3 former Phillies players failing miserably with their new team in 2023
The Philadelphia Phillies said farewell to several players this offseason. There are a couple we’d like to have back. Then there are those who aren’t winning any fans with their new ball club.
A look around the league at some ex-Phillies finds these three members of the 2022 roster failing miserably in their new uniform.
1) Former Phillies player failing miserably with his new team: Nick Maton
There were Phillies fans who saw Nick Maton step up and play second base regularly in 2021 and 2022 who believed that maybe he could do it every day. In his 216 plate appearances for the team in those two years, Maton was a .254/.330/.434 hitter. A useful utility man, the Phillies saw it more important to package him and others in a trade with the Detroit Tigers this offseason to pick up Gregory Soto and Kody Clemens.
Unfortunately, something about playing for the Tigers seems to ruin everyone’s bat. After 18 games and 69 trips to the plate, Maton looks a lot like teammate Javier Baez. He’s slashing .131/.232/.311 with 3 home runs and 18 strikeouts. This isn’t the same light-hitting infielder the Phillies got to see. Some early pop has done little to save him from a batting average only a pitcher in the early 2000s would be proud of.
There is definitely time for Maton to improve and actually become a more useful player on the Tigers roster. Early thoughts of it being more than the quality bench player he was for the Phillies, however, may have been premature.
Maton has been a regular starter at third base for the Tigers while also giving them innings at second base. He’s proving anyone who thought he should start was a little too ambitious in believing he was ready.
Because the Tigers aren’t going anywhere, this former Phillies utility man is likely to get a long leash to try and figure it out.
Phillies fans came to enjoy Maton whenever they needed someone to step up, even for this other player failing miserably with his new team as well.
2) Former Phillies player failing miserably with his new team: Jean Segura
When Jean Segura left the Phillies for the Miami Marlins this offseason, it definitely seemed like a potential major mistake. Segura was a really good member of the Phillies roster for several years. From 2019-2022, Segura batted .281/.337/.418. He gave them years as a starting second baseman, shortstop, and third baseman. On the Marlins, it’s at third base where he’s failing miserably.
Segura is 18 games and 67 plate appearances into his tenure with the Marlins. A .206/.242/.222 slash line isn’t what they expected. His lone extra base hit is a double. He has just one RBI. An early -0.2 WAR over at third base is an indication that maybe having him play the hot corner wasn’t the wisest fit.
The Phillies have yet to play the Marlins so the Segura revenge tour could still take place. Without a doubt, the fear of letting any quality player leave and end up with a division rival is always for them to personally beat you.
It is looking like the Phillies made the wise choice to not pick up Segura’s option for 2023. Bryson Stott’s bat has been electric. While he leads the charge as one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises of the year around all of Major League Baseball, Segura may play himself out of starts or worse.
3) Former Phillies player failing miserably with his new team: Noah Syndergaard
Noah Syndergaard wasn’t for the Phillies for very long last year and with the exception of a few outings he was somewhat of a disappointment. Once a rival of the Phillies during his years with the New York Mets, Syndergaard found himself with the Los Angeles Angels for the first few months of the 2022 season. Once they hit the skids, he became trade bait. The Phillies nibbled and brought him in.
Syndergaard would make 9 starts and a relief appearance for Philadelphia. The 5-2 record and 4.12 ERA was very “2008 Joe Blanton.” It worked but needed help from the offense. What made him more frustrating was the poor World Series outing. The Phillies were doomed in the World Series because of their lack of starting pitcher depth.
Moving on from Syndergaard was pretty easy. Now with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he hasn’t gotten off to such a good start.
Through 4 appearances, Syndergaard is 0-3 with a 4.91 ERA. The Mets were the most recent team to take him down. He went into that game with 5.63 ERA on the season.
The Dodgers have gone winless in all four of his starts this season. The once mighty Thor hasn’t been the same intimidating pitcher he was early on in his career. The Dodgers are having a messy year in general. Syndergaard being unreliable is one part of that puzzle.
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