Phillies are exciting to watch because of the young players
By John Town
Nick Williams is showing what will make the Phillies exciting to watch: seeing the young players we have followed up the minor-league ladder in the majors.
The Phillies have been a struggle to watch all season with a 32-61 record. Few has gone right for this team at all this year, but things are looking up a bit.
With Aaron Altherr injured, Nick Williams has stepped right into the void Altherr left in the lineup. Since his debut, Williams has a .316/.349/.614 slash line in 16 games. Despite being in the majors for less than a month, he already has more wins above replacement than Cameron Rupp, Maikel Franco, and Tommy Joseph who have all been with the team the entire season.
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Despite his inexperience in the majors, Williams is already hitting in the three-hole ahead of Franco. Manager Pete Mackanin clearly has a lot of confidence in his rookie outfielder, but he won’t tell you: [quote via Walter Villa of CSN Philly]
"“I’m not going to say a whole lot about him right now…I don’t want to jinx myself.“I just want to watch him continue to play,” Mackanin said, “(continue to) be aggressive at the plate.”"
With Altherr expected to be out for the next couple weeks, we should see Williams consistently in the lineup. If he continues to produce, he will quickly become a fan favorite.
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Williams isn’t the only young player who is having success this season. Aaron Nola looks back on track after an inconsistent start to the year, posting a 3.33 ERA since returning from the disabled list in May. Before Altherr was injured, he was the team’s best hitter and showed the power potential his height allowed him.
When players like Williams come up and produce, it’s what garners excitement about the team. That doesn’t mean we have to rush prospects up, as Williams needed all the time in Triple-A he got for him to really succeed. However, when players are ready, the team should be ready and willing to call them up.
Next: Phillies 2017 mid-season top ten prospect list
One player who the team may want to call up in the near future is Rhys Hoskins. He has shown he is ready after posting solid plate discipline numbers and offensive numbers nearly identical to his ridiculous Double-A season last year. A roadblock exists with Joseph still on the team, but Hoskins can likely produce more consistently than Hoskins.