High Hopes: A Phillies Podcast - High Hopes Chapter 3: Trea Turner and Phillies lineup expectations

Episode Date: March 29, 2023

James Seltzer and Jack Fritz debate the sky-high expectations for Trea Turner and what they expect from the rest of the lineup with Rhys Hoskins out for the season. 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 right, offensively, we talked a little bit about it last time with the Reese injury and all that, losing Reese. We talked about how they're going to fill it in in terms of Hall and all that. But stepping back, you've had a few days to think about how big a hit offensively do you think there's going to be? Like Trey Turner coming in you think should make up for some offensive deficiencies, his replacement a lot. But how serious a loss is Hoskins offensively

now that you've had a few days to kind of let it percolate? Well, speaking of Trey Turner, I thought like, you know, we had our fancy draft on Monday and I'm not I never do redraft leagues. Like I'm in keepers. Same, same, same. I never get to do them. It was shocking seeing him be the number one fantasy player. It was like, wow, you know, we we We've always dreamt of having that kind of guy. Yeah, and he should be. I mean, other than Shohei, he was different and contributes on two sides of the ball.

Unless your league allows you to draft him as both. You can do that, can't you? I mean, it's just you designate him for a day. So the day he's pitching, he can't hit, but you can use him as a hitter every other day. Well, on Yahoo, I think you have to draft, you have to draft the DH and you have to draft the pitcher. No, no.

So in ESPN, what we're playing in, like you, Shohei is the most valuable player because you can use him as a hitter six days a week and then have him pitch the day of pitching. So, but regardless, Trey Turner should be the next pick. Like if I had had the second pick in that draft, I would have taken Trey Turner. He's going to steal 60 bases and hit like 25, 30 home runs. Like this dude's going to be a monster from a fantasy. And now apparently he hits home runs all the time. So who knew dude is over under and home runs.

Like I know he's only get over 24, I think once in his career, but I think it's 23 and a half. Like that seems so low right now with this team and the ballpark and all that. Between that being feeling low, I think Bomes is 14 and a half. Wow. That is shockingly low. That is shockingly low. Come on, Vegas.

Grow up a little bit. I mean, you know Vegas, always losing money.gas always losing money they don't know what they're doing out there it's what everyone always says although i mean man they they completely missed the the the eagles thing last year but whatever um but but to be fair when that happened like everyone it was like bet on the eagles bet on the eagles bet and eagles over under went up like a whole win or whatever but of course it did i know know. They blew it, but at least the market caught it up. Yeah. So it's definitely going to be a big deal, obviously.

But maybe I need to see it play out first, and maybe I need to see these guys play. But I haven't really – it hasn't sunk in how I feel about the team. I think – I've never been a huge derrick hall guy but i think he's gonna be pretty good at it and i just i like his like the power's always been there for him but i like how he's hitting this this this spring training like i like that he's taking you know singles up the middle you know i like that he's had some hits off of lefties it's not i'm not seeing as much swing and miss as i'd seen in in

the last couple of years so um you know i just i i think he can do at least a a competent job and i just i continue to believe that that bohm's having this big kind of breakout he's arrived kind of year so um you know i i just i don't it hasn't really just it hasn't affected me that much you know like i just it stinks for Reese. I feel bad for Reese, but I think they're going to be fine. And, and I think that I think some people are going to step up. I mean, they did last year, they went 32 and 20 without Bryce. Um, and then hopefully Reese can, can pull the Schwarber and be ready to go for the NLCS

and world series and, and, you know, win it for, you know, bring it home for Reese would be great. Um, but it hasn't changed anything and and i think i think first base defense is gonna i think calls a better defense the first base and so i think that'll help um i know people freak out about like i just the idea of cassianos playing first base just keeps me up at night it's a terrible idea um but i think kyle swerber did you hear schwarber's yeah it's so funny he's like they're like oh yeah you played 41 games they're in boston do you have any interest like no like before they can finish the question he's like no like we've got other dudes i'm not flying first

place well i think his quote was like you don't want to see that you don't want to see that he's like we've got enough guys where you shouldn't have to see that is what he said yeah yeah so and you know i think i think bone can do it you know if it needs to come down to it where derrick hall can't play whatever like i think bone could do it. If it needs to come down to it where Derek Hall can't play, whatever. I think Boehm can do it. I know people have concerns defensively, but I watched him all spring. I don't even get that worried about Boehm's defense. Me too, man.

It's not something where it's going to, I think, hamper them. He's never going to be Aaron Otto. He's made so many more simple, routine plays that I just think he's going to be Aaron Otto. But he's just, he's made so many more, like, simple, routine plays that, like, I just think he's going to be okay at first base if they put him there. Yeah, to that point, that just the amount that he improved last year at third base from the, I hate this place, bleep in place moment to the playoffs and how he felt about it.

I'm like, he's going to put in the work. Bobby Dickerson is phenomenal at this job, at teaching these guys how to do this stuff. Like, I don't think, like, it it's i know he's played his whole life so that's part of it it's harder to play third base than first base like i think that ultimately if given a chance and given time he'll be able to figure this out i agree with you but i don't think he could just step over there right now with so little reps in it and not have issues yeah work but it's covering knowing where to be all it's good it to be there will be moments

is the point, but I think he has played there before, it's like people act like he's never played first base he's never played it with any sort of consistent but I know your point he's played first base in games before my bigger concern with Bone playing first base is actually the power

if I'm ranking the things that I'm worried the most about, I need 25-plus home runs for my first baseman if I'm going to feel comfortable with it, unless you want to be a 300-hitting level first baseman. Yeah, unless you're a 300-hitter who's one of the best defensive first basemen in baseball. Correct. Then you can do that, sure.

Correct, and we know he's not going to be that. For him to play first base for me long-term, potentially, the power has to develop. The other aspect here is JT. Yep. You know? And what that would require is more Garrett Stubbs, who I love dearly.

Don't think he needs to play three times a week. I mean, look, when it comes down to it, you'd rather have Emundo Sosa in the lineup than Garrett Stubbs, is the point. If you're taking a one-for-one in those situations, you'd just rather have Emundo Sosa in the lineup. And, you know, and again, with Emundo, you would have a goal club talent for first base. Exactly.

You're upping the third base defense in a big way. Exactly. And look, as much as I like Stubbs, you are degrading the catcher defense as well when you go from romito to stubs as well but the other part about mundo is that he plays first base you're getting gold glove clobber first base if you want to that's why i suggested that last time where that's certainly an option for me you know so so um yeah it's it's something that it stinks but but they'll have to overcome it. I can't sit here and be totally freaking out because Reese got hurt

when I saw the Braves in the World Series with Acuna out. Acuna is a top five player in the game. So it stinks. I feel bad. We got to move on. Yeah. Well, especially to your point, in terms of just approximate, and again, there's a lot more that goes into, you know,

a team and all that type of stuff. But if we're just talking and a lot of people will just break baseball down to the component stats to like wins or Bob replacement, this, that, whatever it is like, like essentially if we're talking about getting a, a passable to bad first baseman replacement,

which is what Reese is. If we're talking about just replacing Reese, we're talking about 30 homers and a, you know, three 40. I mean, hopefully better, but last year 330 340 350 OBP like yeah you could absolutely do that with a combination of Derek calling off boom like pretty easily I think so uh you know easily but it's certainly doable so I think just from a stats perspective I'm with you I do think you know the leadership the you know they called him captain all that i i do think that's that was more of my concern when it happened i do love and shout out

to alex coffee we've talked about many times in the pot i think you know doing a phenomenal job on the beat and always finding interesting kind of offbeat type stuff but um she had this quote from uh in her story uh where derrick called right after it happened you know the day after whatever saw hoskins at his locker and went up and gave him a hug. And he said, I'm sorry, man, this is really rough. And Hoskins replied with actually I'm happy for you. And it was this whole thing about, he's happy for all. He had the chance. I'm like, that's where I get calmed down again.

And I worry about the, the, the losing Hoskins from that perspective. And I'm like, Hey, to your point, he's still there. And then on top of that, like that like man there's vibes still here like i do think that if i have to say is this going to be something that that hurts the team from vibes perspective or brings them together motivates them i would absolutely bet on brings them together motivates them and i think that that that part of this is where i'm getting hope from yeah i and i think that's a massive part of this like i don't so when schwarber tore his acl he did not go on road trips with them but he was at every home game you know and And I think that's a massive part of this. Like, I don't – so when Schwarber toured his ACL,

he did not go on road trips with them, but he was at every home game. You know, and I kind of anticipate Reese doing the same thing. Like, just – first off, he loves being there. He loves being around the guys. He lives in Philly. It's not like it would be a big deal for him. You know, I think that – yeah, so I think he'll be there. I think he'll be around. And I think that, you know, if they see him working

and trying his damnedest to get back, I think there's going to be a little bit of a win it for Reese and bring it home and try to get him back for the NLCS, get him back for the World Series, hopefully, and stuff like that. So we talk about these things kind of rallying teams together. I think Reese is the right-ish kind of way for it to happen to, where it's like the rightish kind of way to the for it to happen to where it's like he's going to be there he's going to be invested um and he's going to he's going to put everything he can you know to almost being like a coach you know he's

almost going to be like a coach for these guys um and i i just think his presence around the team is going to really really help so yeah i'm I'm totally with you and we'll see. Okay. Um, last thing and then take bag and I want to make predictions at the end and all that, but, um, your guy, man, you and your Marte on the team. How excited were you? And that comes down and you see up my dude. I said he was going to make it. I've been on this corner.

I've been stopping for him all like spring training longping for him all, like, spring training long. Junior Marte. Very excited. Very excited. And I just, you know, they've been so good at finding these, like, under-the-radar kind of guys that can – that's the thing that sunk Clint Ackerman fails. They couldn't find anyone that was like –

It was like 0 for a anyone. It was like, oh, for a million. It was unbelievable. It was like, how could you not even just get on a guy by mistake? Mike Morin. I mean, Blake Parker you mentioned before. I mean, so many of these. I mean, Ramon Rosso and all these younger guys that just couldn't come up and help and couldn't, you know.

It is night and day with that stuff. Well, and they're taking from the right teams, too. Like, Junior Marte is a Giants product. Well, it actually started with the Royals, but he got developed by the Giants. Why are you getting Angels guys? Why are you getting Tigers guys? Like, go get smart teams, yes.