Are the Phillies finally ready to make a major change after a dreadful road trip?
Coming back from a horrid 2-5 west coast road trip the Phillies could finally make a major personnel change that would shake up the team.
Jim Salisbury of NBCS Philadelphia said the “situation seems ripe” with the Phillies having an off day on Monday to reassess their situation after falling into fourth place. For a team that spent 76 days in first place, the idea of falling behind the Mets and Nationals, who fought off calls to fire their managers, was unfathomable.
Would the Phillies really fire manager Gabe Kapler after one and a half seasons? He’s been at the helm of two dramatic collapses and failed to publically show any anger towards the situation. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported last week that the front office “still believe (Kapler) is the right man for the job.”
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On 97.5 The Fanatic Monday morning, Jayson Stark of The Athletic said he believes the front office has the same viewpoint of Kapler as they did on his first day. Through 280 games as the manager, Kapler is an even 140-140 through a season and a half, far from the early expectations for this young core.
A big league manager has been fired midseason in 9 of the last 10 seasons, but one has not yet been let go in 2019.
Kapler has also stood up for his coaching staff, who in most situations would be the sacrificial lamb. Could hitting coach John Mallee be that guy? The team has only one more hit than the last-place Baltimore Orioles and the fifth-fewest home runs in baseball.
There’s not much you could ask from pitching coach Chris Young with all of the injuries the bullpen has dealt with. However, many of the young starting pitchers haven’t developed this year.
Owner John Middleton listens to the fans. He heard them demand Bryce Harper over Manny Machado, and he knows the fanbase, of which more than two million have flocked to The Bank this year, is ready for change.
Salisbury also notes that pitcher Jake Arrieta could be shut down for the season with a bone spur in his elbow, something Arrieta has pitched through for several weeks. Arrieta has been adamant about pitching through the injury, but after allowing five runs in three innings, Arrieta hinted that he may have thrown his last pitch of the season.
There’s something brewing at One Citizens Bank Way, and for a team whose playoff chances have fallen to 8.4 percent, it could mean heads begin to roll sooner rather than later.