Even before the new Phillies closer had his second knee surgery of
the off-season, there was plenty of doubt cast on Brad Lidge and it had
nothing to do with that right knee of his. Ever since that Game 5
three-run home run served up to Albert Pujols in the 2005 NLCS, it
seems Lidge hit a mental wall, or at least that’s what those affirming the consequent — fans and media alike — would like you to think.
Lidge, obviously, is one of the few people who has a truly educated
opinion on the matter of how the Pujols home run affected him in 2006.
In late January, Ken Mandel explained:
He called those 2006 struggles a “mechanical issue,”
though he admits he developed a cut fastball for 2007 because he lost
confidence in his devastating fastball and hard-biting slider.
By April of last season, Lidge had lost his closer job. During
an April game against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, he had
runners on second and third with no outs. Houston catcher Brad Ausmus
implored him to use his fastball and slider, and “see what happens,”
according to Lidge.
He struck out the next three hitters.
“I felt as good as ever after that and went through the best
stretch of my career after that,” Lidge said. “Earning my job back felt
better than if it was handed to me when I wasn’t throwing well. I
needed to earn it back.”
So, it wasn’t that he was mentally wrecked after Pujols hit a
three-run home run in the 2005 NLCS; it was that he got away from his
fastball and slider.
After that game against the Phillies on April 23 until the end of
the season, Lidge pitched 60 and two-thirds innings, struck out 81, and
put up a 2.82 ERA. He finished the season with a 131 ERA+ and a 1.254
WHIP, impressive statistics for a closer deemed mentally anguished.
Concerns about Lidge now that he’s had a second knee surgery
certainly are legitimate, but the latest, a partial medial menisectomy,
was a success:
“It really was the best-case scenario that it was
the only thing going on,” Phillies athletic trainer Scott Sheridan said
of Lidge’s knee. “His other side of the knee that he had repaired was
fine. It was pretty simple for us.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Todd Zolecki also reported that there’s
a possibility that Lidge could be back in time for Opening Day on March
31.
Not too much to worry about with the new Phillies closer, really.
The projections seem to agree. Only Marcel puts him above a 4.00 ERA
(4.23 to be exact). Bill James, CHONE, and ZiPS put him at 3.44, 3.42,
and 3.88 respectively. CHONE and ZiPS both have him pitching over 70
innings as well.
Lots of fun stuff to talk about today. First, per With Leather, there’s a few more Chris Berman videos out there on YouTube. A summary of the five videos that guy has:
The coalition is concerned there exists at ESPN a
“lack of sensitivity to persons of faith and a culture of religious
intolerance.” To support this position view the link listed below
showing ESPN anchor Chris Berman using the term “Jesus” and “####”
in the workplace.
The Christian Defense Coalition will be calling on ESPN to take
three positive steps toward building a culture of religious tolerance
in their workplace:
*Discipline or terminate any employee that uses
religiously intolerant and hateful language such as “####” or the
negative use of “Jesus Christ” in the workplace.
*Sponsor a workplace seminar and dialogue on religious tolerance
and discrimination in the workplace. ESPN has held similar seminars on
race and gender but never on religion.
*Host a discussion on one of their programs featuring the topic
of the offensive use of “####” and “Jesus Christ” within the sports
world.
It is the goal of the Christian Defense Coalition to help ESPN
realize the negative use of “Jesus Christ” and “####” in the
workplace is as offense and hateful as using the term “####” in the
workplace.
I tell ya, those Christians are funny. We had this come up around January 23,
and it provided many — especially me — with a good laugh. But they’re
really earnest about this stuff. God damn it ESPN, why do you hate
Jesus so much, and why do you hate America?
It’s ironic that it’s Christians whining about intolerance when the
book the religion is based around promotes misogyny and slavery and
genocide. In the U.S., could it have been anyone other than Christians
who would have started the God Hates #### website? Are you surprised a Christian, Jerry Falwell, said about 9/11:
I really believe that the pagans, and the
abortionists, and the feminists, and the ####s and the lesbians who are
actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People
for the American Way — all of them who have tried to secularize America
— I point the finger in their face and say “you helped this happen.
As I mentioned in my previous entry on religious whining, these
Christian nut-cases have no jurisdiction on Berman’s behavior (most of
which is from 2000, as you can see in the videos), nor on Dana
Jacobsen’s. And since they’re talking about tolerance, why don’t they
heed Voltaire?
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
Retired slugger Jose Canseco says Roger
Clemens’ former trainer, Brian McNamee, lied in the Mitchell Report and
is lying when he says Clemens used steroids and human growth hormone.
“Absolutely, he’s lying and he’s a dirty liar,” Canseco said in a phone interview Sunday.
[…]
“McNamee is a point-blank liar because Roger
never showed up at my house,” Canseco said. “It’s up to Roger’s people
to find out why McNamee is saying these things. I think he was
pressured by someone into saying them.”
“I’m 1,000% sure Roger never showed up at the party. We didn’t talk then.”
I think this is a super-interesting turn of events. It seems like
everyone has jumped off Roger Clemens’ bus and hopped on Brian
McNamee’s, and given some of the things that Canseco has said that have
turned out to be true, a lot of people are labeling Canseco a credible
source. Now you’ve got the two squaring off! How will the public
reconcile this?
Hey, here’s someone the Christians could complain about: Sam Zell!
Just so you know, the owner of the Cubs said
“[####] you” to a female company employee last week. Just so you know,
he asked workers at a staff meeting to inform him if they find good
porn sites on the Internet. And, just so you know, he defended running
strip-joint ads in the respectable Los Angeles Times by saying some of
his best friends go to such clubs, reportedly adding, “Everyone likes
[####]. It’s un-American not to like [####].”
The Phillies are apparently a lot more serious about free-agent pitcher Kris Benson than they’ve let on.
Benson has thrown privately for Phillies scout Chuck LaMar
twice in the last week, a baseball source said after Benson’s most
recent audition yesterday in Atlanta. Benson’s agent, Gregg Clifton,
confirmed the private workouts last night.
LaMar apparently has liked what he has seen.
“We have interest,” assistant general manager Ruben Amaro said last night. “We’re talking to his agent.”
I don’t see why the Phillies haven’t signed Benson already. He’ll
take a relatively cheap one-year deal with the understanding he’ll have
to show he still has his stuff and that he can stay healthy before he
gets slotted in the starting rotation. If Benson can meet that
criteria, he’d push Adam Eaton out of the starting rotation, and could
possibly allow the Phillies to trade him before he causes any more
damage.
If Benson still has his stuff, he’ll be slightly below
league-average at worst (lowest ERA+ was 88 in 2003) and well above
league-average at best (highest ERA+ was 121 in 2000). It’s more likely
he’ll be between the two and be just around league-average, which is
all you’d ask of a #5 pitcher. Eaton and his 73 ERA+ can take a hike.
I could listen to Kalas talk about anything — knitting, different
types of leaves, flossing techniques — for hours on end. His voice and
delivery are incredibly captivating, no doubt why he is a legend among
legends in the broadcast booth. To boot, he is one of the most
genuinely humble people you will ever have the privilege of hearing.
A few of my favorite lines from the interview between Angelo Cataldi and Kalas…
Talking about the late Richie Ashburn, “Whitey” (for whom Ashburn
Alley at Citizens Bank Park, and subsequently this blog, are named):
He and I are sitting in a hotel bar in New York and
a blonde hooker comes walking up. She says, “Boys, I’ll do anything you
want for $100.” Whitey thought for a while and he said, “How about the
pregame show?”
Cataldi asks Kalas about Whitey, long games, and hunger:
When I first joined the Phillies in ‘71, Whitey and
I would be working games, and i####ame was getting late, if it was a
late game, perhaps extra innings or just a long game and Whitey’d be
getting hungry, he’d say, “Well, I wonder if those people at Celebri’s
Pizza are listening tonight.” Within fifteen minutes, pizzas would be
delievered to the booth. This went on for a couple of months.
Now, Phillies management called Whitey and they
said, “Rich, Celebri’s is not a sponsor. You can’t be throwing their
name out there on the air all the time. So, shortly after he was told
this, maybe two or three weeks, extra inning game, he’s really hungry,
and we do do birthday wishes. So Whitey said, “Well, Harry, we have
special birthday wishes tonight: to the Celebri’s twins, Plain and
Pepperoni!” And sure enough, fifteen minutes, the pizzas would be
delivered to the booth.
About 32 minutes into the clip, Cataldi is asking Kalas
about the most downtrodden he’s been on the air, and before he even
said it, I was thinking “Craig Biggio’s ninth-inning three-run home run
off of Billy Wagner in 2005.” I can remember Harry’s voice clearly to
this day and it may have been the furthest my heart has sunk in my
entire life.
Probably the most downer call I ever made, Angelo,
is Billy Wagner’s last year with the Phillies when Biggio hit a home
run off him and we were on our way to perhaps post-season, and when
Biggio hit that home run — I mean I heard a replay of that…
The WIP team struggled with finding a clip of Harry’s
call, and, unfortunately, there isn’t one on MLB.com, as they have the
FSN Houston broadcast team for the September 7, 2005 game in question.
Do yourself a favor and listen to one of the greatest play-by-play announcers of all time.
Once again, I have to give credit to the Phillies forum Back She Goes for leading me to this (specific hat tip to gusmoney)
WHO IS REALLY TO BLAME FOR THE DRUG ISSUES IN SPORTS
As the 15 millionth blogger with an opinion on the Mitchell report
and drug use in baseball, I believe I get a congratulatory fruit
basket, right?
Instead of rehashing what was explained in that report, I’d like to
address the philosophical and political side of the drug issue with
baseball and sports in general. Former Senator (and pro-tobacco lobbyist)
George Mitchell referred to steroid use in baseball as an “epidemic.”
Ignoring the obvious hyperbole with that statement (malaria is an
epidemic, steroid use is not even close), what makes it an epidemic?
As many anti-steroids people will tell you, Major League Baseball
turned a blind eye to the steroid “issue.” It wasn’t a major concern
with anyone, including the millions of fans who adored Mark McGwire and
Sammy Sosa during the 1998 season. The mercurial whispers were there,
but nothing at all about how inept Selig has been or how baseball
players are cheating not only the clean players, but the fans as well.
Steroids have been against MLB rules since 1991, but it wasn’t taken
too seriously, especially since the new drug regulations were enforced via memo. According to Tom Farrey of ESPN:
Steroids had been banned in baseball since 1991,
although few players knew about the policy. But there was no
drug-testing agreement in place between ownership and the union
providing the mechanism to catch cheaters.
So, since at least the early 1990’s, they had the thought of
sweeping steroids out of baseball, but it wasn’t until recently that
anyone got serious about it. What made them become serious? Was it the
‘98 home run chase between Big Mac and Slammin’ Sammy? Was it Barry
Bonds’ 73 dingers in 2003? Was it the (misguided)
fear of early death, as was the fate of former NFL defensive lineman
Lyle Alzado, an admitted steroid user? What was the cause of the sudden
distaste for steroids?
The world of sports is where intellectually honest discussion of
morality goes to die. Sports are home to the biggest collection of
“unwritten rules,” such as not stealing bases when you’re beating your
opponent by 8 runs or so in the 7th inning, or not using trick plays in
football when you’re beating your opponent by about 4 touchdowns in the
fourth quarter.
It’s not surprising that there’s many indirect references to
morality when the topic is steroid use. Many feel that regardless of
what MLB rules have stated, any use of performance-enhancing substances
is cheating. And to these people, I always ask, “Where do you draw the
line?”
Is it just anabolic steroids and human growth hormone? If so, why
not include Cortisone shots, which are bad for the same reasons as
anabolic steroids (in fact, Cortisone is a steroid): they enhance an
athlete’s performance and/or allow him to recover from injuries faster,
and they are potentially harmful to his health.
Are we concerned with just the performance-enhancing aspect, rather
than the health aspect? If so, why are we not concerned about
over-the-counter painkillers? Or coffee, Red Bull, or other substances
that provide a boost of energy?
Is it the health aspect that scares us? Why, then, are we not
concerned about athletes smoking and chewing tobacco (the latter is
still practiced by players and coaches, though the sheer number has
shrunk significantly as the years have gone by), drinking alcohol (a
tradition practiced whenever a team wins a clinching game), eating
unhealthy food, or engaging in dangerous hobbies (was anyone concerned
with Ben Roethlisberger’s motorcycling hobby until his accident?)?
After hashing out all of these possible reasons to get upset about
steroids, it’s actually clear to see that none of these issues are
significant enough to warrant the sudden public outrage, without, of
course, being hypocritical.
The drug issue as it concerns MLB and the U.S. is a subject I’ve dealt with fervently, as you can see here,
but I cannot stress enough how greatly the American public is being
duped when it comes to the drug issues. From my previous article on
this subject, I cited the following ties between U.S. politicians and
those involved with the pharmaceutical industry:
[…]Drugmakers and HMOs hired 952 individual
lobbyists in 2003 – nearly half of whom had “revolving door”
connections to Congress, the White House or the executive branch.
That’s nearly 10 lobbyists for every U.S. senator.
[…]In 2003, the drug industry spent a record $108.6 million on
federal lobbying activities and hired 824 individual lobbyists – both
all-time highs. In 2002, based on a more narrowly defined survey, the
drug industry spent $91.4 million and hired 675 lobbyists.
[…]In all, 431 lobbyists employed by the drug industry or HMOs –
or 45 percent of all their lobbyists – previously worked for the
federal government. Among them were 30 ex-U.S. senators and
representatives – 18 Republicans and 12 Democrats.
[…]At least 11 top staffers who left the Bush administration
lobbied for the drug industry and HMOs in 2003. White House and
administration insiders working as lobbyists on the Medicare bill
included several former top advisers to Bush, Vice President ####
Cheney and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary
Tommy Thompson.
The source for those facts is Public Citizen. You can read their agenda here.
Shortly after Major League Baseball enacted tougher steroid
restrictions, the U.S. passed the Steroid Control Act of 2004, which
added prohormones to the list of controlled substances. And hey, guess what is a precursor? Androstenedione, the drug that was found in Mark McGwire’s locker in 1998.
It’s undeniable that the politicians’ distaste for steroids has had
an effect on steroid use in baseball, especially since Major League
Baseball must follow U.S. law, obviously. What is also undeniable is
how much of an agenda these politicians have for making anti-steroid
laws, since they are paid off by pharmaceutical lobbyists to vote in
favor of anti-steroid legislation (as steroids, which cure a wide
variety of ailments, are competition for the pharmaceutical industry’s
more lucrative “one pill per symptom” scheme).
The biggest culprit in all of this is not our highly corrupt
politicians, or Bud Selig, or the MLBPA; it’s the American public for
being so easily led into this anti-steroid furor. If American citizens
were into holding politicians responsible; if American journalists were
into asking the necessary questions, none of this would be an issue.
The reality is that steroid use in baseball is not an issue. It has
become an issue because you have been told that it is an issue.
Ask yourself why you don’t like steroids. Then apply those reasons
to the numerous legal substances that are sold on the shelves and
behind counters of every convenience and drug store in this country.
Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) had a problem when he was on two prescription drugs, Ambien and Phenergan, as well as alcohol, all legal drugs.
On May 4, 2006, Kennedy crashed his 1997 Ford Mustang
convertible into a barricade on Capitol Hill at 2:45AM. He had been
operating his vehicle with the lights off in the early morning
darkness. Officers at the scene said that Kennedy appeared intoxicated,
smelled of alcohol and was visibly staggering, but Kennedy claimed that
he was merely disoriented from prescription medications Ambien and
Phenergan.
Right there, you have a U.S. politician putting not only his own
life at risk, but potentially the lives of others, as well. But it’s
just A-okay because he’s using substances approved by other U.S.
politicians and the industries that own them.
Then there was the Vioxx issue.
The risks of the drug were known beforehand, but was allowed to be
prescribed anyway because it’d make mega-billions for the
pharmaceutical industry. After the drug had caused many problems in its
users, the chiefest of which were cardiovascular problems, and was
estimated to have caused nearly 28,000 deaths, they recalled the drug, but only after it had created a great profit for, well, you know who.
In not-so-hilarious irony, the anti-steroids crowd tried to use the
Chris Benoit double-murder and suicide as a blade against steroids, as
he was found to have steroids in his home. Putting aside the obvious
logic that rules out “‘roid rage” (premeditation, no steroids found in
his urine), it was actually prescription drugs that were near the center of the issue:
Xanax and hydrocodone. But you don’t hear anyone calling for the
criminalization of Xanax or hydrocodone (known most prominently as
Vicodin), because the American public hasn’t been told that those two
substances are bad, since they make such a profit for the
pharmaceutical industry.
Until spring training begins, the hot topic in baseball will
continue to be steroids, and the American public will continue to do as
they’re told — they will demonize Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Miguel
Tejada, and the numerous other big names listed in the Mitchell Report.
For public backlash, you need at least one figurehead. Mitchell has
provided many with his report.
This steroid craze very closely mimics the anti-terrorism craze
following 9/11. There’s a disaster (in MLB’s case, it’s a perceived
disaster), a threat of a large problem (hence Mitchell’s use of the
hyperbolic “steroid epidemic”), and the finger-pointing at the people
most responsible (never themselves).
Following 9/11, it was Osama bin Laden to whom we were instructed to
direct our anger. The Bush administration promised us they’d capture
him and his henchmen, and bring justice to them. Five years and just
over three months since that tragic day, Osama bin Laden is still
uncaptured, and has been literally forgotten about (in fact, Bush
disbanded the CIA unit dedicated to finding him).
Six months after 9/11, Bush said the following:
So I don’t know where he is. You know, I just don’t spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you.
That was said on March 13, 2002. One year and one week later, the
War in Iraq was started, and the American public was given a new
figurehead to spew vitriol at: Saddam Hussein. And now that we’re
nearing the five-year anniversary of the Iraq War, the Bush
administration is preparing to give us another figurehead to dislike: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran.
This is how the steroid issue will go both in sports and in the
United States as a whole. The sports world’s Osama bin Laden was Barry
Bonds, its Saddam Hussein is Roger Clemens, and we’ll have to wait and
see who will fill the role of Ahmadinejad. One thing is for sure: the
American public will continue to do its part by being willfully
ignorant, excessively suggestive, and unconcerned with anything other
than how their favorite teams are doing and which celebrities are
sleeping together.
Just listen to President Bush (why is he commenting on the steroid issue as it pertains to baseball, again?):
“The players and the owners must take the Mitchell Report seriously,” Bush said. “I’m confident they will.”
After about a one-week hiatus following a move to a new apartment, I
am back in front of my computer monitor, much to the dismay of the rest
of the Internets (to those of you sending me mail bombs, please note
the change in address).
The Phillies have been the noisiest team thus far in the offseason,
unless you count all of the meaningless banter in the media about Alex
Rodriguez, the New York Yankees, and everyone else in between. If
you’re a Phillies fan, you have to be happy with the way Gillick has
attacked the pressing needs facing the 2008 team.
Despite the in-season rumors of the Phillies attempting to acquire
Brad Lidge in a trade with the Houston Astros, it was still surprising
to read about the move in the newspaper (yes, I was reduced to that
archaic form of media sans Internet, sans cable, sans telephone).
The Phillies sent outfielder Michael Bourn, reliever Geoff Geary,
and Minor League third baseman Mike Costanzo to the ’stros for Lidge
and utility infielder Eric Bruntlett.
It’s a good trade for both sides, even though Lidge, a free agent
after the ‘08 season, may only be a one-year rental for the Phillies,
who are, in reality, poised for an “‘08 or bust” campaign.
Let’s first parse through who the Phillies gave up.
Geoff Geary
Geary is an enigma if there ever was one. He’s been an above-average
reliever for each of the past three seasons, with last year’s 105 ERA+
being a severe drop-off from his 158 ERA+ in ‘06. He gives up a fair
share of base runners (1.399 career WHIP) and his career BABIP is .311,
which is only slightly higher than the league average, showing that his
propensity for allowing base runners isn’t fluky. In addition, his K/9
of 5.82 shows that he doesn’t have particularly overpowering stuff and
he’ll only get more and more hittable as hitters become more familiar
with him and as his stuff wanes.
Geary’s departure doesn’t increase the importance of anyone in
particular in the Phillies bullpen, just anyone who would potentially
be used in middle-relief (for instance, Ryan Madson).
Michael Bourn
Bourn has always been a prized prospect of the Phillies, but it was
only because the Phillies’ farm system is so barren. Bourn has the
ceiling similar to that of Juan Pierre or Wily Taveras — a singles
hitter that can steal some bases and put his above-average speed to use
in the outfield.
While with the Phillies for the entire season in the
pinch-runner/defensive replacement role, Bourn did show that he is
capable of handling an everyday workload if needed. He got on base at
about the league-average (Bourn’s .348 to the league’s .349) and was
18-for-19 in the stolen base department.
Fortunately for the Phillies, they already have a guy akin to Bourn,
only with a much stronger arm and a bit more power, in Shane Victorino.
Bourn’s loss makes the back-ups in the outfield — Jayson Werth and Greg Dobbs — a bit more valuable.
Last season in AA Reading, Costanzo made huge bounds from the
previous season, in which he put up an OBP of .364 and a SLG of .411,
to put up an OBP of .368 and a SLG of .490. He hit 27 HR and drove in
86 runs to go along with that.
While his offense looks appealing, his defense does not. He
committed 25 errors in ‘06 and 34 last season in only 133 and 135
games, respectively. That is an aggregate average of about one error every 4.5 games.
In 2008, the Phillies will use a platoon of Wes Helms, Greg Dobbs,
and Eric Bruntlett at third base, so Costanzo’s move doesn’t increase
anyone’s immediate value, though the Phillies will have to find a
reliable third baseman after the season.
Now let’s take a look at who the Phillies acquired.
Brad Lidge
Phillies fans pessimistic about the trade will cite Lidge’s ‘06
effort as an indication that he isn’t everything he’s cracked up to be,
but if his ‘07 season means anything, then it was just an aberration.
His K/9 rate has always hovered above 10 (with a career average of
12.6) and he keeps runners off the bases (1.197 career WHIP).
The interesting part about the Lidge acquisition, though, isn’t
Lidge himself — it’s how the move will affect Brett Myers, who is now a
part of the Phillies’ starting rotation, just shortly removed from a
season in which he was the Phillies’ lights-out second-half closer
(2.87 ERA and 21 saves in 53.1 IP). Myers made it clear throughout the
season that he liked being a part of the bullpen as someone the team
could count on game after game, instead of just once every five days.
If Myers doesn’t perform well back in the rotation, proponents of the
team chemistry concept will point to Lidge as a reason.
Should Myers be amicable and return to his above-average ways as a starter, this move has gold stars written all over it.
Eric Bruntlett
To Phillies fans, he’s “that other guy” acquired along with Lidge.
Yeah, he’s essentially listless offensively (career .323 OBP and .364
SLG) but he has above-average speed (20-for-26 in stolen bases in his
career) as well as above-average defense (.847 RZR in 348 defensive
innings last season as a shortstop, which would rank slightly behind
fifth place if he had enough innings to qualify).
Expect Bruntlett to be used in as a pinch-runner or as a
spot-starter at third base in the odd event that Greg Dobbs starts in
the outfield and Wes Helms is sitting on the bench.
In the immediate future, the Phillies are clear winners, but don’t
be fooled: Geary and Bourn can be cogs in a now youthful Astros roster,
with Craig Biggio retired. The Astros could use an outfield of Carlos
Lee (31) in left, Bourn (25) in center, and Hunter Pence (24) in right.
Shortly after the Lidge deal, the Phillies re-signed left-handed reliever J.C. Romero to a three-year, $12 million deal.
J.C. Romero
Plucked off the waiver wire by Gillick in June from the world
champion Boston Red Sox, Romero quickly become one of only three
reliable arms in the bullpen, along with Myers and Tom Gordon, both of
whom were injured during the season.
Romero walked his share of hitters (25 in 36.1 IP), but otherwise
kept hitters at bay (1.101 WHIP). He averaged just a shade under a 1/1
K/IP ratio, but the most important aspect — his left-handedness aside —
is his ability to throw the ground ball, an absolute must in a
hitter-friendly stadium such as Citizens Bank Park. In ‘07, 60% of his
outs were of the ground ball variety, only slightly above his 54.3%
career average.
With those deals fleshed out, let’s look at what the Phillies’ 25-man roster should look like, as it stands, come Opening Day.
C - Carlos Ruiz
1B - Ryan Howard
2B - Chase Utley
3B - Wes Helms
SS - Jimmy Rollins
LF - Pat Burrell
CF - ? / Shane Victorino
RF - Jayson Werth
C - Chris Coste
IF - Eric Bruntlett
IF/OF - Greg Dobbs
OF - Chris Roberson
OF - T.J. Bohn
That ? in center field could be Aaron Rowand, it could be another
outfielder acquired via free agency or trade, or it could be Victorino,
simply taking Rowand’s place.
The Phillies’ outfield reserves currently include Chris Roberson and
T.J. Bohn, both of whom are rather unappetizing, so here’s hoping they
sign someone like Geoff Jenkins to a one-year deal and use him in a
platoon with Jayson Werth in right field (Jenkins, .883 career OPS vs.
RHP; Werth .864 career OPS vs. LHP).
The last two spots are tentative. I don’t know this for a fact, but
I imagine the Phillies are very open to using blase Adam Eaton in a
long-relief role. The Phillies are also hoping to allow Kendrick to
develop a bit more in the Minor Leagues, perhaps to develop a put-away
pitch that he lacked in his impressive rookie season in ‘07.
Rumors have the Phillies most interested in Randy Wolf and Bartolo
Colon, but both would be risky propositions given their injury
histories. Further down the list are Livan Hernandez and Kyle Lohse.
Hernandez is a fly ball-prone pitcher, and Lohse’s agent is Scott
Boras, whom the Phillies absolutely detest (see: Drew, J.D.).
Carlos Silva, with his ground ball tendencies (47.5% in ‘07; 48.7%
career), should actually be the #1 target for the Phillies in terms of
cost/effectiveness.
RP -
RP -
RP -
RP - J.C. Romero
RP - Ryan Madson
SU - Tom Gordon
CP - Brad Lidge
The three open relief pitching slots could go to just about anyone
who shows up in Spring Training. “Anyone” could include Fabio Castro,
Clay Condrey, Julio Mateo, Scott Mathieson, Francisco Rosario, and Mike
Zagurski.
One of Castro and Zagurski will make it by the sheer fact of their
left-handedness, giving the Phillies increased flexibility with two
lefties in the ‘pen.
Mathieson is coming off of “Tommy John” surgery, and Mateo still has
some personal problems that prevented him from joining the team last
season when he was picked up from Seattle for a handshake.
Logically, that leaves Condrey and Rosario to the last two spots,
assuming the Phillies are done acquiring relief pitchers. In all
likelihood, they are not done shopping, so they could still target
someone like David Riske or LaTroy Hawkins to set up for Lidge, and
moving injury-prone Tom Gordon to a role in which he is not expected to
pitch 70 games throughout the season.
As for the other fun-packed part of the off-season: awards…
How did Jimmy Rollins get the Gold Glove at shortstop over Troy
Tulowitski? If there’s one thing both baseball statistical
traditionalists and Sabermetricians can agree on, it’s that Tulowitzki
was the better defensive shortstop. Rollins is a hell of a defender,
but even as a Phillies fan, even I cannot give him the nod on this one.
Good to see that Aaron Rowand got a Gold Glove, but again, I take
exception with it this year. He was sixth among qualified NL
center-fielders in RZR (.861) and second in OOZ (69). His 69 OOZ aren’t
too much more than the three behind him (5th-place has 63), so if you
look at the five ahead of him in RZR…
A. Jones: .921 RZR, 80 OOZ
Beltran: .915, 64 OOZ
Pierre: .902, 63 OOZ
Cameron: .894, 53 OOZ
C. Young: .875, 66 OOZ
…you can find three slightly more deserving candidates. I’m not
saying it’s a travesty that Rowand won, but if we’re being specific, he
was just a shade under the cut.
Charlie Manuel, who placed second in Manager of the Year voting,
should have won over Bob Melvin. His Diamondbacks were fluky,
out-performing their Pythagorean W-L by an historically large 11 games.
My reasoning for Manuel was laid out here:
Like Torre, Charlie Manuel has had a ton of injuries, a bad pitching staff, and media scrutiny to deal with all season long.
In this article,
I listed the 15 Phillies to be put on the disabled list at the time.
Since then, Cole Hamels missed time with a strained left elbow, and
Antonio Alfonseca was described by Manuel as “out of gas.”
Manuel has had to make do with a horrible bullpen that GM Pat
Gillick failed to improve during the off-season. In fact, the bullpen
was so lousy that Manuel moved then-starter Brett Myers to the set-up
role for Tom Gordon (Myers became the closer when Gordon was injured).
Myers’ statistics as a closer: 45.2 IP, 1.226 WHIP, 2.96 ERA, 56 K, 16 BB, 17 saves in 20 opportunities.
In addition, despite the injuries to 2005 Rookie of the Year and
2006 NL MVP Ryan Howard, 2007 MVP candidate Chase Utley, speedster
Shane Victorino, and a horrid first-half for Pat Burrell, the Phillies
have, by far, the National League’s best offense.
First in runs, triples, walks, hit batsmen, on-base percentage, and
slugging percentage. Second in at-bats, hits, doubles, home runs, and
stolen bases.
When the Phillies lost to the Mets on April 17, Charlie Manuel blew up at “journalist” Howard Eskin during the post-game press conference,
the team dropped to a 3-9 record, quickly 5.5 games behind the Mets for
fourth place in the NL East. Now, the Phillies are 12-games above .500
— an 18-game swing — and are battling for playoff berths in either the
NL East or in the Wild Card, as they are 2.5 GB the Mets and Padres,
respectively.
Tulowitzki should have won NL Rookie of the Year over Braun, and
while there weren’t any mind-blowing AL candidates for the award, I
still think Jeremy Guthrie should have taken it over Dustin Pedroia.
Good to see the voters got something right through in awarding the AL Cy Young to C.C. Sabathia.
We’re still waiting on the NL Cy Young award (Jake Peavy, obviously) and both MVP awards. John Brattain makes an interesting case for Jimmy Rollins as the NL recipient.
I don’t agree, but as a Phillies fan, I won’t complain if Rollins wins
it. If he does, it will be the first time a team has had two different
players win back-to-back MVP awards since Jeff Kent and Barry Bonds in
2000 and ‘01.
Visit my new website -- Crashburn Alley!>
Crashburn Alley is a fusion of the phrase "crash and burn" with Ashburn Alley, which is beyond the center field fence at Citizens Bank Park. You can read more about Crashburn Alley here.>
I'm a diehard Phillies fan who is still reeling from the 1993 World Series and Joe Carter's three-run homerun in Game 6.
