Phillies 2018 Season News/Notes/Discussion

[Austinfan]

Yep. Calling up Hall also means Martin may be released, you don't call up a LH 1B to platoon with a LH 1B.

They could promote Martin to AAA, but he's hasn't done anything at AA ball, so it would make more sense to pick up a AAA veteran who could keep the team competitive.

[LoneStarPhan]

Yes, sorry, I missed what was intended in the reference to a call up.

[zambonir]

While we are talking about adding players, how about a prorated league minimum offer to Hanley Ramirez to allow Walding or Valentin to play everyday at AAA?

Ramirez is RH and can't play any positions besides 1B anymore, Walding and Valentin can. Valentin is the right replacement for Florimon and they can pick between Walding and Cozens to replace Hoskins (but just the fact that they are lefties, and Walding can play 3B, is more useful than Ramirez).

[mdougherty12]

Fangraphs article with some info on Adam Haseley, also has some interesting quotes from Lehigh Valley manager Gary Jones:

Phillies First-Rounder Adam Haseley is Getting Off the Ground | FanGraphs...

[allentown]

also has some interesting quotes from Lehigh Valley manager Gary Jones:

Very interesting; too bad a guy with this much insight into hitting for OBP is managing a team of AAAA hitters. It'll be better when he gets Cozens, Quinn, and Walding back -- perhaps he has played a big part in the Cozens/Walding turn-around this season.

[andyb]

Athletic in more depth about shifts and the Phillies and why they are not working as well as anticipated. Still too early to tell of course. One interesting finding this season is that pitchers are walking more hitters when shifts are deployed. The theory is that they pitch to a narrower zone in an attempt to get hitters to hit into the shift. So when they use less of the plate (don't pitch someone outside with a shift deployed) they walk more hitters.

Worst shifts in the league? Why Jake Arrieta may have a...

I am guessing the Phillies usage pattern on shifts is more based on batted ball data than secondary factors (like walks, fewer DPs, lack of training for fielders in new positions) and they should back off a bit. Hitters are probably adjusting some too. Hopefully they are not too arrogant about their way of doing things to adapt properly.

[EastFallowfield]

And points out that checked swing grounders are not the best thing to judge a shift on.

[Austinfan]

Jones is on the mark:

“The sports psychologists we have now can help guys manage the speed of the game, the speed of their thought process, and get everything to slow down a bit. That’s one way in which guys can get better at it, but overall, a guy is who he is. The guys I’ve been around who have good plate discipline… for the most part they had it when I first saw them. A guy would get drafted and he’d come into the minors and already have it. Either he learned it early on, or he was a guy who had the ability to slow a situation down and not have these anxieties and thoughts racing through his head. Some guys are too high strung that way.”

Which is why I'm wary of guys who don't demonstrate in college that they have that knack, HS is tougher, good hitters see so few hittable pitches that even ones with discipline are tempted to attack the ball.

[schillingfan]

Curt Schilling worked with a psychologist who taught him techniques to slow the game down to one pitch at a time which he said really helped, particularly in high stress situations. If only he had learned the same with his mouth to focus one word at a time.

[julio]

Per the phillies.com transactions page, Drew Hutchinson has cleared waivers and been outrighted to AAA.

[Austinfan]

They've been working on Velasquez to calm down on the mound, the other day he lost his cool for one batter then recovered, says he's been focusing on music on the mound to relax. He's an example of a pitcher who gets too hyped.

It's easy to tell when a pitcher is too pumped up, the FB straightens out when they overthrow, and they start yanking breaking balls - sometimes less is more.

Velasquez has developed a nice two seamer with good movement, I really like the new pitching coach, he just seems more in tune with his young pitchers and you can see improvement in Nola, Pivetta, Velasquez, Eflin, Arano, Ramos. Neris seems to be a case of a pitcher who doesn't trust his stuff (his splitter). Rios just wasn't ready for prime time.

[flyers19rw]

Meghan Montemurro and Zolecki report that Hutchison declined the assignment and opted for FA.

[zambonir]

No big loss at this point and he probably knows he was never getting back on the 40 this year, Phillies have plenty of people who can fill that role (including Lively even). Maybe he's hoping to find a team that will let him start, even though it will still be in the minors.

[julio]

Meghan Montemurro and Zolecki report that Hutchison declined the assignment and opted for FA.

The outright was reported as occurring yesterday; presumabaly the opt-out will appear, dated today.

[Austinfan]

Leiter is the same guy with more upside.
Leftwich is similar with more velocity and a year or two away.
Lively, Tavares, etc.
Not worth burning a 40 man spot for Hutchinson.

[LoneStarPhan]

Probably for the best that Hutch not take innings at LV that can now go to other pitchers who might have a future with the team.

[Lawman]

Todd Zolecki (ToddZolecki)

[David_Criss]

Hope Walding gets another shot. From a fifth round draft pick to a minor league free agent to a surprise call up. six strike outs in six at bats. That stings.

[California_Dreamin]

My gosh, I hope this isn't Walding's swan song in the big leagues, 5 at bats, 5 KO's, never even got to run to first base. I am curious to see how he reacts upon going back to LHV. Could be totally demoralized and embarrassed or he could realize he did make it to the big leagues and work hard to get back.

I have stressed this before but worth repeating...the mental aspect of professional baseball is often under valued and under appreciated. I often talked about my belief that the Phils really hurt Gavin Floyd with their "now you see him, now you don't treatment" and believe the same thing has happened with Jake Thompson.

Thompson was sent down right after pitching 3 very effective shutout innings earlier in the season and until recently hadn't been the same since. I understand this conga line philosophy of keeping fresh pitchers on the big league roster and sending others down but I also know this much...players have been told that if they perform well they will be rewarded.

Thompson was not rewarded, he was demoted and I believe no amount of pats on the back and you'll be backs undid the affects of being moved down right after a very strong performance.

I admit freely that I was a big Gavin Floyd phan and also have rooted hard for Thompson since I viewed him as the wild card player that could really make the Hamels deal a strong one. Eickhoff has been a plus, Alfaro and Williams look like keepers and Thompson could be the cherry on top.

Hope he gets another shot.

[zambonir]

Thompson had already cratered completely as a starter though. There was no yo-yo in 2016, he excelled in AAA, he got called up, he failed, and then he failed some more back at AAA in 2017, at which point he had to take what he could get. Sure, I feel for the guy and still hope the talent is there but he's had multiple chances to make himself indispensable, as both a starter and a reliever, and hasn't been able to do it. Really, we should be happy that so many players (especially in in the pen) have made it difficult for him to stick.

He was only here this year because of Leiter Jr.'s injury and three good innings in a 20-1 game isn't much of a resume (his ERA this season, albeit in such limited action as to be meaningless, is over 7.00). He's been back up twice since that game (once pitching poorly and once not pitching at all).

I wouldn't have minded seeing Walding stay over Cozens but not hard to figure that choice out.