They finally put a game on TV, so I have some thoughts about some players. Specifically 3 players.
Rhys Hoskins worked 3 full counts in his 4 trips to the plate today. He also fouled off a bunch of pitches in those at bats in addition to the 3-2 counts. He ended up going 0-3 with a strikeout and a walk today. Hoskins entered the day tied for the Phillies lead in walks and now through 13 plate appearances has 4 walks to 1 strikeout. This is what you are looking for in spring training, the foundational process that will lead to good results. If Hoskins continues to have days like this he is going to continue to put up good number.
Mark Appel followed Jeremy Hellickson for 2.2 innings of work. His fastball was 91-94 and fairly straight, but he was able to keep it away from the middle of the plate (with one notable exception). He matched his fastball with a plus slider in the mid 80s that he was able to use to embarrass some batters. Appel also mixed in a low to mid 80s changeup that had some good fade and was able to freeze some batters with it. Outside of the home run he gave up he was able to generate weak contact. He was in the stretch twice and didn’t implode either time. The one concern is that hitters were able to foul off his fastball and make him work.
The last guys is the hype man of the month in second baseman Scott Kingery. As is becoming routine, Kingery made a great defensive play. He also worked a deep count in his first at bat before hitting a line drive home run (his second of the spring). It is easy to get hyped about Kingery who is batting .500/.538/1.083 through 6 games. It is also 6 games and it wasn’t long ago that Kingery was struggling in AA as he wore down at the end of the season. There are plenty of things to get excited about with Kingery this spring. His defense has gotten to another level, and he has become a very good defender at second base. Also he is not going to home once every 7 plate appearances, but it does appear the muscle he added to survive a long season has given Kingery some more power. He still is unlikely to see the majors in 2017, that is fine. Cesar Hernandez had a good game and was very good last year. Meanwhile Kingery still could use some time in AA before getting work in AAA. He should have a chance to try and take the everyday job next spring, but for now just enjoy him while he is still around major league camp.
Thanks for the update. Its too early for Kingery hype to replace Hernandez and Hernandez may never give up the spot to him anyway. But I was wondering about Appel’s stuff as he is a wild card for the rotation at AAA or ML or bullpen as a fallback option. Straight fastball makes him a Phillip Aumont, improvement makes him a major league pitcher.