Episode 12 - "Bron Bron Goes Wah Wah"

Episode 11 - "Ryan Howard Used to be Joey Votto..."

Episode 10 "Testing 1 2 3"

TAF Podcast - May 5, 2013

What should be done with Ben Revere?

A .204 average is not going to cut it in the Majors.  Maybe if you play for the Astros, Marlins, or the Mets.  Something needs to be done - a decision needs to be made - we just can't have Revere siting on the bench.  I see 4 possible options: 1) Continue to start him in CF and hope he fixes his issues.  Of course, Revere is a life time .275+ (including minor stats) hitter and maybe he just needs time to work it out. 2) Trade him.  Move on and cut your losses. 3) Send him to AAA and have him work out his problems down there where he can’t hurt the MLB team. 4) Have him become a bench player and get spots starts in CF and be a PH/PR off the bench.  I will address each option individually.

The fourth option of having him become a bench player hurts him as a developing player.  It is the same argument I gave you for Freddy Galvis.  Both of these guys need to be getting 4 at-bats a night and playing the field.  Having Revere on the bench would hamper his growth as a player.  Baseball is a game of routine.

I think trading him is a terrible idea.  His trade value could not be lower at this time.  Many fans are upset with the trade in hindsight, but neither Worley nor Mays is doing anything for the Twins. Worley is 0-4 with an ERA of 7.22 in 6 starts this season.  The verdict is still out of Mays since he is a prospect, but please name a ‘prospect’ the Phillies have traded away that turned into anything recently. Trading Revere at this point will give you zero value.

That leaves us with the two options of having Revere play every day in CF.  Now the choice is between AAA and MLB. If we send Revere to AAA, John Mayberry Jr. becomes your starting CF.  While I think Mayberry is an above-average defensive CF, his hitting leaves a lot to be desired.  Some may argue this move would weaken the overall speed of the club, yet Revere has only stolen 6 bases in 8 attempts.  The Phillies in general, to my dismay, are not a running team and that is a philosophical decision from good old Charlie.  The team as a whole only has 14 stolen bases this year.

I feel with the expected addition of offensive fire power coming from D. Young and C. Ruiz that Ben Revere can be sent down to AAA to work out his issues.  The team still has a minor league option on him and should use it.  Hopefully he is only down in AAA for a month or so and can be back in the Majors to help this team win.  The Phillies are not good enough to hide him in the lineup until he works out his issues.  They need to win games and unfortunately they are hard to come by.  They are 8-2 vs. the Marlins/Mets and 5-14 vs. everyone else.  We cannot afford to waste anymore AB’s on Ben Revere.

Live Podcast - May 2, 2013