Aaron Rowand, but only for the catch where he broke his nose. In 2007, the guy did way more than just that. He hit .309 and smashed 27 home runs. If it wasn't for Shane Victorino, Rowand is your centerfielder when they win the World Series in 2008. After leaving Philly and going to the Giants, he was a mediocre player. But that 2007 season got him paid, and the Phillies finally won the division. 

Last but not least, and definitely not least, even though he gets 0 respect from Phillies fans, Bobby Abreu. I have him in this just so he gets a little love. A bubble Hall of Famer, a guy you could pencil in for 20-30 home runs and 80-100 RBI every single year. He was a great baseball player, 5 tool, and just played with bad Phillies teams. In 9 seasons with the Phillies, he finished hitting over 300. Someone that gets no respect but deserves it.