The Good Phight’s Player of the Week: May 27 - June 2

Tough week to pick a player, especially with them struggling out west early on, but there was a steady hand at work during a few of these games.

Kyle Schwarber: 28 PA, .304/.429/.565, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 SB, 1 twenty foot single

Folks, he’s not the best leadoff hitter in the game for nothing.

I know we all get worked up about June Schwarber and not without good reason. He’s been unusually good during this particular month since becoming a Phillie, but I’d rather he just continue being the steady presence he’s been all year long.

Honorable mention

Nick Castellanos: 25 PA, .320/.320/.560, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R

I know he catches a lot of heat (and justifiably so if one looks only at his full season line), but of late, Castellanos hasn’t been all that bad. Take this date all the way back to May 6 (an arbitrary number) and his line is .255/.315/.469. Perfectly acceptable in the grand scheme of things. Should the team consider an upgrade from Castellanos? As an in-season question, it’s probably moot; the team likely isn’t making that big a change. Once the season has concluded, that’s a real conversation that needs to be had, regardless of how the season ends.

Orion Kerkering: 3 G, 3 IP, 45.5 K%, 0.0 BB%, 0.00 ERA (-0.19 FIP)

That isn’t a typo.

Over the past week, Kerkering’s FIP has actually been in the negative range. The breakout that the team has been waiting for from him looks like it’s happening, albeit very quietly. With Seranthony Dominguez having his own struggles this year, Kerkering has been rounding into form from his time off due to illness in spring training. Now that he appears to be back fully back, he’s rounding into the form the team believed he had in him. He’s a true weapon in the team’s bullpen.