Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Distractions New Phillies Must Conquer

Yes, that is indeed Jim Thome mid-split making a catch at first, circa 2005. Though he’s donned the red and white before, Thome, along with new additions Jonathan Papelbon, Laynce Nix and others, will have to adjust to a Phillies franchise that is miles apart from the days of old.

Philadelphia is a tough market to play in. The fans hold an absolute love/hate relationship with the team, and they aren’t afraid to speak their collective mind. The game itself has also changed, and new members may not be ready for the fierce competition of the NL East.

If these new faces want to be successful in Philadelphia, here are some of the distractions they must conquer. 

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Did the Philadelphia Phillies Do Enough to Improve This Offseason?

Spring Training is now just a few days away, as pitchers and catchers are due to report to Clearwater, Fla. on Saturday.

The sour taste of the Philadelphia Phillies loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLDS probably still sits in the mouths of many fans. 

This offseason, Ruben Amaro Jr. went out and retooled with the addition of numerous players in an attempt to bolster their bench. 

But, was it enough?

Will the additions of Jim Thome, Laynce Nix, Ty Wiggington, Johnathan Papelbon, Dontrelle Willis and Chad Qualls be enough to get the team back to baseball’s promise land?

Papelbon will surely have an impact on this year’s team as the team’s primary closer at the price of $50 million; the opportunities will be available. He will just have to go out and prove his worth. Anywhere from 35-40 saves and an ERA in the low 2.00’s will be a good season. 

Providing he remains healthy, Ty Wiggington will see anywhere from 300-400 at-bat’s this season, due to his ability to play so many positions and due to the injury to Ryan Howard. Reasonable expectations for “Wiggy” at this stage in his career would be 15-20 home runs, 60 RBI’s and a batting average in the .260’s or better.     

Outside these two guys, things begin to get a little murky. 

Laynce Nix has never been a big numbers guy in his career. He has never had more than 371 at-bats, 16 home runs, 46 RBI’s and has only hit above .255 just once.

The question here is, how much can we really expect from Nix outside of the field? He has been an average baseball player for the duration of his career, and he will likely remain mediocre in spot-play with the Phillies. 

The best hope for Nix is that a line-up as good as the Phillies’ gives him good pitches to hit.    

At the age of 41, Jim Thome’s return to Philadelphia is a warm story.

But what will be bring to the team?

I’m sure Thome can still launch a ball out of the park in pinch-hitting situations, but can he provide anything at first base in Howard’s absence? This remains to be seen, but it will be good spot to keep an eye on this season. 

Chad Qualls may have been one of the best additions this offseason, although it did not receive the press others did. However, at only $1.15 million, the Phillies got one of baseball’s most durable pitchers since the middle of the last decade. He will surely have a chance to make positive contributions to the team. 

Left-hander Dontrelle Willis is a shell of the 23 year-old stud that won 22 games in 2005.

But for the Phillies, he will have a small role on the team, which will likely be situational. All he has to do is contribute positive innings for the Phils and keep his ERA low, as he won’t be asked to do too much.

In the end, the Phillies did a lot to patch up the team. But did they really improve enough to make it farther then they did last season? Band-aids do not cut it (no pun intended).

It is all or nothing for the 2012 Phillies, as it’s unsure how much more disappointment Phillies faithful can handle. 

Originally Published on Phillies101.com

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: One Concern About Every Player on the Roster

The Philadelphia Phillies are the type of team that, after the 2011 season, you can’t be quite sure whether or not the glass is half full or half empty.

On one hand, there is reason to be optimistic.

Heading into Spring Training last season, the Phillies were already up against the injury bug. We learned that Chase Utley wouldn’t be ready to start at second base on Opening Day, and Brad Lidge succumbed to yet another arm issue.

As the season progressed, however, the Phillies became a healthy team. Now, heading into the 2012 season, the only player dealing with a significant injury is Ryan Howard, and the rest of the team appears good to go.

On the other hand, there are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic as well.

Though they may be healthy, it would be foolish not to question whether or not the Phillies are still one of baseball’s elite teams. Several players have dealt with declining production, and after having World Series hopes last season, the club was sent packing early.

With Spring Training just around the bend, it’s time once again to put the Phillies’ roster under the microscope, picking apart their strengths and weaknesses for the 2012 season. This slideshow will illustrate one cause of concern for every player on the roster.

For up to the minute Phillies information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Reasons to Be Excited About Trevor May

ESPN’s Keith Law recently released his top 100 prospects in baseball and former fourth-round pick Trevor May was the lone Phillie to appear on the list. May appeared on this well-regarded list last year at No. 93 and jumped to No. 76 this year.

I would suggest that other Philadelphia Phillies fans steer clear of the list as it features a number of former Phillies that were traded away to acquire the likes of Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Pence. Travis D’Arnaud came in at No. 6, while Jon Singleton was in the top 50,

Anthony Gose and Jarred Cosart also made the cut. With the Phillies getting older, it becomes imperative that they continue to groom younger (cheaper) players who can make an impact at the major league level.

Vance Worley, Michael Schwimer, Phillippe Aumont, Michael Stutes and Domonic Brown all are reasons to remain optimistic, but Trevor May has top of the rotation potential, and that doesn’t come around often.

May is only 22 and here are just five reasons to be excited about the young righty.

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2012 Spring Training: Don’t Forget About Shane Victorino, Time to Sign Him Now

Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard…

For 44 consecutive playoff games, that “core four” of the Philadelphia Phillies have filled out Charlie Manuel‘s lineup card. Quite often it was in that order. But the order of their importance for each of those 44 games has switched each game.

It’s the group with which they have won five divisions, two pennants and a World Championship.

It’s the group that would allow them to continue to win for the next few years.

Jimmy Rollins got a five-year deal, then a three-year deal. Chase Utley got a seven-year deal. Ryan Howard got a three-year deal, then a five-year deal. Victorino? Just a three-year deal so far from the Phillies, and he is entering the final year of his deal.

Why not give Victorino another deal?

If this is the group they chose to win and lose with, given the long-term deals they already have in place, why not stick with it? Especially if the only person not under contract for the long term is the one best suited to retain, all things considered?

Victorino, in addition to playing in the center of the field, has been in the center of the Phillies’ playoff success in recent years. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone more involved with the success of the team than Victorino.

What was their biggest year of success? 2008. Think about his grand slam off C.C. Sabathia in 2008 that indicated that the Phillies weren’t just a team that snuck in the playoffs, they were a team that were going to take advantage of anything you gave them.

There was his tremendous catch to rob Casey Blake, the tying run, in Game 2 of the NLCS that same year and preserve the game to give Philadelphia a 2-0 series lead. There was game-tying home run in the huge Game 4. He got things started in Game 5 of the World Series with a clutch bases-loaded hit.

In other years, there still were plenty of Victorino moments that coincided with the fight the Phillies were demonstrating. You may forget because of the end result and how long ago it was, but remember he had that big home run against the Rockies in 2007 in an elimination game? That tied the score and kept the Phillies, although temporarily, alive.

More recently, Victorino was the one who finally broke through on Kyle Lohse this year in the opening game of the playoffs to get the Phillies on the board.

He is a guy that has proved many times that he will contribute to winning baseball. He also is a source of fight and energy. Too often, he’s actually the only source of the two, which makes him all the more important.

It’s hard to find a reason not to keep him.

It’s pretty clear he is the only one still in his prime, unless Ryan Howard’s Achilles makes a big recovery and his power returns. In fact, Victorino seems to only get better each season. In 2011, he seemed to have a more all-around game. There was even national talk as late as the last few weeks in August that he was the National League’s MVP. And that’s on a 102-win team.

It was his second All-Star season, and he probably would have extended his streak of Gold Gloves had he hit as many home runs as Matt Kemp (that’s a whole other issue). Until last year, Victorino had won a National League Gold Glove in every season as a starting center fielder.

He also showed his speed is still there, leading the league in triples for the second time in three years, legging out an impressive 16 triples in only 132 games. His total stolen bases were down because of where he hit in the lineup and who was in front of him on the bases (Howard and his bad foot/leg), but Victorino had success when he could run and raised his stolen base percentage of success.

Clearly, Victorino is not on the decline. People may tend to group him with guys like Utley in terms of age because it feels like Victorino has been here just as long, but Victorino is only 31. He actually just turned 31 this offseason. He still has a good amount of solid baseball left in him.

Off the field, there is plenty to like about Victorino. There’s his community involvement, which is exceptional. He is a leader by voice and example. He’s one of the few players on the team that will actually speak. On a team with a lot of robot-like personalities, that’s a good thing to have.

These qualities at the very least negate any second thoughts teams may have about keeping or adding a player. From an investment standpoint, there is not much to not like.

And as it is an investment, why not set yourself up now with some certainty? Who knows if Hunter Pence will be here when the team loses control of him in 2013? He could be in line for a big pay day. And will John Mayberry Jr. and Domonic Brown manning the other spot work out in the long run? Again, it is not as certain as Victorino could be.

So what’s wrong with signing him at to a deal similar to Rollins for the next three, maybe four seasons? In the worst-case scenario, if Victorino declines slightly, he is a player that could easily transition to being a starting right fielder, much like the move Torii Hunter made.

But again, that is in the unlikely event given his age. Signing him for three more years takes him to age 34, which covers the final stage of his prime before his decline.

That being the case, this spring is the time to act on a deal. You do not want Victorino to even touch the open market for a number of reasons, the first being that you do not want to risk exposing him to the poor center-field market following the 2012 season.

Assume the Yankees will pick up Curtis Granderson’s option and keep him in New York. After that, the only names that will be on the market that are even worth mentioning are Michael Bourn, B.J. Upton, Marlon Byrd and Grady Sizemore. Unless Sizemore puts together a normal, healthy season (which is unlikely), Victorino will be the best available center fielder. That means he is the Phillies’ best option.

Upton stinks, Bourn probably won’t even be available and Byrd is too old and inconsistent.

Down on the farm, the Phillies don’t have much to replace him with anyway. Tyson Gilles isn’t ready and won’t be in one year. Mayberry patrolling center field full-time is not a very comforting thought, and the same goes for shifting Pence to center. Can they make a trade? Sure, but that only destroys the farm system even more.

Not only does not much being out there mean they can’t replace him if they wait to sign him, but by the time they realize this, his price will become inflated. We’ve seen Phillies outfielders leave before once they hit the open market in guys like Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth. Rowand and Werth left for more money, in part because they weren’t signed. Burrell left for less money, but could he have been upset that the Phillies did not already have him locked up? Either way, looking at the alternatives and their inflating payroll, the Phillies do not want to play games here.

That is why this spring, before the season even starts, is the time to sit down with Shane Victorino and work out a deal. He is part of the core with which they’ve won and will have to be part of the core for them to win with in the future. He’s not replaceable.

He’s been overlooked because of Cole Hamels’ expiring contract, but what makes Hamels a bigger need to address? It’s really hard to find one, especially if you can sign a Victorino and another player with the same money you would dedicate to Hamels to pitch every fifth day.

Victorino has played in 44 consecutive playoff games with the core. Hamels? He’s pitched in only 12 of those games, averaging roughly six innings per game in those starts and is arguably much more replaceable. This is not to say they should ignore signing Hamels, but Victorino should be the first thing to take care of and everything else will fall into place.

The Dodgers overlooked Victorino already in his career, and the Phillies benefited from that. Don’t make the same mistake and let another team snatch him. Get a deal done, and do it before it’s too late.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: Top 5 Storylines Going into Spring Training

It’s that time of year again. 

Pitchers and catchers report in one week, on Feb. 19, and the rest of the of the team will head down to sunny Clearwater, Fla. five days later, on Feb. 24.

The Phillies will take to Bright House Networks Field with one mission this year. 

Bring home a World Series title.

After two disappointing playoff performances in 2010 and 2011, the Phillies are coming in to 2012 with a chip on their shoulders, and spring training is where the work begins. 

This offseason did not, outside of the Jonathan Papelbon deal, involve any earth-shattering moves akin to those of offseasons and trade deadlines past. However, Ruben Amaro, Jr. made some minor moves that may prove to have a serious impact on the outcome of the season. 

Spring training is the time where we begin to see how these minor pieces may fit in to Charlie Manuel’s system, if they make the team at all.

Still, any particular storyline coming into spring training is completely overshadowed by one simple fact: It’s baseball season.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 25 Most Controversial Player Moves of All Time

Nine times out of ten, player transactions are a game of chicken.

In a trade, you have two, professional, MLB organizations desperately trying to get the best of each other, because let’s be honest: As many times as we’ve heard a general manager proclaim that the deal “made sense for both sides,” we all know that each team is trying to get the deal’s best possible player for the least possible price.

In free agency, agents will do everything in their power to create leverage for their client. They’ll build up another team’s interest. When negotiations begin, they’ll shoot for the stars while the organization does just the opposite until one side caves in.

The same could be said for lesser transactions like the draft, where potential draftees hold things like a commitment to a college against a team, or the waiver wire, will teams will try as hard as possible to look uninterested in a player.

The bottom line is this: This game of chicken hatches controversial player moves.

Sometimes, teams have to take risks on a deal. Sometimes they have to overpay for a free agent, send that extra top prospect to a rebuilding team, go over slot for a player in the draft, so on and so forth. It’s not always rainbows and butterflies in negotiations, and teams will fight tooth and nail to come out on top.

Teams won’t get anywhere in this game—this business—without taking a few chances. A lot of times, that leads to a huge controversy over whether or not they made the right decision, and this slide show will examine those controversial transactions in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Before we begin, however, it is important to note that these transactions will be evaluated at the time of the transaction’s execution. Hindsight is 20/20. A deal that seemed controversial at the time of its execution may not seem that way after a player has years of success.

So please note that each and every deal on this list will be evaluated as if it just happened. After all, that’s what makes it controversial.

For up to the minute Phillies information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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Philadelphia Phillies: GM Ruben Amaro’s 5 Savviest Minor Moves of the Offseason

As pitchers and catchers prepare to report to spring training next week (thank goodness the wait is over), the hot stove simmers down and cools off.

It’s been a good, productive offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies. They got the man they wanted to close out the ninth in Jonathan Papelbon for the next four years, brought back fan favorite and left-handed power bat (and occasional first baseman) Jim Thome, and they made many moves to strengthen both the bullpen and the bench.

While it might not have been the most memorable offseason, GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. and Co. did a nice job of filling empty holes. The only thing they need to do next is extend Cole Hamels—but that’s a story for another day.

However, there have been some moves the team has made that have gone relatively under the radar. Some have been moves that make perfect sense, while others are questionable. Nevertheless, for the most part, Amaro knows what he’s doing, and the players he’s signed and acquired, both major and minor league-caliber, could prove to be invaluable to the club.

We’ll examine the five smartest, savviest moves that Amaro has made this offseason, and they will each receive a letter grade based upon how important I think they will be to the club, whether in terms of playing time or just for expanded depth.

I did consider putting Thome on this list, but considering how his signing was the first major move by any team this offseason, I didn’t qualify it with the standards for this article, though it was a fantastic move nevertheless.

Let’s roll.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Things You May Not Know About Roy “Doc” Halladay

Sometimes, athletes or figures that come off as strange characters are the most interesting ones. We are often fascinated by subtle details and facts about them.

Although it’s not run by Mudd himself, it is why the Twitter account @HowardMuddFacts is so popular and entertaining.

Roy Halladay fits that mold as a strange, but interesting person. He is both interesting off the field, as well as on it. Many of the facts about him are results of his incredible pitching ability, but there are some interesting bits about what he did this offseason and whom he has worked with in his younger days.

They aren’t things you’ve heard millions of times—like that he and Chris Carpenter are friends, thanks to John Smoltz—but they are interesting and help shape the man known as Doc.

Here are 10 facts about Roy Halladay you probably did not know.

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Ryan Howard and the 5 Most Overpaid Players in the NL East

The National League East is loaded with more star-studded players than ever, with teams like the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals opening their checkbooks to land some of the top free agents in MLB.

The Philadelphia Phillies are once again the Vegas favorites to win the NL East and the National League, but don’t be surprised if the Phightin’s have to sweat a bit more in 2012 once September rolls around.

The Phillies’ path to another NL title may conceivably be easier in 2012 with the departures of Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder and pending 50-game suspension of reigning NL MVP Ryan Braun.

With teams in the AL throwing mind-boggling wads of cash to players, it may leave outsiders thinking that the NL East is cheap. There are some huge contracts in this division and leave fans shouting, “He’s overpaid!”

Here is a list of the top five overpaid players in the National League East.

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