Light at the end of the tunnel for struggling Phillies

To say the least, this season has been largely disappointing for the Philadelphia Phillies. Entering the year, no one had expectations much beyond 75-80 wins, but the consensus seemed to be that the worst days of the franchise’s rebuilding effort were in the past. That belief was quickly dismissed early in the season. The Phillies had the worst record in baseball by Memorial Day and looked every bit the part of a team that was on pace to lose well over 100 games.

Fast forward three months and the team still has the worst record in baseball and is still on pace to lose over 100 games. While it sounds difficult to watch a team that bad on a regular basis, anyone that’s done so this summer would realize the silver linings in an otherwise dreadful season. Starting at the top of the order, second baseman Cesar Hernandez is following up a strong 2016 campaign with another good season this year as the Phillies’ leadoff man. Hernandez missed a little over a month with an oblique injury earlier this season, but in 94 games so far, Hernandez has career highs in slugging percentage and OPS. This, coming off a season in which he had career highs in batting average and on-base percentage in 2016, hitting .294 while sporting a .371 OBP. With second baseman and 2015 second-round pick Scott Kingery knocking on the door for a big-league promotion at AAA Lehigh Valley, Hernandez is an interesting trade chip for the Phillies in the offseason.

Prior to hitting the disabled list recently with a hamstring injury, much-maligned outfielder Odubel Herrera was on a tear. Herrera slashed .321/.351/.519 in June, only to follow it up by slashing .360/.415/.651 in July and prior to his injury he was at .360/.418/.580 for August. In the first two months of the season, Herrera looked like he had clearly regressed after having a productive 2016. On the mound, the Phillies’ most promising young starter Aaron Nola got off to a rough start. But the LSU product rebounded by going 3-2 with a 3.24 ERA and 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings in June. He then had his best month in July posting a 3-1 record with a 1.32 ERA and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

In addition to the resurgence of players like Herrera and Nola, who were expected to be key cogs for the Phillies all season, there have been more reasons for optimism after seeing the early results from some of the prospects that have been called up to the big leagues. Outfielder Nick Williams was called up almost two months ago and looks to fit the profile of a regular corner outfielder. While Williams has played center field with Herrera on the shelf, his bat and arm make him a natural fit in right. The 2012 second-round pick of the Texas Rangers came over in the Cole Hamels trade and his.293 batting average in 47 major league games this year is certainly encouraging. Though, what’s stood out the most in his time with the Phillies is Williams’ willingness to take walks. His major league walk rate is at 7.7 percent which is by far the highest it has been at any level within the Phillies organization. Catcher Jorge Alfaro was another big get for the Phillies in the Hamels trade. Alfaro has only appeared in nine big league games, and certainly must cut down on his free-swinging approach. However, he’s shown the makings of a strong offensive catcher with a big arm behind the plate which is exactly what everyone thought the Phillies were getting two years ago.

                                                       Matt Slocum/Associated Press
Williams and Hoskins have many fans believing they'll be
the Phillies' three and four hitters for many years to come.

Another recent call up has probably generated the most buzz amongst the fan base. First baseman and temporary left fielder Rhys Hoskins has eight home runs and 19 RBIs in his first 15 games. He’s the only player in MLB history to post such numbers in his first 15 games and figures to be a mainstay in the middle of the lineup for the Phillies for many years to come. Hoskins has been playing left field with Tommy Joseph likely holding things down at first base for the remainder of 2017, but it appears to be only a matter of time before the organization hands things over to Hoskins as the everyday first baseman.

One player who has not yet gotten the call to the show but appears to be getting closer by the day is shortstop J.P. Crawford. For years, Crawford was the top prospect in the Phillies’ organization. However, his putrid start to the AAA season with Lehigh Valley sparked questions about just how good he could be in the majors. Crawford has since returned to form in July and August and should get a look with the big club in September.

Despite some positive signs over the last three months, there are still plenty of questions left to be answered. One player who has been unable to turn things around is third baseman Maikel Franco. Franco had an underwhelming 2016 and has been even worse this season. He will almost certainly be given all of 2018 to figure it out, but Franco’s organizational arrow has been pointing in the wrong direction for quite some time. Franco’s downward trend after a strong rookie year in 2015 is reason to remember that the sample size for other young players in the lineup right now is still miniscule.

Manager Pete Mackanin has made some questionable lineup decisions. The Phillies have lost 31 games by one run. The Texas Rangers, the next closest team, has lost 21 games by one run. Losing that many close games isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for any manager. The front office still has a lot to prove. President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail and General Manager Matt Klentak are wrapping up their second season running the Phillies. The aforementioned young players that fans hope will be a part of the next contender the Phillies field were all acquired by former GM Ruben Amaro Jr. MacPhail and Klentak have stressed the need to add pitching depth at all levels of the organization. Currently in the majors, the Phillies lack consistent starting pitching after Nola and the bullpen always seems to make things interesting when given a lead.  

With the Chicago Cubs in Philadelphia this weekend, it won’t be a surprise to anyone if the losses continue to pile up for the Phillies. They’ll have to at least go 17-19 in their final 36 games to avoid 100 losses which seems unlikely.  But, the last three months have been an indication that it might not all be gloom and doom for the Phillies and there should be brighter days ahead.

Five things to watch for during Eagles preseason games

The Eagles play a real football game tonight in Green Bay against the Packers at Lambeau Field.  Here are five things to look out for in the four preseason games leading up to the September 10 season opener on the road against the Washington Redskins.

                                                                       Chris Szagola/AP
Mills will be counted on to step up either as a
slot corner or on the outside in 2017.

Cornerback play: This is clearly the most glaring hole on the roster for the Eagles entering the 2017 season. Fans are hopeful Sidney Jones is the shutdown corner the team has lacked during the last ten years, but that question surely won’t be answered this year with Jones still recovering from an Achilles injury.  There isn’t much to be excited about regarding the rest of the cornerbacks on the roster, although rookie Rasul Douglas and second-year corner Jalen Mills will certainly get plenty of opportunities to prove their worth. Rumors have been swirling about recently-signed veteran safety Corey Graham being moved to cornerback and Patrick Robinson is on a cheap one-year deal. Many expect the position to be a revolving door for the Eagles this season. Consistent play from Douglas or Mills would have everyone feeling more optimistic about the team’s cornerback situation going into 2018 when Jones figures to be healthy.

Slot Receiver: With the future of Jordan Matthews beyond this season up in the air, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah reported that Nelson Agholor will be the Eagles’ slot receiver in 2017. This is a role Matthews has occupied in the first three seasons of his career.  However, with the Vanderbilt product entering the final year on his rookie contract and Agholor generating lots of buzz early on in training camp, it will be interesting to see the snap counts of both wide receivers in these preseason games and early in the regular season.

Running back rotation: Going into the offseason, it was no secret the Eagles had to address their running back situation. The team drafted San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey in the fourth round and later signed free agent LeGarrette Blount. Darren Sproles has made it known that 2017 will be his last season in the NFL while Wendell Smallwood enters his second season. Pumphrey is expected to be the heir apparent to Sproles as a passing down back and potential punt returner. Smallwood could push Blount for carries as the year goes on but Blount is coming off a career year in New England and should get the bulk of the work on early downs. Nevertheless, there isn’t a workhorse type of three-down back on the roster therefore how the Eagles manage the snaps of all four players is worth monitoring. With Sproles’ retirement on the horizon and Blount on a one-year contract, running back could need to be addressed again before 2018.

Linebacker depth: Third-year linebacker Jordan Hicks is one of the best players on the defense. Nigel Bradham had a good first season with the in Philadelphia in 2016. However, Hicks has struggled to stay healthy going back to his college days at Texas and Bradham can become a free agent at season’s end. Mychal Kendricks has been with the Eagles his entire career but admitted to requesting a trade in the offseason and doesn’t seem to be the best fit as an outside linebacker in Jim Schwartz’s defense. Kendricks has also had his fair share of injuries since being drafted in the second round in 2012. This makes fifth-round pick Nathan Gerry one of the more intriguing preseason players to watch. Gerry played safety in college at Nebraska but was moved to linebacker in the offseason and is listed as the backup behind Kendricks on the team’s first depth chart.  Another name to keep an eye on is Joe Walker who was picked in the seventh round in 2016 but missed the year rehabbing from a torn ACL. With the futures of Kendricks and Bradham unknown, it would be helpful if someone lower on the depth chart emerged at linebacker.

Pass Rush from front four:  This is going to be something to watch all season. The defensive line is the best position group on the roster for the Eagles and expectations are high. Acquiring defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from Baltimore and spending a first-round pick on Derek Barnett showed a commitment to getting to the quarterback without always needing to blitz. Brandon Graham had his best season in the NFL last year and Fletcher Cox is arguably the best player on the roster. Vinny Curry was disappointing in the first season of a big contract last year and Barnett could push for more snaps opposite Graham as the season goes along. Chris Long was also brought in as a situational pass rusher. With the cornerback play likely suspect all season, the defensive line must hit opposing quarterbacks early and often all year long.

Photo: http://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-training-camp-notes-day-7-jalen-mills-first-bad-day/