SPORTS  |  LIFESTYLE  |  ATTITUDE  |  AUTHENTIC
YDKJ
  • HOME
  • About
  • Contact
  • Photos

MLB  |  Might wanna take more realistic view on Phillies right about now

5/28/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
by Jack Kerwin  |  ydkjack1@gmail.com

This just in …

That playoff push by the 2016 Phillies, it ain’t gonna happen.

Sorry to burst any bubbles out there.

By all means, anyone bleeding pinstriped red should thoroughly enjoy every single sign of progress this group shows, and, frankly, wouldn’t be out of line to bask in the glow of an absolute revelation being unearthed in center field.

But a postseason run?

Puh-leeze …

With reality slowly starting to rear its often ugly head courtesy of cold slaps to the face on visits to Detroit and Chicago, the fact of the matter is the Andy MacPhail-led reclamation project we’re watching here isn’t going to be a quick fix and never was meant to be.

For all the poking fun done here at mismanagement that may go on with the pro sports franchises in Philly, it’s still hard to ignore when “organization” and “plan” somehow find themselves magically coexisting under the same roof.

Put it this way, even the good moves former GM Ruben Amaro made seemed to reek of panic-ridden or ego-driven mass tossings of shit against the wall to see what would stick. Not so under the new regime, which appears to have the patience to realize that this “rebuild” is going to – gulp – take time and the wherewithal to – double gulp – actually take that time.

Hard to believe, sure, but that is possible.

No, seriously …

Cutting through the David Puddy “gotta support the team” dedication, only two legit everyday players reside on the current roster, third baseman Makeil Franco and the aforementioned blossoming star, Odubel Herrera. First baseman Tommy Joseph may turn out to be, and, if you really want, go ahead and argue the case for good ol’ country boy catcher Cameron Rupp, too.

Everyone else, uh, no … and that’s coming from someone who actually likes Freddy Galvis a little bit and appreciates the unlikely half-decent production from outfield afterthought Tyler Goeddel.

Oh, and, umm, Cody Asche would not be an upgrade anywhere, either. So, just cut out that rationalizing crap.

Perhaps Aaron Altherr would be, but let us digress …

The pitching? Yo, if you got average-everything Aaron Nola as anything higher than your No. 3 in the rotation, you ain’t going many places far beyond .500. The Phillies have one starter with serious stuff in Vince Velasquez and a relief corps that still seems to be doing solid things with smoke and mirrors.

So, it truly has been an amazing stretch leading up to Memorial Day. That they go into play today, the Saturday before the holiday, at 26-22 defies all logic, especially considering they’ve been outscored by 35 runs thus far this season.

But the massive, no-support-for-the-pitching chinks in the armor are starting to show, as evidenced by two straight series losses, including one to lowly Atlanta, followed by Friday afternoon’s undressing at Wrigley Field by a Cubs squad just going along at cruise control.

With 11 of the Phillies’ next 15 games against two of the best clubs in Major League Baseball, five more against the NL Central-leading Cubs starting this afternoon and six with NL East-leading Washington, consider that the calm before the storm.

Positives? Yeah, there will be a few … along the lines that this is a developing team and it still needs help everywhere.

For your own sake, just be pleased should the team eclipse 70 wins, which would be a nice jump from last season’s bottom-feeding effort of 63, and be happy to claim Herrera and Velasquez as all-stars.

Better days, including those in the postseason, are ahead. Just not this year.


By all means, anyone bleeding pinstriped red should thoroughly enjoy every single sign of progress this group shows, and, frankly, wouldn’t be out of line to bask in the glow of an absolute revelation being unearthed in center field. But a postseason run? Puh-leeze … With reality slowly starting to rear its often ugly head courtesy of cold slaps to the face on visits to Detroit and Chicago, the fact of the matter is the Andy MacPhail-led reclamation project we’re watching here isn’t going to be a quick fix and never was meant to be. For all the poking fun done here at mismanagement that may go on with the pro sports franchises in Philly, it’s still hard to ignore when “organization” and “plan” somehow find themselves magically coexisting under the same roof. Put it this way, even the good moves former GM Ruben Amaro made seemed to reek of panic-ridden or ego-driven mass tossings of shit against the wall to see what would stick. Not so under the new regime, which appears to have the patience to realize that this “rebuild” is going to – gulp – take time and the wherewithal to – double gulp – actually take that time.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    NFL
    MLB
    NBA
    NHL
    NCAAFB
    ​NCAABB
    Eagles
    Phillies
    76ers
    Flyers
    Temple
    Villanova
    La Salle
    ​Saint Joe's
    ​Penn State

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    January 2020
    December 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Best of 2018

    Picture

    Best of 2017

    Picture

    Best of 2016

    Picture

    Best of 2015

    Picture

    RSS Feed

Picture
Your source for insight ... or insanity

GET TO KNOW YDKJ

ABOUT    |    CONTACT   |    BLOG    |    PRIVACY POLICY

​© COPYRIGHT 2018   YDKJ   |   Terms & Conditions
Picture