Phillies hitters should want their coach back for another season
Phillies hitting coach Matt Stairs enters the final week of 2017 with as many days left on his contract. Hired out of the broadcast booth Stairs was ready to prove he’s more than the 40-year-old Canadian who hit a critical playoff home run against the Dodgers in 2008.
Despite the club’s numbers not being fantastic on the offensive side of the ball, several players showed promise and development under the watchful eye of Stairs. Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis, Aaron Altherr, and, yes, even Odubel Herrera to some extent, took a step forward.
Stairs’ relationship with rookies Nick Williams, J.P. Crawford, Jorge Alfaro, and Rhys Hoskins cannot be discounted either. Williams showed a strong connection with Stairs during spring training while adjusting his swing, and the results have paid off.
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While the offense failed to score the majority of the season, one-run games were abundant on the schedule this year. Philadelphia finished 21-36 in one-run games and much of that must be to the fault of the pitching.
Philadelphia finished 21-36 in one-run games and much of that must be to the fault of the pitching.
Of the team’s 36 one-run losses, 23 were losses taken by the bullpen. Hector Neris’ early inefficiencies tied with the failures of Jeanmar Gomez, Edubray Ramos, and Joaquin Benoit are the biggest chunk of ice that ripped into this team’s hull.
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No major project can be fixed in just one season’s time; Stairs needs the full offseason and next year to firmly establish his approach. He’ll have more time to analyze swings, watch tape, and mentor players such as Herrera in the winter if he’s brought back as the hitting coach.