High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 2: Phillies Stars Need To Step Up

Episode Date: July 23, 2023

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz discuss the lack of pop in the Phillies lineup right now. Presented by Miller Lite. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All-star closer, Kenley Jansen, we have a question. What's the best podcast of all time? Baseball Isn't Boring, baby. I'm Rob Bradford, and every single day I'm sitting down with the biggest names to show you this great game is the greatest game. It's my podcast. It's my passion. It's a cause I started more than two years ago and is now the most prolific national daily baseball pod there is.

Another fact, so jump aboard the B.I.B. Express. Follow and listen to Baseball Isn't Boring, presented by Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Like, I just don't know how you don't go into this and say, like, I need some freaking pop in this lineup, man. I need some freaking pop in this lineup. Yeah, which is, I mean, semi-embarrassing, frankly.

I mean, just like... I mean... Brandon Marsh! Brandon Marsh, the only guy who was an OPS over 800 in this lineup. I haven't seen what happened after today. Maybe it changed. They were coming in today. Like, Brandon Marsh, the only player on the freaking team with an OPS over 800.

Are you serious? Is that like a real freaking thing? That's insane, dude. It's embarrassing. Well, the Braves have five i believe like it's like a murderous row in that lineup like this is asinine we've got dudes man they've got what one two three four five guys making 20 million or more they're this year in their lineup five guys making 20 million dollars or more and none of them have an OPS over 800.

Like, that's tough. Yeah, well, and especially in a game like last night. Like, listen, I know Bibby's good or whatever. He was better than I expected. Dude has some stuff. Yeah, I was not surprised by Gavin. And I think if Gavin went another inning, I thought they would have gotten to him because he kind of lost it but it's just like there's there's it's been it's been the

story of the season the story of the season is that they can't make pitchers pay and they and they can't hit the ball the ballpark and that's been incredibly frustrating given the amount of money that they have invested in this team and it's like you know schwarber schwarber whatever turner it's you know what a disaster dude i know but he's like the one today but it almost even felt like the outfielder got a bad read on it or whatever like it wasn't i know it ended up was a double try i think it was a double or triple. I think it was a triple. Triple. He's just – It's not – There's no impact. Those at-bats yesterday in big spots,

like the strikeout with the bases loaded, I mean, it's like he's flailing them. He feels – I know people say it because it's like the most obvious comparison because it's last year or this year, but it really does look like Castellanos last year at times where he goes up there and he's just kind of, it doesn't have any idea what's coming

and it's just flailing and stuff, you know? Well, it's just, again, I have no idea how you are this far into your big league career and it's just, it's like, oh, I can throw a slider 58 feet and he's gonna swing at it and it's like it's a lot of like one for fours with the strikeout you know what i mean where it's not like oh here's a double a single a stolen base you know and i don't need a bunch of home runs from trey turner i need a couple hits a couple stolen bases, and putting pressure on defenses. It's just been so lack of impact-y from Trey Turner.

Sure, he's had some hits against the home run against the Diamondbacks. He's had some RBI chances. But it's like for impacting an entire game game the value of trey turner and why you paid him 300 million was he's gonna hit close 300 he's gonna steal a ton of bags he's gonna put pressure on defenses and he can he can hit you 20 in in a in a ballpark like systems bank park and it's just not been there castellanos you have i mean it's hard not to have the fear that he's reverting back to 2022 Castellanos. His batting average is down to 281. Yeah, he was over 300 all year.

In a week, it's down to 280. It's like, whoa. And he's chasing all the time. He looks like last year. 96 down the middle in extra innings today. Hey, fantasy football owners. The road to winning your fantasy football championship starts now. I'm Matt Harmon from Reception Perception.

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Follow and listen to Reception Perception on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Harper, I think it's been fine. You know, I think that it's, I'm not, I can't like crush Bryce because he's coming back from fricking Tommy John and learning how to play first base.

Sure, would I love more power? Yeah, and I think it's absolutely necessary. But I can't sit here and complain about Bryce because I think he's working his way back for something. JT has been just dreadful. And I keep waiting for JT to come out of the – because it was around this time last year, so, well, it's actually not.

It's 10 days past now, but it was at this time last year when he had the Blue Jays series, which was, I believe, July 13th to the 15th or something like that, and after that, he was the MVP of the team. I keep waiting for that, but he's just not, he's just so unclutched at the moment,

at that play right now. I anticipate a double play coming rather than something good. Boehm and Stott are really good, mostly. I mean, Boehm obviously want more power, but the guy's got almost 60 RBI betting seventh most of the year, so I can't crush him for that, and Stott is Stott. When Thompson talks postgame last night i actually like so i didn't hear him say it but i thought the quotes were important i thought it was important the way that he was like one through

five has to start producing because you can make whatever trade you want the deadline and outside of like a juan soto goldschmidt whatever they're only going to go on a run if they're one through five are great and the fact that he kind of finally was putting the pressure on them and to his credit, changed the lineup around today and starts to put the, you know, turn the fire up a little bit on those guys. Stuff matters. And it's stuff that that the great managers have to. They can't just sit back and be like that ah, it'll all work out. You got to have a little bit of fuel in the ball club. And I liked that last night, he took the moment to be like, listen, these guys have to be better. And I think it goes a long way in the clubhouse. And

sure, those guys know they need to be better. They're not going out there looking to suck. But I think putting it on them and being like, you guys got to be better. I hope that it results in those guys kind of carrying the ball club for a little bit. Because it feels like for a majority of this year, it's been the starting staff. It's been the bullpen. And as we head into August with 19 home games and an easier schedule, this is time for the offense to find its rhythm and just start crushing folks. Yeah, I mean, it has to. They're not going anywhere without those top five guys.

I mean, they're everything. Again, I said they got five dudes making $20 million or more a year in the starting lineup. It's those five guys. Boom, there we go. It's pretty simple. You're not going to win if that $100 million worth of money comes up small for you. That's just it. All right, take back.

We've already gone over the time that we said we would go. All right. We're good. I know. You're an Ironman. One of us is doing something tough today. I mean,

sure, doing an Ironman, but try talking about the Phillies for 30 plus minutes. Tell me the real tough guys. It's way tougher. It was nice seeing Reese on the road. You know? I had a one, two, a three. I think we could have made a bigger D out of it.

But whatever. They came back today and won. I agree with you. But, you know, still. It's good to see him back on the road. And hopefully, you know, can be someone that those guys can lean on and say, hey, you know, we need a leader right now, whatever. Things have just felt weird since the Harper at bat.

I don't know. Everything's felt kind of off since Harper decided to completely tank in at bat for no reason. I hadn't put it together, but you're right. Ever since then, it's been weird. Everything just seems a little tight. You know what I mean? Oh, by the way, the painter thing, we didn't mention that news. It's happened since then, too, which isn't surprising, I think.

I was pretty confident at some point Tommy John was coming. People are getting mad at the team, saying, oh, you should have got it right away. It's like, look, I understand them not getting it right away. It's a 19-year-old kid. You want to try and avoid it. I get it. But it is what it is.

It is what it is. You can't force someone to get surgery. Like I just, I'm sorry. You know, like it is what it is. Especially at that age. And listen,

if he makes his debut at 21, it's still a really good outcome. Amazing. Yeah, exactly. So, yeah. Um,

yeah, the Bryce at Pat was weird. Bryce and Pat was weird. The weirdest thing is that, like, for someone who's come here and from the moment he got here said every right thing, you know, I'd boo me and, you know, the opening press conference and every opportunity he's gotten, he's said all the right things. I mean, Mr. Philadelphia and Mr. Team and Mr. Perfect.

It's like the weirdest part about this whole thing is that he hasn't talked about it like that's the weirdest thing is that he's not like getting up and saying hey listen here's what happened you know it's weird whole thing's weird and you're right the vibes changed it feels like everything's been kind of off since that moment