The Philadelphia Phillies are in complete disarray. They are among one of the worst team’s in baseball, and have very few options when it comes to building for the future.
The only hope of salvation comes from Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard, who might be able to fetch the team a decent haul on the trade market. Otherwise, there is little hope for this once proud franchise.
The Phillies own one of the worst pitching staffs in all of baseball. The team’s overall ERA of 4.60 ranks next to last amongst both the American and National leagues. The only team with a worse overall ERA is Colorado, whose pitchers have the unfortunate disadvantage of playing in the Mile High City.
Philadelphia’s hitting is almost as bad as their pitching. The team has scored the third least amount of runs in all of baseball, and rank 28th in total RBI’s. There isn’t an abundance of talent on the Phillies roster. The team’s best players are the aforementioned Hamels and Howard, who will likely get moved at the trading deadline.
There is National League Rookie of the Year candidate, Maikel Franco but the he is still finding their footing in the majors, and might not reach his full potential until next season, or later. Recently, the Phillies have seen stellar pitching from Adam Morgan, who has a 2.13 ERA and a 1-1 record through his first two starts.
Although, it’s worth noting that Morgan maintained a putrid 4.47 ERA in AAA this season, so the major league breakout might not last. Morgan wasn’t a highly touted prospect in the Phillies system, but there are two current minor-leaguers that could impact the team at some point.
Shortstop J.P. Crawford is arguably one of the top-10 prospects in all of baseball, and could see the major leagues at the end of the 2016 season. There is also Aaron Nola, the team’s top pitching prospect, who was just recently promoted to AAA.
G.M. Ruben Amaro Jr. isn’t the most loved man in Philadelphia. Many fans blame him for the teams lack of success in recent years, as he has made some questionable decisions when it comes to his roster. However, Amaro thinks he found a cornerstone to his pitching staff with Nola, whom he believes will see the majors at some point this season.
“We have a plan in place with Aaron and we’re hopeful that he continues to progress,” Amaro said to Sportsradio 94 WIP.
“He earned his spot and earned his opportunity to get to Triple-A. We’ll see how he goes there and I fully expect him to be in the big leagues at some point this year.”
There is a lot of work to do in the City of Brotherly Love. The rebuild will be a long and tedious process. The core of Franco, Crawford, and Nola represent the team’s best shot at prevalence.
Many more moves will need to be made, and hopefully the Philadelphia brain trust has a plan up their sleeves, because it’s just becoming painful to watch.