Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Ways Chase Utley Will Transform the Team

After going through some ups and downs and finally recovering from a knee injury, Chase Utley is back and ready to go for the Philadelphia Phillies.

He made his debut this season in late May and is just starting to get into an everyday role.

Despite his slow start, Utley still has had solid games this season and just needs enough time to get into a groove, especially after coming off an injury. I think Utley will spark soon, which will ignite the rest of the team.

Although he is not the same player he used to be, Utley still can impact and transform the team in many ways. 

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Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and the Best One-Two Punches in Baseball

If you’re heading into a three-game series, there are certain pitchers that may strike fear in a hitter. Now consider what might be a two-day nightmare: having to go to bat against some of the best duos in the Majors.

These are the top eight one-two punches in the Major Leagues.

To make things easier, we took a look at how the pitchers are performing this year and their recent performance over the past couple of years to devise the best one-two punches in baseball.

These types of lists are never an exact science, but think of it this way: if you’re heading into the playoffs, which two pitchers on a team would you least want to face?

If you’re facing these flamethrowers, look out. It could be a long night. Or, couple of nights.

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Chase Utley, Josh Hamilton and 10 Stars Whose Teams Most Need to Stay Healthy

I had the pleasure of attending last Monday’s Phillies/Reds game, when Chase Utley made his season debut.

Utley was announced to the home crowd and you could feel the stadium swell. Every fan came to their feet, even me, a Reds fan and perennial Phillie basher.

There are certain players you have to appreciate. The presence they bring to their clubhouse. The respect they command on the diamond. And what they mean to their fanbase.

Chase Utley went 0 for 5 that night. Yet, the electricity he brought with him, fresh off the disabled list, crackled in the air. Some guys are that important — beyond the numbers, beyond the box score.

The following are ten guys who, as their team pushes toward a goal, mean everything in that pursuit. Ten guys who carry the success or failure of their clubs on their very shoulders.

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Cliff Lee: Has He Been Worth the Price Ruben Amaro, Philadelphia Phillies Paid?

At the end of the day, Cliff Lee may not have been worth it after all.

I am pretty sure that Phillies fans would rather have him and lament his underperformance, than not have him and lament his success.

Of course, these are not the only choices that faced Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., roughly 15 months ago when he made the decision to trade Lee to the Seattle Mariners in order to make room to acquire Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rather, there were four possible outcomes for Amaro and Lee at that time.

Amaro’s first option: spend tons of money to retain the services of Cliff Lee. This would lead to two possible outcomes: Lee pitches well and becomes a Philadelphia Immortal, or Lee pitches poorly (or even merely below expectations), and adds his name to the long list of semi-successful Philadelphia athletes burned in effigy by a demanding fanbase.

Amaro’s second option: Trade Lee away for prospects and bring in Roy Halladay. Again, this leads to two possible scenarios: Lee out-pitches Halladay, and Amaro and Halladay rue the day or Halladay out-pitches Lee and Amaro basks in the glory.

Now, as we all know looking forward from December 2009, Amaro actually had his cake and ate it, too. After trading Lee away for prospects so that he could trade prospects away for Halladay, Amaro brought Lee back the following season as a free agent in an effort to form one of the greatest pitching staffs of all time, along with Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.

All’s well that ends well, right?

Except, something funny happened on the way to the forum.

Yes, the Phillies pitching staff is awesome and yes, the Phillies have the best record in baseball despite lackluster performances from their offense thus far this season.

But let’s take a closer look.

After all, it has not been Cy Young caliber Cliff Lee that the Philly Phaithful have seen this season; indeed, Lee has been far from the dominant pitcher of the last three seasons.

For example, Lee has already allowed more walks in 2011 than he did in all of 2010 and he is halfway home in the home runs department as well. Lee’s 3.94 ERA is below league average and his 1.263 WHIP is his highest since 2007.

And…he has a losing record at 4-5.

As Doctor Emmett Brown said to Marty when he found himself in the alternate 1985 in Back to the Future II, what the hell is going on here?

Thus far, it is unclear.

But the more important question is: Are we happy? And, strangely, at this point the answer would appear to be, “yes.”

As the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have discovered over the last 10 or 15 years, it is OK to waste tons of money as long as the team wins. So far, the Phillies have been winners and to Phillies fans, it feels as though Cliff Lee has been a part of that, whether he has been or not.

And as long as the Phils keep on winning, we will keep on loving Lee, which, at the end of the day, is certainly better than the alternative.

In Washington right now, Jayson Werth is earning way more than the Phillies ever would have paid him to get outhit by Mike Morse (who?) and Laynce Nix (what?). Certainly, no Phillies fans in their right mind wish we had Werth back right now, especially for the money he was demanding.

Lee, on the other hand, is a closer call since he is, in fact, pitching competently, and did not ask for a contract way out of sorts with his market value.

Thus, it is incredibly difficult to imagine him in another uniform, even assuming he would have put up a losing record and a subleague average ERA for whatever other team he would have signed with.

For now, we’re glad we have him, even if he does come with his foibles.

Nevertheless, put the emphasis on the “for now,” because if the Phils stop winning, all Cliff Lee will be is a mediocre pitcher collecting one of the biggest paychecks in baseball history. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: Charlie Manuel’s Most Memorable Moments and Quotes

His slang has a bit of a flair to it.  His grammatical proficiency isn’t the best. The annunciations of certain words can get a bit peculiar.  But… Charlie Manuel wins baseball games.

It’s his life.

He possesses remarkable patience, and knows the art of hitting.  He’s a player’s manager who sticks with his guys through thick and thin.

The Phillies introduced Manuel as their new manager on November 4, 2004.

As he stepped up to the podium to greet the media he stated…

“I’m a baseball guy.”

“I hear guys say, ‘Well, he’s a lifer.  You know what I am? I’m a 24-hour-a-day baseball guy.  I live and sleep baseball.”

He’s not afraid to speak his mind.

 

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Shane Victorino: 5 Reasons Philadelphia Phillies Outfielder Should Bat Leadoff

With Shane Victorino scheduled to come off the DL on June 3rd, manager Charlie Manuel has a tough decision on where to place him in the lineup upon his return.

The answer is simple: leadoff. Manuel has to make the decision that makes his team most likely to win games. The Phillies are a better ball club with Shane leading off.

Jimmy Rollins is past his prime, and a drop in the lineup is long overdue. Rollins is not a leadoff hitter anymore; he has a poor on-base percentage and a mediocre batting average.  

At 5’8” on a good day, Jimmy needs to learn to hit the ball on the ground. He pops up more than any “leadoff hitter” in all of baseball, and it’s time for a change.

Here are five reasons why Shane Victorino has earned the right to be the Phillies’ leadoff hitter.

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2011 Philadelphia Phillies: Getting Healthy, and What That Means for the Bench.

With a large influx from the disabled list, it is not terribly difficult for Phillies fans to feel an upswing in general morale. 

After all, the best second baseman in the game and our number three hitter in our once-vaunted lineup has returned to right the ship.

Our top prospect has come to claim his rightful spot in the outfield on a full time basis.

Our borderline-All Star catcher has returned to put a steadying hand on our pitching staff and to add another .300 bat to the lineup.

Our timelessly young set up man has re-established himself, righting our bullpen.

This is the general consensus, or at least hope, of all Phillies fans. Not so fast, folks.

Even if Chase Utley is back, and even if he is able to stay healthy for the remainder of the year, it will more than likely take a significant amount of time before he is comfortable both in the box and on the field. 

Dominic Brown is our top prospect, and the idea of his “five tool” talents are verily enticing.  However, he has yet to show anything but flashes of said talents in the Majors. To have any kind of expectations for him as an everyday player might be asking too much. Again, the hope is still there.

Carlos Ruiz is a tremendous catcher and handler of pitchers and has, in the past, been a very clutch performer at the dish but this year has yet to show that breakout, .300 stick from last season.

As far as Jose Contreras is concerned, the guy does seem timeless but perhaps the injury from weeks ago is simply a sign that his age is finally catching up with him. After all, Contreras could be 39 years old, as well as possibly 4-5 years older than that!

Of course, in Philadelphia, hope usually does tend to defeat skepticism, even if that hope is somewhat unrealistic.

Is it unrealistic in this case?  Not necessarily.  We are talking about a top prospect and three established players, each with years of quality baseball to support the optimism.

Whether or not Ruiz can hit. 300, Utley can come back to his .300/30/100 ways, Contreras can still be one of the best set up men around and Brown can fulfill his enormous potential this year all remains to be seen.

It does seem more likely that the four of these players will provide a nice spark to the team.  Moreover, one of the most important things that the return of these players provides is some much needed depth to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Wilson Valdez is a terrific utility player who has been forced into a starting role, resulting in the role of utility player being filled by a few players (Martinez, Orr, and the like) who probably do not even belong in the majors. Now, with Utley back, Valdez can resume his role as “everyman” and can spell any of the starting infielders (save Howard) when they need a blow.

Ben Francisco is a nice player and a strong fourth outfielder. He is not well-served as a starter in the lineup and really is not an everyday player.  We pretty much realize that after one third of the season having passed. 

John Mayberry Jr. is also a nice player, and one with quite a bit of versatility, as he has shown the ability to not only play all three outfield positions (invaluable with Victorino still out), but also first base.

With Brown here and the return of Victorino likely coming in the next week or two, platoons are now possible and we now have two capable reserve outfielders, whether they be Mayberry and Brown, Francisco and Brown and Francisco and Mayberry. 

What does this do? Well, for one, it gives the Phillies the opportunity to cast Michael Martinez anywhere besides the Major League club. Yes, it’s nice that Martinez plays multiple positions.  However, he doesn’t particularly play any of them well, and cannot hit his weight no matter where he plays in the field.

When Ruiz came back, it was supposed to have meant that the Phillies could let go of Dane Sardinha, who probably shouldn’t even be playing for the Iron Pigs.  Unfortunately, Brian Schneider immediately went on the DL, thwarting that plan. Thank goodness, with Schneider on the mend and back with the club in a few weeks, we can say an unceremonious goodbye to Mr. Sardinha.

As for Contreras, his return gives the Phillies a very solid and strong eighth and ninth inning combination and can push other relievers to more comfortable roles. It also ensures that the weakest link in the ‘pen will go back down, where he can do no more damage in the late innings.  David Herndon, anyone?

While the addition of Brown, Utley, Contreras and Ruiz is a wonderful prospect and the returns of Victorino and Schneider are also enticing to Phillies fans to right the proverbial ship, possibly the best byproduct is the removal of the Martinez’s, Sardinha’s and Herndon’s of the world. 

It would be nice if all of our starters returned to form, or, at least, if all of them did not have down years, but it is even nicer to think that all of the players on the team’s 25 man roster actually belong in the majors!

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: Cole Hamels and the Top 5 Phillies in May

The Philadelphia Phillies started and ended the month of May in first place in the NL East, and technically increased their lead over the Florida Marlins from one-and-a-half games to two.

For the month, the red-pinstriped gang played to a fairly good 16-13 record, which was a step down from their excellent 18-8 April. Still, their overall 34-21 record projects to 100 wins, which would be a three-game improvement over their MLB-best 97 win campaign of 2010.

As in April, injuries dominated a lot of the May headlines. Many players including catchers Carlos Ruiz and Brian Schneider, centerfielder Shane Victorino and starter Joe Blanton spent significant time on the Disabled List. All but Ruiz are still there, as is incumbent closer Brad Lidge.

On a more positive note, the Phillies heartily welcomed back second baseman Chase Utley, rightfielder Domonic Brown, starter Roy Oswalt and reliever Jose Contreras from the DL this month.

With so many moving parts on the MASH unit known as their 2011 active roster, it was not an easy task to choose and rank the top 5 Phillies of the month.

But even though I feel as if I am playing hurt, the (slide) show must go on. Please consider these players our Top 5 Phillies in May.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Five Solutions to the Ben Francisco Problem

The Phillies have the best record in the National League and they are on pace for 102 wins. They also have the best starting pitching in Major League Baseball.

Their bullpen has been dominant from the back-end and the lineup is showing signs of life. The Phillies have battled through a myriad of injuries thus far and are finally getting healthy.

They still have not played a single game with their projected starting lineup this season. With all of the problems and potential detractors facing this team, they keep on winning.

Any baseball fan would be kidding themselves if they did not believe the 2011 Philadelphia Phillies is a legitimate World Series contender. Some of the glaring holes on the Phillies may fix themselves with injuries, but some of their weaknesses need to be fixed internally.

Ben Francisco as the everyday starter is an issue that needs to be rectified before it is too late. A starting right fielder with a .229 batting average and a noodle for an arm is not suitable for World Series contention.

Here are the top-five solutions to the Ben Francisco problem.

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