Three players the Phillies are hoping can rebound in 2021

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Spring training is officially underway, real baseball games are back. And, despite any lingering cold weather, there is plenty of optimism for the Philadelphia Phillies this year.

However, if the Phillies want to make a serious playoff push in a loaded National League East, they will need some key players to rebound from their recent performances. Here are three candidates who could have big bounce-back years in red pinstripes during the 2021 season.

Left-hander Matt Moore could be a valuable Phillies starting rotation addition.

The entire bullpen could have made sense here, but instead, I am going with left-handed starting pitcher Matt Moore. After pitching all of 2020 in Japan, Moore is back in the majors with a chance to compete for a Phillies rotation spot. A former top prospect with the Tampa Bay Rays, injuries derailed Moore’s career and he hasn’t been quite the same since.

Moore was shelled in his last extended action in the majors — going 3-8 with a 6.79 ERA in 12 starts and 39 games with the Texas Rangers back in 2018. He started two games with the Detroit Tigers in 2019, throwing 10 scoreless innings and earning no-decisions in each game, but was then lost for the season with a knee injury.

Last season, Moore started 13 games in Japan — going 6-3 with a 2.65 ERA. He’s seemingly healthy now and feels like an early favorite to win one of the final spots in the Phillies’ starting rotation. If he can pitch well enough and earn a place there, he’d offer the club a quality left-handed starter, something they haven’t had since Cole Hamels was traded to the Texas Rangers.

A lot will get said about how the Phillies did or didn’t improve the bullpen this season. Just as important though was improving their starting rotation, especially with Jake Arrieta departing in free agency. If the team’s new starters like Moore can give them quality innings and pitch deeper into games, some pressure will be lifted off the relievers. That alone should help everyone involved rebound to some degree.

I think Moore can have a nice comeback season in 2021. He seems to be fully recovered from both his knee and elbow injuries. Also, the 85 innings he pitched last season would have led the majors. As silly as it might seem, that is going to be huge after last year’s shortened season.

Rhys Hoskins #17 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

The Phillies need Rhys Hoskins to return to his early-career form.

Rhys Hoskins has the potential to be the consistent middle-of-the-order, corner infield power threat the Phillies haven’t had since Ryan Howard — before his 2011 postseason injury. The issue? At times, Hoskins has struggled with his consistency and has recently dealt with injury — missing 19 games last season and later undergoing surgery for a torn ligament in his left elbow.

The Phillies need Hoskins’ big bat at the plate — as it should help them improve on their power marks from 2020 when the Phillies had the seventh-highest OPS (.781) and hit the 11th most home runs (82) in the majors. That sounds great until you consider that the division-rival Atlanta Braves and New York Mets were each ahead of Philadelphia in both marks, while the Washington Nationals finished a not-so-distant 10th in OPS (.769).

Recent reports indicate that Hoskins is healthy and will be ready to take the field on Opening Day. That is huge for the Phillies, as 2020 was a bit of a “mixed bag” for the soon-to-be 28-year-old first baseman. While some of his traditional stats, like batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, were all big improvements from 2019, some of his analytics told a different story. For example, his WAR dipped to a career-low 0.9.

Looking for some signs of optimism? According to FanGraphs, Hoskins’ strikeout rate dipped from 24.5% in 2019 down to 23.2% in 2020. He also did that while having his highest exit velocity (90.1) since his rookie season (90.9). In addition, Hoskins increased his win probability added (WPA) from 0.08 in 2019 up to 0.48 last season. His batting average of balls in play (BABIP) was also up to .276 from 2019’s .267.

Some of these, admittedly, are marginal changes. However, they are all positive signs that Hoskins can get going in the right direction. He’s always done a solid job of getting on base, but if he can continue to cut down on his strikeouts while putting the ball in play, that could lead to great results for the Phillies.

Scott Kingery #4 of the Philadelphia Phillies (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

The time is now for Phillies utility player Scott Kingery to thrive in the majors.

Will this finally be the year Scott Kingery puts it all together? It seems like the kind of conversation fans have had every spring training for the past couple of years. If you are a Kingery critic, you have plenty of ammunition this season — as he is heading into 2021 without a set position and is coming off the worst season of his career. After an improved sophomore year in 2019, he slashed .159/.228/.283 with three home runs and just six RBI across 113 at-bats in 2020.

Those numbers are undeniably bad. There is a fair chance that just showing up should lead to improved results. But, if you are a Kingery supporter, there are more than a few reasons to be optimistic that this is the season he puts it all together. In fact, 2021 might not just be Kingery’s “bounce-back,” it could be his breakout.

To start, Kingery is currently competing for playing time in one of two ways. Either A.) as the starting center fielder or B.) as a super-utility player — who will see a lot of action all over the diamond. Kingery has largely filled the latter role for the Phillies throughout his career, and likely will do so again this year. However, he’s facing relatively weak competition in center field and could be a dark horse candidate to win the job. Regardless of where it happens though, he should continue to see significant playing time.

Kingery will also be a full offseason removed from his COVID-19 diagnosis — something that clearly hindered him throughout last season. The recovery time alone should allow Kingery to play faster and be stronger. He also came to spring training lighter than he did last season and has started to wear contacts.

All of this should culminate into a much-improved 2021 season for Kingery.

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