Phillies

Phillies' Odubel Herrera's Chance To Become An Elite Hitter

... Stairs is back to speaking with the speed of a cattle auctioneer, and Herrera's development is a topic that really gets him going. Throughout Stairs' playing career, his strength was his knowledge of the strike zone, his ability to get a fastball that he could drive. He hit 265 home runs and struck out 1,122 times, and he wants Herrera to extract the best of that all-or-nothing approach - the plate discipline - and cast aside the temptation to overswing, even when he gets the pitch he wants. Herrera jumped from eight home runs in 2015 to 15 in 2016, but Stairs would prefer that Herrera pay no attention to his home run total. "He did a great job last year of saying, 'Listen, what is your strength with a fastball? You sit on that pitch. If you get to two strikes, then you battle,' " Stairs said. "There's no reason to be in a hurry hitting. If I'm a good inside-fastball hitter, why am I going to expand and hit a first pitch away? Make the pitcher work. Again, you become a stubborn hitter and ...

Will This Bell Ringing Over And Over Get You Hype For Phillies Baseball

... get you hype for Phillies baseball. Opening day is here. The Phillies get their season underway later this afternoon over in Cincinnati and another summer-long journey begins. It's an interesting season for the Phillies. They're no longer tied to the winning days of 2008 but they're also turning the corner from the recent downtrodden losing ways. This could be the start of the real building towards a winner. So maybe this hype video the Phillies shared featuring a bell ringing over and over will get you amped for another summer of baseball in Philadelphia. Did picture just blow Magic's interest in Dario Saric - and everyone else. By The 700 __link__ April 03, 2017 10:25 PM. There are two types of teams in the NBA: those who tank subtly, and those who have their entire offseason plans leaked on Twitter. The Magic look to be in the ...

Phillies Need Younger Players To Win Competitions For Jobs

... for coveted spots on the opening-day roster. That's a pretty good indication of what the Phillies would like to see happen during their 162-game journey as well. For sure, youth will continue to be served on the main menu. The Phillies already have the second youngest roster in the majors, according to Baseball America, and it will trend even younger as the season progresses. The first place they could get younger is in the starting rotation. Clay Buchholz should be on a short leash at the start of this season after failing to instill much confidence during his six spring-training starts. His situation is different from Coghlan's and Hanigan's because there is some substantial money involved. When the Phillies acquired the 32-year-old righthander from the Boston Red Sox just before Christmas, they agreed to take on his $13.5 ...

Now-healthy Aaron Nola Out To Prove To Phillies Last Year Was A Fluke

... through free agency in the coming offseasons. And it will be expensive, as evidenced by the $17 million the team gave Jeremy Hellickson this offseason. They will need Nola and the other young starters to be stabilizers in the middle of the rotation if they make a splash on the open market. It will be a success if just two or three of the team's young pitchers who are in the majors and triple A - Jerad Eickhoff, Nola, Vince Velasquez, Jake Thompson, Zach Eflin, Ben Lively, and Mark Appel - can prove to be mid-rotation arms. The money can then be spent at the top of the rotation. Eickhoff proved last season to be a durable pitcher. Velasquez has shown spurts of electricity. Nola started his career with promise. The rest are unproven. "We have a lot of depth through the system," president Andy Mac Phail said. "Not necessarily front-end ...

Phillies Need Sluggers. Dylan Cozens And Rhys Hoskins May Fit The Bill

... big leagues.". His power surge last season was no surprise. Cozens is 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds. It is as if he were built to hit homers. The Phillies were infatuated with his power in 2012, when they drafted him in the second round and lured him away from playing college football by giving him a $660,000 signing bonus. First, Cozens said, he had to learn to become a better hitter. The power then followed as a result. "I got a taste of it last spring, when I brought him to Port Charlotte as a minor-leaguer, an extra guy," Mackanin said. "He hit about three or four balls over the batter's eye in center field and on the roof of the building in right field. I'm well aware of his power, and I think he's going to be a real good hitter for power. He's a good defensive player, too.". Ryan Howard is the only Phillie to hit 30 or more homers in a season since 2011. The Phillies are desperate for power hitters who can take advantage of Citizens Bank Park's tight dimensions. It is likely something they will address in free agency, but Cozens and Hoskins could provide an internal option. This ...

Phillies' Improved Bullpen Still Has Question At End

... in the bullpen, let's put it that way.". They were certainly deep enough during their 4-3 victory over the Reds even though closer Jeanmar Gomez created some angst when he allowed a two-out, two-run home run to Scooter Gennett in the bottom of the ninth. Benoit recorded three of the game's biggest outs when he came on for Hellickson, leaving Duvall stranded at second base by recording consecutive strikeouts before retiring Zack Cozart on a fly ball to center field. Nine of Benoit's 10 pitches were strikes. Edubray Ramos, who emerged as a late-inning reliever as a rookie last season, pitched a scoreless seventh by striking out Jose Peraza after surrendering a two-out triple and Hector Neris, the man most likely to be the closer before this season is over, opened the new season with a perfect eighth. "We've got a great bullpen," Benoit said. "You can see the guys we have, the arms. From myself to the young guys, we have a great bullpen. I feel confident in all the guys we have and hopefully we can keep building from this.". Strangely, Gomez was ...

Meet The Philadelphia Phillies Top Prospects

... and Cesar Hernandez in the lineup, plus an assortment of young starters. There’s reinforcements who could be arriving this season, too. Here’s a look at the Phillies’ top 12 prospects, some of whom could help this year and beyond. Note: Rankings taken from __link__. Daniel Gallen | __link__. Canada starting pitcher Nick Pivetta throws during the first inning in a first-round game of the World Baseball Classic against Colombia, Saturday, March 11, 2017, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky). 12. Nick Pivetta, RHP. The Phillies acquired the 24-year-old Pivetta in late 2015 from Washington in the Jonathan Papelbon trade, and he went 12-8 with a 3.27 ERA between Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2016. The Canadian grew up idolizing former Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay , and his 138 strikeouts ranked third in the team’s system. According to __link__, Pivetta’s fastball can touch 95 mph, and the “continued refinement of his command” will be the key in his development. Philadelphia Phillies ...

Phillies Finalize Monday's Opening Day Roster Vs. Reds

... tone," he said. "I tell you what, we don't need power from the corners. We've got our power from the middle infielders. Cesar and Freddy, the two littlest guys on the field. It was good to see.". Yes, it was a good way to start a game and a season. A lot went right for the Phils in this one. Three of general manager Matt Klentak's wintertime additions had big days. Michael Saunders doubled home a run in the first inning. Howie Kendrick had two singles and a double. And Joaquin Benoit came out of the bullpen throwing smoke in the sixth inning. Pitching with a man on second and no outs after starter Jeremy Hellickson exited, Benoit got two strikeouts and a fly ball to get out of the inning and protect a 4-1 lead. Edubray Ramos and Hector Neris both followed with a scoreless inning before Jeanmar Gomez gave his manager agita by giving up a single and a two-run run homer in the ninth before registering a wobbly save. Gomez had 37 saves last season, but lost the closer's job with a poor September. Mackanin decided to give Gomez the first chance at the job this season, but he's clearly on a short leash. "I'm concerned about it," ...

Phillies Win Opener As 'two Littlest Guys' Homer

... the fireworks had not even cleared by the time Jeanmar Gomez sealed the 27 th out. "Cesar Hernandez set the tone," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "I tell you what, we don't need power from the corners. We've got our power from the middle infielders. Cesar and Freddy, the two littlest guys on the field. It was good to see.". The offense - bottom feeders in every major category last season - rapped seven extra-base hits by six hitters. The Phillies coerced Cincinnati starter Scott Feldman to throw 27 pitches in a patient first inning. Feldman required 64 pitches to record his first nine outs. It looked nothing of the feeble unit from a season ago. That, as much as a nine-inning sample can mean, is progress. "That's part of the plan," Mackanin said. "We want to grind out at-bats and not waste at-bats. I think we did that.". Hernandez, the unlikeliest of sluggers, started the surge. He did not hit his first home run last season until June 4, in the Phillies' 56 th game. The Phillies ...

Philadelphia Phillies

... more to do with the players who aren't in it yet. Both J. P. Crawford and Jorge Alfaro will eventually be everyday players at the major league level. The Opening Day lineup is the group that will help carry them through that transition. The Pitchers. Jerad Eickhoff (Wednesday). Clay Buchholz (Thursday). One of the most significant offseason developments for the Phillies was Jeremy Hellickson agreeing to a qualifying offer. Most assumed Hellickson would be one of the top free-agent starters this offseason,  but as Steve Adams notes the market never really developed for him. Hellickson finished last season 12-10 with a 3.71 ERA (3.98 FIP) over 189 innings of work. Eickhoff is coming off of his first full season as a major league starter. Last year, he went 11-14 with a 3.65 ERA (4.19 FIP). This will be Buchholz's eleventh season in the majors, and his final 2016 numbers weren't that impressive (8-10, 4.78 ERA). However, he looked much better as the season went on, and in the second half posted a 3.22 ERA. Jeanmar Gomez returns as Philadelphia's closer, but if he ...