8/5/26 : Just Sayin

The import of Luis Arraez to the Phillies lineup is a huge addition, back in my day a player with a career .300 batting average was heralded - today not so much. But when you put a player of Arraez’s ability on an otherwise talented team that struggles to maintain offensive consistency his impact shines thru. Some folks took exception with him batting cleanup in his first game but the data reflected a strong batting average (.352) with runners in scoring position indicating it was a good spot for him given that Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper have OBP’s of .360 or better and were batting ahead of him - sometimes the data and analytics paint a picture otherwise not seen - two RBIs in his first two Phillies AB’s showed it to be a prudent choice - just sayin.

The defensive shuffle, in my opinion, is overblown. All three players (Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott & Alec Bohm) changing spots are athletic and capable of the position changes. It’s not like it hasn’t been done before - albeit mostly elsewhere - for those of us who saw Pete Rose play we remember that he often changed positions to accommodate lineup changes - in his career he played 2B, 3B, RF, LF and 1B. Robin Yount played four spots in his career (SS, CF, LF, 1B) as did Craig Biggio (C, 2B, CF, LF). The present day Milwaukee Brewers shuffle their infield often and they have the best record in baseball. And don’t forget the Dodgers Mookie Betts who’s played RF, 2B and now SS. The “concern” is over thinking it - should also know that in player development there’s a conscious effort to have players play multiple positions. Baseball players play baseball - regardless of where they take the field from - to me it’s a challenge these fellas are willing to step up to and an opportunity to invigorate them from the grind of a long season - just sayin.

The impact of Luis Arraez on the organization was felt even before he came to the Phillies as a player - Phillies minor league outfielder Raylin Heredia trained with Luis in parts of his past two off seasons in Florida. Raylin is having a strong year this summer with Reading, the 22 year old leads the Eastern League in doubles (29) and has posted a solid slash line of .284/.314/.484 with 17 home runs and 54 RBIs. Raylin is an unheralded talent in the organization but has the ability to reach the show, exposure to terrific influences like Arraez only help that! I love the animation that Arraez plays with, every AB for him is focused, he seems to survey the field like a slow pitch softball hitter surmising where the defensive hole is - his outward display of emotion is refreshing and contagious - some “old school” folks may not like that but to me he’s a guy I get amped to watch every AB just to see where he’s gonna hit it and how he reacts - good stuff - influence both as a training partner and how you play the game is important and conducive to success - just sayin.

I know that “top 100” or “top 30” prospect lists are important to both garner and maintain fan interest in player development but they aren’t gospel to the industry. Every organization has their own methods of evaluating, I think some fans think if a player is acquired and not on one of these lists it’s a mistake - I got a chuckle when a trade was made this week and the “analyst” took exception that the return on one side of the deal didn’t include a “top 30” player 😂🤦‍♂️.  Those lists are 100% subjective as are the system rankings and just like each team’s evaluations of talent - it’s not a computer game - just sayin.

Player development isn’t just about building talent that reaches the major leagues within the organization but also with providing the front office players that can be traded for talent deemed likely to improve the big club. Whether those trades “grade out” in the long run is baseball discussion fodder. The Phillies PD group provisioned four “home grown” talents in trade this deadline - that’s a win for Player Development as the “Protect the Standard” charter is to provision and enable the organization to compete for the World Series championship - all four young players have upside capabilities and I truly believe that RHP Ramon Marquez in particular will become a contributor in the Major Leagues in the near future but the return for him of Arraez definitely makes the big club better - that’s what it’s all about whether it’s home grown talent on your own club or used to acquire others. By the way the Phillies count of original draft picks or free agent amateur signings now with other MLB organizations is now 72 - 23 international signings and 49 stateside draft picks or UDFA’s with 27 on 40 man rosters and 45 on minor league contracts - I maintain the list if ya wanna see it - that’s not an output of an “unproductive” player development system - just sayin.

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