Phillies a potential breakout offensive team in 2018
By John Town
ESPN’s David Schoenfield writes that the Phillies offense could be one of the most improved in Major League Baseball this season.
2017 was a tale of two halves for the Phillies. They finished the first half with a 29-58 record, hitting a collective .242/.303/.394. However, they were nearly .500 in the second half with a 37-38 record thanks to a much-improved offense. The team went from scoring 3.82 runs per game before the All-Star Break to scoring 4.77 after.
That 0.95 difference in runs per game between the two halves of the season was the third-biggest jump of any team and the biggest of any team that didn’t make the playoffs. The pitching still struggled, but they scored the 10th-most runs of any team in the second half.
More from That Balls Outta Here
- Does Bailey Falter have a future in Phillies’ rotation?
- Prospect Andrew Baker could help Phillies bullpen in 2023
- Bryce Harper’s absence should lead to Phillies lineup tinkering
- Phillies rumors: Club targets Seth Lugo for possible bullpen role
- Pirates’ bizarre Vince Velasquez hype video will make Phillies fans laugh
This marked improvement offensively in the second half is what led to David Schoenfield of ESPN to write that Philadelphia could be a potential offensive breakout team in 2018. He pointed out that teams who had significantly better offenses in the second half (especially young ones like the Phils) usually improve their record the next year to some extent.
Schoenfield backed up this assertion of Philadelphia being a breakout offense this year by noting all the places they will be improved this season. He said Rhys Hoskins was a huge part of that improvement thanks to his ridiculous major-league debut.
While Schoenfield pointed out that Hoskins’ early home-run pace was “freakish”, he still has the plate discipline and power potential to be somewhat like Cincinatti’s Joey Votto.
More from Phillies News
- Does Bailey Falter have a future in Phillies’ rotation?
- Bryce Harper’s absence should lead to Phillies lineup tinkering
- Pirates’ bizarre Vince Velasquez hype video will make Phillies fans laugh
- Acquiring Brandon Marsh gave the Phillies flexibility
- Former Phillies starter Zach Eflin shares heartwarming goodbye message
Beyond Hoskins, Carlos Santana replacing Tommy Joseph at first should lead to a significant upgrade all-around offensively. In addition, J.P. Crawford replacing Freddy Galvis is certainly an upgrade at the position in terms of on-base percentage. Hoskins, Nick Williams, and a healthy Aaron Altherr in the outfield corner spots are all significant upgrades over Howie Kendrick and Michael Saunders. Perhaps by the end of the season Scott Kingery could be a contributor as well by the end of the season.
Schoenfield also said that Philadelphia’s offense would get to face plenty of bad pitching in their division from the Braves, Marlins, and potentially the Mets if they can’t get healthy again. Getting to face those teams several times per season should help boost everyone’s numbers.
Next: Aaron Nola listed among Cy Young candidates
While Schoenfield did make note that the rotation still has issues, they could still improve via free agency. If the rotation improves as well, he said they could make a jump in wins similar to the Twins last year and make a playoff push.