Gelb: Howard and Joseph form a potent combo at first
When the season started, Tommy Joseph was a converted catcher hanging onto a roster spot at triple A and Ryan Howard an aging slugger playing to the end of his massive contract. They are an imperfect combination. But, for the last six weeks, they have formed the most productive first baseman in baseball.
When the season started, Tommy Joseph was a converted catcher hanging onto a roster spot at triple A and Ryan Howard an aging slugger playing to the end of his massive contract. They are an imperfect combination. But, for the last six weeks, they have formed the most productive first baseman in baseball.
It is a small sample size, although it is one that could at least provide a road map for 2017.
Since July 1, Joseph and Howard have crushed 16 homers, which is more than seven teams have received from their first basemen all season. They are hitting .304 with a .370 on-base percentage and an obscene .637 slugging percentage in 192 plate appearances since July 1.
The Phillies have played 43 games in that stretch, or a little more than a quarter of a season. Howard will be elsewhere in 2017, and Joseph has pushed his way onto the depth chart. Neither possesses quality on-base skills, but the power output atones for that. For the season, the Phillies first basemen rank 18th in OPS, solely on the slugging strength.
The recent emergence of Howard, after a miserable three months, has allowed Pete Mackanin to deploy an effective platoon. Consider this: Howard has 77 total plate appearances since July 1, with just nine against lefties. He is 1 for 9 in those, with a single as the lone hit. That makes Howard a .344 hitter (22 for 64) against righties since July 1 with eight homers and four doubles.
But Joseph has crushed righties, too. He has hit .339 (20 for 59) against them in that same span with five homers and four doubles.
The real development for Joseph is a measurable increase in plate discipline. He did not walk against a righthanded pitcher until his 42nd career game in the majors (July 5). He struck out 25 times without a single walk against righties in 100 plate appearances during May and June.
But, since July 1, Joseph has eight walks with just 13 strikeouts against righties. He is a different hitter.
That sort of comfort is something that can transform a young hitter. And it could be the product of a small sample, an adjustment that will not stick or is good only until the opposing pitchers apply a different strategy to Joseph.
The Phillies will enter the winter in an odd position: They have loads of money to spend in free agency, but it is a weak class and the team does not want to sign veterans for the sake of signing veterans because it could cost younger players the chance to grow in the majors.
The one spot where they could seek an upgrade, while still adhering to the rebuilding plan, is at first base. They could allow Joseph, 25, to man the position on an everyday basis. Rhys Hoskins, 23, could start 2017 at triple-A Lehigh Valley and arrive later in the season.
A likelier scenario: The Phillies find a platoon partner to create a situation much like the current one - albeit with a cheaper and younger hitter than Howard. This is where free agency provides some options. Mitch Moreland, Brandon Moss, Adam Lind, and Logan Morrison will all be free agents. They all come with success, to varying degrees, against righthanders.
None of those players will drastically alter a lineup's fate. But one could help, especially with such a young group of position players. The Phillies, given their current payroll commitments, could entice a free agent with an offer that includes a higher annual average salary but a shorter term. Right now, the money is less important than the years.
This winter, it should be the easiest position to procure offense: First basemen across baseball entered the weekend with a .790 OPS, the highest output for any spot on the field. The recent arrangement between Joseph and Howard shows how it can come from the unlikeliest of sources.
Lefties lacking
In the grand scheme of a rebuilding project, good lefthanded relief is hardly a priority. But it is something that has eluded these Phillies.
They have used five lefties - Brett Oberholtzer, Elvis Araujo, Daniel Stumpf, James Russell, and Adam Morgan - who have produced a 6.35 ERA in 902/3 innings of relief. As a starter, Morgan has a 6.85 ERA.
Opposing lefthanded hitters have an .809 OPS against Phillies lefties. (That includes Morgan's starts.) That clip is the highest in all of baseball. The league average is a .679 OPS.
Since 1957, when the split began being tracked, that .809 OPS would be the second highest for a group of Phillies lefties against lefty hitters.
Updates on three
1 Jake Thompson: The 22-year-old righthander looks like someone trying to make too good an impression too quickly. He was a control pitcher without control in his first three starts. That should improve. The question is, how many more chances will he have before being shut down?
2 Maikel Franco: The third baseman turns 24 this week. Since 1980, the only Phillies with more plate appearances than Franco before their 24th birthday were Scott Rolen and Jimmy Rollins. Good company.
3 Rob Manfred: During Major League Baseball's owners meetings, the commissioner pitched ideas such as limiting defensive shifts and the number of relievers to make games more exciting. Really? Come on.
@mattgelb