Philadelphia Phillies Phun Phactoids Quiz: How Well Do You Know the 2011 Phils?

So, how closely have you been following the Philadelphia Phillies this season?

Oh, I take it that you know that they’re sporting the best record in all of baseball (82-44 heading into Tuesday night’s home game versus the New York Mets) and are ahead of the Atlanta Braves by a still-comfy 6.5 games.

You can probably recite from memory most of the injuries that have befallen the team again this year, and you know that Citizens Bank Park is always sold out.

But, can you withstand a 14-question multiple choice pop quiz (without reference materials) and still come out in the red? That’s a good color for Phillies fans, of course.

And yes, some of these questions may be easy, but others may challenge you just a bit. And there are a few that may have you screaming: “Who gives a da_n!” Or worse.

All of the questions are focused on this season, and don’t let the players pictured in the slides mislead you in any way. All of the questions consider stats compiled through Monday, August 22 (pre-earthquake, if you prefer).

So please close your books, sharpen your pencils, and get to it.

Good luck, and feel free to post your score in the comments section. Don’t worry; I’ll let you know what your score may indicate about your level of Phillies Phever.

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What Will the Phillies Do with John Mayberry Jr. in 2012?

2011 has been a breakout year for Phillies outfielder John Mayberry Jr. With more Major League playing time than at any point in his career, Mayberry has taken advantage. But with his emergence, and the addition of Hunter Pence, it leaves the Phillies with a quandary heading into 2012.

This dilemma, and Mayberry’s emergence were two of the reasons I did not want to trade for Pence in the first place. Ruben Amaro has some options, although none of them are very enticing.

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Ryan Howard: The Philadelphia Phillies’ Replaceable Superstar

Of all the players on the Philadelphia Phillies who might be deemed “irreplaceable,” the Phillies and their fans are coming to grips with the fact that Ryan Howard is no longer one of those players.

Howard is a swell guy. A behemoth at the plate with unrivaled power (when he actually connects with the ball), Howard has been present for some of the greatest moments in Philadelphia Phillies’ history.

And many of those moments would not have occurred if not for the Phillies’ fantastic first baseman.

But how long has it been since we had one of those moments?

By now, the City of Brotherly Love is awash in talk of the earthquake that hit the region on Tuesday afternoon, and a firestorm that hit the New York Mets on Tuesday night.

For the second straight day, the Phillies have pummeled their most-hated rival into the ground, drawing clearer and more deeply the distinction between a baseball team doing everything right, and the New York Mets.

After a 10-0 whitewashing on Monday night, the Phillies picked up where they left off for the second straight day, staking out a 9-0 lead through five innings before finally allowing the Mets to score a run in the series.

That 14-inning, 19-run outburst was not without its stars: John Mayberry has hit two home runs in the last two days to continue his red-hot second half hitting; Hunter Pence has scored five runs in two games with a home run, a single and two walks; Shane Victorino, batting leadoff in place of Jimmy Rollins, followed up Monday’s triple, walk and two-RBI performance with a home run and a two-run triple on Tuesday.

And Ryan Howard?

On Monday, he went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts, all looking, before being lifted late in the game; and on Tuesday, Howard got the night off.

And the offense did not miss a beat.

It has now been five years since Ryan Howard broke out in 2006 with one of the greatest offensive seasons in Philadelphia baseball history.

It has been three years since Howard last led the NL in home runs and RBI, and helped lead the Phillies to a World Series championship.

It has been two years since Howard led the NL in RBI before going cold in the World Series. And it has been one year since Howard ended the Phillies’ season with his bat in hand as a called strike three went sailing past.

And where are we now?

Howard’s reputation as a run producer is unrivaled and has reached mythical proportions, but know this: After tonight’s game, the Phillies are now 4-1 on the season in games in which Howard does not start.

But that is too small a sample size to discuss. Howard’s supporters will be quick to point out that while Howard’s numbers overall may not be great, Howard excels at “doing what he gets paid to do” (i.e. driving in runners on base).

And to a degree, this is true. In 2011, with runners in scoring position, Howard is batting .312 with a .415 on-base percentage a .500 slugging percentage.

Not too shabby. With runners on base (as opposed to in scoring position), Howard is hitting .285/.378/.494.

Also pretty good.

Compare that with the NL average of .253/.340/.385 with runners in scoring position, and .259/.332/.393 with runners on base, and Howard is clearly well above average.

Neat.

At the same time, what about .333/.467/.556 and .317/.441/.568? Those are Prince Fielder’s numbers with runners in scoring position and with runners on base.

And what about .425/.543/.745 and .368/.504/.626? Those are Joey Votto’s numbers (WTF?!, by the way). 

And then there’s .340/.416/.596 and .337/.401/.564.

These are the numbers that present a problem, because, you see, these aren’t Albert Pujols’ numbers, or Adam Dunn’s numbers or Adrian Gonzalez’s numbers. They aren’t Mark Teixeira’s numbers, or Miguel Cabrera’s numbers or Ike Davis’ numbers.

These numbers belong to a 29-year-old first baseman in his first full season in the majors. He is currently making $1.05 million, and he is hitting for a better average (.319), a better on-base percentage (.374) and a better slugging percentage (.554) than Howard.

He also has just five fewer total bases than Howard (224 vs. 219) despite having over 100 fewer plate appearances (537 vs. 436).

Oh, and he has more hits and more doubles than Howard while hitting into fewer double plays than Howard.

This player’s name is Michael Morse, and for about five percent of what Howard is earning in 2011, Morse is outperforming him.

At the end of the day, as he sits on the bench and watches his Phillies destroy the New York Mets without his help, one has to wonder whether Howard realizes that if the Phillies traded him to the Nationals for Michael Morse tomorrow—straight up—they probably wouldn’t miss a beat.

Because that’s a thought that could fester for a guy who has suddenly become one of the most replaceable players in the Philadelphia Phillies lineup. 

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Philadelphia Phillies: Knocking on the Door of the Century Mark in 2011

One hundred wins.

Unless you are the New York Yankees, 100 wins is a difficult and rare accomplishment.

In the 128-year history of the Philadelphia Phillies, the team has only won 100 or more games twice, and that happened in back-to-back seasons in the late 1970s. There are several teams that have never won 100 games, including the Colorado Rockies, Florida Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays, but also including teams like the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and Milwaukee Brewers.

Winning 100 games is such an incredibly rare accomplishment that no National League team has managed to do it since the St. Louis Cardinals won exactly 100 games in 2005.

It has happened more frequently in the American League,—thanks to those Damn Yankees—but even so, the only teams other than the New York Yankees to win 100 games in the last 10 seasons were the 2002 Oakland A’s and the 2008 Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

We could go on and on, but let’s arrive at the point, shall we?

After Monday night’s lambasting of the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies sit at 82-44, which means the Phillies have officially clinched a winning record for the 2011 season.

But that’s not all.

If the Phillies play .500 ball the rest of the season (and, keep in mind, they have not played “.500 ball” over any significant stretch of the season to this point), they will go 18-18 the rest of the way—and they will finish the season with exactly 100 wins.

Which is ridiculous.

In fact, maybe this is an idea for a motto for the 2011 Phillies season:

2011 Philadelphia Phillies: Where Ridiculous Happens.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Will New Injury Woes Hurt Their Chances To Win It All?

Let’s start with the good news.  

Phillies third baseman Placido Polanco was activated off the disabled list yesterday and was in the Phillies starting lineup last night against the Mets for the first time since August 6.  Polanco looked like he was making up for lost time with two singles, a walk, a run scored and several slick plays at third.    

Can Phillies fans heave a sigh of relief now that Polanco is back manning the hot corner?  Not so fast. You haven’t heard the bad news yet.

Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins was placed on the 15-day disabled list following an injury he sustained in Sunday’s game against the Nationals.  He left the game early with what was called a right groin strain and was declared “day to day” at the time.  

Unfortunately, an MRI taken Monday revealed a bit more.  He tweeted the results first to his followers on Twitter: 

“Soooo this is what we got…mild grade 2 strain.  DL.  Gone till September.”

Instead of having the left side of their infield intact for the stretch run, the Phillies must now deal with yet another injury to a key player.  How much will this parade of players to the DL impact the chances of having that other parade Phillies fans are hoping for?

That depends—on Rollins and Polanco, of course.

Specifically, when will Rollins return?  And how healthy is Polanco?

Rollins is eligible to return from the DL on September 6, but most estimate his recovery will take more like three weeks which would have him back on September 12.  That leaves him with about two weeks to get his stroke back before the playoffs begin. 

The time off might even help Rollins, who tends to wear down at the end of a long season.  But can the Phillies make it to the postseason without their charismatic shortstop, often considered the team’s spark plug? 

It seems likely that they can as long as their starting pitchers remain healthy and the rest of their lineup continues its recent strong offensive output.  With Polanco back and the capable team of Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez filling in for Rollins, as they did for Polanco, the Phillies should be able to hold their own in the division although their lead over the Braves has decreased to 6.5 games in the past couple of days.

Which brings us to Polanco.  Having a healthy Polanco back in the lineup is a huge asset for the Phillies down the stretch.  And a timely one given Rollins’ injury.  But how healthy is he? 

Polanco has actually been hampered by injury all year.  After a terrific April he went on the DL with lower back pain and was never quite the same when he returned.  He had been battling the sports hernia for a good month before he went on the DL and his offensive performance was definitely affected.

Hoping to avoid season-ending surgery, Polanco received an anti-inflammatory injection which helped much more than he expected.  He estimated that he is now at about 80 to 90 percent and ready to go. 

The next step is to see how the injury reacts to the physical rigors of hitting and playing third base. Last night was a good start for Polanco, as he said after the game, “I didn’t feel anything. So I’m pretty optimistic now.”

Filling in for Rollins now and Polanco if he can’t play every day are Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez.  Although they are capable backups, they are just that—backups.  While they are both better than average fielders, neither is of the level of a Jimmy Rollins or Placido Polanco defensively. 

At the plate, it’s not even close.  Martinez is currently batting .213 and Valdez .236.  Although they both have contributed some key hits, they can’t compare to the consistency and productivity of Rollins and Polanco. 

The bottom line?  The Phillies should still be the favorites in the division even with Polanco at 80 percent and no Rollins for a while. 

But in the postseason when the games are often close and one clutch hit or defensive gem can be the difference between a win or a loss, it will take a healthy Rollins and Polanco in the lineup to give the Phillies their best chance to win the World Series this team was built to win.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: Cliff Lee Trade Now Looks Genius

As Cliff Lee gracefully cruised through the Mets lineup last night, Ruben Amaro’s justification for bringing him back to the club continued to grow and grow. Lee is having yet another monster year on the mound, sporting a stellar 2.82 ERA and a league-leading five shutouts.

The day it happened, trading Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners for a couple of prospects seemed like a catastrophic mistake. Looking back even today, it was a mistake. Amaro got his man in Halladay, but at what cost?

The pitcher that had led the team to its second World Series in a row, while putting together one of the best second-half performances by a pitcher in Phillies history, was gone. One ace was traded for another. Clearly, a few unproven prospects were not worth giving up an entire year of the potential Lee-Halladay tandem.

After nearly two years since the trade went down, that awful, unbearable, unthinkable trade has created what is now the best team in baseball.

Many critics scoffed at the Phillies’ offseason signing of Lee, wondering why the team even bothered trading him in the first place.

But, had Lee had a spot on last year’s roster, Amaro would never have even considered making a move for the Astros’ Roy Oswalt. Many were hesitant to part ways with fan-favorite J.A. Happ, but his 6.26 ERA in 2011 is enough to make the trade look like a flat-out steal.

Last year, Oswalt pitched well enough to put Lee’s departure on the backburner of the minds of Phillies fans everywhere. Even this year, Oswalt has the potential to be a key factor in the team’s quest in bringing another World Series back to Philadelphia.

In addition, the prospects the Phils received from Seattle continue to play a role in the minor league system, most notably reliever Phillippe Aumont. The 22-year-old right-hander has an impressive 2.55 ERA for both the Reading Phillies and Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs this season, and is well on his way to becoming a major league pitcher, possibly as early as next year.

In an offseason in which Scott Boras client Ryan Madson becomes a free agent, it’s comforting to know that, with Aumont, the profusion of young, talented relievers isn’t stopping with Michael Stutes, Antonio Bastardo and Michael Schwimer.

Of course nobody, including Amaro himself, could have predicted such a fortunate turn of events that followed from his rushed and convoluted three-way trade of Lee to the Mariners. It was, still is and will always be a mistake.

Amaro’s fixing of that mistake is stemmed largely from luck. But, in the end, what does it matter what luck had to do with it? Amaro managed to turn one of the biggest mistakes of his career into an afterthought of fans everywhere. 

Because of that, and that alone, he’s a genius.

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Michael Schwimer Allows Glimpse into Future of Philadelphia Phillies Bullpen

If the future of the Philadelphia Phillies‘ bullpen was foreshadowed by a long home run from a mediocre power threat to straight away center field, the future is bleak. It may be time to hop back into the DeLorean, travel back a few riffs and see if there isn’t a better draft strategy to be had.

Luckily, that’s not the case in the least bit.

After yet another solid start from a member of the Phils’ rotation was spoiled by foul weather, the team called on relief prospect Michael Schwimer to soak up a few innings on Sunday afternoon, making his well anticipated Major League debut.

A first glimpse of the tall right-hander really puts some of those scouting reports into perspective. At 6’8″, 246 lbs., Schwimer towers over home plate, with his figure nearly casting a shadow over the batter’s box, and almost instantly, you can see where all of the life in his fastball comes from. A man that has no time for pampering, Schwimer’s face was covered in a scruffy beard and his hat pulled way down over his head, casting a shadow upon his eyes. It was clear that intimidation was his game.

After missing his spot with his first Major League pitch, however, it was clear that even the menacing Schwimer was susceptible to a bit of nervous energy, and as he delivered a fastball right into Danny Espinosa’s happy zone, he was humbled very quickly. 

One pitch, one home run.

At that moment, it was rather clear that baseball is a funny game. After months upon months of waiting for the call and a few days stashed in the back of the bullpen, Schwimer’s first batter launched a mammoth home run to the deepest part of the ball park. Could a lifetime’s worth of hopes and dreams be shattered by the worst imaginable first impression?

Luckily, by most “old school” standards, a reliever’s worth is measured by his integrity. After missing his spots by more than just a little bit to his first batter, would Schwimer cave against the Washington Nationals, or show that he could be relied on?

Even as he pointed towards Espinosa’s home run like it was a lazy fly ball heading towards Shane Victorino, Schwimer knew it was gone. He glared for a moment before taking his cap, holding it over his face and pushing it back over his head. There was work to be done.

As Jonny Gomes stepped in to oppose Schwimer, the nervous energy dissipated. His location straightened itself out like his career depended on the outcome of this batter, and he was easily dispatched. In a nut shell, that’s the story of the Nats’ offense versus Schwimer.

After allowing that monstrous home run to Espinosa, Schwimer would put on something of a clinic, allowing just a bloop single. In three innings of work, saving a worn down bullpen, he’d allow just the two hits, striking out four along the way.

With the home run in his rear view mirror, Schwimer’s control quickly became an asset, and he allowed us all to take a glimpse into the vast reservoir of potential that lies ahead. The greenhorn whose career began by allowing a game tying home run quickly gave way to the prospect who compiled an ERA of just 1.88 for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

But all along, regardless of the outcome of his Major League debut, Phillies’ fans knew that the potential was there. After all, Schwimer is just one of three highly touted relief prospects in the organization, and just the first to receive his cup of coffee.

As he packed a travel bag for Philadelphia, Scwhimer certainly must have looked over his shoulder at Phillipe Aumont and Justin De Fratus, a pair of IronPigs teammates that will be with the big league club before long.

Aumont, who was acquired in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners a couple of offseasons ago, has been quite impressive in his time with the Phillies’ AAA affiliate. Posting an ERA of just 2.95, he’s struck out an average of more than 14 batters per nine innings, and while his control is still a work in progress, an electric fastball and devastating off-speed pitches will have him in red pinstripes before long.

The same could be said for fellow right handed reliever, De Fratus, who compared to Schwimer and Aumont, is a short 6’4″. After a rough start to his AAA career, he’s mowed down the competition, showing better control than Aumont and striking out batters at a similar clip (11.31 K/9.) While his ERA reads 4.11, do not be misled—he has pitched much better than his peripheral stats show, as evidenced by a BABIP of .348.

Even in the midst of one of the finest seasons in the history of a storied franchise, it isn’t too soon to look ahead. While they’ve been one of the best in baseball this season, the Phils’ bullpen is set to go through some drastic changes moving forward.

The oft-injured Brad Lidge is almost guaranteed to become a free agent, as the Phils are very likely to decline his hefty $12.5 million club option. Ryan Madson, who is represented by the renown Scott Boras, is headed for a big pay day as well. Add to that the uncertain health of the aging arm of Jose Contreras, and Antonio Bastado is the only man with a guaranteed spot in the 2012 bullpen. 

That certainly puts the Phils in a tricky situation moving forward. With numerous holes and little money to fill said areas of need, the bullpen is the one spot on the roster the team could logically improve by getting younger. With a trio of right handers possibly nearing the end of a tenure with the Phillies (Madson, Lidge and Contreras), a new trio of righties (Schwimer, De Fratus and Aumont) could be set to take over.

All we can do is hope that an era that began with a long home run to center field ends with a swing and a miss at home plate.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Are the Philadelphia Phillies Really the Yankees of the National League?

Just a few years ago, comparing the Philadelphia Phillies to the New York Yankees would have been unfathomable to most fans.  For one the Yanks had a payroll that was perennially over $200 million while the Phillies routinely maintained one half that.

Furthermore, from a historical perspective the Yankees were baseball’s most successful franchise while the Phillies were baseball’s least successful.

But here in 2011, the comparison not only makes sense but is thrown around often.  After all the Phils have been baseball’s most successful franchise the last four going on five years.  Nobody has won more divisions, pennants or World Series in that span.

In fact, should the Phils hold on to win their fifth consecutive division crown, only the 1998-2006 Yankees and 1991-2005 Atlanta Braves will have had longer streaks than this current Phillies run.

The Phils are a destination team now much like the Yankees.  When veterans want to win, they seek out the opportunity to play for the Phillies.  Roy Halladay orchestrated a trade specifically to Philadelphia.  Cliff Lee took less guaranteed money to be a Phillie. Roy Oswalt waived his no trade clause to come to Philadelphia.

A decade ago the Phillies could not even keep their own stars in town; now stars are tripping over themselves to get here.

However, when people say the Phillies are the Yankees of the National League, they are not referring just to those similarities.  Instead, the connotation is clear—

The Phillies are trying to buy a championship.

Not hard to see how one would come up with that though. All you have to do is take a look at their star studded roster, a payroll which is over $170 million, see big free agent signings like Cliff Lee and you can easily draw that conclusion.

But is that really an accurate representation of the franchise?  Continue reading to find out.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Bad Moves We’re Glad the Phillies Didn’t Make

Hindsight is supposedly 20/20. However, luckily for Philadelphia Phillies fans, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of regret regarding the trade deadline.

The blockbuster trade involving Hunter Pence was enough to make quite a few people happy. Some people say the price was too high, but that is not what this article is about.

The Phillies always have a lot of rumors swirling around. There were a lot of moves that the Phillies could have potentially made.

However, here are the 10 moves that the Phillies would have regretted if they had swung them.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Reasons the Phils Are the NL Favorites

The Philadelphia Phillies are apparently the favorites to win the National League this season. The betting odds according to Belmont have the Phillies on top of the National League.

Why is this?

The obvious answer is that the Phillies are the first team to 80 wins and have a 7.5-game lead in the division.

However, here are five more reasons on top of this one relatively obvious statistic as to why the Phillies are the favorites to win the National League.

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