Phillies manager Gabe Kapler gets his first chance to use the designated hitter this weekend. How will the young manager use it?
The Phillies enter this weekend with the chance to gain some ground in the division against the Rays. One interesting aspect of the series will be how new manager Gabe Kapler uses the designated hitter this series.
Obviously, this team is not constructed with a designated hitter in mind. They only need one a few times per year, so they don’t have a player on their bench that is the go-to DH. Kapler instead has a few options that he could go with.
If you asked this question before the season started, the obvious answer would be to move Rhys Hoskins to DH and have Nick Williams, Odubel Herrera, and Aaron Altherr man the outfield. This way you can get Hoskins’ bat in the lineup while still maintaining a strong outfield defense.
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However, getting Altherr’s bat in the lineup may not be a priority. He has only collected two hits in 27 at-bats so far this season. His 18.2 percent walk rate is certainly good, but it still only brings his on-base percentage up to .242.
Instead, having Hoskins be the DH with Kingery in the outfield could be another option. So far, Kingery has played more innings this year in the outfield than shortstop or second base.
Kapler apparently feels comfortable with Kingery playing there and could continue to deploy him in that fashion. Kingery’s two home runs, seven runs batted in, and .800 OPS so far this season certainly are more appealing in the lineup compared to Altherr.
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Another option Kapler has would be to move Maikel Franco to DH and have Kingery play third. Both have started the season off strong offensively and having both of them in the lineup would be ideal. Franco is a decent defender, but Kingery’s versatility could prove useful if Kapler needs to make an in-game switch.
Using Franco as the DH would keep J.P. Crawford and Cesar Hernandez in the lineup for the series. Hernandez has been an on-base machine this year with a .440 OBP. Crawford certainly started the season off slow but finished the Reds series on a high note with his first major-league home run. He may finally be turning things around.
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Considering how much Kapler has played with his lineups this year, he could use multiple or all of these ideas for his designated hitter. He may even try something else; who knows with him. How he fills out his lineup card with a DH in the mix will certainly be worth paying attention to.