Just a season ago, the Phillies laid claim to one of the most anemic
offenses in the league. They finished dead last in both hits and batting
average and ranked in the bottom ten in runs scored. Quite frankly, the
offense was a complete disaster in 2018.
Unwilling to suffer through a similar offensive campaign, Phillies GM
Matt Klentak and Co. executed perhaps the most aggressive free agency
period in team history. Philly welcomed tons of new faces- namely Bryce
Harper, Jean Segura, J.T Realmuto, and Andrew McCutchen- but it’s the
additions of Segura and McCutchen in particular that I’d like to highlight.
As I mentioned earlier, the Phillies hit total was worst in the league
last season. A large reason for their lowly output was due to a lack of
production at the top of the lineup. Accumulatively, the #1 and #2 hitters in
the Phils 2018 lineup finished with batting averages of .255 and .218. The
lack of production at the top of the lineup not only allowed opposing pitchers
to settle in and get comfortable early in ball games but dampened the
impact of the heart of the Phils lineup since they were usually batting with
no runners on base.
After acquiring former all-stars McCutchen and Segura this offseason,
however, the Phillies have experienced a huge spike in production atop the
lineup. In order to properly examine the impact they’ve made offensively, I’ll
break them down one at a time.
Andrew McCutchen
While McCutchen isn’t exactly chasing Ted Williams batting record with
his .243 batting average, the veteran outfielder has been a steady presence
at the leadoff spot. McCutchen is currently leading the National League in
walks (34) and is second to only Mike Trout (41) in that category
league-wide. His plate vision, though tremendous, goes beyond simply
drawing walks.
Despite boasting a less than stellar batting average, McCutchen has
been one of the tougher outs so far this season. His 4.51 pitches per plate
appearance are second only to teammate Rhys Hoskins. McCutchen has also
only swung at 17.1% of pitches outside of the strike zone, according to
FanGraphs, which puts him slightly ahead of Trout (17.7%) for the league
lead.
Having a veteran player with such a strong sense of discernment
regarding balls and strikes at the leadoff spot has completely transformed
the Phillies offense. Not only do the Phils get a good feel and view of what an
opposing pitcher is bringing to the table early in the ballgame, but his high
walk rate affords the heart of the Phils lineup to bat with at least one runner
on more often than not. Hopefully, he begins racking up more hits, but the former NL MVP has already begun to make his presence felt at the leadoff spot.
Jean Segura
Slotting in right behind McCutchen at the two-hole, Segura has played
like a man possessed since arriving in Philly. In just 36 games, the 29-year
old shortstop has notched 48 hits- with roughly a third of them being of the
extra-base variety. Additionally, Segura has already recorded 16(!) multi-hit
games this season.
After failing to generate any amount of consistent offense out of the
two-hole last season, Segura has been a godsend for the Phillies with his
uncanny ability to rack up hits religiously. His .322 batting average ranks
11th in the league at the time of writing and he has easily been the Phillies
most productive batter in 2019.
Alongside McCutchen, Segura has solidified a highly-productive 1-2 punch atop the NL East-leading Phillies lineup. In fact, I’d hardly call it a stretch to say that they are currently pacing the suddenly-explosive offense in Philly.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
