Skip to main content

Can Carlos Santana Signing Bring Phillies Back to Relevancy?

Since winning the World Series in 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies went on a straight decline that hit all the possible season-ending outcomes: lost World Series, lost NLCS, lost NLDS, missed playoffs, all the way down to earning the top draft pick with nearly 100 losses in 2015.

Now, after the team has been gutted of veterans like Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, and Carlos Ruiz, the team is ready to move forward with a fresh slate. And they've jumpstarted the process in a big way, signing former Cleveland Indians slugger Carlos Santana to a three-year, $60 million deal.

The former catcher instantly becomes one of the most dangerous threats in the Phillies lineup. In 154 games last season, the first baseman/designated hitter hit .259 with 23 home runs and 79 runs batted in.

Comparing that to the Phillies lineup last season, he would've been 2nd in home runs, just one behind Maikel Franco, led the team in RBI's, and had the third highest batting average on the team among qualified hitters.

Simply put: Santana instantly becomes the best or second best hitter on the Phillies. And since they didn't give up any players to get him, they only become as a team.

With no DH in the National League, Santana should be Philadelphia's everyday first baseman, replacing Rhys Hoskins who was pretty darn good in his first 50 career games (.259, 18 home runs, 48 RBI). The signing will shift Hoskins into the outfield in 2017.

The rise of Rhys Hoskins, who hit home runs at a 54 per year rate over 50 games, will also help the Phillies climb back into contention (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
With Hoskins, Santana, and Franco, the Phillies have three dangerous hitters that can smack it out of the park as well as get on base. Throw in Odubel Herrera, a contact outfielder, and 22 year old shortstop J.P. Crawford, and the Phillies offense might be the best its been in years.

The Phillies will be further bolstered in 2018 by added pitching depth: so far they've added Pat Neshek and Tommy Hunter.

On paper, the Phillies are already trending upwards and should be able to climb out of the NL East cellar this year. It's not unrealistic to think they'll finish better than the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves in 2018, and the New York Mets could go either way. The Phillies could finish anywhere from 4th to 2nd in the NL East.

Signing Santana won't propel the Phillies immediately to the postseason, but it's a good step moving forward. Ideally, I think Philadelphia could make the playoffs in 2019 or 2020 for the first time since 2011.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Patriots Quickly Lose Underdog Status in Fluctuating Vegas Line

Championship Sunday gave us two wild overtime games with the winners set to meet in two weeks at Super Bowl 53 in Atlanta. On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Rams opened as slight one point favorites, which would have had Tom Brady and the New England Patriots play the underdog role once again. The line quickly shifted to a pick 'em game. This feels like the most accurate reflection of the game's odds. While the Rams finished with a better regular season schedule, Brady and the Patriots are playing in their third straight Super Bowl and it would be tough to call them true underdogs. As Monday progressed, bettors started shifting the line in favor of the Patriots, likely to reflect early bets. Many bettors probably saw taking an underdog Patriots team as an easy bet. The line could go even deeper in New England's favor, or perhaps balance out closer to a pick 'em. Realistically, the line won't favor either team by more than 1 or 2 points, making it essentia...
2 comments
Read more

NFL Divisional Round Reactions

The second round of the NFL playoffs told a different tale than Wildcard Weekend. After home teams went 1-3 in the playoffs opening weekend, they won, often in impressive fashion, going 4-0 in the Divisional Round. Four home teams, four favorites, four high-scoring offenses. The Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints all held 6-2, 7-1, or 8-0 home records in the regular season, and they carried the home-field advantage into the playoffs. In my personal picks, I went 3-1, incorrectly predicting the LA Rams would slip up and allow the Dallas Cowboys to advance. The most exciting and close game was between the Eagles and Saints, with New Orleans winning by a score and Nick Foles nearly pulling off a game-winning drive. My Playoff Week 2 Picks #Chiefs over #Colts ✅ #Cowboys over #Rams ❌ #Patriots over #Chargers ✅ #Saints over #Eagles ✅ Last week’s record: 3-1 Playoff record: 6-2 — Sak Sports Blog (@SakSports) January 14, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lakers, 76ers, Pelicans Among 5 Teams Interested In Carmelo Anthony

The Carmelo Anthony experiment in Houston is already coming to an end, and despite his teams have a worse record with him on the court as opposed to off it over the past two seasons, there are still playoff contenders interested in the veteran's services. As of right now, Anthony is still a Houston Rocket. Barring a trade, it's highly anticipated he will be waived and get to choose his next team. His representatives have already been probing front offices to gauge interest.  Five suitors have emerged, per information from NBA Insiders Kevin O'Conner  and Marc J. Spears . The reports conflict slightly, but the combined list includes the Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trailblazers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Miami Heat. O'Conner listed the three Western Conference teams, including the Lakers, as the likeliest landing spots, while Spears' intel tells him the Lakers are done making short-term free agent moves.  The Lakers  are e...
Post a Comment
Read more