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Kincade & Salciunas: Weekdays 6am – 10am

Kincade & Salciunas: Weekdays 6am – 10am

Kincade & Salciunas: Weekdays 6am – 10am

Phillies Fans Already Clamoring for Another High Priced Star

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Author John Kincade

I remember there was a day when Phillies fans used to complain about teams like the Yankees and the Red Sox “buying championships”. One of the greatest pride points of the fan base was that the 2008 and 2009 Phillies made it to the World Series, winning once, with a largely home grown team. You watched the ascension of players like Howard, Utley, Rollins and Hamels come up through the system to lead the franchise. There was a satisfaction in knowing that the organization had a talent funnel that worked.

Since Dave Dombrowski has come into control, he targeted the minor league system as a focus. The problem is that is like planting a seed in what was very rough soil. It will take time to get the fruit off that vine. There is reportedly great progress being made as is witnessed by a free wheeling dominant team in A ball. To see those younger players arrive in Citizens Bank Park is most likely 3 seasons away. It will give Dombrowski a plethora of talent down the line that he can use in deals to upgrade the major league roster.

It’s all good news because we have already seen a commitment to winning and spending from the ownership led by John Middleton. They are willing to take on payroll if it translates to winning on the field and butts in the seats. Citizens Bank Park could be heading towards a staggering 3M fans this season. It’s an ambitious goal coming off the 2.2M they drew in 2022, but they are packing the house and starting tonight have the most home games left to play in baseball.

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Earlier this week the story broke that the St. Louis Cardinals will be “trading guys” according to their ownership. They plan on jump-starting a re-tooling by dealing off some higher-priced veterans. The buzz was that a trade of Nolan Arenado to the Phillies was maybe even discussed and that Alec Bohm would be the centerpiece player potentially returned. I’m not so sure that you would need to give away Bohm in a deal but I’d be intrigued. You will have to part with some starting pitching prospects and I’m more than OK with that. Fans seemed all on board with acquiring another high-priced A-lister. Then came Thursday!

Now the rumors are that when he hits free agency Juan Soto would be interested in joining the Phillies. Every fan has reason to be excited about that possibility AND it won’t cost you anything more than a top draft pick and a load of cash to acquire. I like that idea far more than giving up young pieces like an Alec Bohm in a deal. Plus, how much is too much to spend? Are the Phillies ready to become one of the Top 2 payrolls in baseball? Don’t we mock the Mets for that currently?

My overall point is that whether it’s Arenado or Soto the fans seem to be clamoring for more spending. They wake up today spending 41M more than the Braves, who lead them by 12 games in the division. Oh yeah, Atlanta has missed 3/5 of their starting rotation building up that big cushion with mostly homegrown players. Spending isn’t always the answer and Dave Dombrowski knows that. It’s just going to take time and apparently a ton of cash.

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Everything Nick Castellanos And Craig Kimbrel Did At The All-Star Game

Last night was the All-Star game. Judging by the conversation we had on the radio leading up to it, many of you probably did not tune in. We asked callers, did Twitter polls, and read your Tweets. And the overall consensus was that not many of you were going to check in last night to watch the festivities. But if you were telling the truth, you missed out on seeing the Phillies‘ two representatives both playing a role in the NL team’s win.

Nick Castellanos and Craig Kimbrel were the Phillies’ two players selected in the All-Star game. Nick Castellanos was originally selected for the team, and then Craig Kimbrel joined when other NL Pitchers had to drop out. And without the two of them there, the NL Team may not have won.

Castellanos came into the game in the 5th inning to replace Mookie Betts in centerfield. Yes, you read that right, center field. Unfortunately, we did not get to see him do too much out there. Apparently, all the AL players were smart enough to avoid hitting it to Center because they knew Nick would have made a play on it if they did. The only action he got was fielding a single hit out to center field. But he did make an impact at the plate. Castellanos went 1-2, including a walk. In fact, it was that walk that set Elias Diaz up to hit a go-ahead HR.

And then in the 9th inning, Craig Kimbrel is who the NL team looked to for the save. And as he has all season, he shut the door on the other team. He did walk two guys, but in the end, he got the save to give the NL Squad the win.

If you missed all of that, you can catch up on how it all looked below:

A full blooded Delco native from a sports crazed family, John has been obsessed with Philly sports from his days at St. Annie’s drawing team logos on his book covers! Told many times by teachers along the way “if you knew your studies as well as you know your sports” he turned that perceived weakness into a career. John has been broadcasting at the local and national levels since 1992. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic he writes about Eagles, Sixers, Phillies and Flyers. You can follow @johnkincade or reach him at John.Kincade@bbgi.com

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