A spring competition ended Saturday when the Phillies re-assigned Maikel Franco, who was unlikely to win the third base job from Cody Asche, to the minor leagues.
Franco hit .184 this spring, 7-for-38 with seven singles. Ryne Sandberg told reporters including CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury that he'll need to work on shortening his swing.
The Phils' next decision is Double-A or Triple-A for Franco. In 2013 he tore up the Eastern League in 69 games after a promotion from Clearwater. For Reading, Franco hit .339 with a .926 OPS, 15 homers and 51 RBI in 292 plate appearances. There is nobody blocking Franco at Lehigh Valley, but the Phils may decide to start him back at Reading to get him going offensively.
Asche, who wasn't officially named the starting third baseman but will be, gets the chance to prove himself offensively. He had a nice three-week run last season, batting .333 over 24 games with four homers, six doubles, a triple and 18 RBI. That came after his 1-for-17 start.
He's going to need to hit to balance out a glove that -- in an admittedly small sample of major-league time -- looked average. Third base defense was an issue last year for a Phillies team that's declined defensively across the board. Asche showed impressive range at times but made five errors -- a few ugly ones -- in 50 games.
Talk about not winning a job this spring for Asche
.139/.279/.361 with 2 HRs in 43 PAs with inconsistent and general below average defense.
This move makes complete sense though. Phils need to know what if anything they have with Asche although if he get out to a poor start through early June with crummy defense to boot & Franco lights it up early on offensively it wouldn't surprise me at to see the Phils promote Franco.
Interesting to see if Sandberg is willing to use his bench a bit more regularly early on than Cholly especially with Frandsen at 3B vs LHP. The only useful thing Frandsen did last year was hit LHP well. For a lineup that will likely need to ring out every possible advantage to squeeze out offense, I wouldn't mind seeing Frandsen early vs LHP.
Question is Frandsen just done at this point being a competent MLB player (quite possibly) and does the upgrade in offense with Frandsen outweigh the slight downgrade in defense at 3B compared to Asche.
It always frustrated/annoyed me that Cholly would refuse to rest his regulars early on in the year & that Cholly would make a comment about a bench guy 'needing to get his timing' after Cholly left him on the bench for 7-10 days with maybe 1 or 2 PH ABs.
Curious to see if Sandberg manages his bench & bullpen differently than Cholly did especially early in the year.
Posted by: MG | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 07:15 PM
Talking to a friend in St Louis at my former job (Cards season ticket holder) and he thinks the Cards run away with the Central and the best record in MLB this year with 100+ wins.
Push 105 wins if they can stay healthy and maybe 95 if they get hit with injuries.
Cards are basically completely healthy so far and so loaded in their starting rotation that both J. Kelly & C. Martinez may open the year at AAA. Doesn't even include J. Garcia either.
Reds are probably a slight weaker team, ditto the Pirates, and Cubs/Brewers won't be above .500 & more likely closer to 70-75 wins.
Only real weaknesses they have right now are that their bullpen isn't incredibly deep and that they don't have great power through out their lineup.
Posted by: MG | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 07:36 PM
Repost: I called 1-888-COMCAST and demanded to speak to Wetzel. They promised to send him out between 8AM and 11AM on Monday to verify I am the real cut_fastball. While speaking to the customer service gal, she pointed out that I am not subscribed to Starz so I added it for the low monthly cost of $19.99. Suck it troll.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 07:53 PM
Why do any real posters still post here? Are you sadists.
Posted by: NEPP | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 08:21 PM
Not me:
My reputation is being besmirched. It has taken years for me to establish myself as a pillar of Beerleager and I shall not stand by while being pilloried.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 06:55 PM
I called 1-888-COMCAST and demanded to speak to Wetzel. They promised to send him out between 8AM and 11AM on Monday to verify I am the real cut_fastball. While speaking to the customer service gal, she pointed out that I am not subscribed to Starz so I added it for the low monthly cost of $19.99. Suck it troll.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 07:05 PM
Who doesn't understand that Typepad captures genuine posts from this handle? I won't be driven off this board, and I won't tolerate asinine posts from vexatious trolls. BTW, fvckuead high-jacker, I've been on this board since late '10. Who are you calling a troll, little man?
Corey – could you please ban the handle “cut_fastball”? This is bullshit and it has to stop. Now the homosexual filth has started again, too. How does Comcast put up with this?
What's it going to take to fix this? I'm never, never, never going to stop defending my right to free speech here.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 08:24 PM
Cut fastball... here's an idea. How about you, oh I don't know... change your handle maybe?
Posted by: centerfield_ballhawk | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 08:29 PM
Spring Training stats don't matter-Exhibit A: Kershaw
ST: 4 starts 0-3 9.20 ERA
Opening Day: 6.2 innings-1 run-5 hits- 7K
Little known fact: South of the Equator, where they are, the "Arm Twirl Test" is done in the opposite direction.
Posted by: Conway Twitty | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 08:40 PM
I will not change my name because of a vivacious troll.
Anyway, I liked what I saw from Franco and think he can make it up this year if Asche busts.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 08:53 PM
A left-hander twirling down south is the same as a right-hander twirl up north.
Posted by: Meyer | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 08:59 PM
Not me:
I will not change my name because of a vivacious troll.
Anyway, I liked what I saw from Franco and think he can make it up this year if Asche busts.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 08:53 PM
Dude, look up the definition of “vivacious”. You are not only a filthy creep, you are incredibly stupid.
Wait, come back, I was wrong! Please keep posting! You're absolutely brilliant, and your genius will certainly get recognized for what it is.
I’m sure everyone will love the new cut_fastball. God, what a genius you truly are. I bow before you; I am truly not worthy of the handle "cut_fastball".
What a bleepin’ trolling a88hole. Keep it up, punk. This is starting to get fun.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 09:15 PM
"Why don't you...oh I don't know... change your handle maybe?"
I'm picturing Office Space; "No way, why should I change? He's the one who sucks."
Posted by: Jackamac | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 09:53 PM
Jackamac - watch yourself - the Typepad model has no security at all. Waaay too many folks don't give a flying leap about your Typepad profile. At the pleasure of the vexatious troll, you might be the next hijacker victim. Into eternity.
Beerleaguer has been disabled by trolls for about a year now. It's really too bad.
Corey? Fix this - c'mon, how 'bout it? Please? Make this site safe!!
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:20 PM
OMG, the imposter cut_fastball doesn't know how to spell dicshionary!!! What a maroon.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:39 PM
Not not me:
What a bleepin’ trolling a88hole. Keep it up, punk. This is starting to get fun.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 09:15 PM
Corey? Fix this - c'mon, how 'bout it? Please? Make this site safe!!
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:20 PM
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:42 PM
Post Score;
Baseball 3
Troll BS 11
Posted by: Bubba | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 11:06 PM
FYI: the pathetic loser who is ruining thread after thread doesn't know how to indent. Easy way to tell the difference between cut and the imposter troll.
Posted by: one pathetic trolling imposter has ruined beerleaguer, and comcast morons cant figure out how to stop it | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:13 AM
Not me:
OMG, the imposter cut_fastball doesn't know how to spell dicshionary!!! What a maroon.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:39 PM
Not not me:
What a bleepin’ trolling a88hole. Keep it up, punk. This is starting to get fun.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 09:15 PM
Corey? Fix this - c'mon, how 'bout it? Please? Make this site safe!!
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:20 PM
Posted by: cut_fastball | Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 10:42 PM
Don’t try to outwork me, a**hole. You’ll lose. Oh yea, jevkoff, you are a humorless dvck. The word dictionary never came into play.
Again, who doesn't understand that Typepad captures genuine posts from this handle? I won't be driven off this board, and I won't tolerate asinine posts from vexatious trolls.
Corey – could you please ban the handle “cut_fastball”? This is bullshit and it has to stop.
Posted by: cut_fastball | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:17 AM
The irony is that, before this little war broke out over which poster is the real cut fastball, I had absolutely no difficulty discerning which posts came from the real cut fastball, and which ones came from the imposter. Now that the war has broken out, I have no idea whose are whose.
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:36 AM
This is the same pathetic loser that posts pseudo-humor using handles like Ruben Amaro, Michael Martinez, Vladimir Putin etc. Its not clout or TTI, just one solitary loser who trolls incessantly.
Posted by: one pathetic trolling imposter has ruined beerleaguer, and comcast morons cant figure out how to stop it | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:56 AM
I don't think it's the same guy. The guy who used to post as Michael Martinez was actually kind of funny (even if it was the same joke over & over again).
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 01:02 AM
Wow, this site has become truly pathetic!
Posted by: Dragon | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:51 AM
i get the feeling that corey and the other staffers that comcast has told to "handle it, handle it," regard the assignment as some kind of punishment, or at least a giant pain in the ass. i'd love for them to prove me all wet.
any idea what the ratio of lurkers to posters might be? some sites show the number of ppl there, whether they talk or not. just curious. because BL has a "responsibility" to help inform them too. not just hosting a place for this ongoing conversation to occur.
Posted by: bullit | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 07:39 AM
Hey real cut: when are you going to stop this and start posting about baseball? No one- NO ONE- cares about your one man war against a troll
Posted by: Reality | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 08:04 AM
Alright. Where did my original post go? Someone delete it?
Posted by: Greenskeeper | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 08:35 AM
8 days 'til Opening Day!
Posted by: If the Schu fits | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 09:54 AM
It's Sunday. Everyone say a prayer for Freddy Galvis. MSRA infections can be fatal. One can only hope they got his under control in time.
Peace
Posted by: Anonymous | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 10:31 AM
Hey Reality: if you're gonna waste space on this board, do it protesting the troll instead of the victim.
Posted by: one pathetic trolling imposter has ruined beerleaguer, and comcast morons cant figure out how to stop it | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 10:47 AM
"MSRA" = "MRSA" (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). The damn infection is so recent it isn't even part of the lexicon.
Posted by: Anonymous | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 10:59 AM
I don't know that the Comcast staff monitors the threads very often. If someone wants to reach Corey, or one of the other thread starters, I have found the best course of action is to e-mail them. I also don't know that they worry too much about the ridiculous juvenile pettiness that has overtaken this place. One could also try e-mailing J.W., but he kind of left his baby in Comcast's bathroom, and I'm not sure that anybody there cares to nurture it.
Posted by: Scott | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 11:04 AM
BAP: It's the same idiot, talking to himself.
Posted by: clout | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 11:33 AM
Wait a minute. The regular season actually started yesterday? Whose hare-brained idea was it to play 2 random regular season games in Australia a week before the rest of the teams begin their seasons?
Posted by: bay_area_phan | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 11:38 AM
Is a pair of early games in Australia worse than early games in Japan? Maybe. seems like a complete boondoggle.
Posted by: Hugh Mulcahy | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:45 PM
at least in japan they aren't playing on a cricket field. you think they removed the turf for the basepaths?
Posted by: bullit | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:50 PM
And how about the fact that the Dodgers play exactly two games (and zero preseason ones) between Mar 17-30?
Posted by: bittel | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 12:56 PM
Kendrick hit in leg with ball. Still out there though.
Posted by: bittel | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 01:28 PM
Fine you win troll.
Posted by: straight_fastball | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 01:31 PM
Brown with a double. Love it.
Byrd definitely the prime candidate to pull a Howard this year. Great spring, followed by a crappy regular season.
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 01:39 PM
Ugh. Beat guys are suggesting what I feared. This is probably what Sandberg's regular lineup will look like.
Revere Rollins Utley Howard. Seriously??
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 01:55 PM
Kershaw proved once again that ST numbers don't mean a thing. Of course there aren't any Kershaw type players on the Phils and they may be as bad as they look right now. The lack of hitting goes further back than this spring and the starting pitching w/o Hamels is scary, Lee notwithstanding. With as meticulous as Hamels is about his routines and when he re-started his program I doubt we'll see him before mid-May and possibly as late as June.
I don't expect Burnett to be as effective this year as he was for Pittsburgh last year. The Pirates deploy a lot of shifts which helped Burnett's ground ball outs success rate. Deploying a shift might mean the Phillies are actually embracing advanced metrics as part of their game plan, and we all know how Amaro feels about sabermetrics. He was very clear about the subject in an interview just last year.
Posted by: Kashmir | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:00 PM
Single. Steal. Single. Run.
That's how it's supposed to work. But I don't see Rollins being able to produce that hit consistently
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:02 PM
Anybody actually worried about Utley?
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:04 PM
brown is my choice to bat 2nd. revere gets on base, brown doubles him to third or even home. utley flies out, and howard clears the bases. batting howie 5th just increases the chance that he leads off the second.
Posted by: bullit | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:07 PM
Franco does need more seasoning in the minors. It's the correct move sending him down. I doubt we'll see him before September because the Phils won't want to start the clock on his service time in what's probably going to be a lost season. Regardless of what Franco does I don't think he'll get called up to stay until next year. Not April of next year, but when enough time has passed where he'll be a super 2 player. Next year's roster is going to look a lot like this years because of contractual obligations and the inability to move some of those contracts.
Posted by: Kashmir | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:09 PM
Talk about clogging the bases. That's twice in this game (once with Byrd, once with Howard) that the Phillies have been unable to score the runner from first on a double.
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:11 PM
Opening the season abroad is another way that MLB has killed opening day. It should be a national celebration. They should open with a bang by having everyone play on opening day. The appeal of baseball is the massive number of games happening daily. As it is now the season starts a week early in the middle of the night. Then restarts with one game on a sunday night, one league on Monday, then that league is off while the other starts, then finally on Wednesday the season really feels like it has started. This trickle of an open is awful. The worst day of they year is the day after the opener when your team suddenly is off for no reason.
Opening day should start at noon in Cincinnati and then everyone else starts a few hours after that and we're off to the races.
Posted by: gobaystars! | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:13 PM
Well they have to have the off day because of potential postponements.
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:19 PM
The rest I sort of agree with
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:20 PM
I feel like I haven't heard of most of these Twins. Is this a split squad game?
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:21 PM
Cyclic, I'm a little worried about Utley. Steamer and Oliver both project a lower WAR for him than last year even though Oliver projects him playing 143 games and 600 PA. I doubt he'll reach either of those numbers. The thing about degenerative knees is they can only get worse with time. During his stretch of 2005-2009 I thought we were looking at a future HOFer.
Posted by: Kashmir | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:22 PM
If at any point, his knees are bothering him, do you think we'll know? Will the Phillies know?
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:36 PM
J Swag heating up...
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:37 PM
Cyclic, my opinion is Utley will play as long as he can tolerate the pain. I don't think he'll say a word until that time comes.
Posted by: Kashmir | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:46 PM
I'm a little worried about Utley, too. I read Murphy's piece last week about how Utley's hit mostly ground balls and had more SOs than BBs. But with someone like Utley, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Of course, his health is always a question.
I agree with BAP that it's dumb to schedule a game that counts as regular season a full week before opening day, and I agree with gobay that it's much more exciting when everyone begins the season at once. That campaign to make Opening Day a national holiday is thwarted before it even begins by the fact that there are several opening days.
Posted by: GBrettfan | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:50 PM
Did you hear Jamie Moyer talking about playing mind games with hitters? He said that he and Chooch had it worked out that Jamie would shake off a sign once or twice and Chooch would throw the same sign down, or Jamie would act upset/frustrated about the sign and get Chooch to come out to discuss it, all in the name of making the hitter start to think too much. Pretty funny - and crafty.
Posted by: GBrettfan | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:57 PM
Anybody actually worried about Utley?
Posted by: Cyclic | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 02:04 PM
No...if he's batting .100 in mid-May I will get worried. ST stats are meaningless. For all we know, he's working on going the other way or something like that.
Also, I like the Opening Day overseas thing...as long as its not the Phillies doing it.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 03:22 PM
Did you hear Jamie Moyer talking about playing mind games with hitters?
**************************
Moyer was a joy to watch. Hell of a career for a guy whose pure stuff was probably AAA level at best without his ability to outthink the hitter. Think of how many great stuff guys have 10 cent brains and never make it as a result.
Posted by: NEPP | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 03:25 PM
I just saw a picture of Aroldis Chapman with a headband of staples after having a plate put into his head. Is there anything scarier than line drives to the head? I remember there was a Cardinal about 5 years ago whose career was ended when he took a foul ball to the eye in the on-deck circle. Amazingly, and thankfully, Chapman may be throwing again in a few weeks.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/red-pitcher-chapman-shows-staples-head-article-1.1729702
Posted by: GBrettfan | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 04:08 PM
Moyer is good as a broadcaster so far.
He & Murphy gave a very laid back presentation the couple of games that they were paired.
He even seems to take some of the hyper T-Mac broadcast style down a notch.
Good game by KK and the pen. Even Paps kept up a decent pace in his inning.
Posted by: Bubba | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 04:17 PM
Frandsen was outrighted to LV.
NEPP, I would rather that those games overseas be exhibition, although I understand that having them count invests them with more value for all involved - team and audience. I think it's great that the Aussies packed the stadium and that they get to see an MLB series...I'm on board with the idea of showing baseball to other parts of the world...but it does feel disconnected, to me, from the rest of the teams' openers.
Posted by: GBrettfan | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 04:20 PM
Whoa! Frandsen down is interesting.
I also vote for the Murphy/Moyer team as the best in a while. They are at once laid back and knowledgeable, give the game some breathing room, and also speak clearly (not always a given, as we've recently discovered.)
Posted by: can_of_corn | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 04:39 PM
Guess Cesaer didn't get a 4th option year and they hope to carry him for now. Frandesn at 900k cleared waivers and they hope and I hope stays at AAA.
Posted by: CS | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 04:48 PM
Anybody notice the group sales commercial where the blond's boob seems to bounce in slo-mo? My 10 year old nephew asked me why?
I just noticed the incredibly flabby legged hooters broad who can't catch a foul ball.
Posted by: Toby Mac | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 05:28 PM
Fine you win troll.
Posted by: straight_fastball | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 01:31 PM
--------------------------------------
Give it up, clout. Admit it, you got what you wished.😊
Good Kendrick today. If KK can give an entire season of this and a reliable 4th and 5th starter comes forward; if Galvis and Ruf recover, this team will improve - can't say by how much, but it could be entertaining. A lot more entertaining than watching Howard hobble and Doc say goodbye.
Posted by: Sometimes Taciturn Regular | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 05:37 PM
I'm really not understanding all the doom and gloom about the loss of Galvis and Ruf. These are complimentary pieces at best - certainly not the keystone to a winning season. Compare the Phillies injury woes to Atlanta - it's not even close.
Thus far, the only injury that has a dramatic effect on the month of April has been Hamels, and if an injury is going to happen to an SP, the start of the season is probably the best time for such a thing to happen (when they can get away with a 4 man rotation).
I also cannot fathom why everyone has written off Adams. Correct me if I'm wrong, but 2013 stands out as somewhat of a fluke in his career. He's been very healthy (and effective) for the majority of his career. Why is everyone suddenly so sure that he's garbage?
Frandsen getting outrighted doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me unless it's the first step of a more significant roster change.
With Franco and Frandsen in the minors and Ruf and Galvis on the DL, what the hell does the infield and the bench look like? Is there anybody other than Ashe who can play 3B breaking camp with the team? Are Brignac AND Cedeno starting the season in Philly, or are they heading up north with Mayberry, Abreu AND Gwynn?
I only hope that boy wonder doesn't try to bring Blanton back to town.
Posted by: Will Schweitzer | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 06:16 PM
I'm sure Hernandez did get a 4th option year (although I haven't seen it reported). The Frandsen move relates to the Phillies need to They Phillies have to clear room on the 40-man roster.
They put Frandsen through waivers to open a spot, and they wouldn't have really cared if he had been claimed.
Posted by: AFish | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 06:46 PM
Will Schweitzer:
When the team is going to be bad, the stories of individual players are what make the games enjoyable to watch. Ruf and Galvis's development (or lack there of) was one of the things that make a bad team more bearable, as they're young (-ish, in Ruf's case), flawed players are not so crippled that you can write off the assets they bring to the table, and it's fun seeing if Ruf could develop a sophisticated enough approach to offset his swing's defects. Or if Freddy Galvis would vaguely figure out where the strike zone is. If they're out on the DL, it just means that many fewer potential sources of mirth in what's shaping up to be something of a dreary April.
As for the bench, I'd wager it's Hernandez and Brignac that're the utility IFs, as Brignac's actually made the most of his limited opportunities this spring. (That he is actually still an average defender at both up-the-middle IF positions also doesn't hurt.) When Galvis returns, the team once more has to make a decision as to whether they think Galvis's bat will improve with regular playing time: If so, then Galvis again heads for LHV.
As far as the outfield goes, I think Mayberry and Gwynn are those who've got jobs once the Phils have to start carrying a 5th starter, with Mayberry's fate dependent upon what he does with the month of playing time he gets between Opening Day and Ruf's return from the DL. If the Phils are willing to risk eating Frandsen's salary should he elect to accept assignment, it's reasonable to assume the same if Mayberry stinks up the joint in April.
Posted by: Juums | Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 08:08 PM
Will Schweitzer, the doom and gloom extends beyond Galvis and Ruf's injuries. Those injuries do hurt somewhat as the bench didn't look to be that strong to begin with. There's also injuries to Hamels, Martin, Pettibone and MAG, who wasn't showing much before he was shut down.
As far as Adam from 2008 to 2011 he was a premier set up man with an ERA of 1.71 and a WHIP of .902. His last year with Texas those numbers rose to 3.27 and 1.395 respectively. He was signed by the Phils after that season and did three stints on the DL last year. He was shut down for a strained back, biceps tendinitis and eventually the three shoulder tears that ended his season. In the offseason he had surgery to repair his shoulder and another for a sports hernia. The year before the Phils signed him he was coming of surgery for TOS. That's a lot of trauma to the body in a short period of time. IMO that's a lot to come back from and regain elite status at age 35. I'd be thrilled if he pitches the 8th like he used to, but I need to see it to be convinced considering all he's been through.
Posted by: Kashmir | Monday, March 24, 2014 at 08:54 AM
Cody Asche will be one of the more interesting story lines this year. He's young and playing his first full season. After him only Revere and Brown are under age 34 among the starting eight. If Franco is the future at 3B, hopefully Asche plays well enough that he'll have good trade value if he can't be moved to another position.
In 2011, his first year of pro ball he played 2B for Williamsport in the NYPL. Reports I read said he didn't have the footwork to play there and was moved to 3B the following year. They attributed his struggles at the plate (.192 BA at Williamsport) to thinking to much about his defense. Each of the next two years he started the season slow but made big strides as the season progressed, moving through the Phils farm system faster than most prospects. Perhaps his footwork has since improved enough to replace Utley when the time comes and him and Franco will be part of the next core. Corner OF is another possibility.
Posted by: Kashmir | Monday, March 24, 2014 at 10:04 AM
This was one of the better decisions by the Phillies. Franco is a great hitter don't get me wrong but he needed to start the year in the minors. He didn't have a good spring at all so this is only going to help him improve his swing. Ryne Sandberg said he needs to shorten his swing and I completely agree. Franco's swings are long and he sometimes reaches for pitches. I think he should spend the year in Triple-A with a call up in September when the roster expands.
Posted by: philsfan8 | Monday, March 31, 2014 at 10:03 AM