FanPost Friday: The difference between them and us

This week, the Yankees came in to Philadelphia with their “fans” and took over. They were loud in the stands, loud during the games and loud after their wins. In those wins, the Yankees looked like a team head and shoulders above the Phillies for two of the three nights. Even in the game the Phillies did win, their only offense was a three run homer from Rhys Hoskins. It was readily apparent who the better team is right now.

But are they that far behind? The Yankees have been fortunate in that they have had several of their hitting prospects come up and actually hit while the Phils have seen some stagnant performances. Martin Frank states this in his article from the other day with this same point where he tries to surmise how the Phillies can keep up and catch the Yankees. His idea of improvement calls for the same solution given by many a baseball pundit so far:

But the Phillies can close the gap, perhaps as soon as the trade deadline on July 31, by going on a Yankees-type of spending spree with someone like Orioles shortstop Manny Machado. It might mean trading for Machado at the July 31 deadline, then trying to sign him to an extension worth a few hundred million dollars before he hits free agency.

So, for this week’s topic: what do the Phillies need to do in order to catch up to the elite teams in baseball? Is it anything philosophically in the organization that needs an adjustment, or do they need to do something with personnel? Is it simply a matter of luck?

Head on over to the FanPost section in order to write your ideas. Best one we like will head on up to the main page. Happy writing!