WhiteyFan wrote:

Every MLB Team's Most Encouraging Sign for the Future

Philadelphia Phillies

The Most Encouraging Sign: The Play of Ben Revere

It's a challenge to find any encouraging signs from the Philadelphia Phillies 2014 season. Team is in last place in the NL East and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. did nothing to improve the team squad at the deadline.

One player who has been a bright spot is Ben Revere. The center fielder is second in the league with a .315 average, which means he still has a chance to pass Justin Morneau and claim the NL batting title.

azrider wrote:I find that Ryan Howard being 3rd in the nl in rbi equally encouraging.

Warszawa wrote:Hell, how is this team even losing?

WheelsFellOff wrote:Who is the worst offensive player to have ever won a batting title before Revere does it?

RichmondPhilsFan wrote:

azrider wrote:I find that Ryan Howard being 3rd in the nl in rbi equally encouraging.

It shouldn't be in any way surprising. He's still a viable hitter with runners on base, when he's not facing the drastic shifts.

With Men on Base: .258/.348/.475; 140 tOPS+; 127 sOPS+
Bases Empty: .178/.252/.258; 52 tOPS+; 50 sOPS+

The baffling thing is that Ryne can't recognize this and maximize Howard's one positive split by putting him directly behind the best OBP guy on the team (Ruiz). Even if you leave Howard fourth, a lineup of Revere/Utley/Chooch/Howard might actually be somewhat productive.

dajafi wrote:The point JFL was making at the end of the last thread, about the team having foregone a chance to find out whether Cesar Hernandez can be an everyday player, is a really important one. You probably can play out the argument at three or four other roster spots, maybe more. There's no reason Ruf shouldn't be playing every single day. Likewise Brown. They should at least give Giles a couple shots to close. (For one thing, I love the idea of Papelbon threatening to veto any trade to a team that wouldn't have him close; how about he not close on this suppurating wound of a team?) I'd call up Galvis and let him play rather than Blanco. Maybe MAG gets some innings out of the bullpen.

The regular lineup come September should be something like Rupp/Franco/Cesar/Asche/Galvis/Brown/Revere/Ruf. They're "trying to win games"; that's not going so well, of course, and I'd be much more interested in watching that team of twenty-somethings, much as I love Chase, Jimmy. Chooch, et al. But they seem to think it's a big positive deal to win 72 games rather than 66.

BigEd76 wrote:10-17 when Burnett pitches