Can Brandon Lyon Help the Phillies?

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Not Happ-y With Rookie of the Year Award

J.A. Happ was the favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year, however that wasn’t the case when the award was announced on Monday afternoon.

Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan beat out the Phillies left-hander by receiving 17 first place votes compared to Happ’s ten first place votes.

Final count: 105-94.

Coghlan hit .321 with nine home runs and 47 RBI in 128 games during his first season in the big leagues. After the All-Star break, the 24-year-old hit .370 with a MLB-leading 113 hits.

There are a lot of Phillies fans irate that Happ didn’t win the award, but his slow finish to the season didn’t help him out in the voting process. Awards are determined in late-September, not in June-July.

Happ finished the season with a 12-4 record with a 2.93 ERA in 166 innings. He led all rookies in innings pitched, strikeouts (119), ERA and complete games (5).

The 27-year-old didn’t have a strong finish to the season as he missed two starts in Sept. with a strained rib-cage, and had a 4.84 ERA in the last month of the regular season.

While I thought that Happ would come back down to earth, which he did, and that I would have parted ways with him to get Roy Halladay , he got snubbed with the Rookie of the Year voting.

I’m not taking anything away from Coghlan because he had a great season, and he was just as deserving, but Happ was arguably the Phillies’ best pitcher not named Cliff Lee .

Happ was a big part of the Phils winning their third straight division title, and making it to the World Series.

Okay, maybe he wasn’t that big of a piece during the postseason, but you get the point.

It stinks that he didn’t get it, but who really cares if he was given a trophy that is worthless. All that matters is that he pitches well on the field, and the Phillies win games. I don’t care about these awards too much.

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Phillies Should Take a Chance on Sheets

It’s no secret that the Phillies are in need of another reliable starting pitcher, because you can’t count on Cliff Lee being as great as he was down the stretch and carry the entire pitching staff throughout a full season.

We all can hope that Cole Hamels finds a way to focus on baseball rather than the off-the-field issues and prove to everyone that last year was just a hiccup in what will turn out to be a brilliant career.

But how far does hoping get you in sports? It doesn’t get you far, I can tell you that. Being a Philly sports fan,  I’ve hoped for a lot of things and more often than not, I’ve come out disappointed.

Is anyone comfortable going into spring training with a rotation consisting of Lee, Hamels, J.A. Happ , Joe Blanton , and Jamie Moyer or Kyle Kendrick ? I’ll be surprised if someone answered yes to that.

The Phillies will have to add some insurance to the rotation, even though their bullpen remains the top priority in the pitching department and bringing back Pedro Martinez isn’t a solution either.

I’m not calling for the Phils to sell the farm to acquire an elite pitcher like Roy Halladay; they’re not in need of an ace. Nor am I saying go out and sign John Lackey who is the best starter available to buy.

Considering the fact that the Phillies have $106.75 million committed to 12 players next season, they should take somewhat of a risk like they did with Pedro and there are a couple of guys out there whom I’d like to see them take a chance on.

What I am suggesting is the Phightens take a look at Ben Sheets who has been a free agent since last winter after opting for surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in February.

I don’t know the market for Sheets because he didn’t pitch last year and has a poor injury history, but I don’t see the harm in signing the former Milwaukee Brewers ace, at the right price, of course.

Sheets, 31, built a reputation of being one of the league’s premier pitchers strictly based on his stuff and his stuff alone. He’s like another free agent, Rich Harden , who has dominant stuff, but finds his way to the D.L. every year.

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native has a career record of 86-83 with a 3.72 ERA, and made four All-Star teams in his tenure with the Brewers, who have been pretty bad except for the couple of the years Sheets spent there.

His best season was the 2004 campaign, when he posted a 12-14 record with a 2.70 ERA, five complete games, and 264 strikeouts to just 32 walks in 237 innings.

Sheets threw at least 200 innings in three of his first four years in the league, but then ran into arm and ear troubles, which forced him to hit the disabled list five times from ’05 to ’07.

In 2008, Sheets had a 3.09 ERA with a 13-9 record in 198.1 innings while striking out 158 batters and tossing five complete games, three of which were shutouts.

He lasted pretty much the entire season for Milwaukee, however, he did find himself getting hurt in late-September forcing him to pitch just 4.1 innings in his final two starts.

According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, Ben Sheets’ agent, Casey Close, believes that there will be a decent market for his right-handed client. Close said that he already had a “number of teams inquiring” about Sheets.

It’s highly unlikely that the Phillies are one of those teams, but I think they should take a chance on Sheets and at least explore the option of signing him. Adding a healthy Sheets would strengthen the rotation easily.

For more Phillies’ coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Pedro Feliz May Not Be Leaving Philadelphia Phillies After All

A lot of the talk around the Phillies right now is regarding who will replace Pedro Feliz as third baseman, after the team declined their $5.5 million option to bring him back next season.

The team will test the free-agent market but don’t be surprised if there is no new third baseman after all.

Feliz may just be the best option.

Names like Adrian Beltre, Chone Figgins, Mark DeRosa, Joe Crede, Troy Glaus, Melvin Mora, Placido Polanco, and even Miguel Tejada have arisen to compete with Feliz, but there are flaws just about everywhere you look in that bunch.

Though baseball has no salary cap, the Phillies do and they already have an enormous payroll. Players like Figgins and Beltre will command large dollar amounts for not much more production than Feliz provided the team with.

Feliz was certainly among the unappreciated members of the 2009 Phillies, doing so much good with his glove and holding his own from the right-hand batter’s box.

His .266 batting average and 82 RBIs are just about all you can ask from the No. 7 hitter in your lineup. Feliz provides you with a vacuum around the hot corner making certain nothing gets by him.

Feliz would come affordably and willingly. He has been a contributor to the unbelievable team chemistry throughout his tenure here.

All this begs the question, why are so many people looking for a change at third. Step back, look around the market. It just doesn’t get much better than this.

—

Send e-mail to sroddy@highhopesblog.com or go to HighHopesBlog.com for more of Shay Roddy’s work.

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Lost in the Mix: Phillies Should Get Atkins

While the big fish in the pool all seem like good fits for the Phillies vacant third base hole, the answer may be someone who could be had in a trade or become available via free agency in a couple of days.

And with all the Phillies faithful calling for the team to sign Adrian Beltre , Mark DeRosa or Chone Figgins to man the hot corner for the Phils in 2010 and beyond, I’m thinking they should go a different route.

The Colorado Rockies are exploring the market for third baseman Garrett Atkins , and if they fail to find a new home for him in the trade market, they’ll simply release him, and hand the gig to Ian Stewart .

Atkins had a miserable year last season after being one of the Rockies key run producers the previous three seasons. In 126 games last season, Atkins hit a lousy .226 with eight home runs and 48 RBI.

In 2008, however, he hit hit 21 homers with 99 RBI while batting a respectable .286, and 56 extra-base hits compared to just 22 hits last year.

The 29-year-old finished 14th in the N.L. MVP voting in 2006 when he hit .326 with 29 dingers and 120 RBI while having 78 extra-base knocks, and a .409 on-base percentage.

Atkins opens my eyes because he has a history of driving in runs for what has been one of the better lineups in the National League the past few years in Colorado, and he could be had for cheap.

Someone with his past history of producing runs in what used to be a hitter’s friendly ballpark, and hitting for average while doing so, is quite intriguing.

On a plus-side with Atkins, he’ll likely cost you under four million bucks because after a dreadful 2009 year, no one will give him close to what he made with the Rox last year, which was a little over seven million.

According to Patrick Summers of the Denver Post , one general manager said: “I know some guys who think he could be a bargain pickup, but other guys think he’s lost his swing.”

Summers also says that the same GM has concerns that his 2009 slump “was not an aberration.”

With Charlie Manuel and Milt Thompson being hitting geniuses, I think Atkins could benefit from having them as his coaches. They would show him what not to do, and help him get out of the funk.

Baseball is all about having fun, and when players are in a bad way like Atkins was last year, having fun is the No. 1 way to get out of it. That’s one thing this Phillies team knows, they know how to have fun.

Another positive for Atkins to the Phillies is that it would reunite him with his college teammate, roommate, and one of his best friends, Chase Utley .

Utley is a great leader, and he leads by example. He’s the first one to the park each day, and players want to be like him. His hard work could help Atkins adopt the same work ethic, and get himself out of his slump.

The Phillies are in need of another right-handed power bat to add to their lineup, and Atkins would be just that. It’s a riskier decision than signing Figgins, DeRosa or Beltre, but it could pay huge dividends.

For more Phillies’ coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Kyle Drabek: Baseball Prospect Report

Kyle Drabek, the son of former NL Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek, has seen his name pop up in trade rumors quite a bit in recent months. With the Phillies angling to acquire Cliff Lee (which they did without parting with Drabek) and potentially Roy Halladay, it would make sense that teams would target the player who may be the best pitching prospect in the system.

Pitching between Single and Double-A last season, Drabek went 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 163 innings in 2009. He showed excellent control, posting a K/9 of 8.23 versus a BB/9 of 2.76. Having undergone Tommy John surgery in 2007, it’s safe to say that he is showing no ill effects from the procedure.

His curveball is his calling card, with Padres prospect Mat Latos (who played with Drabek in 2005 at the “Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic at the Cal Ripken complex in Aberdeen, MD” according to this  ESPN article), saying:

“I’ve seen a lot of curveballs and some nasty sliders, but not a curveball like that. All I could think was, ‘I’m glad I’m not a hitter.”’

He also features a fastball that sits between 88 and 93 mph, which “usually at the top end of that range, and has solid-average life according to Baseball America. Also in his arsenal is a changeup, though it is clearly his third pitch.

At 22-years-old, the right-handed pitcher has one major flaw, and that is his performance against left-handed hitters. Righties hit .185 against him last season—a spectacular number—whereas lefties hit .284. Part of it was poor luck, with a .351 BABIP, but it is a trend that has to be watched closely.

His overall BABIP of .305 is realistic, and even with an improvement against left-handed hitters, you cannot expect him to maintain a .246 mark against righties. At the end of the day, you could easily expect a .305 number overall, as his performance against lefties should improve, while he will not be quite as lucky against righties.

He did a tremendous job keeping the ball in the ballpark last season, posting a HR/FB of 4.8 percent.

Is it a number that he can maintain in the upper levels of the minors? At Double-A it was 7.2 percent (HR/FB of 0.82), so it is safe to assume that he is going to see a bit more of an increase there. That, in turn, will affect his ERA.

He also saw a significant decrease in his strikeouts as he moved up levels:

1) Single-A: 10.41 (64.0 IP)

2) Double-A: 6.82 (99.0 IP)

With the stuff that he has, I can’t see him falling any further than he did, even against more experienced hitters. Keep in mind that he very easily could have simply tired as the season wore on. Look at his innings pitched totals since his minor league debut in 2006, thanks in part to his serious injury:

1) 2006—23.1

2) 2007—54.0

3) 2008—32.1

While he is not likely to be a double-digit strikeout artist, I could easily see him maintain a seven plus K/9 range even in Triple-A or the Major Leagues.

With all that said, what do I see for Drabek in 2010? A lot is going to depend on the moves the Phillies make. Will they part with him? Will they acquire a starting pitcher?  Sure up the bullpen?

There are some who feel that Drabek could transition well to the bullpen, but that just wouldn’t make much sense to me. I know they are in need of help, but it makes more sense for them to invest money there this offseason, keeping Drabek for when they are in need of a starting pitcher.

It’s only a matter of time before the Phillies are in need there, given the state of the rotation, so look for him to make an appearance at some point. There is some risk, especially given the falloff he had once promoted to Double-A, but do not be mistaken.  He is a very good pitching prospect (ranked by Baseball America as the Phillies Np. 2 prospect heading into 2010) and is certainly worth owning in all dynasty formats.

What are your thoughts on Drabek? How good could he be? Will he make an impact in 2010?

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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A Glance of What’s Going On with the Philadelphia Phillies

David Murphy reports in today’s Philadelphia Daily News that Chase Utley has won his fourth straight Silver Slugger award. Utley led all N.L. second baseman in runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, home runs, and extra-base hits.

Tom’s Take: Utley is the best second baseman in the league, and it’s not even close. At the end of the day, when it’s all over, Utley could very well go down as the league’s best second baseman in history, but he’ll be considered right on up there with Ryne Sandberg and Jeff Kent.

 

Jim Salisbury says that there are three third baseman that the Phillies are targeting : Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa and Placido Polanco. He also claims that Chone Figgins and Miguel Tejada also interest the Phils, but to a lesser-extent.

Tom’s Take: I like Beltre the most out of the available third baseman because he has some pop from the right hand side of the dish, and is the youngest of the group at 30-years-old. I think he would do great in this lineup while playing at a hitter’s friendly Citizens Bank Park.

 

Philadelphia Daily News Bill Colin believes that the National League should switch to the designated hitter, and it’s time to for both leagues to get on the same page. He says that it would restore the competitive balance that has been lacking from the MLB since 1973 when the American League went to the DH.

Tom’s Take: Personally, I hate the DH, and if it were up to me, the A.L. would eliminate it from their game. There’s no strategy with the designated hitter, and that’s why I love watching baseball.

I like seeing the chess match that N.L. managers play throughout a game. When to pinch hit, when not to. When to pinch run, when not to. Should I bunt or let the hitter swing away. These are all things that N.L. skippers have to make while the A.L. guys don’t.

 

Todd Zolecki reports that Scott Eyre filed for free agency yesterday after successful surgery on Monday. Eyre is considering retirement, and said that he would only pitch for the Phillies. Eyre had a 1.50 ERA in 42 appearances last season.

Tom’s Take: Eyre was great for the Phillies last year, and quite frankly, I did not know how good he was until I checked his stats in Zo’s article. I took a double-take at it, and went to ESPN to check it. I couldn’t believe. Hey, if he’s healthy, and wants to pitch, I think he should be back. He was the team’s lefty this year since J.C. Romero was injured, and suspended.

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Phillies: Why Toss Feliz If You Don’t Go Big at Third?

When Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro declined the $5.5 million contract renewal of incumbent third baseman Pedro Feliz, he suggested the Phillies could upgrade the position.

I heard Randy Miller of the Bucks Country Currier Times on WIP today and he said Chone Figgins, with more than 40 stolen bases and near .400 on-base percentage, would probably be too much money for the Phillies to pay.

A story on SI.com suggested teams were perhaps going to have lean winters, free-agent wise.

Perhaps the truth, but perhaps posturing to see what top player would break the market. To date, only Ken Griffey Jr. signed with his original team, the Seattle Mariners, for $2 million and incentives.

Miller also suggested that Phillies might go after Colorado’s Garrett Atkins, shown above. In just over a half season in 2009, he hit .225 with nine home runs and 48 RBI.

In 2008, however, he hit 21 home runs and 99 RBI. In 2006, he finished 14 in the MVP voting with a .329 batting average, 29 home runs and 120 RBI. And he was Phillies second baseman Chase Utley’s roommate at UCLA.

According to a report in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies were looking at Placido Polanco, Mark DeRosa, or Adrian Beltre for third base.

In my mind, only Beltre would be an upgrade from Feliz.

We could agree on this: The Phillies probably will not sign Blue Jays’ pitcher Roy Halladay. Nor will Johnny Damon come to the team.

But again, I ask: Why get rid of Pedro Feliz and bring in a Mark DeRosa?

An upgrade? With all respect to DeRosa, he is a better utility player at this point in his career. Polanco is more comfortable at second, where he played for the Tigers.

Although they were not ruling out a return of Feliz, it is not likely.

I don’t blame Amaro for letting Feliz become a free agent and holding off on finding a replacement until the free agency period begins Nov. 20. If you’re gonna let a great defensive third baseman go, why not go big? Huh? Come on, now!

You brought in more than three million people into the gates last year. You were the best team in the National League.

Show some faith. Bring in a third baseman that will improve the team offensively and bring the same defense provided by Feliz.

Atkins, Polanco, Beltre, or DeRosa might fit.

Anything else would be egg on Amaro’s face. Think of it: The day the Phillies sign DeRosa, Feliz signs with the Braves for $7 million along with former Angels’ pitcher John Lackey.

Figgins would be a big upgrade.

Make it happen.

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Vampires, Ventriloquists, and NL Gold Gloves: What the %$@! Is Going On?

There are lots of worldly occurrences that make absolutely no sense to me. For instance, popular American culture is apparently obsessed with vampires at the moment.

Vampires? Really? Who signed off on this?

My faith in a benevolent Higher Power has me convinced there’s a bunch of television executives somewhere laughing themselves silly at the gag. The phenomenon has to be a perverse bet between suits a la the Duke Brothers in Trading Places—”I’ll bet you a dollar we can get the masses to go crazy about anything if we throw enough production behind it.”

Or what about a ventriloquist-comedian getting his own show? What’s next, a mime?

(Quick aside—he might actually be funny as I’ve never seen his stand-up, but that’s low hanging fruit. I mean, a ventriloquist? C’mon…)

The sports world is rife with offerings of its own. Mid-November sees an annual rite of “what the hell is going on here?” passage in Major League Baseball—the awarding of Gold Gloves to the game’s so-called best fielders at each position.

The American League went first and, to be fair, the real carnage is in the Junior Circuit. Fellow Bleacher Report writer PJ Ross does an excellent job of describing precisely how badly the voters jammed up the works—if you want to stew over a real con-job, check that disaster out.

The National League voices that count did a better job, but even the Senior Circuit whiffed on several pretty easy calls.

Of course, they also nailed some of the spots—the St. Louis Cardinals’ Yadier Molina was a no-brainer at catcher. The only reasonable alternatives based on innings-played and defensive prowess would be another Flying Molina Brother (Bengie of the San Francisco Giants) or the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Russell Martin, but Yadier’s got both beaten rather easily when you add in the eyeball test.

Furthermore, reputation is a key ingredient to backstop defense because perception can change the opposition’s running game. Yadier Molina’s an intimidating name if you make a living off fleet feet.

Likewise, the San Diego Padres’ Adrian Gonzalez and the Washington Nationals’ Ryan Zimmerman were outstanding choices. They weren’t the only worthy candidates—first base could’ve rightfully gone to the Chicago Cubs’ Derek Lee or the Redbirds’ Albert Pujols, and the New York Mets’ David Wright is stellar at the hot corner. Still, die-hard Giants fans get a yearly eyeful of Gonzalez’ mitt and it’s quite a sight.

The same is true of Zimmerman (absent the familiarity since he’s on the other coast), who makes some of the most ridiculous degree-of-difficulty plays the diamond has ever seen.

In the outfield, it’s tough to argue with the Bums’ Matt Kemp. It pains me to say so, but the kid can go and get it. He’s got a pretty good arm and covers an impressive amount of real estate given his size—the dude’s a tank in center field, but he motors like a coupe.

The Houston Astros’ Michael Bourn seems a fine choice as well—although I’d have no problem putting an argument together for the Nats’ Nyjer Morgan or the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Andrew McCutchen given a larger body of work. Maybe next year fellas.

Handing the hardware to the Cards’ Adam Wainwright just feels bizarre because I’ve never read or heard anyone mention his glove. Contrarily, I’ve seen the Giants’ Tim Lincecum make exceptionally athletic plays from the bump and I’ve heard the Cincinnati Reds’ Bronson Arroyo lauded for his leather.

In the end, though, I’ve got to defer because I haven’t observed anything that argues against Wano—he didn’t make any errors, he made the most put-outs, his range factor was amongst the best, and he threw the most innings. That’s a strong case against nothing but a funny feeling.

Cue the ominous music because the rest isn’t so pretty.

The other winners aren’t exactly undeserving. Instead, they’re significantly flawed and suspiciously conservative choices.

The problem is that defensive ability is really something that needs to be seen with the naked eye to gauge accurately. A defender’s value hasn’t yet been reduced to the box score with any firm credibility.

New metrics are emerging and some are even beginning to catch the mainstream’s eye. Ultimate zone rating (UZR) seems to be getting play and for good reason—as explained (A and B), it seems like an appropriately sophisticated and extensive model of a complex system. However, even it is plagued by considerable frailties (e.g. small sample sizes for a model with so many confounding variables, omitted variables, etc.) such that it can only be thought of as an additional data point rather than a probative final stop.

Consequently, determining the best gloveman at a position is the ultimate in subjective assessment—mixing first-hand observation with tradition stats like fielding percentage and innings-played, then sprinkling in a hint of the novel sabermetrics like range factor and UZR.

Nevertheless, the remaining honorees range from shaky to criminal compared to an also-ran.

In the outfield, nobody registered more put-outs than the Milwaukee Brewers’ Mike Cameron, his UZR was much higher than that of Philly’s Shane Victorino, and the Brewer had a superior range factor. The Flyin’ Hawaiian made only one error to Cameron’s four, but defensive errors can be a function of range i.e. a player who covers more territory will expose himself to more error potential—he will make more plays and more difficult plays.

Watching both men patrol the big green is a treat, but Cameron is the more dazzling of the two while sharing Victorino’s blue-collar, do-or-die mentality. Of course, Victorino went home with his second consecutive award and Cameron gets a pat on the butt.

Oops.

At second base, the Bums’ Orlando Hudson had the advantages of being flashier and a mantle already boasting Gold Gloves. Unfortunately, neither counter the notion that the Phils’ Chase Utley was better in 2009.

The Phillies’ keystone had an embarrassingly superior UZR (O-Dawg’s was actually negative), a lead in range factor, made more put-outs, played more innings, had more assists, and turned more double plays. In Hudson’s corner, you had four fewer errors for a whopping .003 lead in fielding percentage and history—tremendous.

Again, the eyeball test operates in both slicksters’ favor—Giants die-hards saw a lot of the Dodger in 2009 and the Phils were a fixture under the national spotlight so most should be familiar with Utley’s efforts. Both are fantastic; Chase Utley was better.

So naturally Hudson’s mantle has a new Gold Glove on it.

Which brings me to the biggest travesty in the set—Philadelphia’s Jimmy Rollins over the Colorado Rockies’ Troy Tulowitzki.

Forget all the numbers because they’re close enough to do so. Forget them because the eyeball test is the only bad rider you need for this particular contest.

Troy Tulowitzki is quite possibly the best shortstop in the show, as in both leagues. The Texas Rangers’ Elvis Andrus might warp by him in 2010, but not yet.

The guy is a wizard-monster in the hole—there might be better pure defenders, but nobody combines his elegant glovework with a truly horrifying cannon (unless you happen to root for the Rox). It’s not easy to distinguish yourself based on arm strength from short when you toil in the same division as LA’s Rafael Furcal.

Tulo’s done it. Without too much problem.

There’s a reason Colorado’s season ebbs and flows with Troy Tulowitzki, and the reason isn’t exclusively related to his bat. With this gem in place, the rest of the Rockie defense clicks into place and becomes a formidable asset.

Rollins is nice, no doubt about it. He’s just not nice enough, not any more. Maybe the voters will catch on eventually, but we’ll have to wait ’til next year to find out because Jimmy got the gold in 2009.

When all is said and done, hitting pay dirt on six-outta-nine winners ain’t too shabby for National League voters. Judging from the American League reception, things could’ve been a lot worse.

But never fear, if vampire fads and comic dummies prove anything, it’s that more insanity is always right around the corner.

Just wait ’til next year…

 

**www.pva.org**

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Philadelphia Phillies Pursuing Chone Figgins and Mark DeRosa

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated is reporting that the Phillies are “intent on pursuing Chone Figgins hard,” and that they have already reached out to fellow free agent third baseman Mark DeRosa.

Philadelphia is seeking a replacement at third base after declining Pedro Feliz’s $5.5 million option this past weekend, and Heyman claims that they feel that Figgins presents the biggest upgrade to the Phightens.

Figgins is the cream of the crop at the hot corner on the open market, and will more-than-likely find himself landing a pretty big paycheck whether it’ll be re-signing with Los Angeles or somewhere else.

The 31-year-old hits for a high average, gets on-base by all means and steals a ton of bases batting mostly leadoff for the Angels in his seven-year career. Last year, he had a career high .395 on-base percentage.

Figgins batted .298 with five dingers and 54 RBI in 158 games for the Halos last year while stealing 49 bases, and walking 101 times. If he was in the Phils’ lineup, he’d lead the team in walks, average and runs.

Over the past three seasons, the 5’8″, 180-pound Figgins has swiped 117 bags while hitting .301 with a .386 OBS. Last season, he set a career high in walks; no other season has Figgins walked more than 65 times.

Should the Phillies sign Figgins, they see a chance to improve the lineup while shaking it up. Heyman quotes an AL executive: “like the idea of putting Figgins at the top of their lineup with Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.”

Let’s say that he does sign with the Phils, what will Charlie Manuel do with the lineup as Rollins and Victorino have been excellent 1-2 hitters. Should Figgins step in as the leadoff hitter is the next question.

With Rollins and Victorino atop the order, the Phillies have been in the top three in the National League in runs scored. They have been the most important batters in the lineup, and it would change if Figgins’ is added.

Some feel that Rollins is better suited lower in the order, and signing Figgins would allow the Phillies to do it without losing any kind of a spark at the top of the lineup.

Rollins has some power, and hits his fair share of home runs so batting him in the fifth-hole makes a lot of sense because it’ll give him a chance to drive in runs. And at the same time, it doesn’t make sense.

When Rollins scores a run, the Phillies usually win. He’s the heart-and-soul of the lineup even though Chase Utley and Ryan Howard are the team’s best run producers; If Jimmy isn’t going, the Phils aren’t.

Having him bat lower in the lineup would give him less at-bats, but it will also give him a better pitch selection due to batting behind the “Big Piece.” In this scenario, there’s a ton of point-counterpoints.

Here’s a comparison of Figgins and Rollins stats from a season ago:

Figgins:
Average: .298
Home Runs: 5
RBI: 54
R: 114
SB: 42
OBP: .395

Rollins:
Average: .250
Home Runs: 21
RBI: 77
R: 100
SB: 31
OBP: .296

Ruben Amaro Jr. said that there’s a few guys out there that could be upgrades, and DeRosa is one of them. According to Heyman, the Phils are one of eight teams to have reached DeRosa’s agent already.

DeRosa, 34, has enamored the Phillies for a couple of years now. Last winter, they tried to acquire him from the Chicago Cubs in a three-way trade with San Diego, and prior to that, they tried to sign him.

The former University of Pennsylvania quarterback hit 23 homers with 78 RBI while splitting last season with Cleveland and St. Louis. In seven of his 10 years in the MLB, he has made the playoffs.

Adrian Beltre is another candidate to be the new third baseman for the Phightens next season, and Philly has been linked to him in the past. Some think he would be a perfect fit in Citizens Bank Park.

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