Phillies Nation · Jul 6, 2017
What the heck happened with Michael Saunders?
Photo by Keith AllisonLet’s start at the beginning. It was this past offseason when the Phillies decided that they needed to add a bat to the lineup. They were caught between a rock and a hard place because they didn’t want to take on any long-term payroll in the form of a multi-year contract and they also desperately needed a bat with at least a little bit of power, preferably left handed. They needed protection for Maikel Franco, someone who would force pitchers to throw him fastball strikes because they didn’t want to walk him and have the next guy blast a two-run shot. They needed someone to help lead this group of young players from “maybe he could be something” to “that guy can play.”