That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies first month in review: Who was hot, who wasn’t in April

By John Town

Rhys Hoskins #17 and Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Rhys Hoskins #17 and Aaron Nola #27 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 28: Odubel Herrera #37 of the Philadelphia Phillies climbs the wall and makes a catch on a ball hit by Freddie Freeman #5 of the Atlanta Braves during the third inning of a game at Citizens Bank Park on April 28, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

Who’s hot

  • CF Odubel Herrera – Herrera started off the season on the bench on Opening Day. Since then, he has posted a .337/.391/.490 slash line with a 145 OPS+, leading the team’s position players with 1.1 wins above replacement. His 35 hits lead the National League and his batting average ranks second in the NL.
  • LF Rhys Hoskins – Hoskins has cooled off recently, but he still has an impressive .981 OPS to start the season. His .455 on-base percentage is second in the NL thanks to the league’s third-best walk rate (20.7 percent). Hoskins also has the fourth-best OPS+ (174) and best on the team.
  • 2B Cesar Hernandez – It hasn’t been flashy, but Hernandez has been a steady presence at the top of the lineup. His 23 walks rank third in the NL and his .406 OBP is 21st. His defense has been steady as well, with the fourth-highest defensive value among all second baseman.
  • SP Aaron Nola – Nola was expected to be the team’s ace so far this year, and he has been just that. He has a 2.58 ERA with a 3.25 fielding-independent pitching. He doesn’t have as lofty of a strikeout rate as last year, but he is allowing less hard contact and inducing more ground balls. Nola ranks fifth in the National League with 1.6 wins above replacement.
  • SP Nick Pivetta – Pivetta took a small step back in his last start but still has an impressive 3.27 ERA and 2.72 fielding-independent pitching. He has cut his walk rate in half compared to last season, nearly doubling his strikeout-to-walk ratio from 2.46 to 4.86. He ranks second to Nola in wins above replacement.
  • SP Jake Arrieta – Arrieta also had a poor last start, but is still going strong with a 3.49 ERA and 3.28 FIP. He has also done well inducing weak contact, which has helped him combat a rather low strikeout total. He has complemented Nola well.
  • The entire bullpen – Pretty much every reliever currently on the roster has been strong this season. Tommy Hunter has the highest ERA of anyone at 4.15 after giving up a two-run home run in Monday’s loss. As a whole, their 3.13 ERA ranks fifth and opposing batting average of .214 ranks seventh among all 30 teams. They have recovered from that poor start to the season.
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