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Philadelphia Phillies: Are they Taking the Rebuild too Slowly?

By Chuck Booth

Jun 2, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera (37) celebrates after a home run by third baseman Maikel Franco (7) during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 2, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Odubel Herrera (37) celebrates after a home run by third baseman Maikel Franco (7) during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The struggles of the Philadelphia Phillies have been pretty well documented so I won’t sadden you with the granular details.

Normally when teams go through a rebuild they try to give their top prospects a shot at the majors but the Philadelphia Phillies have shown a reluctance to call up top prospects to replace struggling players at the Major League level. For the Phillies to compete this year that needs to change. It will give the prospects much needed Major League experience that will help them in 2017 when the Philadelphia Phillies should become legit threats.

Manager Pete Mackanin has given some of his veteran players too much of a leash this season to pull out of their prolonged slumps. One example is Ryan Howard who, until recently, was getting the majority of starts at first base even though he’s only hitting .153/.214/.340. Mackanin has finally benched Howard in favor of Tommy Joseph but there are a few others on the team that should suffer the same fate.

The first players that come to mind are Cesar Hernandez and Peter Bourjos. Bourjos may already be on his way out after David Lough was designated for assignment and the Philadelphia Phillies acquired Jimmy Parades. But Mackanin has kept him around for his defensive abilities. How long can Bourjos be penciled into the lineup while he’s hitting .197/.230.289? There’s nothing to like about that line and he hasn’t even made up for it by showing speed on the basepaths.

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Hernandez is another player whose struggles have been well documented this year. Hernandez is hitting .249/.299/.312 and not offering much more than a bottom of the order bat for the Philadelphia Phillies this season. He’s had his moments for the Phillies but currently, he’s behind Freddy Galvis on the “who gets to keep their job when J.P. Crawford gets called up sweepstakes”.

None of the aforementioned players fit into the long term plans for the Philadelphia Phillies. So why keep trotting them out night after night when there are players performing well in AAA that are more than capable of filling their roster spots? Below we will highlight each replacement player and go into why they should be on the 25-man roster now rather than in the future for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Potential Callups:

  1. RHP Zach Eflin: Eflin has carved apart AAA hitters so far this season and has little left to prove at the level. So far he has a 5-1 record and 2.81 ERA and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. He’s currently ranked as the Philadelphia Phillies number 13 prospect and features an arsenal of pitches containing a fastball, slider, curve, and changeup. He’s helped by solid ground ball rates that could help him succeed if he was called up to replace the struggling Adam Morgan or if Jeremy Hellickson were to be traded.
  2. 2B/ 3B Taylor Featherston: At 26 Featherston isn’t quite a prospect but he could be an upgrade over Cesar Hernandez or at worst Featherston plus Andres Blanco could be an upgrade. Featherston could also play his way into a backup role for next season once J.P. Crawford is with the Philadelphia Phillies. Currently, he’s a younger version of Blanco but with his lack of MLB experience (101 games with the Los Angles Angels) and how well he’s doing in AAA ( .280/.317/.462 )why not give Featherston a shot at the second base job.
  3. OF Nick Williams: Williams is in no way smashing the cover off the ball but it wouldn’t take much to be an upgrade over Peter Bourjos. Currently, Williams has a slash line of .274/.316/.423 along with a bit of a strikeout problem (49 so far this season). After being acquired in the Cole Hamels deal, Williams has looked like a dynamic outfielder for the Philadelphia Phillies that could complement Odubel Herrera very well. It’s worth a shot to ignite the Philadelphia Phillies’ struggling offense and in the midst of a seven-game losing streak why not see what your young players can do?

Next: Why trade for Jimmy Parades?

Pete Mackanin needs to take a look at the state of the Phillies and give the young talent a chance. I understand the benefits of letting them develop slowly in the minors but as they run out of things to prove in AAA why not give them a shot at the majors. Let’s not make 2016 a lost year as we prepare to compete in 2017.

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