Tag: Bryce Harper
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Bryce Harper on IL; Otto Kemp Promoted
Bryce Harper has been placed on the IL after undergoing wrist inflammation. This is unfortunate as the Phillies have been 0-5 since missing Harper.
Kemp is an undrafted free agent out of Division II who has made a tremendous impact in the minors. During his time, he has hit .313/.416/.594 in 269 plate appearances for Lehigh High Valley and has ascended the minor league rankings.
Today, he went 0-3 against Heaney (3.24) and struck out two. I personally caught his major league debut and thought he just may have been nervous but considering he played a premium position. He will have to bounce back when he faces stud Paul Skenes (2.05)!
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Why the Phillies Should Trade Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber is batting .268 with 14 home runs and 32 RBI’s. Not bad considering he was struggling to stay afloat in Washington, Boston, and you could add Chicago. Chicago was a great easy transition for him as he became drafted originally a fourth overall pick. Some said, he would not mount to that selection but peaked at times he is now.
It is to be said Schwarber is the crumb of the wood so to speak. He can hammer it to mostly right field where they have been casted off to and ranks 57th in MLB league exit velocity.
Isn’t that strange?
One of the best home runs leaders with Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, and Cal Raleigh cannot especially be criticized for being 5 foot 10 and equipped to run average but hard for the city and newest community of his in Philadelphia.
He has established a hard-felt relationship with the law enforcement of Philadelphia and organizations that stemmed to his player as a Phillie. He has also had a stake in Bryce Harper’s career but the former Sports Illustrated cover at teenage years begins to face the question whether he wants to play designated hitter considering all his mileage and determination to play extended years with the organization.
Is Schwarber well-suited?
The OPS does not really stand to what he might demand on the market but by now Schwarber has bounced from team to team and been playing in his prime. Critics question if time can only take a step further to the player Schwarber is.
Schwarber’s scouting report in high school read improvement catching behind the plate and good approach to not only the game but decent strength of power to his bat which has kept him away from meager performances.
The Phillies have incoming prospects such as Justin Crawford, Aidan Miller, Otto Kemp, MIck Abel, and Andrew Painter approaching and it would not hurt to second guess how much Philadelphia is spending into their offense much so their bullpen with recent promotion such as Orion Kerkering being a suspect of things to inspect.
Miller, to say, is the Phillies top prospect since August 1 hitting a .906 OPS accrediting his teammate Justin Crawford for his mental success so that is a considerable good thing that these young players are in their zone and playing consistently who now rests on Painter. A solid top-rated pitching prospect within the Phillies organization and possibly the best ever developing a nice curveball this spring training right next to the tutelage of Phillies future Hall of Famer, Cole Hamels.
Schwarber is a good player but the market and prospect system will determine everything to possibly strike a trade deal. Trea Turner is the Phils best player again with a .306 average and I certainly believe manager Rob Thomson is opening the cracks for more younger players such as Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm to establish themselves in the lineup being homegrown.
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Phillies Start New Curse
The Philadelphia Phillies have been on quite a roller coaster ride since the start of the Bryce Harper era. Harper has injured his arm multiple times and taken the brunt of what has been the Phil’s ball club. He booted Rhys Hoskins off first base not to say that is true and is in line for more guaranteed seasons ahead with the team.
But what if I were to tell you Harper is not at the head of the Phillies injuries and most recently Bryson Stott’s arm. It is possibly hitting coach Kevin Long.
Long has been highly touted in the baseball industry for years to come and respectively so but the catch is he has gotten far too away of he has become. Long served as the hitting coach of the New York Yankees now Philadelphia Phillies. Fast forward to today, the Phils luck has taken a stop on its own with the likes of the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, and so on.
It was not like this years ago in the AL East division with George Steinbrenner and GM Brian Cashman, still.
The caveat to this scenario is that the Phillies play it mellow dramatic in order to receive another at-bat. The Phillies could be the empire of the division but they elect not to with dirty payroll flexibility and as Kyle Schwarber leading the way for instance.
Schwarber is their best RBI, OBP hitter but that is not a good excuse for a short-term contract player from the Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and etc. Everyone adores Schwarbs in the city but not to an extent when he possibly exits without a contact in the middle of 2026.
Because?
There will be devastation rest assured if the Phillies do not wisen up and take advantage of their pitching rotation.
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Will Juan Soto Play the Cliff Lee Card?
Juan Soto has been compared to the great Ted Williams. Soto will however have to decide between a different team.
Williams played for the Red Sox and he accomplished that for the majority of his career between 1939 and 1960. Days were different then.
Now much is varying between Steinbrenner, Cohen, Middleton, Johnson ownership group, and cash.
Cash might define the outcome of where Soto lands but what if it was said in a story, the mega star alongside currently Aaron Judge landed in Philadelphia and joined the Phillies.
He would play with another MVP in Bryce Harper and have a good time playing in Citizens Bank Park which is 20 years old.
The former Veterans Stadium is now exterminated and there is no better place to come out to the ball park and watch Soto and a lineup that played very consistent throughout 2024.
The only problem was their postseason. Their postseason ran out of gas fuel similar to last year when the Phillies blew out their tires on the 2023 NL winning Arizona Diamondbacks.
Soto came from a sketchy situation west in San Diego and managed to still post great numbers for the New York Yankees and lead them to a World Series in 15 years with a nicer smile than Jersey Mike deli post boy Anthony Volpe who did not prevail from last year’s gold glove to this year.
Although, Soto needs to know. Cliff Lee was a sparkling legend and rest Doc Roy Halladay but his partner in crime also deserves honors in the baseball Hall of Fame.
The New York Mets are the big fish, obviously, but there is reason to believe Soto becomes a Philadelphia Phillie for the right reason.
It is for NBC Sports Philadelphia play-by-play Tom McCarthy to call the action like he has whether it has been Schwarbombs to opposite fields, Harper blowing others stare eyed and Soto gripping the bat like Williams and smacking one to the beginning of deep right field of Philadelphia Phillies Citizens Bank Park.
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The Meaning of Topper
What is the meaning of topper? Simply, Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson but what does it also mean to be him?
Well, nobody has gone exclusively inside the mind of Thomson but for one, he likes to devote all his time and energy to the players.
What is a topper anyway? But, sounds cool for a coach that has become the winningest manager in Phillies history in three short seasons with a .575 win percentage and there have been many great managers such as Dallas Green, Larry Bowa, and Charlie Manuel.
Topper is a genius with his cards. He goes to work and now has led Philadelphia to three consecutive postseason appearances. And every time he returns, Thomson comes fierce like a shark but with an iota.
This year, the Philadelphia Phillies had to get pegged down an iota from the postseason but Thomson, with his contract restored beyond 2025, will indeed have plans to fish in huge.
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Bryce Harper’s Approach is Unsettling
It is August 11. The summer is winding down. The Olympics is tuned at a high volume but meanwhile, Phillies baseball is in the Arizona desert, and is meant to be played with one objective. Do not get mortified but as it turns out on a 103-degree indoor afternoon, the fielders retreated extra ground and the opposing batters covered the price. The final score resulted in being Philadelphia 5 and Arizona 12.
The Arizona Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald did throw more than 15 pitches and earned a successful team victory otherwise. (Arizona won 3 of 4 against Philadelphia.) The focus lies on the Philadelphia Phillies. They are 24-30 in their last 54 games and now possess a 69-49 overall record. If the summer were to start today so June 11, the Phillies would be at least 10 and 15 games ahead of where they are currently.
The Phillies must crush the Mets and Braves now. It is their only hope.
Bryce Harper said during the All-Star break that the Phillies are destined to compete for a World Series every year and denied the notion that they are World Series or bust considering the Phillies might need to think of changes.
For example, JT Realmuto was seen aching behind the plate during the recent Arizona game and he has been a backbone for Philadelphia. He suffered a right knee injury that required meniscectomy surgery.
Another example is the man himself, Harper. No full injury status has been given beyond notice but Harper is an instrumental part of any organization. Since his arrival, Harper has ranked in the top ten of MLB OPS and played most recently at first base begging the question if Harper is willingly built for outfield.
While Harper might be settled in terms of the Phillies faithful and confidence, it is not too hard to believe if his future is adjacent from ending in red pinstripes soon. The Phillies might be inclined to move forward without Harper to continue their chase at other high profile free agents including Juan Soto.
There is one sign for certain however and that is the Philadelphia Phillies have a World Series pennant to chase.
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