That Balls Outta Here
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Lack of contact key to Phillies offensive woes

By Kerry Kauffman

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 11: Scott Kingery #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits the game winning sacrifice fly in the twelfth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on April 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 4-3. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 11: Scott Kingery #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies hits the game winning sacrifice fly in the twelfth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park on April 11, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Phillies won 4-3. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images) /
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The Phillies have stayed in contention despite a relatively mediocre offensive. With lack of contact the issue, what can the Phillies do to improve?

The Phillies have remained in contention up to this point despite a relatively inept offense that is 18th in runs scored, 26th in batting average, 24th in slugging percentage and 5th in strikeouts. The main culprit for the low production is the strikeouts. They have punched out once every 3.5 at-bats. In the age of everyone swinging for the fence, the Phils appear to be what they are in terms of making contact. So what can be done to increase run production?

For one, Cesar Hernandez must make better contact at the top of the order. On pace for his highest home run and stolen base output of his career, Hernandez has been solid. However, his 90 strikeouts put him on pace to reach 150 for the season, far too many for the man in the leadoff spot. Just a 33 percent reduction in strikeouts (which still would leave him with 60 in 368 at-bats) would raise his average 30 points to .302, considering Hernandez is batting .360 on balls he puts in play.

Rhys Hoskins batting mostly in the number two hole makes no sense to baseball purists, like myself. Traditionally the man with the most power hits cleanup while the player with the best bat control (best at-bat per strikeout rate) should hit second. This would put Hoskins in the four hole and believe it or not, Maikel Franco, in the two hole. Franco has punched out only 42 times in 286 at-bats, best of the regulars and excellent for a man who is likely to hit 25 home runs.

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As good as the Scott Kingery story was coming out of spring training, he’s been very ineffective at the plate for the most part. His hitting line of .237/.281/.335 leaves a lot to be desired and his strikeout rate of once every 3.8 at-bats is unacceptable for a non-power hitter.  But the alternatives at shortstop are worse, so Kingery must improve his plate discipline in order not to be a liability offensively.

Although Carlos Santana is hitting just .208, he’s been one of the more productive bats in the lineup. He’s second on the team in on-base percentage due to his 76 walks and has 15 home runs and 56 RBI. Others need to take the same approach as Santana, whose 57 strikeouts are acceptable for a power hitter.

At 21st in the league in stolen bases, the Phillies could be more aggressive on the base paths. They’ve only attempted to steal 55 times this season. Odubel Herrera, for one, is just five-for-seven in steals and with his speed, should be running more. There’s no reason why he can’t be a 20 stolen base man per season.

Next: Phillies rumors: Latest rumblings on Zach Britton

The pitching has carried this team to their best mark at this point of the year in many seasons. However, for them to make a serious push towards the postseason, they need to be much better offensively. This starts by making more contact across the board. The question is, can this team do that or is what you see at this point what you get?

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