Tied for the worst file (9-19) in baseball with the Mets, the Phillies aren’t enjoying properly in any space. Offensively, they’re nowhere close to the place they’ve been in current seasons, and it has folks questioning what kind of modifications, if any, might be on the horizon.
One change that seems unlikely for now regards the hitting coach. Kevin Lengthy, with the Phillies since 2022, in all probability isn’t going wherever.
The Athletic’s Matt Gelb famous on Sunday the Phillies signed Lengthy to a three-year contract in the course of the offseason. He was a training free agent and “entertained sturdy curiosity from rival golf equipment,” Gelb wrote.
Supervisor Rob Thomson, whose personal job safety is questionable proper now, had sturdy reward for Lengthy following the Phillies’ 6-2 loss to the Braves Sunday, a day through which Philadelphia recorded simply two hits.
“Kevin’s the most effective within the recreation,” Thomson stated to reporters, together with Gelb. “There’s a few Corridor of Famers on the market that may inform you that.”
The Phillies have been a top-ten scoring group in each season since Lengthy turned hitting coach. This 12 months, although, their horrible begin has them twenty eighth in runs (102), solely forward of the Giants (97) and Mets (92). They’re hitting .219/.294/.362 as a group.
The one hitters the Phillies have been in a position to rely on this season are Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper. Brandon Marsh (.795) and Edmundo Sosa (.721) are the one different hitters with an OPS over .700. Everybody else has had tough stretches or has been straight up dangerous.
Trea Turner, batting .230 with a .658 OPS, has fallen off these days. Bryson Stott’s second-half success from final season has not transferred over to this season. Stott has a .541 OPS. Alec Bohm is a hundred and eightieth amongst certified hitters with a .412 OPS. That’s lifeless final.
These three are simply the tip of the iceberg for the Phillies’ scuffling lineup.
Pacing a 52-win season, the Phillies are in a significant funk. One which, if it continues one other week or two, may result in main modifications. No matter these modifications would appear to be, don’t make certain any of them can be the firing of Lengthy, whose fame each throughout the Phillies group and throughout baseball could be very excessive.
