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Can The Philadelphia Phillies Regain Their Winning Ways?

By Mike Lacy

Mar 14, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher Tommy Joseph (73) flies out to left to end the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2015; Lakeland, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies catcher Tommy Joseph (73) flies out to left to end the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Phillies have been struggling as of late, but with a long season ahead, will they be able to regain their winning ways of the first month of the season?

For the first month and a half of the season, the Phillies shocked the baseball world by defying predictions of their awfulness. This prompted several articles pointing out that the Phillies’ record didn’t match their run differential, and fans would be wise to keep expectations in check.

Now that the Phillies have hit a rough patch, some of those same writers are writing “I told you so” articles, even though most Phillies fans didn’t really expect the winning to last. Most of us were just happy that the team was giving us entertaining baseball for the first time in several years.

Most pundits believe that the Phillies’ recent poor play is the new normal, and we should expect the team to struggle for the rest of the season. But is there any chance that they’re wrong? Can the Phillies turn things around and recapture the magic from early in the season? Or should we just start counting down the days until Eagles training camp?

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Obviously, there are many reasons to be pessimistic. The offense is still one of the worst in baseball, and could get even worse if Odubel Herrera experiences any regression. The pitching could also take a step back. Jeremy Hellickson may show us why a would-be contender was willing to trade him for a relative low price, and Aaron Nola seems bound to eventually struggle at some point in his professional career. In addition, it seems unlikely that the relievers can continue to pitch as well as they have been. (For example, Hector Neris‘ recent outings have made me think that he perhaps isn’t the best reliever in baseball.)

But let’s save the pessimism for another day. Instead, I’ll offer some reasons to hope that the Phillies current malaise is merely a temporary condition, and they’ll soon return to their winning ways.

Tommy Joseph

Phillies
May 13, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Tommy Joseph (19) bats against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Perhaps it’s wrong to place all our hopes on a rookie with unspectacular career minor league stats. However, there’s little chance that whatever offense Joseph provides as the (presumed) regular first baseman will be more than what they’ve received so far.

Ryan Howard used to be known for his dramatic platoon splits. He would kill right-handed pitching while looking futile against lefties. The good news is that those splits have evened out this season. The bad news is that the leveling wasn’t due to improvement against lefties. By just about any measure, Howard has been one of the worst players in baseball this season.

Joseph may not be a great hitter, and I’m skeptical that he is a part of the Phillies long-term plans. But he is off to a solid start, and at this point, even league average production at first base would be a huge upgrade.

The Outfield

Herrera has been outstanding in center field, but for the most part, the corner spots have been offensive black holes. Tyler Goeddel and Peter Bourjos received the majority of playing time, and while they provide solid defense, their bats have mostly been quiet.

Phillies
May 18, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Tyler Goeddel (2) hits his first major league home run during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies won 4-2. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Things may be changing. Over the past month, Goeddel’s offense has picked up; he has an OPS over .800 for the past 30 days. Bourjos still can’t hit, but it seems likely that he’ll be the recipient of much less playing time going forward. Cody Asche and Jimmy Paredes have seen more time, and both – while not offensive superstars – should add a bit of pop to the lineup.

It also shouldn’t be long until Aaron Altherr or Nick WIlliams join the major league roster. As with Joseph, it’s tough to count too much on young players – especially with Altherr recovering from a wrist injury – but the bar has been set rather low.

Next: Maikel Franco Still Struggling

The Rotation

The offense deservedly gets most of the blame for the Phillies struggles, but the rotation has had some issues too. Vincent Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff have shown the type of inconsistency typical of young pitchers, and Adam Morgan is probably another bad start from being sent back down to the minors. The hope is that as the season progresses, they can move past their growing pains and develop into reliable options.

Phillies
Jul 16, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; United States pitcher Zach Eflin (12) delivers a pitch against the Dominican Republic during the 2015 Pan Am Games at Ajax Pan Am Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

If any of the group can’t put it together, there are options in the minor leagues. Zach Eflin and Alec Asher have dominated in Triple A, and Jake Thompson has held his own as well. If the Phillies run out of patience with any of their current starters, they likely wouldn’t hesitate to call one of them up.

Will any of that actually happen? Probably not. But considering how the Phillies spent a good month and a half defying expectations, why can’t we hold out hope that they can do it again?

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