Philadelphia Phillies: Time to Trade Domonic Brown

Sometimes, a relationship reaches the point where it’s clear that the two sides involved just need to move on. The Philadelphia Phillies and Domonic Brown have gotten to that stage now.

The Phillies sent Brown to Triple-A on Friday, citing a need to improve his defense as the primary reason for the demotion. General manager Ruben Amaro said the team wants Brown to get work in left field and prefer he learn the position with the Triple-A club in Lehigh Valley rather than Philadelphia. 

After two seasons splitting time between the majors and Triple-A, is there much more Brown can do to improve his standing with the Phillies? Or has he basically hit a ceiling within the organization and better off seeing if he can succeed elsewhere? 

Plenty of other major league teams would surely find use for a player who’s shown he can hit and get on base. No, Brown hasn’t hit well in his two stints with the Phillies, compiling a .236 batting average and .636 OPS. But an .834 minor league OPS shows that the skills are there. Other clubs would be willing to accept that and overlook his defensive deficiencies. 

There may have been no better opportunity for Brown to win a big league job with the Phillies than this year. Instead of Brown, the team is expected to rotate the likes of John Mayberry, Laynce Nix and Juan Pierre in left field. According to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, Pierre might get squeezed out in a roster crunch, along with another veteran outfielder, Scott Podsednik.

So maybe Brown was just the loser in an unfortunate numbers game. But it has to be a disappointment for a player once considered to be a top prospect not to beat out journeymen and role players for a starting position. 

Brown certainly seemed to hit well enough to warrant a spot on the Phillies’ Opening Day roster. He hit .300/.333/.650, far better than Mayberry (.224), Nix (.208) or Pierre (.257). But as MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki points out, Brown only appeared in 20 games due to neck and thumb injuries. Maybe that wasn’t enough of a sample to give the Phillies confidence in opting for him over a veteran player.

Or perhaps the team considers Brown such a butcher in left (or right) field that they just can’t justify putting him out there, no matter how well he hits. Defense is certainly at a premium while the Phillies’ lineup battles injuries and struggles to score runs. Until then, Mayberry and Nix may not provide spectacular outfield defense, but they’ll make the necessary plays and maybe mix in a highlight reel catch or two. 

But what if, as CSNPhilly.com’s Corey Seidman asks, Brown never becomes a good—or decent—outfielder? What then? Do the Phillies just wince and put Brown out there, hoping he can get to most balls in the outfield? Or do they try to see if they can get anything in return for him, before his regard in the organization gets any lower? 

If all else fails, maybe the Phillies can just completely throw up their hands and see if Brown can play second or third base. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

2012 Philadelphia Phillies: Trade Cole Hamels to Save the Season?

What if Chase Utley is unable to play this season?  Do you have faith that rookie Freddy Galvis can hit major league pitching? With Ryan Howard gone until June, are you comfortable with Jim Thome, John Mayberry, Laynce Nix and Ty Wiggington filling in at first?  Can Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino stay healthy enough to keep this team afloat? 

So many valid questions that need to be answered.

The Phillies depleted their farm system in the Roy Halladay/Cliff Lee/Hunter Pence trades over the last three seasons, so there really aren’t too many hot prospects down on the farm who can bring in a nice haul to fill in the 2012 gaps.  Phillies starting pitcher Joe Blanton is continuously discussed in possible deals to free up a little bit of money, but for not much in return.  So the question is, who could be dealt to possibly save the 2012 season?

The answer: Cole Hamels

It definitely wouldn’t be the most popular move—unless fans were thrilled with what they got in return.  Also, they would have to keep Blanton and move Vance Worley to No. 3 in the rotation, Blanton to No. 4, and take swing-man Kyle Kendrick out of the bullpen and into the No. 5 spot.

Halladay, Lee, Worley, Blanton, Kendrick.  Not exactly the “Four Aces” of 2011, but a very workable rotation.

So who could the Phillies possibly partner with in a deal involving Cole Hamels?

First, a stud veteran infielder who is possibly on the last one or two years of his contract.  How about Cincinnati Reds second basemen Brandon Phillips?  His agents have met with Reds ownership to discuss a contract extension just like Hamels here.  He’s a terrific all-around player who would fit nicely into the Phillies lineup, especially if Utley’s best days are in the rearview mirror.  You can still hang onto Utley and play him at third base, a less physically demanding position than second.  Possibly include Placido Polanco in the deal and get an arm back from Cincinnati in the deal.

The proposal:  Cole Hamels & Placido Polanco for Brandon Phillips and left-handed reliever Bill Bray.

Who’s Bill Bray?  Bray appeared in 79 games last season and went 5-3 with a 2.98 ERA and sparkling 1.08 ERA.  The Reds already added lefty Sean Marshall to their pen, so they could afford to include Bray for arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball.

Polanco could play second in Phillips’ absence and they should still have enough pop in their lineup with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs.

Look, the Phillies won the 2008 World Series with a rotation of Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer and Blanton.  The current rotation without Hamels is better than that.  Where the Phillies lack compared to their 2008 season is the lineup.  Brandon Phillips could change all of that and Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is quick to make bold moves.

It definitely would not be the most popular trade for Phillies’ fans to digest seeing their “Hollywood” 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP dealt, but it might just be the type of move needed to get them back to the World Series.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: 25 Most Embarrassing Teams in Franchise History

Losing 10,000 games isn’t easy.

You may think it is, but it isn’t.

It takes a special kind of terrible to lose 10,000 games. After all, just two teams—your Philadelphia Phillies and the Atlanta Braves—have been unfortunate enough to lose 10,000 games, with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds right on their heels, but not quite there yet.

Why?

What makes a professional sports team so unsuccessful? Well, there is the simple fact that the Phillies have been around for an extremely long time, originating as the Philadelphia Quakers in 1883. Even then, however, there are teams that have been around longer than the Phillies and have lost fewer games.

So what makes the Phillies such an unsuccessful franchise? You don’t lose 10,000 games as a professional sports team because you broke a mirror or forgot to throw some salt over your shoulder.

Like I said, it takes a certain kind of terrible to lose 10,000 games, and there should be no disagreement among Phillies fans that this franchise has gone through some extremely embarrassing times. They’ve had cheap owners, unwilling to pay stars. They’ve had terrible managers. They’ve had guys that should have never seen the MLB don their uniform.

In fact, in certain, overly embarrassing seasons, they’ve had them all at once.

You don’t get to be a successful franchise without learning from your mistakes, and the Phillies have certainly had a lengthy, embarrassing history. If they don’t want to revert to their losing ways, they’ll observe with caution.

If you don’t want to embarrass yourself, don’t play like these teams.

For news, rumors, analysis, and game recaps during spring training, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor!

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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11 Unexpected Occurrences That Have Complicated the Phillies’ Roster Decisions

To say the Phillies have had an interesting spring training so far would be an understatement.

This Spring has already been chock full of injuries, comebacks, setbacks, unheralded players thriving and established players struggling.  You wouldn’t think a team coming off of a 102 win season and a fifth-straight division title would have many difficult roster decisions or lineup changes to make, but thanks to plenty of unexpected occurrences, Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. have had their hands full thus far.

Following are 11 such occurrences that may well contribute to a different-looking squad than many of us thought we would see open the 2012 season.

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Is Philadelphia Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel on the Hot Seat?

The Philadelphia Phillies have won five consecutive National League East Division Championships.

In 2008 the Phillies won the World Series, beating the Tampa Bay Rays four games to one.

In 2009 the Phillies made a return trip to the World Series.

This time they were bested by the New York Yankees, four games to two.

So that’s a five year run to the postseason that also included back-to-back appearances in the Fall Classic.

That’s a pretty good resume for the man in charge.

That man is Charlie Manuel.

Manuel, like anyone else who comes to play, coach or manage in the City of Brotherly Love, was forced to earn the respect of the team’s fan base.

It wasn’t exactly an easy obstacle to overcome.  Manuel’s seemingly laid back approach and his West Virginia draw were not something Philadelphians were accustomed to.

Nevertheless, in 2005, Manuel’s first season with the club, the Phillies managed 88 wins, two more than the previous season.

In 2006, they won only 85 games, however since 2006 it has been a steady progression upwards in the win column for the Fightin‘ Phils, culminating with last season’s organization record 102 wins.

With all of the winning, is it safe to say that Manuel has earned the respect and loyalty of the fanbase?

After all, he led the team and the city with that World Series win to its first major sports championship in 25 years.

Sports fans are a fickle bunch though. Win and things are great; lose and, well they’re outside the window of your office with signs imploring ownership to put you out of your misery and send you packing.

This isn’t an exaggeration.

This was a scene right out of South Philadelphia this past Fall as the Philadelphia Eagles’ faithful grew more and more disgruntled with Eagles head coach Andy Reid.

The same Andy Reid that has won seven NFC East championships as well as earned Wild Card spots in two other postseasons.

Andy Reid, took over the Eagles in 1999 after the team and its fans suffered through a 3-13 1998 season.

So, while Reid took over a floundering team, Manuel took the controls of a team that was, in my opinion, already headed towards the playoffs.

The Phillies organization did a great job of molding their homegrown talent.

In fact, the core players in the Phillies resurgence were almost all primarily players that the Phillies had drafted.

Looking back, the Phillies front office, the men evaluating the talent, had done an exemplary job and really set the stage for the Phillies to become the force that they have been.

Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels were all selected by the Phillies in the amateur draft, and they all played crucial roles in the Phillies resurgence.

Two of these guys, Rollins and Howard, were NL MVPs, and of course Hamels was the NLCS MVP as well as the World Series MVP in 2008.

Most everyone would agree that Chase Utley, from 2005 to 2009 was the Phillies best and most consistent player.  If not for the severe knee problems which are currently sidelining the second baseman, Utley would very likely still be the reigning top dog on the Phillies roster, at least as far as position players go.

This brings me to the pitching.

Everyone is familiar, at this point, with last season’s four aces.

Roy Halladay.  Cliff Lee.  Cole Hamels.  Roy Oswalt.

Those four names, it was argued in Philadelphia and beyond, were supposed to lead the Phillies to the greatest season any baseball team in Major League history had ever enjoyed.  The ultimate capper was to be a World Series win.

Well instead, in a World Series or bust season, the Phillies lost in the first round of the playoffs, dropping the fifth and deciding game at home with Roy Halladay on the mound.

The team with the $172 million payroll went whimpering into the night.

Still there were no calls for Manuel’s job.

To me, the question lingers…how long can one championship carry you?

.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies Trade News: Prospects Philly Will Regret Losing

The Philadelphia Phillies are once again the odds-on favorite to represent the National League in the 2012 World Series. They return the best (yes, Davey Johnson, they are the best) starting rotation in MLB with Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, and Vance Worley, Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick have been terrific this spring. 

That’s not to say that the Phillies don’t have their concerns heading into this World Series-or-bust year. The “Big Piece” Ryan Howard suffered a “setback” in his rehab from Achilles surgery, and Chase Utley is “doubtful” for Opening Day with two problematic knees. 

The Phillies will look to deal Joe Blanton and rid themselves of a large portion (large and Joe Blanton go hand-in-hand) of his contract before the trade deadline. They’ve traded away a lot of top-tier talent to acquire some of the biggest names in the game in Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Pence. 

All of those players have played substantial roles in the Phillies’ recent success and are major reasons (besides Oswalt) why this team still has as good a shot as anyone to win it all. 

Let’s take a look back, though, and see which players the Phillies will regret losing. 

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10 Things Phillies Must Still Figure out Before Opening Day

With Opening Day just two weeks away, each major league team’s roster is finally taking shape for the 2012 season. Many teams have made cuts already and more cuts are sure to come in order to even out the 25-man rosters. However, there are still uncertainties for each team, and it’s difficult to argue that no other team has more than the Philadelphia Phillies.

The last week or two gave Phillies fans information they would like to wish wasn’t true. Ryan Howard’s return timetable from Achilles surgery has been pushed forward. Initially aiming for an early May return, we’ll be lucky to see The Big Piece back in action by the beginning of June. Then there’s Placido Polanco, who jammed his finger sliding back into first base on a pick-off attempt. Fortunately, that injury is minor, but the same can’t be said for any of the remaining injured infielders.

This week began with some big news regarding Chase Utley. Originally hoping to play in his first spring training game sometime this week, Utley instead left camp to visit a knee specialist, which means that his knee troubles are worse than they have been made out to be. And if that wasn’t enough, the team’s top utility infield candidate, Michael Martinez, fractured his foot thanks to a hit-by-pitch from the Baltimore Orioles‘ Jim Johnson (and with the words “top candidate” am I in no way supporting Martinez).

In addition to the team’s infield woes, there are other burning questions that still need to be answered. Who will fill the final 25-man roster spots? Will the bullpen consist of an additional lefty to Antonio Bastardo? Will the team make a trade before the season opener in Pittsburgh against the Pirates?

The goal today is to answer these questions to the best of my ability. Since I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, I’ll give my best guesses as to what will occur in each scenario. Either way, by the first week of April, most, if not all of these questions will be answered in some capacity.

Let’s see what we’ve got.

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Philadelphia Phillies’ Injuries Pile Up as Michael Martinez Breaks Foot

If you’re a major league team with an excess of infielders, the Philadelphia Phillies would like to speak with you. In fact, general manager Ruben Amaro is probably on the line that’s flashing right now.

The Phillies’ infield was already looking mighty thin when Chase Utley left spring camp due to persistent pain in both of his knees. Utley was to consult a specialist to help him get his rehab out of its “plateau,” but he’s almost certainly going to begin the season on the disabled list. And some are questioning whether or not the rest of his baseball career is at stake. 

Oh, and Placido Polanco has missed the last few spring training games due to a sprained left ring finger. It’s been a bad week for Phillies infielders.

Philadelphia was already short-handed with first baseman Ryan Howard going down with a torn left Achilles tendon last October. His recovery was pushed further back when he developed an infection with one of the sutures from the surgery that repaired the tear. Howard is currently wearing a protective boot, and is expected to be out until late May or early June.

One of the players who was expected to fill in at second and third base was utility infielder Michael Martinez. But Martinez was scratched from the Phillies’ plans when he suffered a broken foot in Tuesday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles. Martinez was hit by a pitch and fractured the fourth metatarsal in his right foot. With that, he joins Howard in the walking boot club and the Phillies don’t know when he’ll return.

Whether or not the Phillies go hard after another infielder might depend on how well rookie Freddy Galvis plays for Utley at second base. If he struggles, the team could look at acquiring a veteran replacement.

Some of the names that have been mentioned by Phillies beat reporters include Blake DeWitt and Jeff Baker of the Chicago Cubs, Mike Aviles of the Boston Red Sox, Maicer Izturis and Alberto Callaspo of the Los Angeles Angels and Orlando Hudson of the San Diego Padres. 

That appears to leave the Phillies with plenty of options to pursue if Galvis proves he’s not ready or Amaro decides they need more infield depth. (Pete Orr and Hector Luna will also remain in camp with the Phillies if the team decides to stand pat when the season begins.) Their infield situation is definitely something to keep an eye on during the first few weeks of the season. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Fantasy Baseball 2012: Ranking All 25 Philadelphia Phillies on Fantasy Impact

Pitchers are working on their location and getting a feel for their pitches. Hitters are working on their timing and repeating their swing. Even managers are fine tuning a few facets of their game in preparation for the long season, but there is one group of baseball people going unnoticed in preparation for the upcoming season: fantasy baseball players.

Hey, it’s spring training for them too.

While the players are working to be as productive as they can be during the regular season, fantasy managers are working hard to make sure they field the best, creatively-named team as humanly possible on Opening Day.

After all, there is far more than bragging rights on the line. Depending on your league, there could be a serious chunk of change at stake this season as well.

The Philadelphia Phillies are a team that many people will find themselves plucking players from for obvious reason. There is a lot of upside on this roster, but don’t be fooled—there is a lot of risk as well.

So let this slideshow serve as a primer for draft day. Which member of the Phillies’ roster will leave you sitting pretty at the season’s end, and which players will have you hanging your head in regret? Who surprises and who disappoints?

Don’t be left in the dark on draft day!

For news, rumors, analysis, and game recaps during spring training, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor!

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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The Phillies and Chase Utley Should Explore Non-Traditional Surgery

Note: This article was written last spring when news first circulated about Chase Utley’s injury. I chose not to publish it as it seemed as though the Phillies and Utley had figured out a course of action and probably my own foolish optimism.

Twelve months later, with no progress and apparent issues now in both knees, this article seems especially relevant. For sake of continuity I have changed little about the article aside from pertinent facts about Chase Utley and the status of his injury. All edits are in italics throughout the article.

Chase Utley’s knee has become the talk of Philadelphia sports. Forget the rising crime right across the river in Camden, the losing skid of the Villanova Wildcats or the surprising play of the Philadelphia Sixers; it would appear the happiness of Philadelphians is contingent on the knees of their baseball team’s second basemen.

There are more than a few potential remedies for patellar tendonitis, which has sidelined Utley for the entirety of this spring training and much of last season, but none appear to be an answer. Now Utley and Phillies are in the unenviable position of making a decision for which there appears to be little upside.

Working in the healthcare industry, I’ve come upon countless cases of tendonitis and in only a very few of those cases have doctors determined that surgery is the best decision.

So why would the Phillies consider surgery in this case?

Utley has experienced chronic patellar pain for an estimated 30 months, and one can assume most conservative approaches to treatment have been exhausted. The knee has not responded well to cortisone injections, and the Phillies trainers seem to have run out of options.

The problem with surgery and the reason Chase Utley and the Phillies should use it only as a last resort is two-fold.

Surgery is typically reserved for patients with debilitating tendonitis. That is to say, when a person can no longer walk, then and only then is surgery a truly viable option. However, athletes often consider surgery when their professional livelihood is at stake, which the Phillies and their 33 year-old second basemen must feel is the case.

Still, surgery should not be the only option they are exploring for the simple fact that surgery is not a sure thing.

The standard procedure for relieving the pain of patellar tendonitis in the U.S. (and the one the Phillies are deliberating) is knee debridement, a relatively non-invasive procedure where the surgeon cleans out (shaves) the myxoid degeneration of the knee.  Within weeks, patients can be back on their feet but by and large, the condition shows itself again within several months (or even less for athletes).

In short, the knee debridement surgery is only a band aid and not a very effective one.

In fact, a doctor in New York, who was nice enough to humor me (on the condition that I didn’t mention him by name), said me that he’d recommend athletes never consider this procedure because it is only a “very temporary solution that typically leads to follow-up after follow-up repeat debridement procedures” and normally leads to a worsened condition of tendonitis due to the constant exposure of the knee.

Normally, the doctor said, debridement is about 60% successful for a patient who has the surgery and follows it up with well monitored physical therapy. However, for an athlete, he wouldn’t even offer a success rate. His only advice was, “I would not recommend it.”

This must be where the Phillies are—between a rock and a hard place. So I asked the same doctor at this New York surgical hospital, “What would you recommend?” He suggested among other things, orthotics (to support the arch and absorb more of the shock usually put on the knee), extracorporeal shock wave therapy (a method of sending shock waves to heal and strengthen tendons) and the always popular but, in Utley’s case, ineffective cortisone shots.

It can be assumed the Phillies training staff (ranked among the best in MLB) has considered these alternatives, so I pushed the doctor further and asked if Carmelo Anthony, the (then) new star forward for the Knicks and noted sufferer of patellar tendonitis, had exhausted all the options available to him, what would he suggest? (I assumed he’d rack his brain for good advice in the case of a hometown player.)

He suggested a less traditional surgery (that has been very successful and growing in popularity) practiced in England by a Dr. David P. Johnson at the Bristol Orthopaedic & Sports Injury Clinic. The doctor has performed this surgery on about a dozen or so professional European soccer players and about 30 other patients with a 90% success rate.

The procedure in short, from the Bristol Clinic’s website:

The technique included elevation and partial excision of the superior central part of the fat pad to reveal the bare area of the patella. Elevation of the patella tendon fibres from the anterior 5 millimetre surface of the inferior pole of the patella, and excision of the exposed inferior pole.

The procedure practiced by Dr. Johnson (the European equivalent to Dr. James Andrews in Mississippi) is a same-day surgery with a nine-week recovery time and, in the case of his athletes, a return to action in 13 weeks. Dr. Johnson is not the only doctor to utilize this procedure but apparently has had the greatest amount of successful cases.

This surgery is not ideal since it would put Chase Utley on the shelf for essentially the entire 2012 season. Of course, 90% success means that 10% are unsuccessful, but the Phillies, Utley and the fans need to understand that tendonitis does NOT go away and will only worsen.

However, if it works on athletes who run on a 110-yard field for 90 minutes at a time for nine months out of the year through the blistering heat of Southern Hemisphere summers and bitter cold of northern England winters, it would seem to be a great solution for a baseball player.

Additionally, to get a 100% healthy Chase Utley back at 34 years-old with a fresh knee and a year of rest is a sacrifice the Phillies may need to consider in their long-term plans for success.

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