Phillies fans rave about Joe Girardi working with on social media

Want a little break from the Joe Girardi news?

The Phillies, a bit remarkably, have 3 Gold Glove finalists. J.T. Realmuto was an obvious one, however Bryce Harper is also a finalist in ideal field and Aaron Nola is among the 3 NL pitchers up for the award.

The discussion surrounding Harper’s defense is extremely different than it was at this time last year. There were issues that Harper’s defense negated some of his offense and questions whether he could stick in right field long-term.

Harper committed himself to becoming a better and more trustworthy protector this year. It was obvious nearly instantly. After diving for only one ball all season, Harper set out with consistency this season. There was a stretch in May when Harper dove or moved to capture a ball 5 times in 4 video games.

Harper likewise connected a career-high with 13 outfield assists. He had one in 2018.

He does not hit the cutoff male enough, however Harper’s protective decision-making did improve with regard to throwing to the correct base. Earlier in his profession, he was more prone to airing it out for a not likely play at the plate with two runners in scoring position than tossing to third to keep a runner at 2nd.

Harper’s Gold Glove competition in ideal field is Jason Heyward and Cody Bellinger. It would be shocking if the award didn’t go to Bellinger.

It would be similarly stunning if the Gold Glove award behind the plate goes to anybody other than Realmuto. All due regard to Austin Hedges and Yadier Molina, Realmuto was in a class of his own this season defensively. Throwing away runners, obstructing balls, framing pitches … Realmuto was elite in every classification. His athleticism is unmatched at his position.

Nola is a bit of a surprise amongst pitchers. Jack Flaherty and Zack Greinke are the other 2 finalists. Nola did improve substantially with holding on runners. Opposing base thiefs were just 7 for 15 (47%) versus Nola in 2019 after going 48 for 59 (81%) the previous 4 years. He attempted 185 pickoff throws this season, 27 more than any pitcher in baseball.

Gold Glove winners will be announced on ESPN ay 7 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Subscribe and rate At The Yard:
Apple Podcasts / Google Play / Spotify / Stitcher / Art19

Baseball is cyclical. High-strung managers get release and change by more player-friendly skippers. Supervisors who keep it loose get release and replaced by more reliable types. Occurs all the time. Look no more than Dollar Showalter, whose disciplinarian track record drew in several teams prior to he arrived before likewise being a reason behind his ouster.

Girardi’s pushback toward the end of that Yankees stretch provides proof that he is not married to analytics. He understands how to interpret and use data, and he can speak the language of analytics, but Girardi will likewise incorporate gut-feel in his day-to-day choices.

He likely will not compare, on the mound or in the batter’s box, the exact same method Gabe Kapler and Chris Young did. Bullpen usage will probably alter.

“I think [Girardi] will seek to have roles because bullpen. We discuss the blend. He’s more most likely to employ the mix, use that information when he feels it’s the correct time to use it, use his gut when he feels like it’s the correct time to do it.

“One, he comes from a franchise where there was a great deal of analytics in the New york city Yankees. He was analytically literate. He’s also got ten years on his resume of running the most visible group in maybe all of pro sports. That provides him some cache, so if he doesn’t wish to follow the determines from above, it’s gon na be difficult to call him on the carpet since he’s done it, he’s succeeded.”

That last point is a crucial one and will assist Girardi avoid being slammed for each single relocation. For more on what else need to alter in the Phillies’ company under Girardi, take a look at the most recent At the Backyard pod listed below.