3 Phillies who need more playing time in 2021 season
Phillies players who need more playing time next season
The conclusion of any Major League Baseball season can send front office personnel into a frenzy; teams, including the Philadelphia Phillies, are now scrambling amid a flurry of roster moves, arbitration discussions, and free agency rumors.
What sometimes gets lost in the shuffle are the pieces of the roster that remain intact, as well as the positive potential of those pieces.
If nothing else, the 2020 season produced hope for a few Phillies players who had the chance to prove they deserve consistent playing time next season. Here are three Phillies players, including one outfielder and two right-handed pitchers, that fit this description.
3. Adam Haseley
This may be the most obvious name on this list, but outfielder Adam Haseley seemingly always flies under the radar among the stars on the Phillies roster, even within the outfield unit.
Playing next to Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen doesn’t help with expectations, but Haseley has held his own as a big leaguer — hitting .270 over his first 100 big-league games, with injuries and a shortened season hindering his development.
Haseley will never hit for considerable power, but he has the tools of speed, fielding, and hitting that compensates for a lack of “thump” at the dish. And at 25, there is still plenty of time for Haseley to develop power into his short and contact-filled swing (see DJ LeMahieu).
Consistency looks to be a key in acceleration Haseley’s development; he may finally get his chance if he can secure the third outfield position in center field next year.
2. Spencer Howard
Having never pitched a game in Triple-A was a recipe for struggle in the big leagues; even with his arm talent, starting pitcher Spencer Howard fell victim to a lack of experience and maturity in the 2020 campaign. Going through his first big-league camp (twice) with six months in between was certainly difficult for a pitcher like Howard to try and find a routine in his young career.
And yet, we still saw incredible promise. Howard’s stuff plays, and a simple two-pitch mix was enough to strike out a batter an inning, despite a lack of command that played into his eventual doom.
With a full offseason of training and working with a big-league coaching staff, Howard can harness his repertoire. Consistency in innings and workload will help a guy that has moved very quickly through a farm system.
The Phillies need to be a little patient with Howard, who answered the bell when the pitching depth crumbled.
1. Connor Brogdon
A sort of unknown commodity for the Phillies, right-handed reliever Connor Brogdon came on strong at the end of last season, aiding a struggling bullpen that didn’t know who the innings were going to come from.
It comes as a surprise that it took him until his age 25 season to break into the big leagues, as Brogdon posted a 2.50 ERA with 230 strikeouts over 180 relief innings in parts of three minor league seasons. And the success is recognizable.
Brogdon is very tall, yet very thin; he can run his fastball up to 97-98 miles per hour, mixing in a couple of breaking offerings. Everything plays up due to his size and delivery. After a rough debut in 2020, Brogdon struck out 14 batters over his next nine innings, allowing only two runs.
Looking internally for bullpen success seems a little dire given the Phillies recent failures, but Brogdon — if given time to develop at the big-league level — could be the rare Phillies bullpen success story.
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