Philly Sports Blogs Ads
Philly Sports Blogs is part of the YBN Sports Blog Network
Lets Go Flyers Lets Go!
Philadelphia Flyers Eastern Conference Champions
Phillies Tickets
LHP Hernandez Out For Season Following Setback
Left-handed pitching prospect Nick Hernandez has experienced another bump in the long road to recovery, following two years of shoulder troubles. Hernandez confirmed exclusively with PhoulBallz.com that he will require another surgery and be out of action for the remainder of the season.
Hernandez, a 12th round draft selection in 2009, became an All-Star in the South Atlantic League with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws in 2010 by posting a 3-1 record with a 1.61 ERA while striking out 52 and walking just 8 in 56 innings pitched.
Following his exceptional start to his pro career, the 6-foot-5-inch 205-pounder began experiencing discomfort in his throwing shoulder and was shut down for much of the remainder of the season. He rehabbed that year, making four starts with the Gulf Coast League Phillies, but experienced recurring pain and did not return to action until the Florida Instructional League that fall.
Last April, after being diagnosed with another labrum issue, rest and rehab were clearly not enough to get Hernandez back to full health, and surgery was required. Hernandez, a University of Tennessee product, has been recovering since that time.
To avoid further injuries, Hernandez, a Florida native, was taking his rehab rather slowly this year and was approaching full health. Roughly two weeks from competing in game action this year, another setback popped up for the nephew of MLB umpire Angel Hernandez.
After experiencing discomfort during his last bullpen session on Tuesday, June 19th, Hernandez was shut down by the Phillies. Hernandez then had an MRI on the troublesome area, which resulted in visible issues, or as Hernandez put it, “they found some things going on in there”.
Hernandez saw Dr. Craig Morgan in Wilmington, DE on Thursday to further evaluate the health of his shoulder. Morgan is often regarded as the top shoulder physician in the world. Hoping for good news, Hernandez learned on Thursday that his season is over and he’ll require arthroscopic surgery to clean up the area.
According to Hernandez, his labrum, rotator cuff and rotator interval are all intact. He expects to be back to 100% by spring training next year.
Hernandez, who has learned a great deal of patience through all of his down time, still maintains a positive outlook.
“It’s unfortunate, but I just have to tackle the next battle”, Hernandez stated.
———-
For loads more Phils minor league content, check out the latest PhoulBallz Minor League Podcast by clicking HERE.
Image- MiLB.com
Terry Murray officially named Adirondack Phantoms head coach
News that was rumored last week is now official. The Flyers are welcoming Terry Murray back into the organization as head coach of the Adirondack Phantoms, news announced by the team today.
"We feel very fortunate to be able to bring Terry back to the Flyers organization as head coach of the Phantoms," general manager Paul Holmgren said in a press release. "Terry brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, is an excellent teacher and a strong believer in the development process of young players."
"I really appreciate the opportunity to come back to the Flyers organization and I'm really looking forward to the challenge that's out there of coaching the Phantoms," Murray said. "The youth playing down in the American Hockey League is a real important part of the organization. I'm looking forward to the challenge of getting back into the playoffs and helping these young players develop and become NHL players as quickly as possible."
With both NHL coaching vacancies filled this week -- Adam Oates in Washington and Ralph Krueger in Edmonton -- an AHL job was really the only option for Murray if he wanted to coach professional hockey at a high level in North America this season. It's no surprise that he'd come back to an organization he's familiar with to do so, while almost certainly waiting for another NHL opportunity to spring up.
Murray's lack of minor league coaching experience is a big question with this hire. He's coached parts of three seasons at a level lower than the NHL -- two seasons in the AHL with the Baltimore Skipjacks in the late 1980s and early 1990s and one year with the IHL's Cincinnati Cyclones in 1993-94. It's been a while.
Does he have what it takes to mold prospects into players the Flyers can use throughout the regular season? Coaching in the AHL is a different job than coaching in the NHL.
Murray's been known to play a different style than Peter Laviolette does -- much more conservative and defensive. As we know, the Flyers play an up-tempo, "giddy up and go" type of game that relies on a bit of risk-taking defensively to generate offense.
One of the major goals of the Phantoms under former coach Joe Paterson was to play a similar style to the parent club, helping make any midseason jump from the AHL to the NHL a seamless one. It'll be interesting to see what Murray does with the Phantoms in that regard.
Insert your "choking situation" jokes in the comments below.
Could Filip Kuba be a UFA option for Flyers on defense?
As we learned Thursday night, the Flyers and Matt Carle may divorce on Sunday. Without him, the Flyers have a serious hole on defense, as Carle eats more minutes than anybody on the team. So what are the options beyond to fill that void should he leave?
- Ryan Suter, of course. He's the prize of the UFA market on defense, but all indications are that he doesn't have Philadelphia on his short list. And if Carle's leaving due to a better offer elsewhere, that means the Flyers didn't offer him what he wanted -- and that means they likely wouldn't offer Suter what he wants, either.
- Justin Schultz, the Wisconsin standout who ditched Anaheim (the team that drafted him) and will hit the UFA market on Saturday, reportedly doesn't want to come to Philly either. He's a rookie and as real as the hype may be, who really knows how well he'd be able to step in and play a full NHL season right off the bat? Asking any rookie to replace Matt Carle's role on this team is a risk.
- Luke Schenn might be able to fill the hole someday but that day has not yet arrived. This was a bottom-pairing guy last year. As awesome as it would be for him to step up immediately and play a top-pairing role, it's not something the Flyers can bank on entering this season.
- Braydon Coburn is already playing 22 minutes a night. Maybe you give him tougher assignments but he can't take much more ice time. Kimmo Timonen is old. Nicklas Grossmann's knees might not be able to handle much more than what he's already doing.
So ... alright, then. We're going to have to keep looking. Who else on the free agent market could be an option? We'll go through this one at a time over the next few days, beginning here with Ottawa Senators defenseman Filip Kuba.
Filip Kuba
#17 / Defenseman / Ottawa Senators
6-4
226
35
Dec 29, 1976
$3.7 million
Status: UFA
advanced stats key -- number in parentheses is team rank
Kuba had a great year with the Sens after a pretty awful 2010-11 campaign, but one worries how much of his success was the effect of Erik Karlsson, the Norris Trophy candidate who played alongside Kuba for most of the season.
That said, if the Flyers lose Carle, Kuba could certainly plug in alongside Kimmo Timonen and eat up plenty of minutes on the top or second pairing. Kuba can also play on the penalty kill and he's not one of those guys you need to worry about when it comes to his defensive game.
He's used to taking on tough assignments as a member of Ottawa's top pairing last year, but the results weren't necessarily all that pretty. But much of that may come from playing alongside Karlsson, a young defender who's a great scorer but still needs some work in the defensive zone. At least that's what I'd like to believe.
He can be a bit inconsistent at times, but for the most part he's a steady defender who can eat minutes and chip in on special teams. He's more mobile than you'd expect for a 35-year-old, 6'4 defenseman.
Sens blog Silver Seven would pass on Kuba if the decision was theirs this offseason, though. That's concerning.
I was on boat with that idea for much of the second half of the season, but once the playoffs began, I jumped off and swam to shore. Kuba's a good regular season defenceman, but his post-season performance showed me that he doesn't have what it takes to succeed in the playoffs. He showed no "extra gear" once the second season began, and his lack of physicality becomes more concerning in the playoffs. I harbour no ill will towards Kuba, and appreciate his time here, but I think it's time for the Senators to move on.
Ironically, the guy Silver Seven looks to fill the void left by Kuba? None other than Matt Carle, among others.
Kuba is 35, so he's not a long-term option. One or two years should be the max on him, but if it gets the Flyers over the bridge to a world where Luke Schenn grows into a better player, it could be a decent move for the team this summer. Really, though, this should make us realize how steep the drop off in the market is beyond Carle and Suter.
We'll continue later on today with a look at Panthers defenseman Jason Garrison.
Ryan Howard Hit a Baseball Really Far Last Night
Ryan Howard looked downright spry in his rehab assignment last night for Lakewood.Someone Famous Wore Philly Gear Once: Deer Creek Edition
There Better Be More Stuff Coming: Hoping Odd Sixers Draft Strategy is Prelude to Other Crap
It's hard not to be a little bit perplexed by the Sixers' 2012 draft strategy. They entered the draft with two principal needsa defensive anchor or at least someone who can block some shots and a scoring guard or at least someone who can make some shotsand ended up filling neither.Are Matt Carle’s Turnovers That Costly?
Promoted from the FanPosts. - Travis
The narrative goes that Matt Carle turns the puck over a lot. A simple scan of the stats show that Carle ranked 25th in the league this regular season in giveaways, with 55. This ranks behind many quality defensemen, including Subban (88 giveaways), Yandle (75), Chara (68), Wideman (68), Doughty (65), Girardi (61), and even Luke Schenn (58).
While this might stop some Carle 'haters' in their tracks, the more incessant will say that it is when the turnovers happen and how costly that they are. For that, lets look a little deeper.
I went through the game logs and looked at all 55 of Carle's giveaways and saw if they directly led to goals. It turns out that only 5 of them did. I don't know if this is a high or low ratio, but regardless only 9% of Carle's turnovers lead to goals.
Out of these 5, how many of them led to game winning goals for the other team? Just one, in the March 26th game against Tampa Bay, when Carle's turnover led to the goal that gave the Lightning a 4-2 lead, eventually leading to them winning 5-3. All five of the games where a Carle turnover led to a goal did lead to a loss. One of which was the 9-8 anomaly vs. Winnipeg in October, and another one was a shootout loss to New Jersey in November.
I wasn't sure the best way to share the data (first time doing anything like this) so I put it on a google doc for anyone who wants to look at it and hopefully some of the smarter members can make conclusions. Maybe this can help put the Carle turns the puck over thing to rest.
Friday Morning Fly By: Free Agency Started Yesterday
Today's open discussion thread, complete with your daily dose of Philadelphia Flyers-related news and notes...
- Despite not being in the final 5 for Justin Schultz, arguing he's actually worth the hype: [NHLNumbers.com]
- Five questions: backup goalie options: [Flyers Faithful]
- Jonathan Quick signed a ten-year, $58 million deal: [Jewels From The Crown] [Battle of California] [SBNation.com] [Puck Daddy] [Backhand Shelf]
- Tuukka Rask signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal: [Stanley Cup of Chowder] [SBNation.com] [Backhand Shelf] [Puck Daddy]
- Corey Schneider signed a three-year, $12 million deal: [Nucks Misconduct] [Puck Daddy] [SI Tracking Blog]
- Nikita Nikitin signed a two-year,
$8.6 million$4.3 million deal: [The Cannon] - Hall Gill signed a two-year, $4 million deal: [On the Forecheck] [SBNation.com]
- Arguing that there is a reason the Penguins announced the Sidney Crosby extension before July 1: [PensBurgh]
- Hybrid icing and video review are finally in the AHL: [PostStar]
- Wrapping up the Atlantic Division draft results: [Hockey Prospectus]
We Have a Trade to Announce: Sixers Acquire Arnett Moultrie’s Draft Rights
Sixers send a future first round pick and the 45th overall pick in the 2012 draft to Miami for Mississippi St. power forward Arnett Moultrie's draft rights.Sixers Select St. John’s Forward Moe Harkless
With the 15th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers select, from St. John's University, Moe Harkless.Six R-Phils to Rep Baseballtown in EL All-Star Game
In a statement released in conjunction with the Eastern League, the Double-A Reading Phillies announced that six of the club’s players have been named mid-season All-Stars.
Among the Eastern division’s representatives will be righty pitchers Justin Friend and Julio Rodriguez, along with shortstop Troy Hanzawa, second baseman Cesar Hernandez, catcher Sebastian Valle and first baseman Darin Ruf.
Reading’s skipper Dusty Wathan will join his six players as the Eastern All-Stars’ manager.
The Baseballtown All-Star Classic is set to be played at Reading’s FirstEnergy Stadium on Wednesday, July 11 at 7:05 PM.
Friend, a reliever that was acquired by the Phillies from the Oakland organization in the 2010 Rule 5 draft, has been tremendous this season. The 26-year-old sports a 2-0 record with a 0.33 ERA and 14 saves as Reading’s closer.
Rodriguez, an 8th round draft selection in 2008 by the Phils, has continued to develop this year. Following a season in which he led the Class A Advanced Florida State League in wins (16) and finished second in strike outs (168) and ERA (2.76), the 21-year-old Rodriguez has tallied a 5-1 record and a 3.23 ERA with 85 strike outs in 83 2/3 innings pitched.
Hanzawa, a 16th round draft pick in 2008 out of San Diego St., has seen a surge in his offensive production a year after he posted a lowly .567 OPS in 120 combined games between Clearwater and Reading last year. This season, in 69 games, the 5-foot-9-inch 155-pounder has posted a .279 batting average with 12 doubles, 5 triples and 29 RBI. Additionally, the 26-year-old’s OPS sits at .712 for the R-Phils.
Hernandez, a switch-hitting 22-year-old Venezuela native, has a .315 batting average with 19 doubles, 8 triples, 1 homer and 34 RBI through 73 games this season.
Valle, a 21-year-old Mexico native, has a .251 average with 8 home runs and 31 RBI through 58 games this season. Valle was ranked as the Phillies’ top positional prospect this year by PhilliesNation.com.
Ruf, a 20th draft pick by the Phillies in 2009 out of Creighton University, has a .319 batting average with 12 homers and 49 RBI and is among the league leaders in OPS with a .939 mark. Ruf is roughly a month shy of his 26th birthday.
Friend and Ruf were selected to the team via Eastern League Fan Balloting.
Tickets for the Baseballtown All-Star Classic and its events can be purchased online at RPhils.com, by phone at 610-370-BALL, and in person at the R-Phils’ ticket office at FirstEnergy Stadium.
_________________________________________________________
Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league insider. You can read more from Jay by visiting his site, PhoulBallz.com.
Matt Carle to test free agency, says report
That pipe dream you had about Matt Carle signing for less than market value in Philadelphia? That thought you had about the Flyers and Carle already having an agreement in place?
They were just waiting til July 1! He wants to be here. He really does!
Yeah, not happening. According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, speaking on SportsCentre Thursday evening, Carle will indeed test the free agent waters on Sunday.
Reports had indicated that the Flyers and Carle were close on a deal that would keep him in town with a $4.25 million cap hit, but when you think about that for half a second, the numbers just don't add up. Not in a world where James Wisniewski is worth $5.5 million on the UFA market or Brent Seabrook is worth $5.8 million. Not in a world where Dennis Wideman is worth $5.25 million.
It doesn't make any sense that Carle would be worth any less than those guys. In fact, he's likely worth closer to $6 million in that market, and this current crop of free agents only hurts the Flyers' chances of signing Carle. Excluding Ryan Suter, Carle is the top option this year on the UFA market on defense -- and after that there's a steep drop off in talent level.
Teams want Matt Carle. Lots of them. And with such little stock on the market, the bidding war could get out of hand.
We'll have a full look tomorrow at the entire UFA crop on defense, because now it seems like a necessity. But in the meantime, the Flyers are in a pretty difficult position. It's either pay far more for Carle than they originally anticipated or settle for something far below his talent level. They can't necessarily afford either option.
Matt Carle to test free agency, says report
That pipe dream you had about Matt Carle signing for less than market value in Philadelphia? That thought you had about the Flyers and Carle already having an agreement in place?
They were just waiting til July 1! He wants to be here. He really does!
Yeah, not happening. According to TSN's Pierre LeBrun, speaking on SportsCentre Thursday evening, Carle will indeed test the free agent waters on Sunday.
Reports had indicated that the Flyers and Carle were close on a deal that would keep him in town with a $4.25 million cap hit, but when you think about that for half a second, the numbers just don't add up. Not in a world where James Wisniewski is worth $5.5 million on the UFA market or Brent Seabrook is worth $5.8 million. Not in a world where Dennis Wideman is worth $5.25 million.
It doesn't make any sense that Carle would be worth any less than those guys. In fact, he's likely worth closer to $6 million in that market, and this current crop of free agents only hurts the Flyers' chances of signing Carle. Excluding Ryan Suter, Carle is the top option this year on the UFA market on defense -- and after that there's a steep drop off in talent level.
Teams want Matt Carle. Lots of them. And with such little stock on the market, the bidding war could get out of hand.
We'll have a full look tomorrow at the entire UFA crop on defense, because now it seems like a necessity. But in the meantime, the Flyers are in a pretty difficult position. It's either pay far more for Carle than they originally anticipated or settle for something far below his talent level. They can't necessarily afford either option.
Kendrick’s Awful First Proves Too Big a Hole As Phillies Fall to Bucs 5-4
The Phillies bullpen didn't give up any runs on Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park but Kyle Kendrick took care of all of that in the first inning. It was a strange performance from KK in which he gave up 5 runs right off the bat in the first frame only to settle in and last seven innings on the day giving up only two hits over the final six innings.Kendrick Kills Phils in 1st; Pirates Split Series
Kendrick buried them early (AP)
The Phillies keep finding new ways to piss the fans off. In Thursday’s 5-4, finale loss to the Pirates, Kyle Kendrick did them in before their first at bat.
KENDRICK KILLS THEM EARLY
-Sometimes, in baseball, it comes down to one inning. The Phillies were unable to overcome Kyle Kendrick’s awful start. He put them in a 5-0 hole they could not recover from. Unbelievably, he finished seven innings and settled down after the first, but the damage had been done.
-Can the Phillies keep throwing Kendrick out there? They’ve already made moves with Chad Qualls and Joe Savery to show they’re not messing around. Might it happen with Kendrick too?
NEW GUYS
-With Qualls and Savery being sent down, Jeremy Horst and Brian Sanches saw immediate action as the bullpen was wasted from last night’s loss. The new guys weren’t perfect but they got through without incident and kept the Phillies in it.
FAILING LATE
-The offense again let the team down. How many wasted opportunities late in games can there be? In the seventh they had a runner in scoring position and let that waste. Hunter Pence then goes yard in the eighth with no one on in front of him. In the ninth, Shane Victorino struck out on an ugly pitch in the dirt and Pence ended the game with a flyout to center. Missed opportunities has been a common storyline this year.
-Chase Utley struck out in his only at bat. Eh, it happens.
Polls
Loading ...Philly Sports Books
Hey Philly, check out this great little Phillies book.
The Phillies Fan's Little Book of Wisdom (Little Book of Wisdom (Taylor))
Sports Columns
Grinding My Gears is all the stuff that gets under your skin. Bad calls in a game, fans storming the court after a regular win, comments by players...
By The Numbers simply put is research comparing records and statistics from today to bygone eras.Philly Sports Blogs on Social Networks
