That Balls Outta Here
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Phillies still feeling effects of Ruben Amaro Jr.’s tenure

By Travis Strominger

PHILADELPHIA , PA - JANUARY 18: Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. takes in a NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals on January 18, 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Capitals 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA , PA - JANUARY 18: Philadelphia Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. takes in a NHL game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals on January 18, 2011 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Flyers defeated the Capitals 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Phillies, after elimination on Tuesday, have faced a problem for years: drafting. How this team is still affected by it may surprise you.

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Phillies were officially eliminated from postseason contention after being swept out of a day-night doubleheader at the hands of the Washington Nationals. This occurred after committing more than $500 million to free agents, making two significant trades, and media consensus of a 90-win season in March. What happened?

Last week, I wrote a piece on how general manager Matt Klentak neglected to address the starting pitching in the offseason. While true, there is something more troubling behind just the pitching: long-term drafting.

Here is a list of Philadelphia’s first-round picks since 2010:

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Biddle was a massive disappointment and never made it to Philadelphia.

Greene, Watson, and Gueller are all out of baseball now. Crawford is in Seattle now after being traded for Jean Segura, but he has had a mediocre season and can’t stay healthy.

In the trade market, the Phillies sent Cole Hamels to the Rangers in 2015 in exchange for Matt Harrison, Jerad Eickhoff, Alec Asher, Jorge Alfaro, and Nick Williams. Alfaro has since been traded, but the rest of that pack has been incredibly disappointing.

Maikel Franco came up in 2014 but has never turned the corner. Cesar Hernandez is fine, but he is not a cornerstone piece of a franchise.

That’s right; the Phillies are STILL feeling the after-effects of Reuben Amaro, Jr. on this season’s average return.

Klentak’s first trade didn’t yield a ton either: Ken Giles in exchange for Vince Velasquez, Mark Appel, Brett Oberholtzer, and Derek Fisher. That said, he’s turned his trading around with J.T. Realmuto and Segura.

For a team looking to contend now, those results are not promising. Players acquired through the draft and amateur free agency early in this decade should be core components of a contending team. Sixto Sanchez was signed as an amateur free agent, but he is no longer a part of the organization. Credit the team for doing what it had to do to break what is now an 8-year playoff drought, but buying talent is not as sustainable as drafting it.

The Phillies’ core consists of Bryce Harper, Nola, Segura, Realmuto, and maybe Rhys Hoskins (per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia, his future in Philly could very well be up in the air). Most of the contributions have come from players who were signed or traded.

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Take the Houston Astros, for example. They’ve amassed yet another 100-win season and are in a fight with the New York Yankees for home-field advantage in the American League playoffs. Their 2017 World-Series winning roster included George Springer (first-round pick in 2016), Carlos Correa (first-round pick in 2012), Jose Altuve (signed as amateur free-agent in 2007), Alex Bregman (first-round pick in 2015), Dallas Keuchel (seventh-round pick in 2009), and Lance McCullers, Jr. (first-round pick in 2012). They filled in other guys around that core, but that core was home-grown, not bought as free agents.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. The Astros were horrible and lost 100 games a year at the beginning of the decade! 

You would be right, but they still had to hit on those picks, no matter how bad you were.

The Los Angeles Dodgers contention window from 2008-2010 was similar to that of the Phillies. Now, they have a core consisting of MVP candidate Cody Bellinger (fourth-round pick in 2013), Max Muncy (signed to a minor-league deal in 2017), Corey Seager (first-round pick in 2012), Joc Pederson (11th round pick in 2010), Walker Buehler (first-round pick in 2015), and Clayton Kershaw (first-round pick in 2006). They have a record of 101-56 and are heavy favorites to win the National League.

Philadelphia seems to have made strides since Klentak’s hiring in October 2015 (save for Moniak, who is still only 21), but the only pitcher in the system making any noise is Spencer Howard, a second-round pick in 2017. Howard had a solid season this year in the minors but didn’t pitch higher than Double-A Reading. Ditto for Bohm. Do the Phillies feel prepared to give these two guys starting jobs on the big-league roster? Would they be able to handle it? The jury is still out.

Next. Phillies eliminated from playoff contention. dark

One thing is clear, though: the Phillies either neglected the draft or floundered on several important picks in the last decade, and they are still feeling those after-effects now. Perhaps, though, in the next four or five years, hitting on those picks (particularly pitchers) can turn things around. But expecting a major roster overhaul in 2020 may be a little too much to ask.

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