Rhys Hoskins is off to a hot start at Lehigh Valley (Frank Klose/Sports Talk Philly)
Once again it is time for the Phillies mailbag on 973espn.com! Each week we take your questions and then answer them on the Sports Bash with Mike Gill at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Send your questions at any time to @FrankKlose on Twitter or to [email protected].
What do you do with Jeanmar Gomez if you're the Phillies?
~Anthony
The Jeanmar Gomez situation is a tough one. I think it hit the head when the Phillies used Gomez with a one-run deficit in the sixth inning on Sunday during Nick Pivetta's Major League debut. Gomez was in a lower-pressure situation, and yet, could not get through one inning without surrendering a three-run home run.
The thing about relievers is that they tend to be up and down. I think the Phillies fully benefited from the "up" in Gomez's career. After grabbing Gomez when the Pittsburgh Pirates were finished with his services, the Phillies got a moderate season in 2015 and then what seems to be the best season of his career in 2016. Gomez leaked oil down the stretch, and has not shown any promise of control in the early going.
If I am the Phillies, I try to trade Gomez. No, I understand that Gomez does not have a lot of value right now. But I think to a few seasons ago when the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim traded two relievers that were very much under performing. On June 27, 2014, the Pirates sent Jason Grilli to the West Coast and took back Ernesto Frieri from the Angels. The move was a swap of two massively under-performing relievers.
I see a couple similar-type pitchers the Phillies could swap Gomez for.
Long-time closer Fernando Rodney was signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason and has struggled. Rodney is 1-2 with a 12.60 earned run average. Rodney is tied for second place with two blown saves with the Phillies Edubray Ramos and a cast of others. Gomez has just one blown save.`
Another name was suggested to me by friend of Sports Talk Philly, Greg Vince. Vince suggested that the Los Angeles Dodgers might consider swapping Gomez for long-time San Francisco Giants reliever Sergio Romo. Romo is 0-1 with a 10.57 earned run average.
I know what you're thinking: neither player is worth much. But Gomez, at 2-1 with a 9.64 earned run average, is not providing the Phillies much value these days either. Sometimes a change of scenery will help a player. I would think that the Phillies could give it a shot with another player whose team finds him in a similar situation.
Is it time to bring Rhys Hoskins up to the majors yet?
~Harry
Rhys Hoskins is certainly doing a stellar job at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. After 23 games, Hoskins is batting .338 with six home runs and an OPS that at 1.063 catches one's attention. But, despite the big numbers, I think the Phillies should wait a bit. This is even true, despite the fact that the Phillies are working out Howie Kendrick at first base to potentially replace the struggling Tommy Joseph.
Phillies manager Pete Mackanin has said he would like to see 100 plate appearances from a player before interrupting the player's position. Joseph had 72 heading into Monday night, and he belted a three-run home run in the first inning off of Cubs starter Brett Anderson that seemed to show that Joseph had some life left in his bat. I think the same standard could be applied to Hoskins…and then some.
Hoskins actually is closer to the 100 plate appearance mark than Joseph. Hoskins has 77 at bats and 11 walks. That makes him just a few games shy. But the difference is that Hoskins still has to work his way up to the Major Leagues. For every pitcher at Triple-A who has some big league experience and challenges Hoskins, there are still plenty on the rise from Double-A who really are not much of a challenge. I would like to see a bit more from Hoskins before making such a decision.
A month from now on June 1 I may think differently if Hoskins can sustain his statistics. The Phillies went to Joseph and demoted Darin Ruf on May 15. However, that was with a left-handed Ryan Howard going nowhere. I would wait until June 1 to see what happens.
However, should Howie Kendrick come back soon, he could take some at bats from Joseph, thanks to the play of Aaron Altherr.
Who exactly is Freddy Galvis?
~Matt
This is a good question. After connecting with a home run to right field on Monday night, Phillies shortstop Freddy Galvis has now hit in 13 games in a row. With stellar defense, it begs the question: who exactly is Freddy Galvis?
My response is that I think we are seeing who Galvis is. Galvis is somewhere between a bench player and a starter in the Major Leagues. Galvis plays top notch defense, something that a team is happy to throw out on the field whenever they do not have an appropriate bat to play shortstop on a daily basis.
Galvis has his moments at the plate. This 13-game hitting streak is something that Galvis does once in a while. Galvis will also hit some big home runs or some clutch hits.
However, he goes through phases where he is maddeningly inconsistent at the plate, striking out plenty and contributing little to the ball club. I think we have seen some of each of Galvis, which is what makes him somewhat in between.
The Phillies should ride this current hot streak as long as possible. Yet, the Phillies should not be offended at the same time if Galvis goes into another slump. After 12 games, Galivs was batting just .184 and then went on to hit about .333 over his next 13. This just seems to be what Galvis is.
The Phillies wait for J.P. Crawford to get things together at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Until then, the Phillies could do much, much worse at the shortstop position. Taking the ups and the downs from Galvis will suffice for now.
Should Crawford step up and claim the job, Galvis could be a nice utility player once again, as he was when Jimmy Rollins was in town. And that is perfectly okay.
