Bats & Balls Notebook

Awards Time

Drum roll, please……The first edition of Bats & Balls Notebook begins with a random assortment of 2018 Phillies Awards. These are not to be confused with baseball’s real awards or the Academy Awards or anything significant.

BEST NUMBERS: 80 wins, 49 at home; 36 days in first place; 250,000 attendance spike.

BEST PITCHER: Easy, Aaron Nola. Simply nasty stuff.

BEST HITTER: Rhys Hoskins. Lots of extra-base pop.

BEST DEFENDER: Wasn’t here the entire season but Roman Quinn can really cover ground in the outfield.

BEST ROOKIES: Scott Kingery/Seranthony Dominguez. Future is bright.

BEST COMEBACK: Hector Neris. Recovered from AAA stint and dominated.

MOST PROFESSIONAL: Carlos Santana, first, third bases; anywhere in the order.

MOST POSITIVE: Gabe Kapler, hands down.

MOST PASSIVE: Anyone who wore a uniform as there were 0 ejections.

WHIFF: Hitters struck out a club-record 1,520 times; pitchers recorded 1,465, also a club record.

MOST VALUABLE: Kevin Camiscioli (Director video coaching). Uncanny in recommending favorable replay reviews.

MOST VERSATILE: Radio voice Scott Franzke who worked with four different analysists.

MOST HOT DOGS CONSUMED: King John Kruk.

MOST CONSISTENT: Phillie Phanatic. Never has a slump.

SLOWEST RUNNER: 3-way tie, Wilson Ramos, Kruk, Phanatic.

(Bats & Balls Notebook will be posted every Wednesday [pause for applause] until spring training begins. Photo: Miles Kennedy).