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The Philadelphia Phillies Report Card for the 2021 Season (10/4/2021)The 2021 Major League baseball season can best be characterized as a lost opportunity for the Philadelphia Phillies. The door to the division championship was wide open when Met's pitcher Jacob Degrom was lost for the season in early August. The Met's were never the same relinquishing first place and not being a serious contender for the remainder of the season. The Washington Nationals underachieved causing management to unload their best players at the trade deadline leaving the Nationals depleted of talent to fight it out for last place with the lack luster Marlins. The pre-season favorite Atlanta Braves struggled to stay above five hundred and were there for the taking as the season headed into late September. The Phillies had a major advantage in scheduling in September inspiring fans to anticipate the first post season appearance in ten years. The September schedule included such sub-par teams as the last place Pirates, Orioles, and Marlins with losing percentages of .373, .318, and .418 respectfully. Many believed if the Phillies could cut the Braves lead to less than three games, they would have a chance to overtake them in the next to last series of the year. That did not happen as the Phils lost all three games. While there plenty of reasons for the Phillies not making the post season for the tenth consecutive season, most of the blame can be isolated to three areas. First, the bullpen blew 34 games nearly setting a record. Had the closers taken care of business a few more times the Phillies would not be packing their golf clubs on October third. The second reason was the poor finish of Aaron Nola. Nola was once considered the team's ace but has underperformed the last two seasons. He finished with an ERA of 4.63 winning only one game in the month of September. The third reason for missing the post season lies with the Phillies front office. When Phil's pitcher Zach Efflin suffered a season ending injury in August, manager Giaradi's best option became throwing a bullpen game every fifth day because there simply was no talent in the Phillies farm system. Below is an evaluation of the key members from the Phillies roster: Manager: Joe Girardi
Many believed the Phillies hit the lottery when they replaced eccentric manager Gabe Kapler with former World Series champion skipper Joe Girardi. This, however, turned out to be one of the Phillies biggest disappointments. Giradi did a poor job of managing the pitching staff, highlighting the difference between managing in the American league with a designate hitter verse the National. Perhaps having the best relief pitcher of all time, Mariano Rivera, had more to do with the Yankees success than Joe Giradi. He also continued to make questionable lineup decisions throughout the year and seemed to be more of a "players manager" than most expected. Girardi stubbornly stuck with Didi Gregorious the entire year even though he was unproductive at the plate and a defensive liability. Girardi justified this decision by citing Didi's experience. Perhaps the main reason was that Girardi lacked the nerve to bench his former Yankee short stop. First Baseman: Rhys Hoskins
Prior to his season ending injury, Hoskins was on his way to over 30 home runs and 100 RBI's. He also provided the protection Bryce Harper needed in the lineup. Hoskins major problem was his poor fielding. This problem could be solved if the National League adopts the designated hitter rule. Rhys was also prone to slumps keeping his batting average below .250.
Second Baseman Jean Segura
Jean batted over .300 for much of the season and demonstrated some power with 14 home runs and almost 30 doubles. His tremendous arm strength was instrumental in turning the double play. He should be given consideration for the Gold Glove award. Shortstop: Didi Gregorious
Didi had a terrible year struggling to bat .209 and performing poorly in the field. Third Baseman: Alec Bohm
Alec had a poor year at the plate hitting below .250 most of the season with little power. Defensively he was not much better leaving the Phillies no choice but send him back to triple A for the remainder of the season. Catcher: J. T. Realmuto
J. T. Had a down year at the plate but still managed to lead all other catchers in offensive categories. Defensively he was outstanding despite playing injured for much of the year. He remains the best catcher in the National League. Left Field: Andrew McCutchen
McCutchen's age may be catching up to him. He seems to have lost a step but is still a better than average fielder. He has tremendous bat speed that enabled him to hit 27 homeruns but his struggle against right-handed pitchers kept his average in the .220s for much of the year. Center Field: Odubel Herrera
Odubel provided stability in center field after his predecessors struggled to bat .200 for the first month of the season. He was an average fielder and decent lead-off hitter with some power. Right Field: Bryce Harper
Bryce had a tremendous year unfortunately he ran out of gas when then Phillies needed him the most. Harper went 0 for 11 with 6 strikeouts against the Braves in the next to last week of September. This short slump came at the worst time and could cost Bryce the MVP award. Every game counts and it is nice that he put up big numbers against the Cubs, Pirates and Orioles but when he was needed the most Bryce came up empty. Ironically, he seemed to have plenty of energy for the meaningless season finale against the Marlins. Pitcher: Zack Wheeler
with Zack wheeler the Phillies found the ace that they have been lacking. He led the Phillies pitchers in wins and the National league in strikeouts. Pitcher: Aaron Nola
Not only did Aaron lose the title of Phillies ace to Zack Wheeler but he also dropped to the Phillies third starter. At times he was brilliant but could not maintain it. He only won two games since July. As usual he had a big slide during the month of September when the Phillies needed him most. Pitcher: Ranger Suarez
Next to Wheeler, Ranger was the brightest spot in the Phillies rotation. He stabilized the closer position when Hector Neris faltered and then was placed in the starting rotation where he was the Phillies most consistent pitcher with an ERA of 1.36. Pitcher: Kyle Gibson
Gibson filled in as the fourth pitcher in the rotation after being acquire at the trade deadline. He was inconsistent with an ERA of over 5 but did provide the Phillies with some quality starts. Pitcher: Connor Brogdon
Brogdon came on strong the ladder part of the year and could be a possible closer for next season.
Pitcher: Hector Neris
It was the tale of two seasons for Hector. Neris struggled as a closer but thrived in the set-up role.
Pithcer: Jose Alvarado
Despite having a 7 - 1 record, Jose was too inconsistent and struggled the entire season with control problems. Pitcher: Ian Kennedy Grade: CIan was acquired at the trade deadline allowing to move Ranger Suarez from the closer role to starter where he was desperately needed. Kennedy picked up right where the Phillies closers left off blowing a couple of key saves down the stretch.
Pitcher: Archie Bradley
Commentator: Michael Barkann
Although a bit hyper, Barkann provides excellent analysis on Phillies pre- and post-game shows. He does a commendable job of playing straight man to co-hosts and projection what the average fan is feeling after a loss.
Broadcaster: Tom McCarthy
McCarthy can best be described in one word - annoying. He provides too many meaningless statistics and is always too happy to drop names during the telecast. He often uses players first names and nicknames projecting a personal connection with players and celebrities. When discussing an incident that occurred during John Kruk's playing time in San Diego, McCarthy referred to Tony Gwynn as "Tony" ignoring the fact that many younger fans do not recognize he is referring to the Padres' Hall of Famer. This is magnified when McCarthy digresses from the game to talk about topics the average baseball fan has little interest such as his boat, what they are eating, possible tattoos for John Kruk and many other inside jokes.
Analyst: John Kruk
John's dry sense of humor can add to the broadcast especially when he cynically criticizes the way the game is played today as opposed to the past. At times he tries to be too folksy and is often led in digressions by Tom McCarthy.
Analyst: Ben Davis
Ben provides insight as a former major league catcher. He has superb knowledge of the game and is able to spot details that the average viewer would likely miss.
Analyst: Ruben Amaro
Ruben has played many roles in major league baseball starting in 1980 when he was the Phillies bat boy. He played center field for the Phillies, then moved into the front office where he performed admirably as the Phillies General Manager See Amaro Made Some Good Calls. Ruben has also coached at the major league lever. His knowledge of the game is what is lacking in many televised broadcasts. He also displays occasional humor but is at his best when he sticks to the fundamentals of the game which he knows very well.
Analyst: Mike Schmidt
Thank goodness Sundays with Schmidt only occur one day a week. For his limited amount of broadcast time, Mike Schmidt wastes no time in making illogical statements. He clearly does not do his preparation before a game. Before the all-star break, Schmidt posed the question that back-up player Brad Miller should be considered for the all-star game. Miller was a back-up player designated for spot starting and pinch hitting. His batting average was below .250. In another Sunday game Schmidt proclaimed how much he liked the Miami Marlins. The Marlins went on to finish in last place. After Zack Wheeler pitched a great game against the Mets, Schmidt stated how much Wheeler reminded him of Tom Seaver. Seaver is a three-time Cy Young winner with over 300 career victories. Wheeler is a good pitcher but he has never won more than 14 games in a season. Has Schmidt's memory faded? When discussing Alec Bohm's hitting problems and lack of power, Schmidt went on to say that there is nothing wrong with hitting singles. After all Pete Rose and Tony Gwynn hit plenty of singles. Is he kidding mentioning Bohm with these two legends? Schmidt also made the statement that any lineup with Didi Gregorious batting eighth has to be a strong line-up. Diddi was batting eighth because his batting average was below .210.
Analyst: Ricky Botalico
It is refreshing to have a "tell it as it is" former player to analyze the game especially after a Phillies loss. Ricky pulls no punches and usually treats everyone the same whether it is Bryce Harper, Joe Girardi or Alec Bohm. His grade would have been an "A" except for the fact that he held back on criticizing Bryce Harper's poor performance against the Braves. The sports world needs more analyst like Ricky Bo. Next SeasonWith the proper additions the Phillies could be contenders in the 2022 season. The starting pitching staff looks strong and should be the strength of the team. Wheeler has established himself as a true ace and Ranger Suarez has been a pleasant surprise who will likely be the Phillies number two starter. Aaron Nola is in the last year of his contract but should be retained as pitching is a premium. Despite his poor finish he still has an excellent repertoire of pitches. Perhaps better conditioning will help avoid his late season woes. Kyle Gibson and a healthy Zach Eflin complete a very formidable staff. The bullpen needs to improve. Over thirty blown saves may very well be the reason the Phillies lost the division. Perhaps using Connor Brogdon as the closer could be a solution. The Phillies were also very poor defensively. It is important to be strong up the middle. The catching and second base positions are solid. That leaves shortstop and center field as areas that need to be addressed. While Didi Gregorious made the occasional spectacular play he too often misplayed routine ground balls. Nick Maton could be an answer. The Phillies may decide not bring McCutchen back for another season. However, they might be better served by moving Odubel Herrera to left field and platooning him with Andrew McCutchen. This would free up center field for the promising Matt Vierling or Travis Jankowski. Third base must also be upgraded. The simplest solution would be an improved Alec Bohm. However, if Bohm falls short this might be a problem that needs to be addressed at next year's trade deadline. |
by Ray Pascali