Odubel Herrera hit 16 home runs, batted in 52, scored 47 runs, stole five bases and had an AVG/OBP of .275/.327 in the first half of 2018. In the second half he only hit six home runs, 1batted in 19, scored 17 runs didn’t even try to steal a base and earned an AVG/OBP of .214/.279. He finished the season with a negative defensive score for the first time in his career. (-9.0).
It’ll be interesting to see if the Phillies use their money to add a centerfielder or see what they have in young speedster Roman Quinn.
The Phillies must improve in player development, so the hiring of Josh Bonifay as Farm Director might have been the most important decision the Phillies make this winter.
There have been some successes, most notably Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins. But the simple truth is that the Phillies will be hard-pressed to match the success of teams such as the Astros, Cubs and Dodgers if they do not get more out of their homegrown talent. Money can buy a lot of things. There’s no doubt that it can help win a championship. But in an increasingly egalitarian baseball economy, the perennial contenders are those who can find and refine talent on the ground floor. If Bonifay proves to be someone who can oversee that sort of system, the offseason may already have been won.David Murphy Philadelphia Inquirer
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While they have the payroll flexibility to add Bryce Harper or Manny Machado as well as a big-ticket closer through free agency, it is going to take more for the Phillies to go from just being competitive to being a contender and it won’t happen overnight.
The Phillies were the only team in baseball to finish 2018 with a hard contact rate under 30 percent. Justin Bour and Asdrubal Cabrera led the team in hard contact and both were mid-season trade acquisitions. Both players were rentals so there is a chance neither will be back with the Phillies in 2019.
Rhys Hoskins ranked 102nd in hard contact at 34.5 percent, and Carlos Santana was 116th at 32.8 percent.
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