There were several moves made by the Phillies today, helping us end our long suffering discussion about what they should do and what they shouldn't do. Let's grade them all.
Phillies acquire Luis Arraez, Caleb Kilian from the Giants for Ramon Marquez, Marty Gair
Obviously the doozy of the deals that were completed, there are several layers to this one. First off, addressing their gaping offensive need with a player like Arraez is a solid fit for them. Currently running a 120 wRC+ in San Francisco, he'll be added to a lineup that truly needs what he does at the plate. Arraez's knack for contact hitting and not striking out (a 4.5 K%!!!) is an antithesis to a lineup that is 24th in baseball with a 23.6% strikeout rate. That's probably the greatest ***** et that he can provide the lineup as he doesn't really walk much, something that would be preferable considering that he will likely be batting at or near the top of the lineup. His Savant page has several blue shades in categories one wouldn't really want to be blue in, but there is also the preternatural ability Arraez has at the plate that simply cannot be quantified. He is a player with the skillset of a bygone era, but has made it work all these years he's been in the majors.
You know about the offense. It's the defense.
Some how, some way, Arraez has vaulted himself to the top of the league as a defensive second baseman, a year after he was forced to move his way down the defensive spectrum in San Diego to first base. His work with legendary infield coach Ron Washington with Giants has to be considered the sole reason for this turnaround as Washington has done this with many, many players wherever he has coached. The question is: do you believe in it? With the reports that Arraez will be playing second base with the Phillies, that will force the team into making decisions that will shift at least two players to a new position, creating the chance that the defense will go from an absolute liability to something close to a natural disaster.
#Phillies #Giants #first #plate
Phillies acquire Luis Arraez, Caleb Kilian from the Giants for Ramon Marquez, Marty Gair
Obviously the doozy of the deals that were completed, there are several layers to this one. First off, addressing their gaping offensive need with a player like Arraez is a solid fit for them. Currently running a 120 wRC+ in San Francisco, he'll be added to a lineup that truly needs what he does at the plate. Arraez's knack for contact hitting and not striking out (a 4.5 K%!!!) is an antithesis to a lineup that is 24th in baseball with a 23.6% strikeout rate. That's probably the greatest ***** et that he can provide the lineup as he doesn't really walk much, something that would be preferable considering that he will likely be batting at or near the top of the lineup. His Savant page has several blue shades in categories one wouldn't really want to be blue in, but there is also the preternatural ability Arraez has at the plate that simply cannot be quantified. He is a player with the skillset of a bygone era, but has made it work all these years he's been in the majors.
You know about the offense. It's the defense.
Some how, some way, Arraez has vaulted himself to the top of the league as a defensive second baseman, a year after he was forced to move his way down the defensive spectrum in San Diego to first base. His work with legendary infield coach Ron Washington with Giants has to be considered the sole reason for this turnaround as Washington has done this with many, many players wherever he has coached. The question is: do you believe in it? With the reports that Arraez will be playing second base with the Phillies, that will force the team into making decisions that will shift at least two players to a new position, creating the chance that the defense will go from an absolute liability to something close to a natural disaster.
#Phillies #Giants #first #plate
1 day ago
