The early summer swoon has hit full force. After dropping 2 of 3 to the Braves and losing both halves of a doubleheader to the Washington Nationals, the Phillies offense, once thought of as a possible juggernaut, has never looked worse.
Their offense has scored just 3 runs in the past 3 games combined. The Phillies top 3 hitters (Harper, Hoskins, Realmuto) are a combined 7 for 43 in their last 5 games. That’s a .163 batting average. Jay Bruce has also cooled off since winning NL player of the week honors. He’s hit .143 in his past 4 games.
The only hot spot in the Phillies entire lineup has been second-year breakout Scott Kingery. Since the start of June, Kingery has been on fire, slashing .339/.371/.780. Over the past 3 series, he’s been an unstoppable inferno, hitting .433 with a 1.100 slugging percentage.
But, as the old adage states, ‘there is no I in team’. Sans Kingery, this offense needs a swift kick in the pants.
The best way to do that is to send a message. Cut an ineffective player and call up an interesting prospect.
Well, Haseley already was called up and has since gotten hurt. JD Hammer got the call to the bullpen but has since shown growing pains. So who’s next?
How about catcher Deivy Grullon?
While not ranked on the Phillies top 30 prospects according to MLB.com, Grullon has shown pop in his bat hit last 2 seasons. In AA Reading, he launched 21 home runs and even won the Eastern League home run derby. This year in AAA, Grullon has slashed .300/.352/.484 in 58 games.
He is currently the leading vote-getter at catcher for the AAA all star game.
Grullon has been with the Phillies since signing as a 17-year-old out of the Dominican Republic. In 7 years in the minors, he only hit .253 overall, but he’s now giving the Phillies a reason for giving him a chance at the next level.
The move would most likely end Andrew Knapp’s time in Philly. Too many fans, cutting Knapp would be a welcome sight. Between 2018 and 2019, Knapp has hit just .193 in 118 games. He’s been worse in 2019 with an average of .175.
Replacing him with Grullon would cause little to no heartbreak. Having Grullon off the bench would at least provide the Phillies with some possible power. Grullon has had a slugging percentage around .500 his past 2 seasons, while Knapp is a career .330 slugger in the majors.
Grullon is not the complete answer to the Phillies’ offensive woes, but a breath of fresh air could never hurt.
