Phillies Daily Links, 3/8/19

Like that cigarette after a good meal us Phillies fans are kicking back after the Harper acquisition and biding our time until he plays on Saturday. At the front of our minds though is the notion that very soon our revamped 2019 team will take the field in meaningful games, thus beginning what many are hopeful is the next great chapter in Phillies history. I know for myself personally, I can’t expletive wait for opening day.

Here at The Good Phight:

• Mailbag is here! Only now it’s in the form of tweets as opposed to mail. Maybe we should rename it TweetBag? Or TweetSack, just to really spice things up. Covered in this edition is Trout, the 2019 Phillies record as it pertains to the NL East and more.
• We also review how the 2019 team can help out their rotation. Last year the offense tasked with scoring runs and the defense responsible for keeping opposing runs off the board was not so spectacular and that doesn’t seem like it’s going to be the case this year, at least on paper. Best laid plans, amiright?
• There’s also a great look at upcoming draft prospect JJ Bleday (fun name to say by the way), a college outfielder who fits the mold of what appears to be the Phillies modus operandi in the form plate discipline -he has more walks than strike outs in his college career. There’s some video and it’s a very interesting look at what could be the next new Phillie.

Other Phillies News

• Bryce Harper has played two simulated games so far and he’s hit exactly as many home runs. MLB.com covers that and recaps some other Phillies news, like Harper’s influence on ticket sales and jersey sales.
• Philly.com takes a look at Mickey Moniak and Adam Haseley and wonders if either (or both) can end what’s been a very tough stretch of drafting for the organization.
• Lastly, Fox News details how much Bryce Harper is saving in tax dollars by signing with the Phillies as opposed to a California-based team.

MLB Esoterica

• MLB.com examines two highly touted prospects who haven’t quite made ther MLB impact as of yet. This is somewhat Phillies-related as well because one is Scott Kingery, a player I personally am very high on but am very disappointed with to date. The other is Miami Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson, who was the centerpiece of the Christina Yelich deal last offseason.
• Forbes considers how the MLB needs to curb “player tampering,” where players collude to possibly effect free agency. This is of course a direct response to Bryce Harper’s very vocal courting of Mike Trout to the Phillies, which will in fact be complete reality as soon as Trout’s Angels contract is up.
• And finally for today TheRinger.com has an extremely interesting read on Major League Baseball scouting and how it’s evolved over the years. This is a genuinely fantastic piece on an aspect of the game most fans don’t really get to see.