Klentak: Phillies brass in 'debate' over top pick
The Phillies are less than a week away from making the first pick in baseball's draft, but they have yet to finalize their selection. General manager Matt Klentak said before Friday's game that the team is down to "a small handful" of options for the franchise's first No. 1 overall pick since 1998.
The Phillies are less than a week away from making the first pick in baseball's draft, but they have yet to finalize their selection. General manager Matt Klentak said before Friday's game that the team is down to "a small handful" of options for the franchise's first No. 1 overall pick since 1998.
The popular belief is that the Phillies will use that pick Thursday on Florida lefthander A.J. Puk. Other top contenders are Mercer University outfielder Kyle Lewis, Tennessee third baseman Nick Senzel, and California high schoolers Mickey Moniak and Blake Rutherford.
Klentak said the Phillies - led by amateur scouting director Johnny Almaraz - have looked at every player they could. They have the first pick, so every player is an option. The team used this week to get final looks at players and zero in on their choice.
"There's a lot of debate going on up there," Klentak said as he took a break from the team's draft room in Citizens Bank Park. "And it's good debate. It's really healthy. People with different backgrounds and different preferences, explaining what direction they think we should go. Others finding different ways. I think it's been really healthy. Johnny has done an excellent job of organizing the thoughts and keeping the meetings moving."
Goeddel finding his groove
Tyler Goeddel struggled through his first month of the season. It was his first time playing above double A and it showed. Goeddel batted .160 in April. He struggled to find a rhythm without regular playing time. It's hard to fix your swing from the bench, Goeddel said.
And then everything changed on May 4 when Goeddel became the Phillies' starting leftfielder. Goeddel, who started 22 of the team's 28 games last month, has flourished in an everyday role. Entering Friday's game, he had 21 hits in his last 70 at-bats to raise his batting average to .250.
Goeddel was out of the lineup for the second straight day because the Phillies wanted to look at Jimmy Paredes, who was claimed off waivers this week. Manager Pete Mackanin said Goeddel would be back in the lineup on Saturday afternoon. Goeddel could see time in right field with the return of Cody Asche.
"I know I have what it takes to play here. I've always believed that," Goeddel said. "I think it was just a matter of getting comfortable."
The Phillies acquired Goeddel in December with the first pick in the Rule 5 draft. He has to stay in the majors for the entire season or the Phillies would have to offer him back to Tampa Bay. It looked in April as if it would be a challenge for the 23-year-old to stick.
Goeddel altered his mechanics at the plate. He started to swing earlier so he could catch up to fastballs, which he said was one of the toughest adjustments coming from double A. Every major-league pitcher seems to throw 95 mph. He stopped moving his hands so much and started to relax. The results showed.
"If you're comfortable at the plate, you're going to be looser and your swing is going to feel better," Goeddel said.
Goeddel spent last season playing in minor-league outposts like Jackson, Tenn., Biloxi, Miss., and Sevierville, Tenn. Adjusting to the majors took some time. A challenging first month was almost expected.
The Phillies knew Goeddel could hit. He batted .279 last season at double A. They just had to be patient. And Goeddel is now enjoying the life of a major-leaguer. It was crazy, Goeddel said, to play last week at Wrigley Field. "It's a big jump from double A."
