The Phillies were dealt a huge blow yesterday when Rhys Hoskins went down with an ACL tear that’ll require surgery. They’ll now have to patch things together at first base unexpectedly.
Darick Hall appears the next man up. The left-handed hitter got into his first 42 MLB games last season. He connected on nine longballs and slugged .522 in 142 plate appearances. That’s a promising start but a meager 3.5% walk rate and elevated 31% strikeout percentage contributed to a .282 on-base mark. Hall had hit .254/.330/.528 with 28 homers, a 9.5% walk percentage and a 22.6% strikeout rate in 101 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told Alex Coffey of the Philadelphia Inquirer today that Hall looks like the favorite to take the bulk of the first base reps. That could come in a platoon capacity, as the 27-year-old had dramatic splits last year. Between the majors and Lehigh Valley, Hall mashed at a .280/.344/.601 clip over 436 plate appearances against right-handed pitching. He limped to a .175/.242/.314 line over 149 trips to the dish against lefties — all but 12 of those coming against Triple-A arms.
“We have not made that decision yet,” Dombrowski said of a possible platoon. “I know he’ll get the majority of playing time, but of course the majority of playing time we’ll face righties. But I don’t know what we’re going to do in that regard. We haven’t discussed that part of it yet.”
Philadelphia could slide the righty-swinging Alec Bohm over to first base on days when there’s a left-handed opposing starter. That’d leave third base to a more defense-oriented player, likely one of Edmundo Sosa or Josh Harrison. The Phils could also take another look at Scott Kingery, who isn’t on the 40-man roster but has played well this spring. If they wish to look outside the organization, Miguel Sanó remains unsigned while Keston Hiura will be traded or waived within the next week.
As for Hoskins, Dombrowski noted the surgery comes with a recovery timetable of seven months. The Phils haven’t officially ruled him out for the entire season, with the baseball ops president telling Coffey they’re uncertain if Hoskins has a chance to return if the club makes a deep playoff run.
Good. Hall is the only right answer.
Dumb-rowski is in denial right now about the injuries. He’ll trade the farm for a big name or two like he always has. Harper, Suarez, Painter and Hoskins, Oh My!!
Spot on, Curly. Not such a dumb stooge.
I don’t think Dombrowski would make a trade unless it’s a good trade for the Phillies. Maybe closer to the trade deadline depending on where the Phillies are sitting. A Division and WS title is more important than whether your minor league team finishes 2nd or 3rd.
Yea. He’s not making a trade. Curly replied to his own comment to double down on haterade.
There is no crying in baseball Red Sox fans!
No Dombrowski will not.
Remember Red Sox fans, there is NO CRYING IN BASEBALL.
Blame John Henry, Tom Werner and Sam Kennedy for their bone headed decisions to force out Dombrowski and hire Chaim Bloom to try to fill Dombrowski’s big baseball shoes.
“Going Cheap” and “pinching pennies” on your Pres of Baseball Ops/GM is a terrible move for a Red Sox team running payrolls in excess of 200M per year.
I am sure that laughing Yankees fans Thank the Red Sox for that move lol!
That said, The Phillies were expected to be even better in ’23 than the National League Championship team of ’22 with free agent SS Trea Turner, more production from Nick Castellanos (who had an “off year” in ’22),
the return of Bryce Harper after the All Star break, and the emergence of power hitting 1B/DF Darick Hall. .
Dombrowski is much smarter than that!
Remember Red Sox Fans, there is no crying in baseball.
Take up your beefs with Red Sox Ownership: Henry, Werner
and Sam Kennedy. The Red Sox LOSS is the Phillies GAIN!
Dombrowski is recognized as one of the best talent evaluators in MLB.
Signing 5 tool SS Trey Turner already made the Phillies offense much better in ’23. Nick Castellanos had an “off year” in ’22 offensively. When Castellanos gets back to his regular offensive production in ’23, then that will be a big+
for the Phillies in ’23. Dombrowski has built “depth” on the Phillies team and on the farm.
Darick Hall has already proven himself as a major league power hitter 1B/DH who has the change to step up and be a MLB star.
The Phillies have basically no weaknesses at this point.
If the Phillies want to add any complementary pieces at the trade deadline, they Dombrowski will do so without substracting any young players in the Phillies future plans.
And, remember, getting Bryce Harper back after the All Star break
will be the same as if Dombrowski and the Phillies made a blockbuster trade deal at the Trade Deadline without giving up any players.
+
There is no crying in baseball.
Take up your grievances with Red Sox Ownership and Front Office
who have blown out multiple top level Presidents of Baseball Ops and GMs:
Theo Epstein, Dave Dombrowski, Ben Cherrington, Mike Hazen etc..
Dave Dombrowski is recognized as one of the top talent evaluators in MLB.
His trade deals always seem to work out in his team’s favor.
Dombrowski had built plenty of depth on the Phillies and their farm system.
With SS Trey Turner, OF/DH Nick Castellanos coming off a sub par year and expected to rebound to at least his average career levels,
power hitting 1B/DH proven that he can hit MLB pitching and play 1B/DH
and with Bryce Harper coming back after the All Star break.
The Phillies really don’t need to make any trades at his time.
If the Phillies decide to add any extra players at the Trade Deadline,
I am confident that Dave Dombrowski will not be giving up any young players that he and his expert talent evaluators have identified as a key part of the Phillies future.
That’s the first good news after THAT bad news.
Health to Hoskins and wishes for Hall’s success…..
Next up. Give the man a shot to show what he can do.
Just stick with Hall and put Bohm at first against lefties. Sosa and Harrison can cover third when Bohm plays first base. If it really becomes a necessity, get some help at the trade deadline.
This is the answer. I don’t like the idea of moving Bohm to first, but it is what it is. Realmuto can also play 1st on occasion.
Hall has improved on hitting lefties and it’s shown a bit this spring. Bohm’s defense continues to improve as well. Might as well see what happens, but it’s good that we’ve got Sosa and Harrison as options
Von;
I didn’t mention Hall yesterday because I felt the Phillies FO had in some way given up on him.
He was extremely helpful in 2022 when he was brought up as primarily a DH to replace some of the LH production when Harper was out with his injury. The man came out of nowhere to bat clean-up for a contender. He got his share of big hits, including a few game-winners. Then Bryce came back and Hall disappeared into the minors again. Never understood that.
Happy that they’re giving him a shot at 1B. He deserves it. Am sure the move will go over well with Phillies fans – as I recall he (and his wife) became popular with the fans. Would love to see him surprise all and become the regular 1B for at least a few years. Sometimes things like this happen.
Hall hits dingers, but so far, in limited appearances, not much else. High K rates. Low walks. Typical all-or-nothing slugger with limited defensive ability, but he’s young and looked decent this spring. Hope he turns a corner.
Yes….
Remember that José Alvarado was primarily a hard thrower that couldn’t get the ball over the plate in 2021 and the first part of 2022. Same age as Hall. Phillies coaches ML and MiL) worked with him in 2022 and he (surprisingly to me) became an upper tier relief pitcher.
DD has overseen the Phillies becoming a developmental organization at all levels. Surely Kevin Long is working with Hall (Long had great success with Marsh, getting him to hit emphasize contact and hit balls up the middle….later Marsh hit with power as well). Additionally, the infield coaches are – and will be – working with Hall on his 1B play. Simply put – Hall will become a quality 1B/run producer by July or so, else the Phillies will bring an established ML 1B in.
Am rooting for Mr. Hall.
Von:
Any player wearing a Phillies uniform is a player I want to see succeed. Been that way every season since the mid-’50s. So, yes, I’ll pull for Hall to do well. But the scout’s eye in me says it ain’t gonna happen. Or, at least, not gonna happen to a degree that won’t have Philly fans clamoring for Dombro to make a move.
I’d trade for Eric Hosmer. With Hosmer you get solid defense, nice walk rates, way fewer Ks and another veteran presence in the clubhouse. True, Hosmer’s power won’t equal Hoskins’ power, but playing in our ballpark instead of PETCO I could see Hosmer finishing with 20 HR and 80 RBIs..
Hey, both players’ names start with “HOS”, so there’s that too (wink, wink).
If Hall doesn’t pan out, Dombrowski can probably hustle a trade with Colorado. This will anger Rockies fans but, Dombrowski could probably get Cron, and not give up any valuable prospects seeing how Colorado’s front office has been clueless with what to do with a pending free agent. Cron would be a cheap rental for the Phillies, his salary this year is $7.25 and it’d be even less at the deadline save some money for the Phillies as well.
Nobody’s going to give up any valuable prospects for a Cron rental. Colorado would have to take whatever player is the best lottery ticket they’re offered.
Castellanos came up as a third base man.
He could handle 1B if they Phillies needed to rotate players around for flexibility purposes. MLB hot corner 3B is much different than playing 1B.
Castellanos made some great OF plays last year including in the playoffs and WS,
This is where I’m at, plus JT can slide over to 1B once a week. The Phillies might look outside the organization but Sano and Hiura aren’t plausible options.
A Hall/Bohm platoon makes a lot of sense for the Phillies, as does getting Schwarber & Castellanos some time at 1B too. Even with Rhys & Harper out, the Phillies still have plenty of thump in their lineup. No need to go waiver wire hunting (yet).
Dorothy_Mantooth;
Schwarber is not a good 1B and Castellanos is a disaster in the infield (can’t imagine him taking pick-off throws from pitchers or trying to scoop bad throws from the other infielders). They’re fine where they are – corner OF’s playing half their games in a bandbox ball park with small OF’s.
Their job is to provide power offense. Don’t need them compromising that to learn another position. When Harper returns they can share the DH’ing with him when they’re not playing OF.
MLB isn’t Rotisserie League.
What does his comment have to do with “Rotisserie League?” Absolutely nothing.
Doesn’t really matter, when you can finish third in your division, 14 games off the pace, and still be the NL “champs”
Cry me a river. Beat the Padres in the playoffs next time.
Ahhh another “back in my day” offering…..
Get over it, MLB changed the rules. No one has to embrace them, but you sound like a fool whining about it -over and over again.
Exactly… Then again the other teams could have beaten them, but they didn’t
He is the best defensive catcher in baseball. He’s not moving anywhere.
They played him 1st last year on occasion. It’s just another way to get him into the lineup and giving him a bit of a break.
LOLPhillyD-bags
Move Realmuto to 1B. Go sign Gary Sanchez to catch or someone else.
Garret Stubbs is a pretty solid backup catcher, so Realmuto will see some time at 1st.
More like Sanchez to 1B.
Hall vs RHP, and pick up Voit for LHP. Prefect platoon
Voit hits RHP better than LHP if I’m not mistaken.
What all these comments about picking up Voit or taking a flyer on Hiura miss is this….
The Phillies have 13 roster spots for position players. They don’t have the luxury of using one to try to rehab a guy that platoons at 1B.
This his chance to break out. He may not replicate what Hoskins can do, but he has a chance to pick up some slack and establish himself.
The Dom
Stay in-house…the right move for now. Everyone thinks that DD is only a guy that will give it up for stars, but they have been doing some really nice player development work since he arrived. DayCare II…let them play.
It took Bohm a while to settle in at 3B, I wouldn’t screw with that. Realmulto and others can platoon at 1st against lefties.
If they move Bohm, he’ll hate it there!
This a good one, along with the Subway spokesperson comment. Most of your trolling is simply mean spirited and lazy, but these were funny. Credit where it’s due.
8 doubles. 9 homers. 16 rbi. How do you do that? The potential seems to be there. Give him a shot.
Maybe Hall will be the new Ryan Howard for the Phils
Let’s hope he’s more Howard and less Ruf. Darin was Howard’s successor at 1B.
I saw an article suggesting the Phils go after Ruf……
While that would be neat for nostalgia’s sake, I just don’t see him as better than the internal options. The Phillies don’t really need to make a move. I’m grateful for the depth, which is already being tested.
Yes, the new spokesman for Subway commercials!
I wonder if Cave starts the season as their DH.
Cave has a good glove. Better chance he’ll be an OF when Castellanos or Schwarber DH.
That works
Wonder if Harper would be a good fit
He fits nicely on the IL every year. Maybe 1B is the solution.
Give Hall the keys and see how he does. If he can’t handle lefties go for someone like Cron to platoon with him. No need to panic until we see what Hall can do.
Injuries suck but at least the FO won’t have to worry about overpaying this guy who’s best years are way behind him
I don’t think his best years are way behind him as he’s been fairly consistent; Terrible defense, very solid albeit streaky offense. He’s going to be a very good DH option for a lot of clubs. But to your point, the Phillies shouldn’t necessarily be that squad, as they already have a few DH options.
Tell me why this a news story and who cares other than Phils fan base.
Because a team lost their starting 1B yesterday and this an mlb rumors page. Have a lovely evening.
Some people follow more than one team, you know. It’s of interest to me and I’m not part of their fan base. It’s definitely more of a news story than contract extension speculation articles.
You don’t think the defending NL champs losing their starting 1B who hit 30 HR last year is newsworthy! I’ll wager GMs and their NL East opponents read every word.
Tell me why this a news story
===========================
How could you possibly not know why this is a story? What a nirod.
Looks like a Mario Brother?
Let Hall play until the standings indicate a change.
Here come the sour Philly haters!
Hall is 1 for 12 (.083 BA) vs Left-Handed pitching. I cant seem to find Minor League Splits. theyre missing from MiLB. My assumption is his minor league numbers have the same trend.
Most likely, Phillies need a Lefty platoon partner for him.
He’s shown the ability to hit lefties this spring, but I don’t put much stock in that. I’ve seen years of Kingery and Moniak dominating spring. I really don’t see Hall as anything more than a backup platoon player. I hope he proves me wrong.
Dombrowski knows what he is doing.
He has created depth in the Phillies farm system and not traded it away.
The only young player of note that Dombrowski has given up was catcher O’Hoppe
and that was for a young, cost controlled, starting CF Marsh with a big glove and emerging bat. If Dave says Darick Hall can handle 1B and thump the ball, then you gotta believe him since he is most often correct on his player evaluations.
Signing 5 Tool SS Trey Turner is looking even better now.
Castellanos had an “off year offensively” in ’22.
If he has even an average or above average year in ’23, then the Phillies offense
will not miss a beat in ’23.
Castellanos was drafted by Dombrowski as a 3rd basemen and played 3B for the Tigers earlier in his career.
1B is not as difficult as 3B defensively.
I have no doubt that Castellanos could handle 1B in an emergency situation if that was needed by the Phillies.
Did you see the multiple ” great catches” by Castellanos in the pennant race, the playoffs and the WS last years?!
Castellanos had worked hard on his OF Defense
and appears to be getting much better in the OF.