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The Phillies bench has been another weak part of the roster originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
If the Philadelphia Phillies have had one glaring hole this season, it has been their offense. A team built around slugging and launching the ball, the Phillies hold the 17th-best slugging percentage (.384), but are in the top 10 for home runs (tied for eighth, 64) thanks to designated hitter Kyle Schwarber having 21 of them (a major league lead).
With few players like Schwarber, first baseman Bryce Harper (.269 batting average and a .878 OPS) and left fielder Brandon Marsh (.318/.824) seeing the ball well in the starting lineup, the Phillies bench has been abysmal.
The Philadelphia Phillies have received very little production from members of the bench
Like bullpens throughout Major League Baseball, the Phillies bench has been in flux with a few players traveling the bus from Triple-A Leigh Valley to Philadelphia to lend a hand. Players like infielder/outfielder Otto Kemp, first baseman/outfielder Felix Reyes, former utility man Dylan Moore and Edmundo Sosa have tried to fill the fourth-outfielder spot, but all failed.
According to 97.3 ESPN's Jeff Kerr, every member of the Phillies bench, including the two catchers, Rafael Marchan and Garrett Stubbs, has a batting average of under .240 and an OPS under .600. Stubbs has the highest batting average (.235) with the fewest plate appearances (21), while Sosa has the highest OPS (.589) with the most plate appearances (87).
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Stubbs has filled in nicely for Moore, who was also the Phillies' pitcher in blowout games. Moore made two appearances (5.40 ERA) for the Phillies this season and is currently playing in Leigh Valley after he was designated for assignment on May 2.
Sosa has been asked to play more under interim manager Don Mattingly, which seems to have exposed him a little. In his last 10 games, Sosa is 6-for-33 and has struck out nine times. Second baseman Bryson Stott has started to swing a hot bat -- batting .257 with a .808 OPS and five home runs in his last 30 games.
Given that Stott is finding his swing, Sosa could likely slide back into his utility role and be more effective.
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