The Phillies we knew at the beginning of the season seemed to have come back to CBP. Talk of bamboo and curveball machines flooded social media as they crushed the lowly Mets. Let’s be honest, it was the Mets who are in turmoil and whose manager might not make it back to New York. However, you have to start somewhere.
Now, playing the role of the negative sports fan, I must ask, what is in the pipeline to help the Phils if this isn’t the turnaround?
The injury to Andrew McCutchen couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The Phils lost a leader and veteran in the clubhouse in the midst of their toughest stretch of the season. The injury came on the heels of losing Odubel Herrera, most likely for good. The lineup had been set and Scott Kingery was looking to take over the starting third base role. Another injury, another setback.
With the trading deadline a few weeks away and the Phils struggling, they can look to the minor leagues for instant help.
Adam Haseley
My money is to still ride Haseley in centerfield when he is healthy. He provides more then what you will get out of Roman Quinn. Plus by solidifying centerfield, Gabe Kapler can focus on keeping Kingery in one position. With the end goal of Kingery taking over for Cesar Hernandez. I am not a Hernandez hater, I just don’t feel he is the future second baseman and if Klentak can get something for him, trade him.
Haseley has been really good in the minor leagues. He has earned the right to give it a try with the Phillies and was trending upward after a handful of starts when he got injured. For the year, the 8th overall pick in the 2017 draft has batted .293 with a .359 on-base percentage and a.433 slugging percentage in his minor league career. He has also hit 21 home runs.
Alec Bohm
The future is in Reading! The third overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft is tearing up the minor leagues. In his first full year in the minors, Bohm is batting .336 with a .407 OBP and a .536 slugging percentage. That is impressive, however, the Omaha Nebraska native has an even more impressive stat. He has only been hitless in 16 of the 65 games he has played.
There are those who say that he may not be ready for the Majors just yet, and that may be true. Bohm has only played in four AA games so far. However, he may be someone who can be brought up to spark some youthful energy into the struggling lineup.
Pitching Issues
If Klentak wants to help the pitching, it’s going to have to be via a trade. If you look at the arms down in Lehigh, the players who achieved in Allentown, have struggled with the Big Club. Namely Cole Irvin, who I’m a fan of, and Enyel De Los Santos. So for the sake of looking for a spark, I tell Klentak to look to Reading. Reading has a couple of starters that are pitching pretty good over a period of time. The first one is the 22-year-old right-hander from the Dominican Republic with the awesome name!
Adonis Medina
Medina is ranked as the Phillies top prospect behind Bohm. So far in AA, he has started 12 games. He is 5-3 with a 4.05 ERA. He has 41 strikeouts and allowed 24 walks. Medina also surrendered 6 home runs.
It may be early for the You right-handed to be called up to the Phillies, however, in this case, they don’t know what Medina is or can be. They do know what Vince Velasquez and Jared Eickoff are, and by the looks of it, they aren’t in the future plans.
David Parkinson
In 12 starts, Parkinson is 6-4 with a 3.31 ERA. He’s surrendered just ONE walk while striking out 57. Parkinson only gave up one home run as well, which isn’t something we can say about the Phillies starters.
The Left-handed pitcher from Ole Miss is another possibility. Two reasons, he is a lefty, which the Phillies currently have no southpaw in the rotation, and he’s pitching really well.
Regardless, this may be a moot point should last nights game be the springboard to get back in track. However, the farm system does have some options. I don’t foresee the Phillies to look to Medina or Parkinson, but hopefully, we see them in September. Either way, the time is now! Harness the luck of the bamboo and ring the bell!
