Philadelphia Baseball History

This spring, Phillies right handed pitcher Vince Velasquez finds himself in a fierce competition for the last spot in the Phillies rotation for the start of the 2020 season.  This is familiar territory for Velasquez, as he has battled, not only in spring training, but also during the season, for a spot in the Phillies rotation since joining the team in 2015.  His strong right arm, which allows his to throw fastballs upwards of 97 mph, has given him an advantage at times.  But, his inconsistency, lack of command, and high pitch count have all contributed to his inability to solidly claim a starting role coming into the 2020 spring training season. Hailing from Montclair, California, Velasquez was drafted right out of high school, where he was a star shortstop and switch hitter.  Velasquez had pitched on occasion with Garey High School in Pamona, California.  His high school career showed the Houston Astros that he was a versatile athlete, prompting the Astros...

A somewhat unlikely hero emerged from the Phillies' shut-out of the Braves yesterday: Maikel Franco. After showing promise in the 2015 season, and being the recipient of praise from Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt during the 2016 preseason, Franco's performance at the plate has been disappointing.  With 304 at-bats in 2015, Franco hit .280, with 14 home runs and 50 RBIs.  In 2016, with 581 at-bats, his average fell to .255.  Despite his 25 home runs and 88 RBIs, Manager Pete Mackanin exclaimed that he wanted to see improvement in Franco in 2017.  Instead, Franco's average fell to .231.  With six games left in the season, his home run total is 21 and his RBI total is 70. Franco's sub-par offensive performance, and Freddy Galvis' impressive play at shortstop, caused the Phillies to experiment with rookie J.P Crawford.  Known for being a shortstop for most of his minor league career, Crawford played a few games near the end of the AAA season at third base. ...