Tag Archives: Philadelphia Phillies

MLB New Year’s resolutions: One 2019 Opening Day goal for every big league team

(From MLB Daily Dish, see the full article HERE.)

A new year brings new dreams for each of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball. Let’s take a look at one resolution each team should stick to for a healthy and happy new year.

Arizona DiamondbacksTrade Zach Greinke. May have to swallow some pride and eat that contract, but the Padres are on the up and the Rockies and Dodgers are not going anywhere. The Diamondbacks have to get back on track quickly, and if the cost is lower, plenty of teams would love Greinke.

Atlanta BravesGet a veteran starter. An ace would make this team frightening, but a solid presence like Sonny Gray — who has certainly had his share of ups and downs — would be grand for these young studs.

Baltimore OriolesScout some international players. They finally hired a leader in Koby Perez. The Orioles farm system is vastly improved, now it’s time to take the next step.

Boston Red SoxBattle back. The 2014 follow up to the Red Sox last title wasn’t so strong, but they did reach the ALDS in both 2008 and 2005. This team is loaded, but the window is small with a not-so-sexy farm system.

Chicago CubsFly the W. After what seemed an eternity of mediocracy, the Cubs have been one of the more consistent teams in the MLB with four-straight 90+ win seasons and that elusive World Series title. See the Red Sox: that window may be closing so may as well make one more run in a suddenly stacked division.

Chicago White SoxDon’t waste this farm system. And you can start by plugging Eloy Jimenezand his super human power into the Opening Day lineup.

Cleveland IndiansTrade Corey Kluber. His value is arguably higher than any other pitcher in baseball on the market, and let’s face it. The Indians can still win the AL Central without him while starting to get better for the future.

Colorado RockiesWin the NL West. The Rockies had one pitcher in Kyle Freeland with a sub-3.00 ERA, and another young gun in German Marquez post a 3.77 ERA. If Jon Gray can finally throw together a full season of greatness instead of small spurts, the Rockies may have their best pitching staff yet.

Detroit TigersLike you’ll see with the Royals below, it’s all about patience. The Tigers have an exciting top 15 for prospects, but they aren’t ready. With the demand for Nick Castellanos seemingly high, move him and make it an exciting top 20 prospect list.

Houston AstrosStop getting better. Come on, guys. You didn’t need Michael Brantley. Let the Athletics at least have a fighting chance.

Kansas City RoyalsBe patient. The Royals are arguably the most improved farm system in baseball and, much like the Braves, it is built on a lot of exciting young arms. It’s not going to be a fun 2019, and 2020 may not be much better, but it’s coming.

Los Angeles AngelsGet Mike Trout to the playoffs. Fifteen career plate appearances in the postseason isn’t fair to him or us. At the very least get him on some billboards on the East Coast.

Los Angeles DodgersWin a World Series (no, that is not a prediction). The only thing stopping the Dodgers from having the most dominant run over the past five years is the American League.

Miami MarlinsTrade J.T. Realmuto already. We’re all getting tired of the rumors and false leads, am I right?

Milwaukee BrewersClone Christian Yelich. Eight times. And if he can pitch, do it a ninth.

Minnesota TwinsSolve the Byron Buxton enigma. Either get it going or move on, we’re tired of waiting.

New York MetsShock the world. Well, they kind of did that with the hire of Brodie Van Wagenen, but the former agent has made some nice moves and has stood firm on holding on to his Big Three. If this team pulls off the turnaround they feel they can, plenty will be surprised.

New York YankeesSpend money. I mean really. Who are these guys?

Oakland A’s: Keep grinding. This was a fun team to root for last season. If that pitching staff comes back healthy, the Athletics could be better.

Philadelphia PhilliesAt least earn a Wild Card spot. This team has spent some money this offseason, and the likes of Andrew McCutchenJean Segura, and now David Robertson surely brought in some veteran moxie for this young squad. With the money they had to spend, the Phillies faithful are expecting some October baseball.

Pittsburgh PiratesIf the Mets don’t step up and shock the world, perhaps the young Pirates can. The outfield is exciting, the infield is fun, and the pitching is solid and likely only getting better if Mitch Keller can become the star most envision.

San Diego PadresCompete. The Padres have plenty of young, shiny pieces in place to be the 2018 Atlanta Braves. Let’s see it.

San Francisco GiantsWell, it’s an odd year, so we know there will be no magic by the bay. Maybe it is time to dangle Madison Bumgarner out there at the All Star break when the Giants are out of contention.

Seattle MarinersMake the playoffs. With all the facelifts this roster has had over the past few seasons in a “win-now” mode, wouldn’t it be great to see them make the Wild Card when they aren’t trying.

St. Louis CardinalsTake back the NL Central. This was Cardinals Country not long ago, and they’ve made some nice moves this offseason. I seem to remember them being pretty good when they had one of the best players at first base some time ago.

Tampa Bay RaysGet a new stadium. And this isn’t on these guys. What the Rays did last year was a fun story, now get them somewhere people will come actually watch.

Texas RangersDon’t be terrible. That’s quite the pitching staff, huh? When you bring in Globe Life Park’s park factors, there could be a lot of homers hit in Arlington in 2019.

Toronto Blue JaysMake Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. the Opening Day third baseman. Or DH. Or first baseman. Just get the guy on the field ASAP.

Washington NationalsWhat every Nationals fan wants. Bryce Harper or not, this team needs to win a playoff series, especially in an ever-improving NL East.

The Phillies Jorge Alfaro highlights 5 catching prospects to impact the 2017 MLB season

As we continue our look at potential impact prospects for the 2017 season, we turn our attention to the catching position. Catchers tend to take a bit longer to mature because so much more goes into being a “good” catcher than a quick bat and a powerful arm. One needs to command a pitching staff and control the game, all while keeping the ball in front of him and holding the runners at bay. Blasting a few home runs here and there doesn’t hurt either. Today, we look at five who seem ready to contribute in 2016.

If you have been following the series, then you are aware that this is not meant to be a definitive list by any means. It is simply five prospects on the cusp of contributing regularly at the big league level. That being said, you won’t see names like the Indians Francisco Mejia or Yankees Luis Torrens because they are simply a few years away. Nor will you see names of “prospects” who claimed their rightful position, like Gary Sanchez. No, these are five prospects with less than 50 combined games in the big leagues amongst them ready for their turn to shine.

Keep reading for more impact catching prospects!

FIVE IMPACT SHORTSTOP PROSPECTS FOR 2017

Today we continue to take a look at some of the minors’ biggest and brightest prospects ready to jump out on the national stage next season. Having already looked at five impact first basemen, second basemen and third basemen, we turn our attention to the shortstops.

There are some big shoes to fill. Shortstop has become one of the more exciting young positions in the game with the emergence of Carlos Correa, Francisco Lindor and even the little we saw of Dansby Swanson this season. Who is the next in line?

Remember, this isn’t a ranking or list of best shortstop prospects. You won’t see Brendan Rodgers because as long as Trevor Story is healthy, the Rockies are pretty set up the middle and can allow Rodgers another season of maturity. You also won’t see Amed Rosario, because even if the veterans at the big league level go down with injury, Gavin Cecchini is likely next in line. Nor will you see the New York Yankees dynamic duo of Gleyber Torres or Jorge Mateo, who are both a little bit away, despite Torres absolutely sizzling in the desert out in the Arizona Fall League. And you won’t see the aforementioned Swanson. Yes, by MLB’s statistical standards, he will still be a “rookie” in 2017, but there is no question that Swanson is the everyday shortstop for the Braves and he already showed his impact in their remarkable 20-10 September run.

Keep reading for the next installment of impact prospects for 2017.

The Philadelphia Phillies backstop conundrum

The Philadelphia Phillies have a good problem on their hands. In an era that elite catchers seem to be wearing thin, the Phillies have two of the premier catching prospects in the game. This past season, they purposely left Andrew Knapp and Jorge Alfaro at two different levels of the minor leagues. Now, both appear ready for big league stardom.

So what’s next for the Phillies behind the plate?

Keep reading for more

Almost Mock Draft Revisited: Mickey Moniak

Earlier in May, Today’s Knuckleball ran its first Almost Mock Draft, where I attempted to make some clarity of a wide open pool of players that made sense going in the top ten. Between talent, experience and bonus slot signing, no one player jumped into the spotlight as the clear cut overall number one pick in this past draft, making it one of the harder crops to choose from.

Today, let’s begin to revisit that Almost Mock Draft. Just how are those players doing thus far in their 2016 professional debuts?

MICKEY MONIAK
Almost Mock: No. 8 – San Diego Padres | Actual MLB Draft: No. 1 overall – Philadelphia Phillies

Moniak has arrived in a big way for the Phillies, quickly showing that they invested that first overall pick wisely. Despite being just 18 years old, he has quickly adjusted to the Gulf Coast League and should be nearing a trip to the New York-Penn League to take some licks with the Williamsport Crosscutters before the season ends.

Keep reading for more on Moniak.

Philadelphia Phillies David Buchanan back on track in Lehigh Valley [Interview]

David Buchanan has had quite the interesting ride over his short career. He came from seemingly nowhere to post an impressive 2014 rookie campaign. The Phillies’ rewarded his work, and he earned the three-slot in the 2015 Philadelphia Phillies rotation. The start to his 2015 was tough for the righty, but he finished with a final four starts that left no doubt that he still could do it.

He has spent 2016 in Triple-A Lehigh Valley and seems to have found that old magic that led to his breakout 2014.

Continue on to catch up with the Phillies David Buchanan.

Philadelphia Phillies Dylan Cozens slugging his way to notoriety

The Philadelphia Phillies have surprisingly competed thus far in 2016, and it has been in large part due to the youth rebellion within their system. Aaron Nola is the ace of a young and upcoming staff, while names Odubel Herrera and Tommy Joseph are leading the charge on offense. After a few quality drafts and an offseason of successful trades saw them revamp their farm system, they have a bevy of young stars on the pipeline as well.

Continue of for one of the Phillies top slugging prospects.

Philadelphia Phillies J.P. Crawford set for Triple-A

Exciting news in the prospect world broke today as the Philadelphia Phillies promoted to J.P. Crawford to the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. It now moves Crawford one more step closer to his big league debut, however there is no reason to expect it will be any time in the immediate future.

Keep reading for more on the Phillies top prospect.

What’s up with the Philadelphia Phillies?

This was supposed to be a down year for the Philadelphia Phillies. They were supposed to be transitioning from the years of mistakes that Ruben Amaro, Jr. (who incidentally went from GM to first base coach for the Boston Red Sox) made. They were supposed to be a few years away.

One full month into 2016, only four teams in all of baseball have a better record? What is going on in the City of Brotherly Love?

Continue reading for more on the Phillies amazing April.