There’s no denying that the 2019 Philadelphia Phillies fell short of expectations. After the organization spent close to half a billion dollars in the offseason, it’s not unreasonable to think a postseason finish was assumed. Instead, a second straight late-season skid tumbled the Phillies down the standings, and they finished with their eighth straight non-winning season.
I’ll look at all the position players in this article, grading the eight primary starters plus every utility player that saw at least 100 plate appearances. I did factor in expectations and salary when assigning a grade; those being paid more money are logically expected to produce greater results.
Catcher: J.T. Realmuto
Statistics: .275/.328/.493, 25 HR, 83 RBI, 9 SB, 108 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 4.4 WAR, 2.5 WAA
When the Phillies traded for J.T. Realmuto, they thought they were getting the best catcher in baseball. The reality? Realmuto led both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference in WAR among all catchers, and he’ll likely receive close to a $100 million extension from the front office this coming winter.
Durability has been one of Realmuto’s best aspects over the last five years, and in 2019, he set new career-highs in games played (145) and plate appearances (593). Realmuto posted a .275/.328/.493 slash line that was right on par with his annual averages, although he upped his runs scored (93), doubles (36), home runs (25), RBIs (83), stolen base percentage (90%), walks (41), and total bases (265) to personal bests. Over the last third of the season with the team trying to hang on in the playoff picture, Realmuto batted .296 with a .964 OPS over 48 games. He’s a better baserunner than he’s given credit for, as he stole nine bases and rated positively per Baseball Reference’s metrics.
And as good as Realmuto was at the plate, it was his defense that solidifies him as the game’s best overall catcher. Over 1,100 of his defensive innings played came behind the plate, where he registered +10 defensive runs saved per Baseball Reference’s metrics (third among catchers) and a ridiculous 27.8 per Fan Graphs (the best of any player at any position). Per Baseball Savant, Realmuto’s 1.88 pop time is the fastest in the majors, which was a key indicator in his leading the National League in percentage of would-be base stealers thrown out (47 percent). He led the NL in double plays turned (14). Per pitch framing metrics, his +8 runs added via extra strikes made him a top-seven catcher.
Realistically, Realmuto’s age (28), offensive prowess, defensive wizardry, and lack of injury history make him easily worthy of a $100 million extension. Grade: A
First Base: Rhys Hoskins
Statistics: .226/.364/.454, 29 HR, 85 RBI, 2 SB, 110 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 1.5 WAR, -0.7 WAA
Rhys Hoskins’ 2019 season was a tale of two stories. Before the All-Star break, he batted .263/.401/.530 with 20 home runs and 59 RBIs; after the All-Star break, he fell to .180/.318/.361 with nine home runs and 26 RBIs. That’s a 252 point decline in OPS. In August, Hoskins batted a lowly .161 and he followed that up with a .170 September. That’s hard to believe for a player the Phillies are counting on to be a key part of their future
Believe it or not, Hoskins’ .226 average was actually the third-lowest single-season mark in MLB history among the 807 players to have 700+ plate appearances in a year, and it was the lowest since 1972. Fortunately, Hoskins carried over his impressive patience at the plate from 2018 to 2019. He upped his walk rate from 13.2 percent to 16.5, actually leading the NL in total walks (116). Hoskins’ power (29 home runs) and walk rate still gave him a 110 OPS+ for the year, even with a porous batting average.
Batting average isn’t the end-all, be-all, but you need better than .226 from your supposed cleanup hitter. Defensively, Hoskins was able to make the much-needed transition from the outfield to first base, where the team was able to hide his glove much easier. After a frighteningly bad -26 defensive runs saved in the outfield in 2018, Hoskins was rated as a respectable -2 defensive runs at first base in 2019. Grade: D+
Second Base: Cesar Hernandez
Statistics: ..279/.333/.408, 14 HR, 71 RBI, 9 SB, 91 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 2.5 WAR, 0.4 WAA
The last survivor from the Charlie Manuel managerial era, Cesar Hernandez continues to hold down the fort as a starting second baseman. It’s easy to think the team needs an upgrade at the position, but still you can do a lot worse than a player who has averaged a 99 OPS+ and 2.2 WAR per year since 2015.
This year, Hernandez led the Phillies in games played (161) and batted .279/.333/.408 for a 91 OPS+. It’s not a great offensive year, although Hernandez makes up for it a little with his speed and excellent ability to avoid double plays as a hitter. Hernandez also posted his best defensive metrics of his career, finishing as a +6 in the field when looking at runs saved. Grade: C+
Third Base: Maikel Franco
Statistics: .234/.297/.409, 17 HR, 56 RBI, 0 SB, 80 OPS+
Sabermetrics: -0.8 WAR, -2.2 WAA
Another year of the Maikel Franco era, another year of missed playoffs. Franco has now amassed over 2,500 plate appearances at third base for the Phillies, during which he’s accumulated just 1.6 WAR. This year, he batted a paltry .234. He had only 17 non-intentional walks all year. He had no hit by pitches. His lack of speed can’t be more evident than the fact that he had no triples or steals. He grounded into too many double plays (14). He played poor defense at third base (-4 defensive runs saved).
By early August, the Phillies had seen enough and they demoted Franco to Triple-A, where he batted .175 in 12 games. Franco eventually returned to the big league club but Brad Miller was the primary starter at third base by September. Grade: D-
Shortstop: Jean Segura
Statistics: .280/.323/.420, 12 HR, 60 RBI, 10 SB, 90 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 1.3 WAR, -0.6 WAA
The Phillies got to see close up just why a talented player like Jean Segura has been on so many teams. Segura was called out for lack of hustle on multiple occasions, contributing to a problem that plagued the 2019 club all year. When he did play, Segura’s offensive numbers took a steep dip – after batting .300 in each of the previous three seasons, Segura fell to just .280. Coupled with the fact that he was now playing in primarily a hitters’ park, Segura saw his OPS+ fall from 116 over the previous three-year span to just 90 in 2019.
Defensively, Segura has long been an average fielder at shortstop, but he posted the worst metrics of his career in ’19, finishing with -6 defensive runs saved. Shortstops don’t typically become better fielders as they grow older, and Segura will be entering his age-30 season in 2020 at a contract that guarantees him $14.85 million. Grade: C-
Left Field: Andrew McCutchen
Statistics: .256/.378/.457, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 2 SB, 115 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 1.4 WAR, 0.7 WAA
It’s hard to comprehend just how much the Phillies collapsed after Andrew McCutchen suffered a season-ending injury. The team was 33-26 (.559) with McCutchen playing regularly in left field; they went just 48-55 (.466) afterwards. Sure, they found solid fill-ins like Jay Bruce and Corey Dickerson, but those guys didn’t bring with them the veteran leadership of a former MVP like McCutchen.
McCutchen was a .256/.378/.457 hitter in 59 games, giving him a solid 115 OPS+ that was helped by his impressive plate discipline and high walk rate. McCutchen’s 10 home runs in 59 games put him on pace for close to 30 for the year. He also was a plus fielder in left field. The Phillies will have McCutchen back for 2020 and 2021, but his loss was certainly felt after his injury in June. Grade: B+
Center Field: Scott Kingery
Statistics: .258/.315/.474, 19 HR, 55 RBI, 15 SB, 100 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 3.0 WAR, 1.4 WAA
After the season Scott Kingery put together as a rookie in 2018, the Phillies have to be ecstatic with the growth they saw from him in year two. Sure, he stalled down the stretch, batting just .220 with a .679 OPS over the season’s final 82 games after batting .331 with a 1.006 OPS over the first 80 games. Still though, Kingery finished with an exactly league-average OPS+ (100) while hitting 19 home runs and stealing 15 bases.
Kingery’s versatility was what made him so valuable. He batted at every spot except cleanup in the batting order, and he played nearly everywhere on the field. Kingery’s primary defensive position was center field (479.1 innings), but he also filled in at third base (306.1 innings), shortstop (119.1 innings), second base (65.2 innings), and even a little in the corner outfield spots. Baseball Reference rated him as +10 defensive runs in the field, making him a borderline Gold Glove-caliber player who can play essentially everywhere. Grade: B
Right Field: Bryce Harper
Statistics: .260/.372/.510, 35 HR, 114 RBI, 15 SB, 125 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 4.2 WAR, 2.1 WAA
Bryce Harper was the Phillies’ prize acquisition this past offseason, inking a 13-year, $330 million deal that will lock him up in Philadelphia through the 2031 season. Expecting a replication of Harper’s 2015 MVP campaign might have been a bit much considering his three-year track record from ’16-’18, but expectations were high that Harper would lead the Phillies.
As it stands, the Phillies didn’t make the playoffs, but it’s tough to fault Harper for that. Harper was up and down, as he’s been throughout his career. He hit home runs in three of his first four games, then batted just .202 over a 48-game stretch from April 5 to May 26. Harper’s batting average for the year dipped as low as .219 at one point. But he rebounded strong, batting .267/.376/.568 with 19 home runs in 66 games after the All-Star break.
For the year, Harper hit 35 home runs with a new career-high 114 home runs. He added 36 doubles, stole 15 bases, and drew close to 100 walks at the plate. He gave the Phillies arguably the greatest regular-season moment the franchise has had since Roy Halladay’s perfect game, blasting a two-out come-from-behind walkoff grand slam against the Chicago Cubs on August 15.
Harper’s best attribute was coming through when his team needed him the most. He gave the Phillies 4.586 Win Probability Added (WPA), the seventh-best total in baseball, and he was number one in WPA Clutch. Harper batted .357/.459/.690 with runners in scoring position. He batted .333/.368/.778 with the bases loaded. And in high leverage situations, he batted .307/.370/.667.
Harper ran the bases well, stealing 15 bases and routinely taking the extra base. His aggressiveness had him thrown out too many times, but per Baseball Reference, he still rated above average on the basepaths. Defensively, Harper had his best year since his 2015 MVP campaign, finishing with +9 runs saved in the field. He led all National League right fielders in putouts and assists, in fact, tying his personal-best with 13 assists in the field. And his intangibles were off the charts. This was a player who played every game, showed ridiculous hustle, and won over his teammates and the fans by his first game. The future is bright for Harper in Philly. Grade: B+
Bench: C Andrew Knapp
Statistics: .213/.318/.324, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, 68 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 0.0 WAR, -0.5 WAA
Most teams don’t have backup catchers like Mitch Garver, but still, it would be nice if the Phillies had at least someone decent that could spell Realmuto on his off days. Knapp was a .213 hitter in 2019 who managed to drive in just eight runs in 160 plate appearances. He threw out just 29 percent of would-be base stealers against him. And he struck out in close to one-third of his plate appearances. Grade: F
Bench: UT Sean Rodriguez
Statistics: .223/.348/.375, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 1 SB, 88 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 0.3 WAR, -0.1 WAA
Every number of Sean Rodriguez’s across the board suggests he’s a born utility infielder and a Quad-A one at that. That’s not all bad, but a .223/.348/.375 line is what you’d expect from Rodriguez and what you’d probably get if you brought him back in 2020. Grade: D
Bench: UT Brad Miller
Statistics: .263/.331/.610, 12 HR, 21 RBI, 1 SB, 135 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 1.2 WAR, 0.7 WAA
Bamboo Brad played so well down the stretch for the Phillies that the organization should strongly consider bringing him back for 2020. Miller ended the year with three multi-home run games in the season’s final eight contests, and his .610 slugging percentage would have led the Phillies had he had enough plate appearances to qualify. Grade: B+
Bench: LF Jay Bruce
Statistics: .221/.235/.510, 12 HR, 31 RBI, 0 SB, 84 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 0.3 WAR, -0.2 WAA
The Phillies grabbed Jay Bruce as an emergency fill-in for Andrew McCutchen, and he started his Phillies career with a bang. In his first eight games with the team, he batted 379 with a ridiculous five home runs and 13 RBIs, with the Phillies going 5-3. Bruce really stalled after that, batting .181 over his final 119 plate appearances with team, spending multiple stints on the injured list, and ending 2019 by going an unfathomable 2-for-48 with no walks. Grade: C
Bench: LF Corey Dickerson
Statistics: .293/.307/.579, 8 HR, 34 RBI, 0 SB, 121 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 0.3 WAR, -0.2 WAA
Corey Dickerson was another fill-in contributor for the Phillies in left field, and he played pretty well down the stretch. Dickerson batted .293/.307/.579, showing impressive power and batting .325 over his final 20 games with the team. A 3:33 walk-to-strikeout rate is a little frightening, but still, Dickerson gave the Phillies an even better adjusted OPS in a limited sample size than McCutchen did. Grade: B
Bench: CF Adam Haseley
Statistics: .266/.324/.396, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 4 SB, 85 OPS+
Sabermetrics: 1.7 WAR, 0.9 WAA
The injuries to Andrew McCutchen/Roman Quinn/Jay Bruce gave the Phillies close to 250 plate appearances worth of which they could evaluate Adam Haseley. It was an ok offensive season for Haseley, who posted an 85 OPS+ as a rookie, but it was his work in the field that should make him an asset going forward. Haseley made a handful of highlight reels in the outfield, finishing the year with a team-leading +13 defensive runs saved. Grade: B-
Bench: CF Odubel Herrera
Statistics: .222/.288/.341, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 2 SB, 62 OPS+
Sabermetrics: -0.5 WAR, -0.9 WAA
It’s hard to remember the Phillies even entered 2019 with Odubel Herrera as their starting center fielder. After a horrendous showing at both the plate (.222/.288/.341, 62 OPS+) and in the field (-3 defensive runs saved) for 39 games, Herrera was then suspended by Major League Baseball for the remainder of the year for a domestic violence incident. Grade: F
Bench: CF Roman Quinn
Statistics: .213/.298/.370, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 8 SB, 72 OPS+
Sabermetrics: -0.1 WAR, -0.5 WAA
Every opportunity was there for Roman Quinn to seize a starting job in 2019, but like his entire career to date, he’s been unable to shake the injury bug. Quinn spent many games on the injured list, and when he did play, he batted just .213 with a 72 OPS+. He’s not a major league player. Grade: D-
Bench: RF Nick Williams
Statistics: .151/.196/.245, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB, 13 OPS+
Sabermetrics: -1.2 WAR, -1.5 WAA
It’s hard to believe how bad Nick Williams was in 2019. There were 451 players with at least 100 plate appearances this year, and Williams’ .151 batting average ranked sixth-worst. Williams was one of only two players who failed to post at least a .200 on-base percentage. No matter how you look at the numbers, Williams was downright awful – .063 with two outs and runners in scoring position, .045 in close and late situations, and .098 with men on base. Grade: F
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