Welcome to the final month before opening day! I hope you have been enjoying spring training as much as I have. Baseball is close; we are less than two weeks away from opening day! I am overjoyed! March began the official Ball Boy Blog previews of all 30 teams. The previews feature all the Free Agent signings, trades, NRI, bold predictions, and some cool fun facts at the end! We are starting at the top of the 2020 ranks and working our way down from best to worst! Enjoy!
Hey you, yes you. Thank you so much for being here. I greatly appreciate you. I want to know, do you need some extra money? Do you have a shed, garage, or some other area of just extra space that isn't being used? https://www.stashitselfstorage.com/ gives you the resource you need to be able to rent that space at your price. As retailers say, the most expensive area in the store is air space. Use my code "YOUNG" at checkout to let them know I sent you and who knows, maybe save yourself some $$$
NL Team: Philadelphia Phillies
Last Year Record: 28-32 3rd place in the NL East
Record x2.7: 75.6-86.4
Vegas Projected: The NL East will be a lot tougher for the next few seasons as each team is a legit playoff team. The Phillies are projected to win 80.5 games! WHAT? The Braves are top the division with 102W, the Nationals at 95W, and then the Phillies with 93W ahead of the Mets at 90W and Marlins at 85W. The NL East is no longer the NL Easy as it has been in the past.
Impact Departures:
RHP Heath Hembree(FA), RHP Jake Arrieta(FA), LHP Jose Alvarez, RHP Tommy Hunter, RHP Brandon Workman, OF Jay Bruce, RHP David Phelps, RHP David Robertson(FA)
Traded:
LHP Garrett Cleavinger, SS Kyle Holder, LHP Cole Irvin, RHP Johan Quezada
Key Arrivals
Free Agent Signings:
Re-Signed C JT Realmuto was re-signed to a 5yr deal. The biggest signing the Phillies could have made.
Re-Signed SS Didi Gregorius- Didi in 2020 as he started 56/60 games and slashed .284/.339/.488 with 10HR over 237PA.
UTL Brad Miller to a 1yr $3-3.5mil deal. The 31yo Miller gives the team an excellent depth piece. With the Cardinals in 2020, he slashed .232/.357/.451 in 171PA. Over the past three seasons, he owns a .247/.329/.468.
RHP Chase Anderson- The 33yo pitched to a 7.22ERA over 33.2IP. However, from 2014-19 he owns a 3.94ERA over 857IP.
LHP Matt Moore- Moore spent the 2020 season pitching in Japan. In 2019 he pitched 10IP but tore his meniscus while fielding a grounder, which ended his season.
RHRP Archie Bradley- Bradley was non-tendered by the Reds after pitching 7.2IP with 1ER, 6K, 0BB, 4H. Overall on the 2020 season, he posted a 2.95ERA, 24.7% K rate, 4.1% walk rate over 18.1IP.
Traded:
RHP Sam Coonrod- Coonrod debuted in 2019, posting a 3.58ERA over 27.2IP; 2020 was unforgiving to Coonrod as he posted a 9.82ERA over 14.2IP
RHP Jose Alvarado- The track record for Alvardo wasn't excellent in 2019-20 as he was slowed by injuries that made him put up a 5.08ERA, 1.58K/BB rate over 39IP. The Phillies hope Alvardo is past the injuries and can get back to his 2018 numbers of a 2.39ERA, 11.3K/9 over 64IP. Alvardo is only 25yo and has three seasons of control left.
Claims:
RHP Ian Hamilton- Claimed off waivers from the Mariners. The 26yo has 6ER over 12IP at the MLB level. In his AAA experience, he owns a 4.85ERA with an incredible 10.1K/9 and 1.85BB/9 over 42.2IP.
Key NRI:
LHRP Tony Watson- The fastball velocity dropped from 93MPH down to 89.9MPH in 2020. However, he still managed a 2.50ERA over 18IP with the Giants.
OF Matt Joyce- The 36yo had 148PA with the Marlins in 2020, in which he slashed .252/.351/.331 with 2HR and a career-worst 27.7% K rate.
RHRP Brandon Kintzler- the 36yo owns a 2.55ERA over the last two seasons with the Cubs and Marlins. He owns a 3.15ERA or lowers in 4 of the last five seasons, with a combined 3.26ERA/3.67ERA and a 55.4% groundball rate.
RHP Hector Rondon- Rondon struggled in 2020, posting a 7.65ERA over 20IP.
SP Ivan Nova- Nova saw a drastic dropoff in performance in 2020 with the Tigers as he posted an 8.53ERA over 19IP, with 4HR, 9K-9BB. Nova looks to get back into his groundball, inning eater form to help the Phillies compete in 2021.
RHP Neftali Feliz- The 32yo will hope to prove to Dombrowski and crew that he can stay healthy and be a valuable signing in 2021 in pen for Phillies.
INF Ronald Torreyes- The 28yo is a useful MLB bench piece. From 2016-2018 with the Yankees, he posted a .281/.308/.375 over 606PA in that time.
UTL Christian Bethancourt- The utility man looks to provide catching depth to a team that needs it. He can play nearly any position on the field and hope to stick with the Phillies through the season.
NRI:
RHP Michael Ynoa, RHP Bryan Mitchell, RHP David Paulino, OF Ronald Torreyes, C Jeff Mathis, Travis Janikowski
Tendered Contracts:
1B Rhys Hoskins, RHP Hector Neris, RHP David Hale, SP Zach Eflin, SP Vince Valasquez, C Andrew Knapp, RHP Seranthony Dominguez.
Selected Contracts:
LHP Kyle Dohy(27), LHP Bailey Falter, LHP Damon Jones(15), INF Nick Maton(13), INF Francisco Morales, OF Simon Muzzlothi(No.11)
Returning from IL:
LHP Adam Morgan(10 day IL), RHP Spencer Howard(10 days IL), 1B Rhys Hoskins(10 day IL), RHP Seranthony Dominguez(60 Day IL)
Prospect Watch
-The Rookie I am watching this season is RHP Spencer Howard. After a brief debut in 2020 with a 0.1WAR, 5.92ERA/5.86FIP in 24.1IP. The 24yo could make some waves in the 2021 season out of the pen and with some spot starts.
-Former #1 overall pick Mickey Moniak makes his case to be the everyday CF for the Phillies this upcoming season. However, Roman Quinn is also making a strong case.
Fantasy Impact Players
Pitchers- Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Archie Bradley,
Position- JT Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Alec Bohm, Didi Gregorius, Bryce Harper
Upcoming 2022 Free Agents:
-OF Andrew McCutchen holds a club option for 2020 worth $15mil. I can see the Phillies moving on from the 35yo at season's end.
-Some guys currently on the 40man- Archie Bradley, Hector Neris, Vince Velasquez, Brad Miller, Brandon Kintzler, Matt Moore,
-If they make the roster Tony Watson, Jeff Mathis, Hector Rondon, Matt Joyce, and Neftali Feliz will also be free agents.
Storylines to follow
-Make sure you know the name of Phillies Cather Andrew Knapp and don't sleep on him.
-Veterans Brad Miller, Matt Joyce have both enjoyed productive camps thus far.
-The NRI I am watching in camp is RHRP Brandon Kintzler. With the Cubs and Marlins over the last two seasons, he has a 2.55ERA. He has a 3.15ERA or lower in 4/5 seasons. How Kintzler is on a minors deal, I am shocked. But don't be shocked when he is rocking in the bullpen for the Phillies.
-I am calling the rebound for new arrivals RHP Chase Anderson and LHP Matt Moore. Both pitchers are into their 30's. Anderson pitched to a 7.22ERA over 33.2IP, and career, he owns a 3.94ERA over 857IP. Moore spent the 2020 season pitching in Japan and missed all of 2019 with a torn meniscus. The Phillies need all the help they can get in the rotation to compete in this division.
Bold Predictions
-I mean, projected four 90W teams in the NL East is outlandish. However, projected a 13G over for the Phillies is a little more outlandish.
-I also think Bryce Harper wins the MVP award.
-We are all thinking we saw the kind of player that Alec Bohm is going to be long-term. I would disagree after a 2nd place finishes in the RoY and only 24yo. Bohm showed to be a shift beater in 2020. Bohm slashed .338/.400/.481 in 160AB. We saw Bryce Harper taking reps at 3B during summer camp in 2020, but Bohm said, hold up; that's my position. The defense wasn't excellent after posting -5DRS, however, he is a rookie, and the glove should acclimate. I have a funny feeling that Bohm may end up being the 2nd best player on the Phillies and pushing Harper for years to come.
Fact Check:
Cliff Lee finished his career on the Phillies with a .315 average and 33 home runs. You read that right. There was a Cliff Lee on the Phillies from 1921-1924. He played first base and catcher.
Thanks for reading today, I am so grateful for your time reading, and I hope you enjoyed reviewing/previewing the Phillies 2021. I also want to thank my partners over at Repp Sports for RAZE Energy. Thanks to this clean and sufficient energy, I can have the intense focus to deliver content to you guys consistently. Click here to save 15% right now with the code "BALL BOY" at check out.