Phillies will battle for wild-card berth
Other than the Nationals, no one in the National League East finished with a winning record in 2017. That’s about to change.
Thanks to several key offseason acquisitions and a group of talented young players, the Phillies are a team on the rise. And their ascendance into the realm of playoff contenders will come earlier than expected.
With plenty of payroll space available this offseason, the Phils were the first team to sign a major free agent — first baseman Carlos Santana. He gives the club a veteran presence, a power bat and something else the team really needed, on-base percentage.
The Phillies ranked 24th in the majors last season with a .315 OBP. While Santana’s .365 career mark isn’t the direct solution, pairing him with young slugger Rhys Hoskins (18 homers, .396 OBP in 212 MLB plate appearances) dramatically transforms the middle of the lineup.
And in a wholly unexpected stroke, top second-base prospect Scott Kingery, who likely would have started the season in the minors, signed a six-year contract that could tie him to the Phillies for nine seasons. Of greater current import, Kingery, who has a career .341 minor league OBP, will be with the club from the get-go this year and, as manager Gabe Kapler noted, shore up multiple positions.
The front office also swooped in late in the offseason to snag the best free agent pitcher on the market in Jake Arrieta, a low-risk, $75 million splurge over three seasons. Though his overall numbers have declined since his Cy Young-winning 2015 season, Arrieta is far from done at age 32.
In 12 second-half starts for the Cubs last year, Arrieta went 6-3 with a 2.28 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He can still provide quality innings at the front of the rotation.
The two new veterans will help take some of the pressure off a talented young core of Hoskins and budding ace Aaron Nola as well as up-andcomers such as catcher Jorge Alfaro, shortstop J.P. Crawford, outfielder Nick Williams and Kingery.
Tying everything together is Kapler, an analytically friendly former player who can combine the best aspects of the old school and new school approaches. It’s quite a change from the former Philly regime, but after three consecutive seasons of 90 or more losses, fielding a playoff-caliber team would be a change most welcome.
— Steve Gardner