The Notes: Surez & Hays Return Q&A

[Eiselen]

The Phillies did exactly what they had to do when they returned to Citizens Bank Park against the two worst teams in the National League East.  They split a two-game series with the Marlins thanks to a Kyle Schwarber home run and took three of four against the Nationals.  The only two games they lost during that stretch were Taijuan Walker starts.  At the time of this writing, the club split the first two games against the Atlanta Braves and Weston Wilson is playing third base.  Theyll get two reinforcements back against the Kansas City Royals Nick Williams Jersey.  Ranger Surezs ReturnSurez will return against the Royals after missing about a month with lower-back soreness.  The Phillies need him back for more quality innings out of the rotation.  Tyler Phillips was figured out in August, Spencer Turnbull is hurt, Kolby Allard did a nice job but doesnt have a track record, and Walker looks like a disaster.  Surezs last four starts were a mess, he carried a 7. 71 ERA with eight walks in 21 innings.  His ERA went from 1. 83 to 2. 87 in that span.  Its hard to tell if he can return to being a front-line pitcher or if he was just on a heater.  His walk rate the previous two seasons hovered closer to nine percent before dropping to 5. 6% this year.  He was as healthy as ever, that might not be the case now.  He pitches on the corners but that can lead to extra base runners, especially when JT Realmuto struggled to frame certain pitches.  Given that hes always had some in-season injury issues, its possible that correlates to why his command has always been inconsistent.  This is a theory but weve seen proof of concept before.  Surez wont be a bad pitcher at all but its hard to see him sustaining top of the National League type of production.  His presence will still make a major difference for them which is the most important thing.  Austin Hays will do what?Hays started 10 games as a Phillie with inconsistent results before hitting the injured list.  It was clear then that they would play Hays in left field every day with Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas splitting time in center field.  Now things have changed.  Johan Rojas has inflated August numbers because of a. 414 BABIP but he looks more like a competent hitter than before.  He looks like a player with confidence so throwing him on the bench may ruin his momentum.  Brandon Marsh has struggled with a. 576 OPS this month with a 40. 7% strikeout rate.  He still leads all Phillies outfielders in fWAR and has proven before hes a good player.  Its hard to imagine benching him entirely is smart.  The Phillies saw Hays as someone who didnt like his role in Baltimore.  Giving him that same role here seems like a bad idea.  Do they try a three-man weave situation and see who wins out? Do they stick to their original plans with Hays? Do they try something else? Question & AnswerWhos more likely to re-sign with this team in the offseason Estvez or Hoffman myles August 19, 2024do they re-sign hoffman / sign a replacement / or try & fill his role from within the organization like kerkering etc XanderAugust 22, 2024Carlos Estvez picked a great time to blow his first save as Phillies closer.  Hes looked shaky in the role.  He almost blew the ninth inning Wednesday night and got a bit unlucky against the Nationals but still looks hittable.  The great thing about Estvez was his ability to throw strikes but hes struggled to get chase this year and allows a lot of hard contact.  Ill pick Hoffman between the will they bring back Hoffman? Im not sure they should given what Caleb Cotham and the pitching development team have done with lesser arms.  There has been a wishy-washy history of paying bullpen arms in general too.  Maybe they feel better about giving Orion Kerkering a bigger role when the season ends.  Hes had a better season than people realize but has struggled in August.  They dont have many other right-handed answers after trading away Seranthony Dom you dont bring Hoffman back thats another spot to fill for next season.  Hoffman, Jos Ruiz, and Estvez are free agents after the season.  What are your thoughts on the outfield situation this offseason and Justin Crawford's place in the organization? Nori Gym ArcAugust 22, 2024Marsh, Rojas, and Hays all are under team control for next season but none of them may be good.  Marsh deserves the benefit of the doubt but he has to hit right-handed pitchers better.  Rojas has looked better at the plate this month but is still getting very lucky.  Hays might be the best of those three but also the there arent long-term answers right now, the Phillies should hang onto Justin Crawford until they get them.  Hes put together good results in AA but still carried the same swing issues.  He hits the ball on the ground way too much.  What is your opinion on Mick Abel currently, and do you think he would have more value to the Phillies in 2025 and beyond or as a trade-piece? E t h a nAugust 22, 2024Do you believe the Phillies will sign Ranger Suarez to a long term pitching deal like they did with Sanchez? TRAFONAugust 22, 2024I think theres still a place for Mick Abel on the MLB roster if he can get there Tim McCarver Jersey.  The Phillies have committed to Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and Cristopher Snchez long-term but there are still at least two other spots.  Walker will still have two years under contract but has a 5. 69 ERA and 6. 09 FIP.  Its fair to say his spot shouldnt be guaranteed if some pitchers internally step up.  Ranger Surez has one year left until free agency and should probably aim higher than what Snchez signed for Josh Harrison Jersey.  Starting pitchers as good as Surez are hard to develop so he may make the most money by testing the market.  Andrew Painter pitched 103. 2 innings back in 2022 and has not pitched since.  There is a spot here for Abel if he can take the necessary steps to get there.  After two encouraging starts, he struggled again Thursday night.  Whos your favorite under the radar prospect in the Org and why? TeeJAugust 22, 2024This is a cop-out answer but Moiss Chace has looked solid as a starting pitcher for Reading.  Acquired for Gregory Soto from Baltimore, Chace throws a rising fastball around 93-96 with a nasty slider that he plays with the shape.  He looks like the kind of arm the Rays go after and on the future catcher situation/plan after JTs contract is up? Do they resign him or move on to Marchan/Tait, or elsewhere? Phillies SZNAugust 22, 2024Eduardo Tait is 17 years old so I dont think he should factor into immediate plans yet.  JT Realmutos contract is done after next season when he turns 35.  Im not sure what kind of player he will be next season because good catchers at his age are rare.  Hes shown some decline this year but was also playing through injury in May. Im not sure what the answer is.  If hes good next year then I think you play it year-by-year with him.  If not then you might have to look for a short-term solution if Tait is developing.  Which Phillies prospect has the best baseball name? Explaining The PhilliesAugust 22, 2024Otto Kemp.  How do you rank this run's roster vs the 2007-2011 run? David PalardyAugust 22, 2024I think theyre better than the 07-09 teams and not as good as 2011.  That pitching staff was just too dominant.  The 2010 team feels like the best comparison.  They both featured solid lineups and strong front-of-the-rotations with underrated bullpens.  The 2010 rotation, especially after getting Roy Oswalt is better than this team.  Roy Halladay was much better than Zack Wheeler and Cole Hamels pitched a lot better than Aaron Nola has this year.  Oswalt was easily better than Surez or Snchez.  So just behind the 2010 team but a fun question.