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Houston we have a problem
For months Phillies fans trotted a sentence that went something like this: “If we can just stay in the race while our stars are out, this team will catch fire once its healthy.”
The team played well above expectations during injuries to Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino, Carlos Ruiz … and so on.
Now that the gangs finally all here, things were supposed to really take off. Instead, the team has gone into another funk. The Phillies lost to the Astros 3-2 last night, marking the third straight game it has dropped to the lowly Astros. Making matter worse is that two of those losses have come in games started by Brett Myers and J.A. Happ, two former Phillies.
While fans have been stunned by the way the team has played recently, they really should not be. When players are away from the game as long as Utley and Howard were, they rarely come back tearing the cover off the ball. It takes time to get back into a rhythm and unfortunately time in in short supply when you get to mid August. Utley’s swing isn’t quite back yet, while Howard is in a 2-19 funk since returning. That combination could have the Phillies reeling right now but thankfully for them the Braves have joined them in struggling this past week. Atlanta did the Phillies a huge favor yesterday, blowing a 10-1 lead in a loss to the Rockies. Meanwhile the Phillies remain in a tie with the Giants for the Wild Card lead.
I don’t expect the Phillies recent slump to last too much longer. Howard and Utley will get their timing back and the rest of the lineup will benefit from that. This team is still in great position to make another postseason run and has the arms to go up against anyone once they get into serious October baseball. The key will be riding out this storm.
It would also help if they won today. Getting swept by the Astros in a four-game series just isn’t palatable.
Are the Phillies on their way down?
Well we are almost at the midway point of the baseball season. The All Star game is next week and the Phillies are in third place and six games back. What a shocker! At the beginning of the season there was a real sense of anticipation and excitement. We were all waiting to see how Roy Halladay would perform. Personally I want to see the Phillies and Yankee back to the World Series, and this time we win!
Recently though the Phillies have been on a slide. I’m not really sure when it started . Maybe when we lost Jimmy Rollins In the first game of the season. Maybe it started back when the Red Sox came to town. The Phillies lost two of three with the Sox shutting out the Phillies in Game two. But the slide rapidly intensified when the Phillies went to NY for a series against the stinky Mets. There the Phillies were unable to score even one run over three games.
Recently, the Phillies placed Chase Utley and Placido Polanco on DL. Utley would out for at least 8 weeks. Do the math and Utley might be back in September.
Through out all of this there is speculation about Jason Werth. While Werth has proven to be an out standing asset he has had his struggles recently. There is also the question of his contract at the end of 2010.
So with all this in mind are the phillies on a slide? If so how big? Will they make the playoffs this year? How about next year? I realize one team can not always be the ones to win, but I sure how this slide does not last until 2020.
Phillies place Utley and Polanco on DL
Five keys for Phillies to survive injuries
As reported yesterday, the Phillies will be without Chase Utley and Placido Polanco for at least the next 15 days, and in all likelihood a little longer. The timing of the news is not great as the team had broken out of its hitting slump and looked poised to regain the lead in the NL East. Now with these injuries that becomes a lot more difficult. I still think the Phillies can hang right with the Braves and Mets over the next few weeks, but it will take a variety of factors coming together to do so.
Bellow are five keys for the Phillies to stay in the race despite these injuries.
1. Rollins must regain form: When a player is out for as long as Rollins was it is expected that the player will need a few weeks to find his swing. The Phillies can not afford Rollins that time, however. With their No. 2 and No. 3 hitters on the bench, the importance of Rollins setting the table becomes even more important. I’m not saying he needs to hit .350 the next month, but the team will need Rollins to at least maintain his .400 an-base percentage.
2. The Big Man must get on a tear: Over the past four seasons we have seen Ryan Howard get incredibly hot in August and September and at times single handily carry the team to victories. This time Howard can not wait until August. The team needs one of those power surges right now. Howard’s .295 average has caught everyone off guard and he is having a season that should put him back in the top five of the MVP voting. There is no reason to think he can’t catch fire over the next few weeks and lift his team once more.
3. Pitching: If you lose a little offense than the pitching must do its part to keep the opposition off the board. The Phillies staff has been hot and cold this season and needs to get hot again in a hurry. Roy Halladay is the only member of the starting staff that has an ERA under 4.00 and that simply won’t cut it over the next month. This team may need to win a couple of games by 3-2, or 2-1 scores and for that to happen the starters must show more than they have so far this season. Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick have the most room to improve and one may be pushed by a returning J.A. Happ.
4. A surprise candidate must emerge: This could come from anywhere. Maybe somehow Greg Dobbs will remember to hit again? Maybe Ibanez will go on a tear like he did the first half of last year? Maybe one of the team’s backup catchers has the best two weeks of his career? Maybe the Phillies reacquire Cliff Lee and none of this will matter? No matter where it comes from the team will need unexpected productions to keep moving forward in July.
5. The Braves and Mets slump: Most believe that the Braves and Mets have overachieved the last two months. If that is indeed the case it is fair to suggest that a downward swing is coming. The Braves (5-5) and Mets (4-6) may already be in the process of doing so as their last 10 games have not gone well. Consider that the Mets are just 15-22 on the road and have an 11-game West Coast trip coming in the second part of July and its not hard to see them falling off. As for the Braves, the Phillies can help themselves from July 5-7 when they host Atlanta for a big series.
So there you have five ways that the team can keep winning despite the recent injuries. If a few of these factors take place there is no reason that the Phillies can’t be right at the top of the pack when Utley and Polanco return.
Phillies place Utley and Polanco on DL
The mountain to climb to get back to first place in the NL East just got a little tougher for the Philadelphia Phillies.
And it has nothing to do with the schedule.
Just hours after finding out Chase Utley was being put on the DL the team announced that Placido Polanco will be joining him. That’s two All-Stars in one day.
Utley injured his thumb in last night’s loss to the Reds, while Polanco had missed the last three games with elbow soreness.
The news could be worse for Utley as CSN is reporting that he has a sprained collateral ligament in his right thumb. I’m no doctor, but is has the sound of an injury that could linger a lot longer than 15 days.
And all of this happens just after the team finally got a healthy Jimmy Rollins back.
So where will the team go to reinforce itself? Sadly, the moves have paved the way for Greg Dobbs to be called back into action — a week after it looked like we would never see him in a Phillies uniform again. Brian Bocock was also called up to fill in the hole at second.
The injury may also prevent Polanco and Utley from competing in the All-Star game which will be played July 13 in Anaheim, Calif. David Wright has closed Polanco’s lead over the last week from 130,300 votes to 23,000 and the injury may just doom him when it comes to the ballots. Even if he does hang on to the lead, this injury may keep him from playing.
This is clearly a big blow for a team trying to hunt down the Braves and Mets in a tight NL East race. On Wednesday Phillysportsblogs will give its two cents on whether the team can make it through this stretch without falling to far back.
In the meantime, what do you think?
Halladay’s Efforts Fall Short
In the first game of a double header Wednesday, Roy Halladay returned home to face his old team in Colorado. The Philadelphia ace went 6.1 innings allowing only two earned runs, but his efforts were for not as the Phillies fell 4-3. Read more
Phillies find another victim
The Phillies pushed their record to 8-2 with a 8-6 win behind Roy Halladay and another day of offensive dominance.
Even after the Marlins lit up the Phillies bullpen for 4 runs in the 9th.
Halladay is now 3-0 with a 1.12 ERA making the Lee trade look like a no brainer.
Utley hit his 6th homer, Polanco saw his average drop to .444, and Howard continues to hit, drive in runs and not strike out.
The Phillies offense is now 1st in average, runs, hits, OPS, slugging, and fun. The pitching staff is actually 1st in ERA, no thanks to the 4 runs on 5 hits surrendered by Herndon in a third of an inning. Madsen did come in to earn his third save of the year.
Halladay is currently on pace to go 48-0 as the Phillies score 10,000 runs.
OK, those numbers may be slightly exaggerated. Slightly.
Put it this way, if the Phillies had a bullpen, they might win 120 with this offense.
I was just glad to see them play someone other than the Nationals. The Marlins have a good team, but it is hard to match up to the Phitens hard hitting offense, especially with Halladay on the mound.
Good thing too, because the Braves are looking tough this year. Nice to know the Phillies +35 run differential also leads the league.
More coverage on the year of the Phillies to follow.
Phillies offense on a tear
The Phillies put an exclamation point on their quick start this season by loading up early and often on the Nationals in their fifth meeting and winning 14-7.
Amid concerns that with the loss of Jimmy Rollins and Jaysen Werth, the team may struggle on offense; the rest of the team turned in another winning performance. Werth made a late performance as a pinch hitter so it seems obvious his absence from the starting lineup will be brief. Rollins calf injury may be more serious then was at first thought, which is a shame given his extremely fast start.
If there is ANY early question about the Phillies this year, it would have to be their starting pitching. Halladay is a lock, and Hamels is 2-0 but has been shaky. Happ looks as good as he did last year and Moyer just keeps throwing up W’s. But tonight, Kendrick, subbing for the injured Joe Blanton, lasted a mere 1 and 2/3 innings after giving up 6 runs and saw his ERA shoot above 17. We need Blanton back. Hey, where was the last Martinez sighting anyway ?
Three middle relievers combined to hold the Nationals to 1 run from the 3rd inning on.
The bottom line, no matter the injury, the focus is on offense. When one Phillie is out of commission, another simply steps it up a notch and fills the gap. There are many teams that struggle to score 14 runs at all in a game, and I have the feeling we may see this another dozen or more times this year, when the team gets in sync and everyone has a couple hits and a couple RBI.
Tonight, Victorino broke out of his mild slump with a 4-5 day with a triple, homerun, and 5 RBI’s. He was listed on ESPN’s MLB top performers of the day board. Utley went 2-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI. He also appeared on the top performers board. Polanco maintained his torrid pace going 2-4 to keep his average in the .480’s
Overall the first four in the lineup were a combined 10-18 with 12 RBI.
It seems clear to me now that the team is off to a 7-1 start that they may be substantially better than they were in 2008. If the pitching solidifies, this offense is lethal. And every new addition to the sluggers row has stepped up and over performed, as in Ibanez, and Francisco and now Polanco. With six guys in the lineup that are each capable of a clutch hit, homerun or other run producing play, it is extremely difficult for a pitcher to work his way through this lineup.
Oh, and by the way, our pitchers can hit too !
Looks like it is going to be a long, enjoyable summer ahead with the Phillies setting the pace the whole way !
Strong start for Phitens-home opener today at 3
The Phillies finished thier opening road trip with a 5-1 mark, representing thier best start for a season since 1993 when they started 7-1. Not only did they win 5 of 6 games but did so by outscoring the opponent 43-18.
To be fair, the teams they played were not top echelon teams. The Phillies return for their home opener today at 3pm and face the Nationals for the 4th time already this season. This time the matchup is Cole Hamels against the Nationals Marquis who gave up 6 runs in 4 innings in his first start against the Phillies down in Washington.
The Phillies started strong, leading the majors in hits, runs, slugging percentage and batting average on their first road trip. They rank second with a team 2.72 ERA. They look to continue their success at home.
Halladay is already paying dividends, going 2-0 with a .56 ERA in his first two starts. The offense has returned in force with 5 starters currently batting .348 or better. 7 starters have an OBP of .400 or higher. Polanco, the other off season acquisition is paying equal dividends to Roy Halladay as he is 13-27 with 1 home run and 8 RBI through the first 6 games. Ryan Howard is leading the team in homeruns (3) RBI (10) and is batting .357 with only 4 strikeouts. Jimmy Rollins started the season off looking like the MVP he was several years ago with his batting average pushing .400 and his OBP over .500, exactly what the Phillies need out of their leadoff batter.
The last time the Phillies started the season this strong, they won the NL East, then won the NLCS against the Braves, prior to losing to the Blue Jays in the World Series. More typically of late, this team has started off average and then accelerated through May and June to lead the NL East for the majority of the summer and fall. This year they actually look to lead the division from start to finish. Florida briefly held a game advantage but that was swiftly erased when the Phillies went to Houston and swept the Astros last week.
Even the pitching staff is hitting, with Hamels, Halladay and Moyer all collecting hits on their opening road trip. When the pitching staff is batting 4-15 you get the feeling this may be the year the Phillies put it all together and set many records en route to another World Series victory.
The Phillies started the season ranked #3 in the MLB power rankings, behind the NYY and the Red Sox in the AL. The Yankees are now 4-2 and Boston is at .500 at 3-3 so it is probable the Phillies will move up in the ranking.
Now I have to sign off, and get moving, so I can get to the park in time for some tailgating before the game starts in 2 1/2 hours. I was privileged to watch the season opener in DC and am now going to watch the home opener live at Citizens Bank. I will report on the game once I return home. If you are my boss, and are reading this, I REALLY am sick, and my doctor prescribed an afternoon of $9 beers and fresh air, so I have to go. Just don’t ask me for the note, because I think I lost it already !
Go Phillies !!!!
Phillies dominate Nationals
The first game of the season is in the books and things turned out exactly as Phillies fans hoped it would. Roy Halladay was dominant over 7 innings and Placido Polanco had six RBIs and a grand slam in an 11-1 spanking of the Washington Nationals.
Opening Day is the always time for overreactions from fans, so I won’t go there.
But I will give you a few quick thoughts.
First impressions:
— Halladay has some serious movement on all of his pitches. Not much Halladay did surprised me today as he is the model of an ace. Actually the only thing that was a surprise was each time the Nationals managed a hit. His stuff was that good today.
— Tom McCarthy loves him some Roy Halladay. I’m talking about the “want to take him home” kind of love. It was bad.
— The Phillies are going to lead the league in Grand Slams again. When Polanco is raking them out, you know your in for big things. Plus this team always fills up the bases.
— Rollins looks like the J-Roll of old. He clearly wasn’t himself last season, never really finding a groove after an awful first half of the year. He had two hits and was on base four times. In other words, he was a perfect leadoff hitter.
— The Mets won 7-1 today, which is good news for the Phillies’ rival. The bad news: Four more days until Santana can throw again.
— Sarge went the whole game without using the phrase “as well” or “slide-piece.” Don’t expect it to happen again.
— As I’m writing this Braves rookie Jason Heyward just destroyed a home run in is first career at-bat. This kid might just be as good as advertised.
— The Phillies played smart, sound baseball. Now all they have to do is keep that up for a 161 games plus the playoffs.
The best and worst of Spring Taining
How do you view spring training numbers?
Spring Training is the time of year where all kinds of opinions get thrown out. A young player who comes up and gets six hits in their first 10 at-bats is referenced as the next Mike Schmidt.
Veteran players who struggle for a couple weeks get titles such as “washed up” and “over-the-hill”.
It’s all part of the baseball landscape. Judgments are made at a time of year when the players aren’t even judging themselves. A pitcher could give up six runs a 3 1/3 and be quoted afterwards as saying “It was a good day. I got my pitches over strikes and I think my command is coming along.”
But maybe you are a stat guy and Spring Training numbers matter to you. If that’s the case, here are the numbers that are the best and worst from Clearwater with 11 days to go until the real baseball starts.
The Best
Roy Halladay — 3 games, 10 innings 1-0 record, 0.90 ERA. He has been everything he was advertised to be. His 14 K’s have given fans a reason to be excited about Doc’s arrival.
Danys Baez — 7 games, 8.2 innings 6 K’s, 1-0 record, 1.04 ERA. The Phillies bullpen has been the most questioned aspect of this team this Spring. Baez was the only big acquisition to the group and could be the man in charge of the 8th inning. He could also close if the 2009 Brad Lidge shows up.
Placido Polanco — 39 at-bats, 16 hits, 1 SO and a .410 average. Like the two before him, Polanco is new to the team and has started strong. His ability to put the ball in play in 38 of 39 at-bats is just what the Phillies offense needs.
The worst
Cole Hamels — 14.2 innings, 10 runs, 8 earned, 4.91 ERA. Hamels hasn’t technically been the worst pitcher in camp, but he also hasn’t shown much to show he will bounce back from a bad 2009.
Raul Ibanez — 37 at-bats, 4 hits, .108 average. Ibanez insists he is fine and there is no reason not to believe him. This guy has been around long enough to know Spring Training stats are worth nothing. That said, fans would feel a lot better if he started swinging the bat like he did in the first half of last season.
Chase Utley — 31 at bats, .258 average, 0 extra base hits. Utley was not himself the second half of last season as an injury held down his power. So far that power has not shown its face this Spring. Thirty-one at-bats is a long stretch for a player of Utley’s quality to go without an extra-base knock.
So there you have it, the best and the worst with 10 days to go. Do of it what you want.
Just remember, on April 5, everyone’s stats go back to zero.
Gearing up to go for 4 in a row
Thank God, baseball is back !
Pitchers and Catchers reported a day early as the Phillies get geared up to try to make it 4 in a row. The role that used to belong to the Atlanta Braves as the perennial team to beat seems to have been handed over to our Phitens. The Braves and Marlins both made off season moves that indicate the team in their sights is in fact the Phillies. The Mets also signed Jason Bay for 66 million for four years to improve their chances at being competative. They may finish 15 games out instead of 24, but will never seriously challenge.
I believe this year the race is a two team one. The Braves and the Phillies, although unlike most of the late eighties through early this century, the Phillies are the team with the slight edge prior to the start of the season, thanks in part to their off season acquisition of Roy Holliday, the pitcher many expected them to sign when they ”settled on” Cliff Lee last year.
I LOVED Lee.
I respect the man as a pitcher and a player, and think he did amazing things for the Phillies, especially in his first 6 starts after the trade, and through the 2009 playoffs and World Series.
But seriously, as good as he was, the Phillies are markedly better with Halliday in the rotation.
The Phillies finished the season last year first in runs, and slugging, second in stolen bases and on base percentage. They hit a team record 224 home runs as well. They finished 6th in ERA. So the obvious place for manager Charlie Manuel to focus on improvement was at pitcher.
Some improvement may have occurred without management intevention, one thing in particular being right knee surgery to 33 year old closer Brad Lidge. He may startle some with a year closer resembling his stellar 2008 after a lackluster 2009. He contributed to both the Phillies 3rd straight National League East title as well as their World Series loss. He has been quoted as saying he wants to end the season on Broad Street again, obviously with different results. A repaired right knee may allow him to complete his follow through more quickly as well as hold runners on base better, two things he was unable to do at his normal level of competance at the close of last season, when it mattered most.
So it is starting to take shape here, the 2010 pitching rotation. Cole Hamels as the throwback Ace. Roy Halliday as the entering Ace. Jose Contreras as the Ace in waiting. J A Happ as the rookie phenom. Joe Blanton as the workhorse. Madsen and Baez as middle relief. Romero, Kenrick and Durbin as the bullpen crew. Brad Lidge as THE CLOSER (Goat or hero, depending on which Lidge we get apparently)
With much of the offense returning intact, notable exception being the addition of Placido Polanco, these Phillies should once again chase the 100 win mark. I, for one, can hardly wait for opening day. Unlike last year when I was exiled to the deep south, this year, I will be there in person to watch my favorite sports team of all time take to the field.
Did the Phillies improve their roster?
With Pitchers and catchers having reported to Clearwater, Fla., Spring Training is officially underway.
The Phillies, who are coming off of consecutive trips to the World Series, return much of the same core from the previous two years with newcomers, Roy Halladay, Placido Polanco and Danys Baez now on as additional reinforcements. There will be plenty of debate about how the team’s offseason will affect the team this season. The biggest question is did the team improve?
The Philadelphia Daily News’ Paul Hagen took a stab at answering that question today and the result was a mild yes. Hagen points to the rotation, bench and catcher position as upgrades, with the bullpen a downgraded and the infield and outfield remaining the same.
In regards to the bullpen Hagen writes: “On one hand, Lidge almost has to be better than the guy who was a mirror image of the perfect closer of 2008, blowing a major-league high 11 saves with a 7.21 earned run average. On the other, he is coming off knee and elbow surgery. On one hand, the Phillies should benefit from having Romero for the entire season after he missed the first 50 games of ‘08 while suspended for violating baseball’s performance-enhancing substances policy. On the other, when he did come back he experienced elbow problems, missed the postseason and required surgery. On one hand, veterans Baez and Contreras were signed as free agents. On the other, the dependable Condrey and the occasionally electric Park are gone. It appears that the Antonio Bastardo, Mike Zagurski and Sergio Escalona will compete for the second lefthander’s spot. Keep an eye on RHP Scott Mathieson, coming back after double Tommy John surgery.”
Had the Phillies brough back Park I think they would have gotten a thumbs up here. Baez was a solid addition but there is still inexperience at the end of the pen. However, if Lidge can rebound no one will be talking about whoever it is who lands the final spot in the rotation.
You can read Hagen’s entire report here.
Let the baseball debating begin.
Athlete of the Decade #6 Chase Utley
Chase was one of the few athletes that made it on to all the Phillysportsblogs writers ballots at about the same spot, and he arrives at number 6 after playing 7 seasons in the past ten years with the Philadelphia Phillies, only 5 of those years as a starter. He was signed as a first rounder in 2000 as the 15th overall pick, and made an impact in his first game in 2003 by getting his first hit, which happened to be a grand slam !
At first, his path to success seemed blocked by the recently re acquired Placido Polanco but by 2005, the Phillies had traded Polanco and Utley became the second baseman of the future. Since that time, he has been a four time All Star, four time Silver Slugger, and was a large piece of the puzzle that got the Phillies their first world championship since 1980, and second in team history.
An obvious fan favorite, Chase holds the second longest hitting streak in team history at 35 games, behind only Jimmy Rollins (who will be profiled as well on the “Philadelphia Athlete of the Decade” series) who holds the team record with a 38 game hitting streak. This hitting streak of 35 games ties for tenth best in Major League Baseball history and is the longest recorded streak by a full time second baseman. The fans loved him for this moment after the World Series, as well (note: language may not be safe for work).
Utley is probably most noted for the fact that very little is published about him except his on field performance. He was a star first at Long Beach Polytech, and then UCLA before being drafted by the Phillies in 2000, and he has always been a stand up guy and leader among leaders on this team, even at a relatively young age.
This year, even though the Phillies lost in the World Series while attempting to defend their championship, Utley still shone out as a star. He broke a record that had stood since 1971 by reaching base on a walk against CC Sabathia to break Boog Powells record of 25 straight postseason games with a base appearance. Then he matched “The Babe” by hitting two homeruns off the lefthander, the first Sabathia had allowed at new Yankees Stadium, and the first time since Ruth in 1928 that a lefthanded batter hit more than one homerun off a left handed pitcher in a single game of World Series play. (Ruth had three total in that game, two off Bill Sherdel, the last off legendary right hander Grover Alexander.)
Even more impressive, Utley tied the record set for career homers in World Series game one history with 3, matching Elston Howard and Joe Collins who both achieved their mark with the dominant Yankees teams of the 1950’s. The Phillies won this game 6-1 before eventually losing to the perennial champion Yankees, but it is obvious that Utley can more than hold his own, no matter who he is playing against.
The Phillies obviously can also see his potential. They signed Chase to a 7 year $85 million extension after Utley became the 15th player in major league history — and second on the Phillies — to hit .300, record 200 hits, 30 home runs, 100 RBIs, 40 doubles and 130 runs in one season in 2006. He and Hall of Famer Chuck Klein (1930 and 1932) are the only Phillies to accomplish the feat.
Chase has stated he was signed as a Phillie and wants to retire as one. I think most the fans would agree they want this too ! For now, I think it speaks volumes that Utley, who has appeared on some of the top 100 baseball players lists of all time after only 5 years as a starter, comes in on our list at #6. What this means is that we are living in a historically rich time in Philadelphia sports history with plenty of other athletes contending for spots on our list.
Utley may well show up on the next top ten athletes of the decade list for his efforts from 2010 to 2020. And my guess is that he will eventually end up on a top ten list of Philadelphia athletes of all time. He is after all only 31, and I expect a breakout season even better than what he has showed us so far; probably when he is 33 or 34, and then 5-6 more years of productivity before he retires. My prediction is he will beat his own record hitting streak for 2nd basemen as he matures, and even make a run at, in this writer’s opinion, the most unobtainable record in all of sports; the great Joe D’s 56 consecutive game hitting streak. Utley won’t break that mark, but he will come close enough that all sports fans countrywide will remember his name long after he retires, I hope sometime around 2016 or so !
Phillies sign Polanco now back to filling out the bench
Man the Phillies are moving fast!
The Phillies filled their primary offseason need today signing Placido Polanco to a 3-year deal worth 18 million. Polanco’s primary position is second base, but he will shift over to third full time.
Palonco is the type of player the Phillies desperately needed – a .300 hitter, who takes pitches and doesn’t strike out.
With third base now taken care of we turn our focus to rounding out the bench. As we mentioned on Tuesday, the Phillies have four parts of the bench in place with Greg Dobbs, Brian Schneider, Juan Castro and Ben Fransisco under contract. The Phillies will likely us their final bench spot on a player that can give them depth in the outfield and possibly at first base.
Here is a look at some intriguing possibilities.
Mike Cameron – While Cameron would like to be a starter the Phillies could entice the aging outfielder with good financial offer to become their No. 4 outfielder. Cameron has some pop with 24 home runs last year, but is around a .250 hitter. He also provides excellent defense. The chance of this happening is slim, though.
Marlon Byrd – The former Phillie is coming off a career season where he hit 20 homers and had a .283 average. Like Camron, he would prefer to start, but a lucrative contract could bring him back to Philly. Chances are slim, but better than signing Cameron.
Jason Michaels – Another former Phillie, Michaels could be a great choice to fill out the bench. Michaels struggled last year in Houston, but is still a good fielder and has some pop in the bat. For is career he is a .269 hitter.
Randy Winn — Winn does not fill the teams need for a power bat off the bench, but does provide a veteran presence and would be a great fit in the clubhouse. At the end of his career, Winn would accept a lesser role to try to win a title.
Brain Giles – Injuries limited Giles to just 61 games last year, but he had hit double-digit home runs in his previous 12 seasons. While he is no longer the guy who hit 38 homers in 2002, Giles could provide the team with some pop in key situations.
David Dellucci – He is a career .256 hitter, who just three years ago hit .292 with 14 home runs for the Phillies in a limited role. If brought back, you could expect more of the same from Dellucci, who could be had for relatively cheap.
Garry Sheffield – This one is my own favorite. While never a fan of Sheffield and his past, he proved last season that he could still play when forced into action with the Mets. He hit .290 the first half of last season, before wearing down as an everyday player. With the Phillies he could be limited to late-inning pinch hit opportunities, where he could thrive. Even at his age, Sheffield has a fierce swing that will make pitchers think twice before bringing a fastball. To sum up: He is a more productive Matt Stairs. Sheffield has never been brought up by the front office though, so don’t cont on it.
John Mayberry – This is the most realistic option, as Mayberry showed promise at the major league level last year. In 57 at-bats Mayberry hit .211 with fur home runs. The only thing that may hold him back is the club’s desire to get him everyday playing time in the minors.
So there you have it, a look at who could be a future member of the Phillies. Anyone you like? Anyone I missed?
Talk now because the way the Phillies are moving this offseason, a move to solidify the bench may happen anytime now.
Road to a Dynasty is going to cost $$$
If the Phillies want to become a dynasty, I offer 5 suggestions to send them on their way. They have a good balanced ball club, one that has won the National League east three times in a row, been to 2 World Series and won one. That is a good 500 or so games for the team. But to truly become a dynasty, they need to sustain this level of play for 1000 or so more games.
That is tough in an arbitration filled, salary capped, league unless they plan on spending half a billion dollars each and every off season like the Yankees seem to do. Frankly, as much support as the Phillies get, I still don’t think they can afford to do this, and I doubt the fans will support them spending that kind of money in the city of brotherly love unless they become perennial champions first.
But short of spending billions there are a few steps they can take to ensure success for years to come, simply by adding the right pieces to the existing nucleus of this years club and securing the worthy pieces they already have in the fold to make sure they don’t find greener pastures elsewhere. Chase Utley was ranked the 6th best player in baseball, Jayson Werth and Ryan Howard should be in the top ten as well. Cliff Lee is a top five pitcher, and Cole Hamels is probably a top ten pitcher, JA Happ is the runner up rookie of the year. Beyond that, the team is really a group of utility players, position players, run producers and role models.
In addition to this strong nucleus, now that trading season has begun, here is what I would do if I were Ruben Amaro.
1.) I would do whatever it takes to sign Placido Polanco to play third base next year. 5 years for $40 million perhaps.
2.) I would sign Omar Vizquel to replace Bruntlett as the end all-be all utility middle infielder. 4 years for $10 million.
3.) I would sign Ryan Howard up for the rest of his career, with a rich contract full of performance bonuses and incentives, this is the guy who hits 40 homeruns, drives in 140-150 runs, scores another 100 and has a strikeout total that is dropping and a fielding percentage that is rising. This is a motivated player, 2005 rookie of the year, 2006 MVP, and in my opinion 2008 MVP as well; we CANNOT let him go. He has three years secured right now, that leaves him a 32 year old in his prime either arbitrating or shopping himself as a free agent. Wrong !! He should get something in the 9 figure area now that he proved himself for the fourth straight year, remember he was asking for $18 million a year, before accepting a three year buyout deal in February for $54 million, but is entitled to Texiera/ARod/Jeter type money and will go get it elsewhere in 2012 if he doesnt get it here. Figure 5-6 more years at $130 million.
4.) I would sign Jimmy Rollins for another 5 years, slightly sweeter than his previous 2005 deal, to keep him in the leadoff role through 2015. Figure $40 million here.
5.) I would sign Victorino to a long term contract as well. Shane and Rollins are looking to be perennial run scoring gold glove machines, and having them 1-2 or 1-3 or whatever in the lineup in front of Utley, Howard and Werth means opposing pitchers dont stand a chance. You can lock down Shane for $10 million for 4 years. $40 more million.
Also, I would tie up Chan Ho Park with a multi year deal. Park is by far the best deal for the money, and a known prospect who performed as well as any other bullpen hopefuls the Phillies are looking at. $10 million ? It seems a lot but in baseball salary terms, a drop in the bucket !
Think of it, Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Polanco, Ibanez, Werth, Ruiz, with Francisco, and Vizquel occasionally spotting the starters makes one hell of a lineup. Everyone of those guys could score 100, drive in 100, hit 30 doubles, 20 homeruns, steal 20 bases, and have an OPS between .600 and .900.
Then you have Lee, Hamels, Blanton, and Happ as a four man rotation with Park, Madsen, Eyre, Durbin and probably Lidge since Charlie loves the guy in relief. Who thinks that group WON”T win 100 games next year ? And using these numbers plus those already signed onto contracts, that still places you around 8th in the league in overall payroll.
Because I can sense a dynasty in the making, I only hope Amaro and Manuel sense the same thing and are committed to spending the resources to make it happen. It won’t be billions but it WILL be $250,000,000 +. But think of it, $250 million is less than the largest contract in baseball for one person, and it secures a championship caliber TEAM potential through 2015 or so !! The key is to do it now, and get it done, and then reap the rewards for the next 5-8 years to come. The fans in Philadelphia are long suffering and certainly deserve it !
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