4/16/25 : This and That
- Steve Potter
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
I rarely write about the big club - just a tidbit to calm some of the current fan “panic” if possible. Last season after 16 games played the Phillies were 9-8, they then went 11-3 over the next 14 games to finish the month of April with a 20-11 record. This season after 17 games they are 10-7 and have 14 games remaining till April ends. Last season Nick Castellanos was hitting .159 after 17 games played - this year he’s at .306. Last season Bryce Harper was hitting .217 after 17 games played - this year he’s at .250. Schwarber was hitting .230 - this year he’s at .267. Alex Bohm was hitting .242 - this year he’s at .162. Long season - more mini panic attacks to likely come - with a talented team more often than not it’s not warranted - things generally work out over the long haul.
Last night the Threshers played the Palm Beach Cardinals at the historic Jackie Robinson training center venue in Vero Beach. I had the good fortune of playing at that complex in a Men’s Senior League tournament a few years back. Walking onto the fields where such distinctive baseball history was made gave me tingles then and watching the game yesterday did the same. You could tell the impression it made on the Threshers players as many posted photos on their social media accounts. The courage and perseverance of Jackie Robinson can never ever be discounted or forgotten. The impact he made can never be taken for granted, especially where ongoing equality of life is concerned. We should all get tingles from his memory and we should all persevere to continually make life for everyone just and fair. Baseball is a game but it has life lessons embedded within it.
There are quite a few Phillies minor league players off to great starts - at the AAA level Otto Kemp has posted a .311/.411/.672 slash line with an OPS of 1.083 in his first 73 plate appearances with 5 home runs (tied for lead in International League) - last year at this time he was in the first game of a rehab assignment at Jersey Shore working his way back from an oblique injury. Otto played with the BlueClaws thru June 9th before bumping up to Reading. The young man showed he could hit from his first day in camp after signing as an un-drafted free agent in 2022 from a small school in California. Baseball folks, both internally and externally, always noted as much. Some have reservations about his defense primarily based on a few hiccups during his time at Reading but I’ve watched him excel defensively as well, particularly at Jersey Shore as a third baseman. The kid has big league tools and I truly believe he will impact a team in the near future when given the opportunity he continues to earn.
Just a few notes - am headed to the complex in a bit to watch XST batting practice.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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