Top Player in the History of Every Major League Team

Is Chase Utley the Greatest Philadelphia Phillie of All Time?

As of now, no. That title goes to Mike Schmidt, and after Schmidt there are probably at least three other players—Ed Delahanty, Steve Carlton, and Pete Alexander—ahead of him on the list, to say nothing of current teammates Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and maybe one day, Roy Halladay.

Just to see where we stand, here is a Major League Baseball-wide look at the greatest player in the history of each franchise.

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Johnny Cueto Goes Eight Strong As Reds Top Phillies 7-3

(6/28/2010)

Cincinnati, OH –  Former Phillie Scott Rolen played game killer and Reds ace Johnny Cueto went eight strong innings as Cincinnati topped Philadelphia 7-3 in the opening contest of the three-game set at Great American Ballpark.

Rolen went 1-for-2 with three RBI including a towering two-run shot in the fourth to lead the Reds. Joey Votto and Orlando Cabrera both went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the win.

Reds starter Johnny Cueto (8-2) went eight innings, allowing one run on six hits and lowered his ERA to an impressive 3.74.

Rolen got the scoring started with a home run in the fourth. Two innings later after a Votto RBI single in the sixth, the third baseman put the Reds up 4-0 on a sacrifice fly that plated Brandon Phillips.

Raul Ibanez paced Philadelphia with a RBI single in the seventh. He platted two more in the top of the ninth on a two-out home run to right that scored Jayson Werth.

Kyle Kendrick (4-3) allowed six runs on eight hits and struck out four. He was pulled in the seventh after a Ramon Hernandez double that plated Drew Stubbs.

Replaced by David Herndon, Kendrick was credited with another run as Hernandez was scored on a Cabrera two-out single to left.

The Reds tacked on another run in the eighth on a Chris Heisey sacrifice fly to bring the score to 7-1.

Box Score

Game Notes: Chase Utley did not bat in the ninth inning and will have an MRI tomorrow due to an apparent right thumb injury.

Rolen’s home run in the sixth was his 300th of his career. Rolen hit his first 150 home runs with the Phillies from 1996-2002.

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2010 MLB Trade Rumors: Could Chicago’s Ted Lilly Be Philadelphia-Bound?

The Philadelphia Phillies have made a mid-rotation starting pitcher their top trade deadline priority, according to a tweet by ESPN’s Buster Olney .

The two-time defending National League champions, who find themselves two and a half games back and in third place in the NL East division, will look to supplement a rotation that already includes the dominant Roy Halladay and a pair of strong left-handed hurlers, in the ageless Jamie Moyer and 2008 World Series MVP Cole Hamels.

In order to do so, general manager Ruben Amaro would do well to place a call to Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry. While Philadelphia is an eager buyer as the July 31 trade deadline looms, Chicago finds itself eight and a half games out in the NL Central, and will look to move some soon-to-be free agents.

Among those players is Cubs left-handed ace Ted Lilly, 34. who has posted an impressive WHIP of 1.14 in his three-plus seasons on the North Side.

Lilly will become a free agent after 2010, at the close of a four-year, $40-million contract that has seen him strike out 3.21 batters for each one he has walked. Despite off-season shoulder surgery that sidelined him until late April and poor run support that has allowed him to win just twice in eight decisions this year, Lilly remains an effective starter.

Whether because his shoulder ailment yet lingers or because he simply hasn’t yet rebuilt full strength, Lilly’s velocity is down this year. That has mitigated his numbers somewhat, including key indicators like swinging strike percentage (7.6, down from 9.6 in 2009).

Still, Lilly has stellar command and occasionally dominant stuff. Just two weeks ago, White Sox pinch-hitter Juan Pierre broke up a no-hit bid for the southpaw in the ninth inning. Moreover, under the tutelage of fellow finesse lefty and fly-ball specialist Jamie Moyer, Lilly could discover even more magic.

A rotation featuring Lilly, Hamels and Moyer would admittedly be a bit more left-handed than is strictly optimal, and the looming return of left-handed J.A. Happ could make it dangerously so. Presumably, however, the Phils could reinstate Happ as a reliever, where he first pitched in 2009 before emerging as Rookie of the Year runner-up in the senior circuit.

On the Cubs side, trading Lilly makes sense even if they must eat some of the money left on his deal. All of that will be paid out by the end of October, and if the team can get a solid piece in return—24 year-old Double-A first baseman Matthew Rizzotti would make a good target—then it will have been worth parting ways with the man who has done more to make the team competitive during the past half-decade than perhaps any other.

The deal is an unlikely one, but both teams could sell it to their fans with relative ease, and it could provide Charlie Manuel with the extra pitching option he needs to guide his squad to a fourth straight division title.

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Top 10 Philadelphia Phillies Prospects to Get Excited About

There can be no doubt about it: the cream of the Philadelphia Phillies minor league crop is none other than Domonic Brown. A potential five-tool star at the major league level, Brown was recently promoted from Double-A to Triple-A and will probably get a September call-up with an eye towards making the Big Club in 2011.

But Brown isn’t the only reason to get excited about the Phillies’ minor league system.

Let’s have a look.

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MLB Trade Rumors: Matthew Rizzotti Heating Up at the Right Time

In a season in which the Philadelphia Phillies have made Ryan Howard one of the richest first basemen in major league history, the unexpected has happened in the minor leagues: left-handed hitting first baseman Matthew Rizzotti has turned into a legitimate major league prospect.

Phillies fans will recall that Rizzotti was Philadelphia’s fourth round pick in the 2007 draft.  He is a lumbering giant of a player, standing 6’5″ and weighing 235 pounds.

For whatever reason, the Phillies have brought Rizzotti along very slowly since drafting him.  Rizzotti signed relatively immediately in 2007, and managed to play 63 games in low A-ball with Williamsport the year he was drafted.  Rizzotti started 2008 in rookie ball before being quickly promoted to Single-A Lakewood, where he hit .268 with 10 home runs, but also posted an impressive .380 on-base percentage.

In 2009, the now 23 year-old Rizzotti spent an entire season at High-A Clearwater, where he hit only .263 with 13 home runs and 58 RBI in 101 games.  His .806 OPS and 159 total bases were unimpressive, and landed him an encore performance in Clearwater in 2010.

And that, perhaps, has made all the difference.

In his first 31 games this season at Clearwater, Rizzotti hit .358 with a .903 OPS, numbers that came seemingly out of no where.  He raised his slugging percentage over 20 points despite hitting only one home run, which indicated that he had become a more patient and versatile hitter.

But the real excitement, and the reason Matthew Rizzotti is suddenly on everyone’s radar, has developed since he was promoted to Double-A Reading.  In just 41 games, Rizzotti is hitting .385 with a shocking 1.132 OPS, 10 home runs, and 14 doubles.  All of this was good enough for Rizzotti to be named Minor League Player of the Month for the month of May.

One year after putting up modest numbers against High-A ball pitchers, Rizzotti is dominating Double-A pitchers.

So what is the meaning of all of this?

There is simply no room at the major league level for Matthew Rizzotti with the Phillies.  Ryan Howard is the Phillies’ first baseman of the past, present, and future, and Rizzotti doesn’t have the athleticism to move to the outfield.  If anything, he needs to move from first base to designated hitter, as he has done for 38 of his 72 total games this season.

That means he is trade bait.  And he may be peaking at just the right time.

Could the Phillies get some pitching help in exchange for the new hottest bat in Double-A?  Rizzotti is a prototypical American League first baseman/DH, the kind that Billy Beane loves to snag cheaply for the Oakland A’s (see Jack Cust, Scott Hatteberg, Daric Barton, Jake Fox).  Rizzotti is also the type of player that might be a good fit for Theo Epstein’s Boston Red Sox, Peter Angelos’ Baltimore Orioles, or Kenny Williams’ Chicago White Sox.

And, there is a certain offense-starved team in Seattle that has a certain pitcher that all of Philadelphia loves, and that could use a high-average, high-on-base masher at the DH-spot.

The Philadelphia Phillies have a legitimate major league prospect in Matthew Rizzotti.  Hopefully, someday, we’ll all remember him as a guy we traded as part of the package to get the pitcher we needed to get back to the World Series for the third year in a row.

 

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com .

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Jamie Moyer Shines in Philadelphia’s 11-2 Closeout of Toronto

(6/27/2010)

Philadelphia, PA — Jamie Moyer went a solid seven innings, allowing only two runs on six hits, as the Phillies took the rubber match of their three game set with the Toronto Blue Jays 11-2.

Despite the win Moyer did clinch his spot in the “not so” record book when he passed Phillies hall-of-fame Robin Roberts for sole possession of the all-time home runs allowed list with his 506th.

The 47-year old Moyer (9-6) inched to the top of the list when Vernon Wells sent a two-run shot to left field in the bottom of the third.

Ben Francisco went 3-5 with two RBI and two doubles to lead the Phillies offensive assault.

The Phillies scored four runs in the top of the second the was capped off when catcher Drew Sardinha smacked a two-out double to left field that plated Wilson Valdez and Shane Victorino.

After Wells’ home run in the third, to put the Blue Jays on the board, Philadelphia responded scoring two runs in the top of the fourth. The runs came on back-to-back RBI singles from Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley.

Chase went 1-4 with the RBI single.

Blue Jays starter Brent Cecil (7-5) allowed seven runs—five of them earned—on 10 hits in only 4 2/3 innings.

The Phillies kept it going in the fifth as Ryan Howard led off the inning with a double and was scored one batter later when Shane Victorino hit a double down the left field line that scored Howard from second.

The Phillies batted around in the seventh as they scored four runs off Blue Jays middle-reliever Jason Frazer. None of the runs were earned as the Blue Jays defense fell apart in the inning.

After Jayson Werth flied out to right to start the inning. Ryan Howard reached on a bloop grounder to short that was overthrown by SS Alex Gonzalez. After Victorino singled to center putting runners on first and second Ben Francisco capped off his day with a double to left that plated Howard.

Raul Ibanez worked a one out walk to load the bases. The next two batters were a calamity for Toronto as Shane Victorino scored from third on a Wilson Valdez fielders choice but on the play second baseman Aaron Hill over threw first that allowed Ben Francisco to score from third.

Frasor got in on the defensive mishap when he overthrew first base on a Drew Sardinha grounder to the mound that scored Raul Ibanez.

The Phillies got another strong outing from their bullpen as David Herndon and Danys Baez both pitched scoreless innings to preserve the win for Moyer.

The Phillies are back in action today as they head to Cincinnati for a three-game set with the Reds. Kyle Kendrick (4-2) will take the mound for the Phillies as he will face Reds ace Johnny Cueto (7-2).

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On Roy Halladay: Phillies Ace Shines in 9-0 Romp of Toronto

(6/25/2010)

Philadelphia, PA – This game was supposed to be Roy Halladay’s return to Toronto—a chance for the Phillies to visit Rogers Stadium to make a statement with their new ace—but due to the G-20 summit, Halladay invited his former team to Philly and played host in a stellar seven innings of work to lead the Phillies in a 9-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park.

Halladay (9-6) allowed no runs on six hits and struck out four in the win. He was assisted from the unlikely source of first baseman Ross Gload who went 3-for-4 with four RBI.

Because of the AL rules, Gload got the start at first, and normal starter Ryan Howard was given the DH role. Gload got the Phils started in the second with a two-out single to left that scored Jayson Werth to put the visitors up 1-0.

Halladay sat the first nine Blue Jays down and didn’t allow a hit until the bottom of the fourth when the always dangerous Jose Batista smacked a ground-rule double to center.

The Phillies tacked on another run in the top of the fourth when Shane Victorino scored Werth once again on a sacrifice ground out to second.

Philadelphia tacked on six more runs in the top of the fifth. The first three runs came on Chase Utley and Ryan Howard singles. Gload then smacked a double that rolled all the way to the center field wall and cleared the bases plating Utley, Howard, and Werth.

Shane Victorino capped he Phillies scoring with a solo-shot in the eighth inning off newly inserted pitcher Brian Tallet to bring the game to 9-0.

Halladay was pulled in the seventh after throwing a solid 106 pitches and gained excellent support from the bullpen as Jose Contreras and David Herndon each pitched scoreless innings to preserve Doc’s first win against his former club.

For Toronto, the loss went to Jesse Litsch (0-2), who allowed six runs on seven hits in only four innings for work.

The teams will play Game Two of the three-game set today as Toronto will send Shaun Marcum (6-3) to face the recently productive Cole Hamels (6-5).

Box Score

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Philadelphia Phillies’ Offense Finally Backs Roy Halladay in Win

As great as it was to see Roy Halladay beat his former team, the Toronto Blue Jays, for his ninth win of the season, it was even better to see the offense put up nine runs and finally give Halladay the run support he deserves—even if he didn’t actually need it.

Ross Gload, playing first base for Ryan Howard, led the way with four RBI, including a base-clearing double in the fifth inning, which counted for half of the runs the Phillies would go on to score in that inning.

Chase Utley and Shane Victorino also contributed with two RBI each. Victorino got one of his RBI on his 12th home run of the season to put the icing on the cake in the top of the eighth.

Howard, who became the first DH ever used at Citizen’s Bank Park due to the odd arrangement in this series, also contributed with an RBI of his own—his 54th of the season.

Jayson Werth also hit his first triple of the season and crossed the plate three times.

But even more astounding than all of that (expect perhaps Gload’s four-RBI performance) is the amount of walks Jimmy Rollins was able to draw. Rollins was walked on four—yes, four—separate occasions and only recorded one official at-bat because of it.

That’s showing a lot of respect to Rollins, a guy who is by no means a power hitter. The way the offense has performed over the past three games with Rollins in the lineup might give a slight glimpse into why the Phils were struggling without him.

His presence has clearly had a major effect on this team positively over the past few days, and it might be time to admit that the lack of his presence could have had a whole lot more to do with the Phillies’ funk than anyone was willing to acknowledge.

Cole Hamels takes the mound for the Phils in game two and gives them a great chance to finally get on a respectable role as they look to make it five in a row.

There’s no word as to who Charlie Manuel will peg as the designated hitter, but it’s likely Howard resumes his role at first base and Gload simply becomes the DH.

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With Their Shortstop Back, the Philadelphia Phillies Are On a (J-)Roll.

The mystery is over.  No need to even have a vote.  We now know who the Most Valuable Player in the National League is.

It isn’t Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez, or Ubaldo Jimenez.  He plays in the National League East, but he isn’t Hanley Ramirez, David Wright, Jason Heyward, or Ryan Zimmerman.  

The 2010 NL MVP plays for the Philadelphia Phillies, but he isn’t Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, or Roy Halladay.

The 2010 National League Most Valuable Player is none other than Jimmy Rollins.

Not on board with that idea yet?  No matter–I would not have been either if I had not seen it with my own eyes.  But the evidence is overwhelming.

The Phillies started the 2010 season with six wins in their first seven games, and frankly they were not close wins.  Only a 2-1 victory over the Houston Astros in the sixth game was decided by less than three runs.

Then Jimmy got hurt.  During the one month that Rollins was out–from April 12th through May 16–the Phillies went 17-12 and briefly fell out of first place in the NL East.

Jimmy returned on May 17th, with the Phillies getting the win in his first game back by a score of 12-2.  But J-Roll’s return was brief, as he went back on the disabled list after only five games back.

And that’s when things got bad.

The Phillies were without Rollins from May 22nd to June 21st–exactly one month’s worth of games–and history will remember it as the most brutal streak that the current incarnation of the Phillies has endured.

For the record: The Phillies went 9-17 during the time that Jimmy was out.  They were shut out six times, and scored only one run in four other games.  Out of nine total series during the time that Rollins was out, the Phillies won only two of them.  And, they went from 5.0 games up in the division to 5.5 games out of the lead in the division.

That ain’t the stuff that World Series teams are made of.

J-Roll returned to the Phillies lineup on June 22nd, and the Phillies have yet to lose.  More importantly, they are scoring again–after a 2-1 victory on Tuesday, the Phillies scored seven runs on Wednesday, 12 runs on Thursday, and (as of this writing) have nine runs in the eighth inning against Toronto.

Perhaps the most important statistic is this:

Assuming tonight’s game against the Blue Jays holds up, the Phillies will move to 12-3 with Rollins in the lineup, and 27-29 without.

At the end of the day, the picture these stats paint is too clear to ignore: with Jimmy Rollins in the lineup, the Phillies are a World Series team.  Without him, they struggle to stay about .500.

I don’t know who is going to come out on top in the NL MVP voting at the end of the year, but I can tell you right now who the Most Valuable Player in the National League is.

He plays shortstop for the Phillies, and he’s got them back on a roll.

A J-Roll.

 

Asher B. Chancey lives in Philadelphia and is a co-founder of BaseballEvolution.com .

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Trail Of Tears: Philadelphia Phillies Demolish Cleveland Indians, 12-3

(6/24/10)

Philadelphia, PA – The Philadelphia Phillies took advantage of a shoddy defense and a strong outing from Joe Blanton to dismantle the Cleveland Indians 12-3, sweeping their three-game set at Citizens Bank Park.

Joe Blanton (3-5) went 7.2 innings, allowing three runs on six hits and striking out eight. Blanton was given plenty of run support as the Philles had 15 hits.

After a slow first inning, the Phillies put up big numbers in the second, scoring five runs on four singles.

Placido Polanco went 4-for-5 with two RBI, and Chase Utley went a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with two runs scored to lead the Phillies’ attack.

After a rough second inning, Indians starter Fausto Carmona (6-6) rebounded, setting the Phillies down in order in the third and fourth before both teams added on runs in the fifth.

Cleveland’s first runs came on a one-out, two-run home run by ex-Phillies prospect, Jason Donald. Donald’s shot was his second of the season, and his first against the Phillies since he was dealt in the trade that brought Cliff Lee to Philadelphia at last season’s trade deadline.

The Phillies added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on a Ryan Howard fielder’s choice that scored Placido Polanco, and a Jayson Werth single that plated Chase Utley.

After the Werth single, Indians manager Manny Acta sent Carmona to the showers. Carmona allowed seven runs on nine hits, without recording a strikeout.

No matter the pitcher, the Phillies hit, as they batted around on newly inserted Indian, Hector Ambriz, and charged him with four runs in the sixth inning, including a Dane Sardinha lead-off home run.

The four-run sixth inning made the score 12-2.

A late, unsuccessful Indian rally came in the eighth innings when Jason Donald led off the inning with a double, and one out later, Trevor Crowe launched a double to the left field corner, scoring Donald.

Nelson Figueroa, called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley earlier, pitched 1.1 innings of hitless ball to close out the game for the Phillies.

The Phillies will be back in action on Friday as they open a three-game set with the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park. The series will be played with AL rules because it will be moved from Toronto because of the G-20 Summit. The Phillies will play as the visitors and bat first.

Box Score


Game Notes: Ryan Howard blew his seven-game hitting streak by going 0-3… This is the Phillies’ first home sweep this season and their first interleague sweep since 2007.

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