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Phillies: Some silver linings in the MLB shutdown

By Andrew Snyder

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: David Robertson #30 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Minnesota Twins at Citizens Bank Park on April 7, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 07: David Robertson #30 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Minnesota Twins at Citizens Bank Park on April 7, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Despite everything seemingly going wrong for the sport of baseball in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic, there are little silver linings to go along with it concerning the state of the Phillies, as is with any situation.

Trying to find the bright side, albeit meek, to the MLB-Coronavirus battle, is difficult and yet it is there.

Here are some things to consider when looking at the little bright spots for the Phils during in this daunting time.

Lest we forget, David Robertson was an elite back-end bullpen arm for the dreaded Yankees for the better part of the 2010s, and the Phillies nabbed him from the free agent stockpile in 2019. He was supposed to create stability in a talented but youthful bullpen for the Phils but was an early shut-down due to Tommy John Surgery in 2019. His timetable was to be back on the mound in game shape by mid-season in 2020, that is, without complications of course.

Robertson may just get the chance to enter the theorized second spring training as a healthy arm, and with a spring training under his belt, he may just reprise an eighth-inning role, depending on what his ability is upon return.

Andrew McCutchen is coming off another devastating injury, having torn his ACL towards the beginning of last season. A seemingly natural fit to the Phillies offensive strategy, McCutchen will now have more time to build needed strength in the knee, as well as continue to rest an aging body that still has two years left on his contract. While the lay-off won’t help Tommy-John victims such as Seranthony Dominguez, it allows for some players to acquire needed rehab time without missing the actual season.

The Phillies organization has consisted of a lot of moving pieces in the past couple of seasons, from player acquisitions to managerial signings, to coaching and front office moves. Although separated, constant communication without in-season stress may allow players to acclimate better to Joe Girardi, a man considered to be a far cry from the likes of Gabe Kapler. It allows new signings like Zack Wheeler to get a grasp on what it means to be Philly, and simply put it gives more time for the roster to develop chemistry through other means of communication, and the front-office more time to theorize roster development plans.

Team health and team synergy are important facets to an organization attempting to get back to the world series for the first time in 11 years (yes, it had been that long). Injury and poor locker room developments can kill even the most talented of teams.

So, with Covid-19 wrecking sports as we know it, it’s important to realize that there is always a little good that can come from the bad, as hard as that is to say during this time of crisis. If you’re a true Phillies fan, you’re used to being optimistic among the bad years, and that optimism can be used now more than ever.

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