Phillies Offseason Moves Cement Trust in Tommy Joseph

A prospect once forgotten, Tommy Joseph looks to cement himself as the Phillies first baseman of the future

Ryan Howard was ultimately the final piece, a big one to say the least, of the 2008 World Series squad to play in Philadelphia. With recent struggles at the plate and with injuries, the Phillies have been looking for a long-term replacement for Howard for years.

Last season former catcher Tommy Joseph took the next step towards being Howard’s successor. Despite getting just over 300 at-bats and platooning with Howard, Joseph hit 21 home runs for Philadelphia.

Many still question whether Joseph can be the long-term answer, pointing towards his 75 strikeouts and sub-.260 batting average.

With Brandon Moss being a free agent, the Phillies could have easily returned Joseph to a platoon role with the lefty Moss. Instead, the organization signed Michael Saunders to be the starting right fielder, almost certainly pointing towards Joseph being the starter.

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Joseph recently said he has three goals heading into this season: become the starting first baseman, hit 30 home runs, and take more walks.

First, it’s great that Joseph is going into spring training with the mindset of winning the job despite limited competition. As long as he does not put a lot of pressure on himself, being named the starter is certainly obtainable. Hitting 30 home runs and taking more walks sounds like music to Pete Mackanin’s ears.

Hopefully, Joseph can stay healthy, get his 500-600 at-bats and cement himself as a big piece of the Phillies future.