![]() 34 because of his father’s love for Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, who wore No. Here’s a few caveats before doing a deep dive on this story: A) Heyman says that Harper – who wears No. Players always seem to like Philly better after living there it doesn’t seem very glamorous to visiting players, and word is, Harper also told friends Philly wasn’t his first choice in terms of city. Regardless of how the Bryce Harper sweepstakes shake out this offseason, here’s a story that you’re likely to hear about for the rest of the former National League MVP’s career.Īccording to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports, the six-time All-Star told some in his inner-circle that in terms of a place to live, Philadelphia wouldn’t be his first choice: That time has to be now.Bryce Harper is a free-agent. The potential is there among the young core of Pivetta, Eflin and Velasquez- but it has become a yearly guessing game on when it would happen. While Aaron Nola feels like a given at the top of the Phillies rotation, the Phils need at least two of that group to become a solid two or three starter if they want to make a deep run. Nick Pivetta, Jake Arrieta, Zach Eflin and Vince Velasquez: Fairly or not, those are the four guys who now head most under the microscope in Philadelphia. The Phillies now have three legitimate MVP candidates in Harper, Hoskins and Realmuto. While the rest of Philadelphia’s lineup around Hoskins is solid- especially with Realmuto figuring to be right in the neighborhood for 120 to 130 games giving him protection- that left-handed power threat that Harper brings means more pitches for Hoskins to connect on. Having Harper around should have provided him with some solid cover in the middle of the order. Rhys Hoskins: Here is a consistent player with the potential to be great. A good performance now would either keep them in Philadelphia or really help the Phils out in making a deal. Both of those players could be huge pieces in the Phillies potential deal to get another top caliber starting pitcher. There’s an outfield glut for the franchise that could become beneficial. This is where the pressure reverts back on both Matt Klentak and Andy MacPhail. He has potential, but it has also been in spurts. Meanwhile, Williams is a player for the moment gets pushed out of right field for Harper. There are some people who are absolutely in love with him and others who jump on every mistake. Odubel Herrera and Nick Williams: Remember that Herrera has long been a polarizing figure within the organization because of his very streaky nature. In reality, there are no more excuses now. Should the Phillies get off to a slow start, Kapler will race to the top of the charts of “first manager to get fired” odds. This also comes on the heels of a monumental collapse in August and September. Kapler’s problems with the Dodgers- the ones that were reexamined in a few stories this winter by the Washington Post and SI.com- were enough to reaffirm some of the old stories that cast doubts on his worthiness for the job. And that will lead to a lot more pressure on a manager that has already felt the heat in just over 15 months as Phillies skipper. Now, they are expected to contend for the ultimate prize. At that point, the Phillies were expected to win. Gabe Kapler: In a way, Kapler was already under the gun already even if a big-ticket free agent didn’t show up in Clearwater.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |