Who will still be here when Phillies are competitive again?

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The positives of the Phillies' first half were few and far between. That's how it usually goes for teams that win fewer than 32 percent of their games.

But from late June through early July, the Phils did begin to hit a bit. They scored 89 runs in 16 games from June 21 through July 7, an average of 5.6 per night. It was notable because in their previous 16 games, the Phillies scored just 44 runs, an average of 2.8 per game.

The offensive standouts as the calendar flipped from June to July were Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis, Cody Asche and Ben Revere.

Really, if anyone is going to produce offensively in 2015, the Phillies want it to be that group — Franco, Hernandez, Galvis and Asche are potential pieces for the future, while Revere could be a trade commodity.

But how good are those young players? Are Phillies fans justified in looking to them as the future of the franchise, or is it simply a case of clinging to whatever fleeting positives there may be during a dismal campaign?

In other words, have the decent but unspectacular performances in the Phils' first-half been overrated? Which of these players, if any, have ceilings high enough that they'll still be here by the time the Phillies are again competitive? 

Maikel Franco
It's pretty clear that Franco belongs. In 55 games so far this season, he's hit .284/.339/.495 with 14 doubles, 10 home runs and 34 RBIs. Franco ranks fourth among all MLB rookies with 25 extra-base hits, and he's done it in just 236 plate appearances. The rookies who top the list, Joc Pederson of the Dodgers and Kris Bryant of the Cubs, have 366 and 340 plate appearances, respectively.

Franco has hit good pitching. He's 3 for 7 with a home run against Stephen Strasburg. He's 2 for 3 with a double off Gerrit Cole and 2 for 4 with a double against Julio Teheran. He's doubled against Johnny Cueto and homered off Aroldis Chapman. He's also homered off Michael Pineda and a pair of former Cy Youngs in Tim Lincecum and CC Sabathia.

Franco is the only offensive difference-maker on this team. He's the only offensive player currently on the roster who figures to bat in the middle of the order of the next contending Phillies team.

Now it's about remaining consistent during the second half. Franco looked to tire as the first half came to a close. He hit .205 with no extra-base hits and 10 strikeouts over the final 11 games.

Freddy Galvis
Galvis should have a role on the next competitive Phillies team, which we'll pencil in for 2018. It just not might be the same role.

J.P. Crawford is charging toward the majors, looking more advanced than his competition at each minor-league level despite being much younger than his foes. Crawford, not Galvis, is the Phillies' shortstop of the future.

The question is: If Galvis is still here when Crawford is ready to debut, which man will play shortstop? Galvis' best skill is his defense, but it's probably not worth having Crawford learn second base the way the Cubs have done this year with Addison Russell. Crawford's long-term position will be shortstop, so why even mess around?

At that point, Galvis will likely be a second baseman or super utility infielder for the Phillies. That is, if another team doesn't come calling for his services in a trade beforehand.

I think we've seen this season that Galvis is a major-league player. He's shown a decent two-strike approach and command of the strike zone for much of the season, save for a 34-game lull that began on May 16.

Galvis entered the All-Star break hitting .377 over his final 14 games. His .663 OPS for the season won't blow anyone away, but the position he plays is so weak right now that it ranks sixth among NL shortstops. Galvis' .276 batting average ranks fourth among NL shortstops, behind only Troy Tulowitzki, Jhonny Peralta and Adeiny Hechavarria.

Right now, Galvis could start for many teams. But the promising, young shortstop prospects are on their way and not just for the Phillies. In a few years, a competitive club, whether it's the Phillies or another team, could use Galvis as a bench piece and useful defender/baserunner.

Cesar Hernandez
It's tough to gauge just how good Hernandez is. Players have impressive 100-plate appearance stretches all the time — just look at how Galvis started the season. It looked like Galvis would never dip under .300 and he dropped all the way down to .255.

Hernandez has impressed in some of the same ways Galvis did early in 2015: with plate discipline, slap-hitting ability to all fields and a knack for stealing bases.

Hernandez enters the break hitting .280 with a .364 on-base percentage and 12 steals in 15 attempts.

Since June 15, he's hit .343 with a .404 OBP in 26 games. He's stolen 10 bases without being caught, driven in 10 runs and scored 15. Those numbers looked much better before the West Coast trip, during which Hernandez went 1 for 17 to enter the All-Star break.

Hernandez's ceiling is probably somewhere between extra infielder and decent second baseman. He knows the strike zone and has the ability to let the ball get deep before making contact. He doesn't strike out much and he can wreak havoc once on base.

Perhaps I'm being a bit too optimistic, but between Hernandez and Galvis, the Phillies shouldn't have to worry about second base in 2018 or whenever they're competitive again.

I don't see both players just falling apart to the point that they're no longer useful. I see one of them eventually becoming the Phillies' everyday eight-hole hitter, a spot where their plate discipline should play well in turning the lineup over.

Ben Revere
As I've probably written a dozen times, Revere is the type of player whose flaws are magnified on a losing team, but whose strengths would be accentuated on a winning team.

I don't expect Revere to be here on Aug. 1, much less in 2018.

The Mariners and Angels have both expressed interest in Revere. Neither team has a true leadoff man.

I predict Revere ends up in Anaheim, where his presence on the basepaths would be meaningful. Imagine him hitting 160 or so singles a year batting directly in front of Mike Trout. That should create a whole lot of offense for the Angels.

Can the Phils find equal value for Revere? It's hard to say because he's such a polarizing player. He can give you singles and steals, but his baseball IQ disappears at times. He's also not the most instinctive outfielder, though he seemed to adapt to left field better than he ever did center field.

When you factor in Revere's salary escalating in arbitration the next two years, he'll almost certainly be traded. It wouldn't make sense for the Phillies to pay him nearly $20 million over the next two seasons to lead off for a bad team. And after those two years, he'll be a free agent. Move him while you can still get something of substance back.

Cody Asche
Asche has 865 major-league plate appearances under his belt. He's hit .248 with a .300 on-base percentage and 20 home runs.

Asche possesses the ability to get hot from time to time. He was certainly clicking as the first half came to a close. But I just don't see enough there to project him as an everyday leftfielder. Asche has OK power and barely walks. He's not yet an average defensive leftfielder. He is the perfect example of a player who would be much lower on the totem pole in other organizations but has been touted by the Phils out of necessity because they just don't have many young impact players.

I don't expect him to play a large role for the next competitive Phillies team. Looks more to me like a slightly better version of Greg Dobbs, a solid pinch-hitter and extra man who can play multiple positions.

Odubel Herrera
He's looked decent for a Rule 5 pick playing above Double A for the first time and playing a position he's never played before. But when you remove the grading curve, it's hard to see him amounting to more than a bench piece.

Herrera's approach at the plate will lead to streakiness. He has a high leg kick and a ton of movement in his batting stance. Veteran pitchers have eaten him alive at times this season, which is to be expected for a player so inexperienced. His at-bats against Ryan Vogelsong last week in San Francisco really stuck out. Herrera's timing was off, his face looked bewildered and he flailed at some pretty hittable pitches.

Ken Giles
If he can avoid serious injury, Giles should be around in three or so years when the Phillies have hopefully turned a corner. He's struggled with command a bit more than you'd like to see in Year 2, but he still looks like the Phils' closer of the future.

But I'd welcome some creativity with Giles, who I think the Phillies should at least consider trading while his value is at its highest. That's a topic we'll explore in depth on Friday.

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