Uncustomed Heroes of 2017: Phillies

While the Phillies didn't exactly blow any doors down this year, they weren't exactly terrible. Even as the games were being lost, and fans were refusing to go to games, a new youth movement was forming, starting with call-ups from Nick Williams, Rhys Hoskins and J.P. Crawford.

Cesar Hernandez was one of the few vets that made a case for permanence, having a great start, and a great finish, while being injured for most of the mid-season.

Freddy Galvis had another great defensive season at shortstop, nearly winning a gold glove, and bringing some good presence to games. He'll be playing in San Diego next season, though.

Cameron Rupp, while not exactly matching his 2016 season, did fairly well behind the plate, despite rampant competition from Andrew Knapp and Jorge Alfaro. It's uncertain what his role will be in the 2018 squad, though I'm guessing he'll be backing up Alfaro.

It's even more nebulous as to what role Tommy Joseph will have in the 2018 squad. After a subpar year, focusing more on home runs and less on..actually having a good season, Carlos Santana has been called in to play first in Philly, leaving Joseph without a job. I imagine they'll trade him, as he's not exactly the 'face of the franchise' type I was thinking he'd be.

In the absence of veteran pitchers who knew what they were doing, Nick Pivetta came in this year and did a decent enough job playing second fiddle to Aaron Nola. His strong mechanics were only undone by the poor Philly defense.

Meanwhile, Hector Neris, like it or not, is still the Phillies' closer. He does his job well, but he racks up blown saves and he's not typically at need, forcing the subpar bullpen to be overly relied on. With better luck, maybe he'll give us a better season.

And then there's Jorge Alfaro, the guy that certainly wasn't ready for prime time in 2016, but had a great September and nearly made the catching position his for next year. The guy's young, he's hitting well, and he's a decent enough defensive catcher, which is more altogether than I can say for Rupp and Knapp. Perhaps he'll be the starting choice, but with Crawford, Hoskins and Williams looking at starting gigs, and Scott Kingery looking mighty ready to take 2nd, he may be part of a rookie-led team that might not succeed all the way.

Coming Tomorrow- They tried, but the aging core of a once-powerful team could only do so much against some young, promising rosters.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2016: Phillies

Not too many times I can be semi-optimistic about a fourth-place team, but...here we are.

The Philadelphia Phillies made it to second place for about a month, and gave some players some much-needed days in the sun. Now, it was a tough year to be competitive- not only were the Nationals and Mets working on division runs, but the Marlins were also pretty positive as well. So, by default, the Phillies went to fourth, but this wasn't...especially a truly BAD team.

Tommy Joseph came in at first- he's the first person to consistently play 1st Base after Ryan Howard's...demotion and subsequent release (...I think). He did an admirable job, giving flashbacks of Jim Thome, one of my absolute favorite Philadelphia Phillies that doesn't bare my surname.

Cesar Hernandez made his rookie season in 2014, making most of the starts at 2nd base instead of Chase Utley. This was the first season where he truly excelled at the plate, leading the MLB in triples and sporting a .300 average. For someone I wrote off a few years ago, he did a fairly solid job. Not sure if he's sticking around indefinitely, but he's a nice touch.

Jeanmar Gomez closed the Phils this year, and instead of being some no-name that gets maybe 15 saves and middle-relieves next year, he did a more-than-admirable job, nabbing 37 saves and helping the Phillies win waaay more games than they should have.

Freddy Galvis has been with the team since the 2012 season, and took over at 2nd base when Chase Utley began the season on the DL. Last year he had his first full season, and this season he had his first legitimate MLB season. He's set to start at short again for the Phils, and hopefully he'll have another nice season.

Ryan Howard played his last season as a Philadelphia Phillie in 2016, ten years after his MVP season, five years after his career-altering leg surgery. He'll probably suit up in a DH role somewhere else, or just end his career now. Still, he's still gonna go down as a Philadelphia legend, even after his skid in the 2010's.

Coming Tomorrow- The down-but-not-yet-out Pittsburgh Pirates