The 2016 Phils are a delightful departure from that lifeless squad. The seeds that were planted in 2015 took route and blossomed in the First Half of 2016.
 |
| Velasquez takes the surprise ice bucket challenge. |
The Phils pitching staff appeared seemingly out of nowhere, led by strong young starters, but backed by a startlingly solid bullpen that nobody saw coming.
For weeks they held their own as division contenders, much to everyone's surprise and most people's disbelief. Briefly, one Thursday this Spring, they even held First Place for 4 hours. Those hours faded, as did their contention. Doubters squinted at their run differential, poor offensive output, the youthful arms that seemed unlikely to sustain and the lopsided luck they had managed in one-run contests.
The Phils made good on those numbers by dropping a staggering 22-of-26 and 13-of-14 in June. They appeared to be on a downward spiral toward orbiting last year's plummet, losing starter studs Velasquez and Aaron Nola along the way.
Then, they surprised us all again when the Phils rebounded to go 12-5 (including winning 8-of-9) from 6/23-7/10 in their final 17 before the break to move within 6 games of a NL wild-card spot.
 |
| The clubhouse transfer of power is complete: from RyHo to Franco. |
The Phils went into the break 12 games back of Washington, whose +105 run differential is 2nd in baseball, winners of 7-of-10 at 42-48. No one looking at this team at the cellar at the conclusion of the 2015 season wold have been disappointed to see their current status at the end of the First Half of 2016.
There are many holes, but let's take a moment to appreciate some of the brighter spots on a roster that shows flourishing talent turning heads on both the pitchers mound and the out of the batters box.
1) SP Aaron Nola:
 |
| Nola looked like an ace for most of the First Half. |
Then, on June 4th Nola turned 23. The next day, he S.O. 9 in 6 shutout innings vs. Milwaukee. Since? He's been crushed. He has managed to stay in the game for only 18 innings over his last 5 starts. During those appearances, his ERA has nearly doubled, sailing from 2.65 to 4.69.
The Phillies and Nola are calling it "dead arm." However, it's non-coincidental that his team's collapse coincided with his own struggles. At his low point, his team lost 13-of-14 to fall from contention in the NL East.
That's because Nola is the team ace. An ace must lead. Like a captain, his team can soar only as far as he can take them. Nola must rebound in the Second Half and finish strong or clouds will linger long after the season closes.
 |
| When he's on the mound, he's dazzling. |
Houston had him figured out precisely. They knew he had all kinds of upside when they drafted him in 2010. After all, he S.O. 58 in 55 big league innings in '15 for the Astros. However, they also knew he was injury prone. That was cemented prior to the 2011 season, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. He nearly quit baseball at the age of 18 due to the grueling recovery from Tommy John surgery.
This season started like a dream for the then 23 year-old. In just his second start for his new team, Velasquez S.O. 16 batters and walked none over 9 innings at the Bank on April 14th. He finished the month 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA.
However, on June 8th when All-Star veteran John Lackey was on the hill for the MLB best Cubs, the season took a turning point for Velasquez, when he left the game after getting one out because of right biceps soreness. Velasquez threw two pitches and quickly left the mound when a trainer came out.
"I'm not concerned at all,'' Velasquez said. "I have been in this situation before.''
The Phillies were concerned, though. They shut him down until June 27th, when he returned without missing a beat: 5 shutout innings, 7 S.O. and no walks lead to yet another victory. At the halfway point, Velasquez is 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA. He has S.O. 93 and walked 26 and opponents are batting just .250 against him.
However, he has to stay healthy for the rest of the season to show that he is a big league starter who can handle the load of a 162-game season.
When he's healthy, he's sensational. If he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit.
 |
| Franco looks up as his hits sail on and on. |
Franco has been terrific. After a Rookie-of-the-Year caliber debut in '15, he appeared to have lost a step out of the gate in '16. He was hitting for substantial power, but by June 23rd his average had hit a season low .235. Then, he caught fire in S.F. on June 24th and in the final 2 1/2 weeks of the First Half of the season raised his average .034 points to .269. He leads the team with 18 HR and 52 RBI. He hit the team's (& MLB's 4th) longest HR so far this year: 471 feet on July 10th in Colorado to end the First Half. On July 6th, he hit a HR in his 4th straight game, 1 shy of tying the club record for consecutive games with a HR accomplished 5 times by: Bobby Abreu, Mike Schmidt, Dick Allen and twice by Chase Utley in title year '08.
Franco gives fans every reason to believe that the future has arrived and bright days are not far off.
4) CF Obdul Herrera:
Herrera leads the Phils in hits, OBP and Ave. He spent most of the First Half among NL leaders in those categories as well, until his major dropoff in June (.276) and July slump (.225). He became an All-Star for the first time this past week. He is the best pure leadoff hitter the Phils have had in what feels like forever and has even added pop with 10 First-Half HR. He has been very good and can be great if he streaks in the Second-Half like he did in April (.313) and May (.324).
 |
| Rupp is tough, plays with fire. |
Rupp has been one of the best surprises of 2016. In just 209 AB, he has 9 HR and 17 team-leading 2B, which have led to his .507 SLG% (#2 on team). He is hitting a surprising .287 after a .290 June and .385 July so far. His blocking of the plate on May 14th was a defensive highlight ranking among the best in the past few years for the Phils. It showed grit and toughness the young team desperately needs.
"I sacrificed," said Rupp at the time, unaware of an abrasion on top of his forehead. "I don't know how I caught it."
 |
| "OUT!" |
"I was usually the one hitting people," Rupp said. "It was fun. Definitely an adrenaline rush."
Rupp has surprised everyone, including team management and has justifiably become something of a fan favorite and a team spark.
6) 1B Tommy Joseph:
On June 10th, Joseph officially became the team's starting 1B, taking the reigns from RyHo after over 10 seasons, many of them gloried. Joseph responded by homering twice vs. Washington.
 |
| "Now playing 1B: Tommy Joseph." |
At the Break, Joseph leads the team with a .516 SLG% and has 11 HR in just 153 AB (which projects to a 40 HR season). He is batting .255 and must learn discretion with only 6 BB.
Joseph hit just .204 in June, when Mackanin moved him out of the cleanup spot.
Joseph has rebounded in the first 10 days of July, hitting .435 with 3 BB and 3 HR.
There is more to say:
2B Cesar Hernandez hit .305 in June and is batting .410 in July to bring his season average to .291, proving he can be a valuable contributor although he remains a somewhat one-dimensional hitter. SP Jerad Eickhoff (6-10, 3.80 ERA) intermittently appears ready to breakout into a full-fledged power starter, but has lacked consistency...
All in all, it's what you'd expect from a rebuilding team-- but more. It's clear that the 2016 Phils are a long way and a far cry from their 2015 predecessors. There is real pulse and enthusiasm both in the clubhouse and beginning to rebuild in the fan base.
In the words of 22 year-old rookie SP Zach Eflin:
"There's a bunch of chemistry in this locker room, It's a really cool thing to be a part of."
The 2016 Second Half starts Friday with a weekend series vs. the Mets at the Bank.
Catch all the Second Half action here: http://phantasticphillies.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment