Will the Philadelphia Phillies Try To Move Shane Victorino To Keep Jayson Werth?

According to Howard Eskin and his brand new Twitter feed, the Phillies are seriously considering trading Shane Victorino in order to free up some money to resign Jayson Werth.

It makes sense on the surface, as finding a way to keep Werth has to be on top of Ruben Amaro’s to-do list, and trading Victorino would free up $7.5 million next year. The Phils would then just insert Dominic Brown to play either center or right field, depending on where they feel he’s best suited, and move on from there.

However, trading Victorino seems to create more problems than it solves. Sure, they probably free up enough money to keep Werth, but what do they do once Raul Ibañez moves on and they’re forced to replace him in left field?

And even more importantly, how do you replicate Victorino’s fantastic defense? Brown is probably a much better hitter than “the Flyin’ Hawaiian,” but Victorino is one of the best defensive center fielders in all of baseball.

He often helps cover the fact that Ibañez can’t cover as much ground as he once could and is routinely making difficult plays look, well, routine.

Then add in the fact that he’s crushing the ball better than he ever has and you’ve got a guy who is very difficult to get rid of. Since becoming a starter in 2006, Victorino has never hit more than 14 home runs in a season; this year, however, he’s gone yard seven times and we’re only getting into May.

And for all the hype Brown gets as a hitter, he’s still has two less home runs than Victorino playing Double-A ball in Reading.

It’s obvious the Phillies need to keep Werth around to protect Ryan Howard and to be the power righty in the lineup, but moving Victorino is not the way to do that. It solves one problem but creates several more in the long run. The problem here is that Amaro overpaid for Ibañez and now it’s catching up to the team.

Speaking purely out of instinct, I think Amaro will find a way to keep Werth around. Paying Howard all that money doesn’t make much sense if you’re not going to have someone worthy of the fifth spot, so I would have to believe Amaro already has a plan in place.

The most likely scenario (other than simply letting Werth walk and trying to groom someone else) is that the Phils move Ibañez and eat up some of his contract. Then with the money they’ll save in the long-run they can pay Werth the $15-18 million per season he’s going to demand and have a natural fit for Brown in the lineup behind Werth in the six hole.

This would also mean getting rid of Jamie Moyer’s inflated contract and giving Kyle Kendrick a cemented spot in the lineup. A move that, despite Moyer’s wonderfully flukey two-hitter, is long overdue.

Then in 2011 the outfield would be Werth in left, Victorino at center, and Brown in right, with Werth batting fifth, Brown batting sixth, and Victorino batting seventh.

In a perfect world, that’s how everything would fall. However, as the Yankees showed us all last October, it’s certainly far from a perfect world.

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The Revival Of Jose Contreras

Jose Contreras, this past weekend.

In two appearances out of the bullpen against the Atlanta Braves, May 8th and 9th, Contreras came up in the eighth inning and mowed down the seven combined batters he faced. In 11 pitches a game, he kept the Braves at bay and saw his ERA move down to 0.83.

Jose Contreras, one year ago.

Contreras was contributing to the struggles of the White Sox. After a May 8th outing against the Texas Rangers, he failed to get past the fourth inning for the second straight game, allowing three earned runs on 81 pitches in the loss. The bad news was his record plummeted to 0-5.

The good news, if you can call it that, was his ERA fell from 8.31 to 8.19.

Several days after this performance, just about a year to the day, Contreras was sent to the minor leagues on his suggestion, clearing waivers after no one else wanted him. At 37, perhaps he was done. He had a nice run, but maybe there was nothing left in the tank.

Fast forward to September. He had brought his ERA down near five, but where else is there to place a 37 year old with a 5-13 record? Perhaps the bullpen? Contreras was to be placed in the bullpen for the White Sox, but instead was sent to the Colorado Rockies.

Jose Contreras, eight months ago.

After two starts for the Rockies, he strained his thigh and had to miss a couple weeks. When he returned to pitch, the light bulb went off in manager Jim Tracy’s head and Contreras was quietly placed into the bullpen. He allowed one earned run in five relief appearances and brought his ERA under five with his final performance of the season.

He was on the roster for the NLDS against the Philadelphia Phillies, and in two appearances in the sixth inning, he allowed one earned run. His second appearance was lackluster, but in the first he threw nine of 10 pitches for strikes, and kept the Phillies from scoring as the Rockies went on to win game two.

The Phillies must have sensed something during that game.

Jose Contreras, four months ago.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs were extending offers and getting a look at him. A couple weeks latter, the Philadelphia Phillies take a look as well. By the end of the month, Contreras’ name was on the contract and he was given a spot in the bullpen.

Ruben Amaro described the signing as a “leap of faith,” understandably so as he was now 38, and there was no telling what he might bring to the table. For $1.5 million though, he could provide a good amount of bullpen help as a middle reliever or setup man.

Jose Contreras, today.

To say the deal has worked out is an understatement. He has allowed a single earned run in 12 appearances, and has thrown 15 strikeouts alongside a single walk. He has not pitched over an inning in a game or over 20 pitches, and is able to focus his best stuff into his game as a result.

There was even talk about using him as a temporary closer, though that did not come to fruition. Clearly, the man with the 98 mph fastball and the nasty splitter is back, and he has been a key figure in solidifying the Phillies as the top team in the National League. He’s back, ready to strike down other teams, and the Phillies would not want it any other way.

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How DeSean Jackson vs. Donovan McNabb Resembles Jimmy Rollins vs. the Mets

No matter how many consecutive sellouts the Phillies have at Citizens Bank Park (they’re up to 58, by the way), the Eagles are always a hot topic.

Especially when the topic is in any way, shape, or form connected to Donovan McNabb.

McNabb is back in the Philadelphia headlines, this time, responding to comments that former Eagle teammate DeSean Jackson made recently to the Sporting News. 

“I don’t think we lost anything, even with McNabb being gone,” Jackson told SN, while looking forward to the upcoming season and the subsequent quarterback change. “I am very happy with the decision. Playing with Kevin Kolb last year, I know what he’s capable of doing. I see his playmaking ability and his leadership.”

McNabb responded as one might expect, by pretty much downplaying everything. No big deal.

As much as the media would love us to believe the contrary, DeSean Jackson is not Terrell Owens. Although, a big mouth, lots of skill, and one superagent named Drew Rosenhaus are all common denominators between the two primetime wideouts.

Still, the media has also done its best to stir up the indirect exchange of words between Jackson and McNabb, just as it did back in 2007 when a brash Philadelphia shortstop named Jimmy Rollins dared to challenge the alleged supremacy of the reigning NL East champion New York Mets for the upcoming season.

“I think we are the team to beat—finally,” Rollins told the media in January 2007.

Rollins’ words instantly created a national firestorm. The Mets players, their fans, and media members all took J-Roll’s comment as an undisputed slight against their team.

Yet, what the majority of the public probably didn’t know was that Rollins was addressing a question posed by a reporter who directly asked Jimmy if he felt the Phils were the team to beat in the NL East in 2007.

No media outlet EVER clarified Rollins words by saying he was responding to a question.

What was Rollins supposed to say?

No, we won’t be able to compete with the Mets, especially with guys like Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton now anchoring our starting pitching staff.

Similarly, what is DeSean Jackson supposed to say about his outlook for 2010?

No, I think we’ll struggle this season. People who are glad to see McNabb out of town should be careful what they wish for.

Really, Jackson’s comments were appropriate and hardly surprising.

At least not nearly as stunning as the postgame quotes made by Donovan McNabb himself, following the Eagles horrific 24-0 loss to the Cowboys on January 2 that cost his team the NFC East title and also the NFC’s second-overall playoff seed.

“We showed our youth,” McNabb said that day. “We showed our youth in situations where everyone began to look around to see who was going to make the play instead of stepping up and making that play.”

Ouch. That’s an undeniable zinger delivered by the quarterback who has always been portrayed as the consummate team leader by the national media and supposedly has always handled tough times with the up most level of class.

After hearing Donovan throw his offensive teammates (most in their early to mid 20’s) under the bus in the biggest game of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising if DeSean had chosen to hit the greatest quarterback in Eagles history with a reciprocating shot to the solar plexus once the season came to a brutal ending just six days later.

But DeSean Jackson hasn’t come close to doing anything like that, even five months after McNabb’s slight, despite the national media’s desire to make us believe he has.

If these are the most controversial comments DeSean Jackson makes all year, then we should consider ourselves lucky.

By the way, the Phillies hope to have Rollins back in their starting lineup by the end of May. After all, baseball season is in full swing…football season isn’t.

In the meantime, don’t buy into all the controversial headline propaganda the media delivers.

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Jayson Werth of the Philadelphia Phillies: Here’s Your Sign

My husband had to work on Mother’s Day, so when he rushed in the door about three o’clock, he was breathless.

“Happy Mother’s Day,” he panted. “How’s your day going?”

“Great,” I said.

Then I rattled off my conquests. “I cleaned the house, caught up on laundry, made your favorite dinner, and started taping the Phillies game.”

He paid me his highest compliment, “Take your pants off.”

Chad Durbin, Jose Contreras, and Brad Lidge—take your pants off.

After Cole Hamels went cold in the fifth, Charlie Manuel chomped on his gum through three bases loaded situations, two walks, four hits, and three runs. And this time Cole can’t blame his extended inning on a fielding error.

It was unfortunate—Phillie starters had a combined 1.22 ERA in May coming into this game.

To stop the bleeding, Charlie could have called in Nelson Figueroa—the starter/long reliever/reliever they acquired just for this occasion, but instead he chose Chad Durbin.

My husband looked like he smelled shit, “Disturbin’ Durbin?!” But The Durbinator showed up for the sixth and retired six straight, striking out four.

Jose Contreras—put your Pants on the Ground.

After a 1-2-3 eighth, one thing’s for certain: Jose needs a nickname. He stepped on the rubber believing there was no way the Braves were getting on base. He started the inning with a .93 ERA and now it’s so small I have to get out my reading glasses to see it.

I shall call him, “No Way Jose.”

In the ninth, Brad Lidge came in for a save situation. After his implosion last year, I wouldn’t have called him with a flat tire, but now I think he could have saved those poor people on Lost.

The first two batters Lights Out faced hit some long balls—that’s not the same as big balls.

One hit pushed Shane Victorino to the wall and the next put Raul Ibanez there. But it doesn’t matter how hard it’s hit, it matters where it lands. And he pitched with a little help from the wind.

Hey, Marilyn Monroe did her finest work with it blowing up her skirt.

In four innings the bullpen retired twelve straight but a little offense helped take home the 5-3 win.

Carlos Ruiz continues to lead the league in on-base percentage. He’s been making it around the bases at such a rapid pace I heard they’re giving away EPT’s as the next promotion.

He was part of a lineup where the first seven on the card made it safely on base at least once and three of them decided to make it all the way around on one pitch.

Placido Polanco went first.

He hit a homer in the second just to show up his single in the first, and Jayson Werth hit his 100th career dinger to make every mother’s day in the third. By the time Great Shane came to the plate in the seventh, he’d already flied out, popped out, and struck out.

Plus he was sore that Jayson had infringed on his team high RBI. All that was left was to hit one out. Now that’s a different kind of cycle.

Injuries continue to waste payroll. Paul Hoover was welcomed to Philly to backup Carlos because of the injured Brian Schneider.

Ryan Madson’s broken toe has him wishing for a do-over, J.A. Happ is still tending to his nursemaid’s elbow, and Juan Castro was available to hit but can’t run—he’s now Adam Dunn on a good day.

Wilson Valdez, the third string shortstop, hit into another double play to help Atlanta’s cause. He’s now 0 for life.

Fittingly, on a day that honored mothers, Jayson Werth was once again named Phillie of the Week. There was pink on the bags, pink wrist bands, pink bats, and pink around the player’s necks. The only thing missing was Jayson Werth wearing me on his lap.

Whoa, did I just say that?

On that 58th consecutive sellout, they might have given away Motrin scarves for Mother’s Day but from the signs I saw, it was obvious Jayson Werth is why moms came to the game:

My Mom is Werth It

Jayson Rings My Bell

Sorry Mom, I’d Rather Spend the Day with Jayson

Believe in the Beard— Beard   Power

But none of them quite captured the thoughts of thousands like mine:

Jayson Take Your Pants Off

My sister texted me, “Jayson just bent over to stretch right in front of us.” I texted back, “My dream job is to man the camera at third base.”

Then he hit a mother with a foul ball. Not only was her pain eased when she got a game ball, she had him kiss it and make it all better. At least I hope she did. My move with stray hits had been the “Scream and Cower,” but from now on I’m diving in front of them. Then I’ll pucker up.

And to close a perfect day, the night ended with a pink sky. You know what they say… pink sky at night, sailor’s delight. I’m sure that has more to do with a girl than the weather.

Now I’m gonna answer the question some of you might have had at the start of this blog: Why was this mom doing chores on Mother’s Day?

Well, when my husband looks back on this day he won’t remember how disappointed I was that he had to work. He’ll consider how I happily spent my day, smile my way, and say those coveted words. “Take your pants off.”

And I’ll hold him to it.

See you at the ballpark.

 

Catch life one-liner at a time on Twitter http://twitter.com/ABabesTake .

Copyright 2010 Flattish Poe All Rights Reserved

 

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5 Reasons Roy Halladay Is a Better Fit Than Cliff Lee for the Phillies

Most teams would love the opportunity to choose between two of the best starting pitchers in the major leagues, but for the Phillies this question became an agonizing decision. Who did they want? The dominating Roy Halladay, or their very own post-season hero Cliff Lee? In the end, amid much controversy back in Philadelphia, the Phillies decided to acquire Roy Halladay and send Cliff Lee to Seattle. Here are 5 reasons that they made the right decision.

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A Farewell To Robin Roberts, a Truly Legendary Person

This is going to be my one of final articles here on Bleacher Report. I can honestly say that I enjoyed writing on this site. Now, I could write something narcissistic about how Bleacher Report has changed my life…but I am not.

Bleacher Report has changed my life. I have become a Sports writer and now I am the Sports Editor for Temple University Ambler Campus’ student-run newspaper my time here on “the Report” writing about the Phillies and Temple University Athletics. But it really hasn’t changed my life that much or to that extent.

The real reason I writing this is to pay tribute to Robin Roberts, the Hall of Fame pitcher who passed away yesterday. Another baseball legend has passed away.

Hall of Fame pitcher, Robin Roberts passed away at the age of 83. He was a huge cog in rotation of the 1950’s Philadelphia Phillies, which received the moniker known as “The Whiz Kids.”

Roberts is considered to be the greatest right-handed pitcher in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies franchise. Even greater than Grover Cleveland “Ol’ Pete” Alexander.

Roberts started his career with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1948 at the age of 21. Two years later, he and National League MVP Jim Konstanty lead the Phillies back to the World Series for the first time since 1915.

Roberts even pitched a Complete Game, 10 inning loss in Game 2, with the lone run coming off of a Joe DiMaggio home run.

I could go on and on about his career. Here are some highlights:

* He is second on the Philadelphia Phillies Franchise in Wins with 234. The only one with more wins with he Phillies is left-hander Steve Carlton.

*He is second on the Phillies Franchise All-Time strikeout leaders with 1871.

*Ranks first on the Phillies Franchise leaders for Complete Games with 272.

* Pitched 28 consecutive complete games.

* Won at least 20 games from 1950-55.

* He was 286-245 with 2,357 strikeouts, a 3.41 ERA, 305 complete games, 45 shutouts, and 4,688⅔ innings pitched in 676 games.

* He is the only pitcher in major league history to defeat the Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta Braves.

* Pitched a Complete Game, 10 Inning Loss in Game 2 of the 1950 World Series.

* He was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1976.

* His number is retired at Citizens Bank Park and he has a statue on the first base side of the stadium.

That’s just a snippet of his legendary career. I have heard stories from my dad who got to meet him growing up in Germantown in Philadelphia.

My dad told me that Roberts used to do clinics at Germantown Boys Club. My dad said that meeting Roberts was one of the highlights of growing up. 

A few years ago in 2006, I even got to meet Mr. Roberts. He was one of the coolest, most awesome, kindest and down-to-earth people I ever got to meet.

I got shake his hand and I got a baseball signed by him. I can truly admit that getting to meet him had an impact on my life. 

I even got to have a little bit of a chat with him about pitching. I modeled my pitching mechanics off of his and a little bit of Roy Halladay’s as well.

He showed me a few different kinds of grips on the ball. It was truly one of the high points in my life that year when it had very few high points.

Robin Roberts was truly the complete package as a pitcher and as a man. He was never one to build himself up at the expense of others. Robin Roberts was one of the last true workhorse pitchers. In fact, he was gamer; he never liked to lose.

Roberts even called up the people at the Hall of Fame to change something on his Hall of Fame plaque. It referred to the 286 games he won, most of which were with the Philadelphia Phillies, and pitching for primarily “second-division” teams. His plaque now refers to a “tireless worker who never missed a start in the decade of the Fifties.”

So looking at that same autographed baseball that he signed, even though it’s in a case, it’s ink is starting to bleed. I can tell my future kids and grandchildren, that I got to meet a Hall of Fame pitcher… no person …with my dad. 

“His attitude was, ‘Give me the ball, we’ve got to win.’ There was no such thing as a pitch count or a quality start. You either won or you lost. He was the best in the league, so there was no sense in throwing anybody else. He was the best competitor I’ve ever known. He’d sit on the bench during a game and never talk to anybody. It was total concentration all the time .” –Bob Miller

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Philadelphia Phillies: Streaking and Stretching in Section 145

We packed in the car to attend our first game of the season. After fighting the rowdy crowd, we took our seats just as the game started.

That’s when the calls from the crowd brought to mind a memory. My husband summed it up when he said, “Hey, I forgot. We’re supposed to yell stupid shit at the other team.” Then he shoved napkins in my crotch. He claimed he didn’t want them to blow away but his smirk indicated he’d simply took advantage of a good excuse.

This was going to be a great day.

Once we were cozy, anticipating a hot day and a sizzling team, I decided to take some notes:

The first inning was busy. Jayson Werth hit a three-run homer in retaliation for his 26 game on-base streak that was broken in game three.

Hold on…My husband says it’s not a streak—it’s a stretch. Well, honey, stretch doesn’t have the same connotation as streak. I’ll do anything to increase the imagery of seeing him naked. I’m the pervert who tried to peel away his clothing with Photoshop at least 26 times. But that’s not a stretch I plan to break soon. If anyone knows how to get that done, let me know. My, how I’d love to hack into him.

Where was I? 

Oh, yeah. After the Phils were finally retired, it became apparent that Ashburn Alley was Sunburn Alley and section 145 was an oven. But Planet Hoagie is still the hottest deal in the stadium. For about eight bucks you get a sandwich that feeds four and a short line that saves an inning of play. They don’t have anything they can claim is a “Philly Original” but they also don’t serve fries named after an STD.

Then the second inning started. I ate roast beef, but the Phillies were Sloppy Joes. Jayson Werth lost a ball in the sun for an error, then Wilson Valdez—the substitute for the substitute for Jimmy Rollins, earned one with a throw just short of Ryan Howard’s reach.

And that should be an error. With the way Ryan’s playing, he’s so much bigger than his 6’4″ frame. And after seeing throws in this series bounce off Albert Pujols’s glove like the ones that were effortlessly scooped up by the $125 million man, it’s hard to reason against his recent contract.

At the close of the second, one thing was evident: the Phillies remember Kyle Lohse. As a former teammate, he held no secrets and finished that inning with 63 pitches. It’s amazing what a handful of hits can do to a pitch count.

In the fourth, Placido Polanco hit a grounder that inadvertently slipped between the legs of David Freese. No big deal. I can’t keep mine together either. At least he only earned an error—I got a reputation.

By the end of the fourth, Lohse was at 100 pitches. My brother-in-law said it best: “Lohse is toast.” So was my nose.

Then the Phillies took a defensive reprieve: Jayson passed on a Tide moment, Carlos Ruiz missed a pitch that allowed two runners to advance, and the wind had blown my hair sideways for so long I looked like I had a Donald Trump sweep.

In the fifth, some drunk guys behind us were upset with the guy who was starting the wave. The funniest thing they could say was, “Go home and start the wave on your couch!” And as if that was not-funny enough, the monkey beside him said, “Yeah, go home and start the wave on your couch!”

They’re lucky this isn’t FunnyOrDie.

That was also the inning Raul Ibanez welcomed Blake Hawksworth to the mound with a homer off a 2-0 pitch and Carlos established himself as a dominate force against St. Louis with a single. But then Valdez hit into a double play.

My brother-in-law texted me: “Valdez should stick with coffee.” But Charlie Manuel—slim but far from competing on Dancing With The Stars —strolled out to banter with the umpire.

His stutter, funny drawl, dry sense of humor, inability to speak in complete sentences, and unrelenting faith in those who fail us, make him a poor candidate to manage in a city that takes its sports seriously. But when Charlie defended Valdez on a poorly hit ball that yielded a double play to end the fifth, it was evident—he fits in here quite nicely.

In the sixth the wind switched directions. Soon my eyes were as full of crap as I was.

By the bottom of the seventh, the Phils were up 6-2, the Cards were on their fourth pitcher, and Jayson Werth hit a double—just because he could.

And Carlos Ruiz singled. Did you know Carlos is batting over .300 now? And did you notice he’s seventh in the lineup? That’s what happens when you’re playing against a catcher whose name is Yadier—from the Molina trinity. You buck up.

Chad Durbin was called in to pitch the eighth.

When he shows up as his alter ego, Disturbin’ Durbin, a five-run lead is like the boobs that used to hold up my tube top—a distant memory. After he beaned two batters, two meetings were held on the mound to make sure he understood the intricate strategy: “They’re batters, not bull’s-eyes.”

I’m kidding. I don’t really know what was said, but the inning ended with a rare, 3-6-1 double play. Or was it 3-4-1? I’m not sure whose butt it was that sailed to second for the out. All that matters is, it was nice.

But there was one more inning to go. Since Brad Lidge still needs his beauty rest and Jose Contreras closed game three, I held my breath. Then I fainted when Danys Baez ran in from the pen. He’s the guy who almost pitched for the cycle in the loss against the Mets and has a cumulative ERA higher than my bowling average.

Don’t get me wrong—a man with a pitch that packs a 95 mph punch is a girl’s dream but if he doesn’t know where to put it…well, insert the innuendo of your choice here.

Last year we had Two-Run Lidge; this year it’s Four-Run Baez. Praise Pete we were up by five and I had an established farmer’s tan.

Well, either the ghost of Hall of Famer Robin Roberts was in the house or the Phillies are just playing great ball.

The batters are seeing the ball so well that the two guys hitting over .300 hold lineup Nos. 5 and 7, the hurlers are so hot it looks like even Kyle Kendrick could stay in the majors, and the Phils had 14 hits for a 7-2 win to cap a 3-1 series against the best defensive team in the league. Roy Halladay earned his sixth win and again they’re first in their division.

It’s as if Ruben Amaro, Jr. planned it that way.

Wait, of course he did. That was a really stupid thing to say. Hey, let’s try a few more.

Shane Victorino is so good at snagging high-flying objects I heard they’re naming a dog breed after him—the great Shane.

Ibanez had a Raul series. There were so many opportunities to howl I thought the next Twilight movie opened.

The police commissioner decided the next spectator to run onto the field would be fought with light sabers.

And in honor of the morons in my section, I went home and started the wave on my couch.

Sorry, it wasn’t funny that time either.

See you at the ballpark.

 

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Ruben Amaro’s Offseason Signings for Phillies Deserve Kudos

After the Philadelphia Phillies fell just short of repeating as World Series Champions, GM Ruben Amaro spent the offseason actively reshaping the club.

Of course, the biggest news involved the tandem trades of Cy Young hurlers Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. Beyond that, Amaro used the free agent talent pool to land a new regular third baseman and essentially perform a makeover on both his bullpen and bench. 

The Phillies GM wasted little time when he inked Placido Polanco to replace Pedro Feliz at the hot corner. The deal came with some fanfare as it brought back a player who had been traded away when the team made a commitment to build around Chase Utley at second base.

Polanco remained in Phillies fans’ consciousness during his five seasons in Detroit by hitting .311 and winning a pair of Gold Gloves at second base. This time around, Amaro decided that they could make room for baseball’s best second sacker in Utley and Polanco by sliding the free agent over to third.

The move appears to be a winner. Polanco has quickly settled into his new position and looks right at home. He has also generated the additional offensive production Amaro was seeking—hitting .274 with four HR and 16 RBI after 28 games. 

The other signings were not front page worthy news, but overall appear to have been astute decisions. And, with the wide array of injuries the Phillies have experienced thus far in 2010, the improved depth is making a positive impact. 

Before pulling up lame with a strained hamstring last evening, Juan Castro had ample opportunity to show why Amaro wanted him. He is a clear improvement at the plate and in the field over Eric Bruntlett. 

Castro has filled in nicely for the injured Jimmy Rollins, displaying some flashy leather work and surprising pop in his bat. Amaro even had the foresight to stockpile talent by signing Wilson Valdez, who has proven to be a capable backup as well. 

Ross Gload is one of the better left-handed pinch hitters in baseball. And Brian Schneider is one of the league’s top backup backstops. 

From a financial perspective, the biggest free agent acquisition in the pitching department was right handed reliever Danys Baez. Thus far, the former closer has displayed closer stuff with journeyman command. 

The most impactful bullpen addition, though, appears to be veteran Jose Contreras. After several mediocre years as a starter, the Colorado Rockies moved him into a relief role late last season. 

Apparently Contreras caught the Phillies’ attention enough for them to take a shot with him—and it appears they nailed it. The big righty still throws gas and has a truly nasty splitter. In 14.2 innings of work, Contreras has a 1.04 ERA with 14 Ks and zero walks.

The performance of Brad Lidge since returning to the big club has been encouraging. Should he falter, however, Contreras and his high 90s splitter appear to be a great backup plan. 

During the winter, news of signing players such as Castro, Gload, Schneider, Valdez, and Contreras didn’t exactly light up the sports radio airwaves or blogoshere.

But, a month into the season, it sure looks like kudos are in order for Ruben Amaro. Oh, yeah, and although it wasn’t via free agency, the acquisition of Roy Halladay looks pretty special, too. 

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Should Pat Burrell Return to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2011?

“Now batting for the Phillies, leftfielder Pat Burrell!”

Longtime Phillies public address announcer Dan Baker called Pat the Bat’s name into the microphone nearly 2,700 times from 2000 through 2008. And, actually, it might not be such a bad thing if Baker had a few more chances to announce it in 2011.  

In 2008, Burrell’s arrival to home plate at Citizens Bank Park was accompanied each time by the sound of Don Henley’s ‘80s classic “Dirty Laundry.”

I make my living off the evening news, just give me something, something I can use…

Could Burrell be introduced by the same soundtrack next year in Philly? Could Raul Ibanez move to right field so Pat could return to left?

Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

All we know for sure right now is that the Phillies must have a right-handed outfield bat in the middle of their lineup in 2011. They must. We also know that current Phils right fielder Jayson Werth may not be a Philly next season.

Could Burrell, the 33-year-old former No. 1-overall draft pick in 1998, come back?

He could. And he should if Werth doesn’t stick around.

Pat signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Rays after 2008. Just think of how cheaply the Phillies will be able to get him when his 2010 contract expires. We know Burrell will play for a bargain-basement price in 2011, and if he’s signed by the Phillies this would give the team financial freedom to address their pitching concerns.

Pat has a proven track record. He ranks third on the Phillies’ all-time home run list and seventh in total RBI. But to be blunt, Burrell’s been a total disaster down in Tampa the past two years.

Ironically, it’s safe to say Pat’s finest moment since signing with the Rays in January 2009 came on a glorious spring day in which he was a few hundred miles removed from his Rays teammates.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009: Burrell returned to Philadelphia to collect his 2008 World Series ring, and also received a tearful embrace from former Phils GM Pat Gillick and a roaring ovation from the 45,000 Citizens Bank Park fans drowning in ecstasy all around him (not to be taken literally).

But 2009 was by far Burrell’s worst season since 2003. Pat had just 14 HR, 64 RBI, and a .221 average in 122 games as a Ray.

He hasn’t exactly begun 2010 too well. Burrell is currently hitting .229 with two HR and 13 RBI.

In the AL, Burrell has exclusively been used as a DH, sharing time with Tampa’s Willy Aybar. Right now, Burrell’s a complete afterthought in one of baseball’s most dynamic lineups.

And of course, he wouldn’t be expected to put up huge numbers if he were to return to Philly. He would merely exist to break up the lineup’s string of lefties, thus hitting in the lucrative spot between Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez.

One small plus is that Pat’s career average against lefties is a respectable .266. His career average against righties is just .250.

Say what you want about Burrell, but, like most Phillies on the current squad, he always makes opposing pitchers work. He is selective at the dish, and for years he helped the Phillies quickly elevate the opposing starter’s pitch count on a nightly basis. It’s worth mentioning because it’s pretty much his only similarity to Jayson Werth.

Actually, Pat was sometimes patient to a fault. His plate discipline could easily be interpreted as a relative lack of aggression. In 2005, Burrell finished second in the NL with 117 RBI despite leading the majors in being called out on strikes.

In ’05, a whopping 68 of Burrell’s 160 strikeouts came while window shopping at a called third. Honestly, there were times when it seemed he’d be trying to coax a walk with the game on the line instead of trying to deliver a clutch base hit.

Of course, Burrell also ranks second on the Phillies’ all-time list in strikeouts and fifth all-time in walks.

But still, bringing Burrell back is safe from a public relations standpoint.

Sure, Burrell got booed when things got tough here. But the Philly fans never spontaneously combusted on him the way they did on his two former teammates, the “so so” third baseman from Veterans Stadium and the right fielder who was allegedly afraid of the Citizens Bank Park out-of-town scoreboard.

Pat, if brought back, would be accepted by the fans. No question.

Rest assured, if Werth doesn’t return for 2011, the Phillies will have lots of potential replacement options. So why shouldn’t Pat Burrell be one of them?

He wouldn’t put up all-star numbers, but he wouldn’t need to in this lineup. He’d just be a respectable, disciplined, right-handed bat who would come at an absolute Dollar Tree price (by MLB standards).

If Werth walks, bringing Pat the Bat back in 2011 wouldn’t be a half-bad move.

People love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry…

Slowly fade down music, fade up mic. Take it away, Dan…

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NL East Update: Ryan Madson Is Down and Out

The Phillies were dealt a big blow to their bullpen with the news that Ryan Madson will miss the next 8 weeks with a broken right big toe.

Days after their impressive series win against division rival New York, where they took the last two of three, the only thing that has been getting the Phillies any attention was a 17-year old fan getting tasered in front of 45,000 fans, and now this. As you can see by the picture in the link (which by the way isn’t actually his toe), it can be a pretty gruesome injury, and it doesn’t help that it is the toe that Madson pushes off of from the rubber. You can add Madson to the list that already has Brade Lidge and JC Romero, of Phillie relievers that will miss significant time due to injury. All of a sudden, Jose Contreras may be the biggest X-factor on the Phillie pitching staff as his number will be called much more. Nelson Figueroa will also see significant playing time meaning that Philadelphia will put their trust in two aged castoffs, trying to make one last impact in the major leagues…this is certainly their time to make a final statement.

With a 0-5 record and a 5.47 ERA, one can rightfully assume that maybe Kenshin Kawakami just isn’t that good, but in this article Braves Blast defends the struggling right hander.

 

Braves Blast couldn’t have said it better. It doesn’t matter who you have out there; any starter that gets 1.25 run support will not win games (except if your name is Roy Halladay of course). You have to feel for Kawakami because the team leader in wins with 4 is Derek Lowe, who has an equally bad ERA of 5.18…funny how cruel baseball can be sometimes. Last season with a 3.86 ERA, Kawakami collected 7 wins and proved that he doesn’t have to be the type of pitcher that blows hitters away to be a quality starter in the league. There comes a point where a pitchers win-loss record is a reflection of his teams hitters, and right now, the Braves hitters are not looking too good.

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