Phillies Spring Training 2013: Daily Updates, Scores, News and Analysis

The times are changing in Philadelphia, though whether or not that is a good thing for the Phillies remains to be seen. 

It is no secret that this team is getting old, fragile and is betting a lot on some players who have never been very good or haven’t been good in a long time.

Adding Michael Young and Delmon Young as the starting third baseman and right fielder, respectively, has disaster written all over it. Acquiring Ben Revere from Minnesota will help the outfield defense, but he will have so much ground to cover on his own with Young and either Domonic Brown or Darin Ruf in the corner spots. 

The Phillies do still have a quality rotation, especially at the top with Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. Getting Roy Halladay back and pitching close to the level he was at pre-2012 will be crucial. 

Spring training is huge for this team, because it has to keep all of its core players healthy if it wants to compete in the National League East. Chase Utley is as close to full strength as he is ever going to get, which is a huge boost to the middle of that lineup. 

But other than Utley, the batting order looks suspect. Ryan Howard can’t hit left-handed pitching; Carlos Ruiz is coming off the best year of his career at age 34 but is suspended for the first 25 games of the season for a failed drug test; and Jimmy Rollins had a .316 on-base percentage out of the leadoff spot last year. 

There is also no significant help coming from the minors. The Legend of Darin Ruf will get a wake-up call in the big leagues this season, as his tear through Double-A last season came at the age of 26, and he is miscast in the outfield. 

This is a fascinating team to watch, though not for a lot of reasons Philadelphia fans would like. Here is a closer look at what we expect the 25-man roster to look like, the projected starting lineup and daily results and news from spring training games.

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Early Signs Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay Will Be the Stars of Old in 2013

Something was missing last season. 

The Philadelphia Phillies spent the following offseason trying to figure out what it was, adding a setup man, a fifth starter, a center fielder and a third baseman. On paper, is this a better team than the one that was listed for the 2012 campaign? It’s close. 

So what was the biggest difference for the Phillies between then and now? With optimism abound, at least some of those missing pieces must be in place. 

The simple answer is that the return of aging, injured stars has given Phillies fans a reason to be optimistic. Players like Chase Utley, Roy Halladay and Ryan Howard have the potential to drastically alter the dynamic of a ball club. 

Earlier this spring we took a look at ways to keep Utley healthy. Now we need to get to the bottom of why the Phillies can contend this spring, and that begins with early looks at reasons to be excited about a huge part of the club’s payroll—Howard and Halladay.

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Full Update of Surprises, Busts and Injuries at Philadelphia Phillies Camp

The Philadelphia Phillies recently sent the majority of their prospects training with the major league roster over to their minor league camp, and have just 18 games remaining before the team heads north for Opening Day.

At this point, it’s time for players to narrow down their lists of which areas still need work before the start of the season. For some players, only a few weeks remain to even earn a spot on the major league roster.

The Phillies’ camp has featured a little bit of everything this spring. 

Some players have shined bright while others are still looking for a spark, and some prospects provided optimism for the future while others left much to be desired.

Basically, it’s had all the characteristics of a typical spring training camp.

Since pitchers and catchers first reported nearly a month ago, the Phillies have had their share of surprise performances from players. A few busts here and there so far and, thankfully, few injuries that are still lingering.

The Phils must now hope that two of these three trends continue into the regular season.

This list features only players who either appeared in the major leagues last season, or who were projected as having a chance to make the major league roster out of spring training this season.

With three weeks to go until Opening Day, here is an update on the surprises, busts and injuries at Phillies camp.

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Philadelphia Phillies Again City’s Only Serious Hope for Postseason Glory

For too many years now, the Phillies have been Philadelphia’s only legitimate championship contender.

Because of that, the city’s sporting attention has turned hypercritically toward a team that until very recently was a consistent producer of postseason moments.

Unfortunately, 2013 looks to be more of the same, as the wreckage of the seasons of the other major Philadelphia sports teams smolders in the frigid winds of March.

Not that long ago, you could count on the Philadelphia Eagles to contend year in and year out.

Andy Reid’s perennial playoff teams with Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Brian Westbrook and the rest knocked on the door many times but never quite got in.

Today, to quote Buck Weaver at the end of Eight Men Out, “those guys are all gone now.”

In their place? Chip Kelly and remnants of a team that finished a 4-12 season by laying down in the Meadowlands and losing 42-7 to the New York Giants.

The Philadelphia 76ers entered this season with all sorts of hope. In August, the team had a press conference at the Constitution Center to welcome center (and centerpiece) Andrew Bynum to the club.

Almost seven months later, Bynum has not played one minute for the Sixers and it looks like he never will (per USA Today). The Sixers have fallen out of the playoff hunt and, save for Jrue Holiday, the future is bleak.

As for the Philadelphia Flyers, the names on the backs of the jerseys change but the story never does.

The Flyers still have goaltending problems. They still have a shortage of quality defensemen. They have a ton of big-name, expensive talent, but the whole is less than the sum of the parts.

In other words, it’s the same Flyers team you’ve been watching for 30 years.

Because of the foibles of the other three franchises—below .500 this year, all of them, including the 4-12 Eagles—the Phillies are once again burdened with the hopes of a million or more fans who just want to see a team win.

Before their .500 campaign in 2012, the Phillies had won five straight division titles, two pennants and a World Series in five years.

Their last losing season came in 2002—when they were 80-81.

This, and the aforementioned failures of all the other teams in town, at least partially explains why Phillies fans were so sour about 2012, and why ticket sales are down.

This reaction from Phillies fans is like punishing your reliable A student for getting a B- while your other three kids have dropped out of school entirely.

In 2013, the Phillies figure to have plenty of difficulty chasing down the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves as they try to squeeze one more playoff run from the core of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins.

The climb will be all the more arduous with the weight of expectation added from the other Philadelphia teams’ repeated disappointments.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Biggest Winners and Losers of Phillies’ Second Week of Games

The Philadelphia Phillies have a pitching staff built to contend. You can’t win ballgames without giving those pitchers a lead, however, so the Phillies spent most of the offseason retooling their lineup, both in and out of house. 

Through the second week of games, most of those new additions are playing well. That includes newcomers like Ben Revere and Michael Young, and returning superstars like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. 

With the second week of games coming to a close, it’s time once again to see how some of those aforementioned names and the rest of the club have fared early in the spring. 

The usual spring training caveat applies here: Numbers aren’t everything. For most of this club, spring training is going to be a time of preparation—not performance. Keep that in mind as we evaluate the winners and loser from the second week of Grapefruit League action.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 6 Players Who Will Disappoint the Team’s Fans in 2013

As a new baseball season begins, no player on the Philadelphia Phillies roster is in spring training, thinking or expecting, to disappoint the fans when the 2013 Opening Day rolls around.

Unfortunately however, the fact of the matter is not every guy on the 25-man roster is going to have an All-Star worthy season. Some guys will inevitably have disappointing years, whether they like it or not.

For the Phillies, 2013 has the potential to be a make-or-break season, both for the team and for individuals when it comes to on-the-field performance.

According to contract status information listed on Phillies.scout.com, the team will have decisions to make regarding Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz and Kyle Kendrick as the three are set to become free agents following this season. Roy Halladay could also be a free agent if he fails to meet the 225 IP vesting option in his contract.

The same website lists that John Mayberry will be eligible for first-year arbitration following the 2013 season as well. In addition, Ryan Howard will be playing to show he is recovered from his Achilles injury, Cliff Lee for redemption of last year’s 6-9 record and Cole Hamels, in validation of his 6-year, $144 million contract received last year.

Despite all of the players out to prove something, realistic expectations have to be made and in doing so, it is fair to say that some players just won’t measure up to the high standards held by rousing Philly fans.

That said, in a list that includes a fan-favorite veteran, a guy with seemingly nine lives, and a former first-round pick, here are the top seven candidates that are sure to disappoint fans in 2013.

* All stats provided by Espn.go.com *

Follow @MGallagher17

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Philadelphia Phillies: Halladay’s Pitch Behind Tyler Moore Not Tough, Just Dumb

Philadelphia Phillies’ ace Roy Halladay threw a fastball behind Washington National reserve outfielder Tyler Moore in a spring training game today, an act so pointless that it defies description.

Per Matt Gelb‘s Philadelphia Inquirer blog post: “Roy Halladay wants to make things clear: The pitch that sailed behind Tyler Moore’s back ‘slipped’ from his hand Wednesday. It was a cold and windy day, the kind of day when it is difficult to grip a baseball. Then, Halladay smiled.”

Gelb then stated what was pretty apparent to anyone who saw Halladay’s wild pitch: “The half inning before, Chase Utley was drilled on the knee with a Stephen Strasburg fastball. It did not appear to be intentional. Halladay’s action was, without him saying it.”

Halladay’s action was thus perceived to be intentional. If so, it was also absurd, given the context.

“Message pitches” like the one Halladay threw are part of baseball’s “code,” the unwritten rules that baseball players live by. You throw at one of our guys, we’ll throw at one of yours.

It’s right up there with “don’t steal a base up six runs” and “don’t bunt to break up a no-hitter.” Logic does not generally come into the analysis.

Even accepting, though, that the occasional message pitch (as long as it’s not at someone’s head) is no big deal, today’s gesture from Halladay was baseless and ridiculous.

It might have been justifiable in the regular season. It probably would have made more sense in the playoffs (though you would not want Halladay risking ejection in a playoff game.)

In spring training, three weeks before Opening Day? It was just pointless.

Yes, the Phillies and Nationals have a history of this sort of nonsense. Most recently, Cole Hamels threw at Bryce Harper in 2012, stupidly admitted to doing it on purpose and got himself suspended.

And yes, Utley has been hit by numerous pitches over the years. Actually, he has led the National League in being hit by pitches three times, and it has happened to him 151 times in 10 years.

They could not all have been purpose pitches. Utley crowds the plate, as is his right. Pitchers throw inside, as is their right. Sometimes Utley gets hit. No problem.

The most prominent pitch to hit Utley thrown by a Washington National, of course, was thrown by John Lannan in 2007. You know, the John Lannan the Phillies just signed to compete for their fifth spot in the starting rotation.

So before Moore stepped in against Halladay, what we had was this:

1. The Phillies and the Nationals had engaged in some light “message pitch” exchanges over the last few years, but not so far in 2013.
2. Utley, who gets hit all the time anyway, got grazed on the foot by a Strasburg fastball—it bears noting here that Strasburg has no history of throwing at anyone—on a pitch that at least one observer (Gelb) thought legitimately got away from Strasburg.
3. Halladay was cruising through an outing that eventually saw him yield two hits and no runs in four innings; not inconsequential, given his troubled 2012.

And with all that, rather than just staying focused on the job at hand, Halladay had his only “control lapse” of the day against a backup outfielder—not even a regular—Tyler Moore!

Totally needless.

One last thing: Do not point to a “rivalry” between the Phillies and the Nationals as grounds for this.

From the time the Phillies started winning the National League East for five consecutive years to last year when the Nationals won the division, the closest the teams have been in the final standings is sixteen games apart (2007).

Last year, the Phillies finished seventeen games behind the Nationals.

This is not a rivalry. These are two teams who play in the same division that have little else in common.

And again, it’s spring training.

Ironically, young Strasburg had the most accurate take on his elder’s wild pitch: “It’s spring training. If you’re going to throw at somebody or give a message in spring training, go ahead.”

Roy Halladay should pick other battles.

Like throwing more strikes and winning more games in 2013.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

One Thing Every Phillies Player Needs to Fix Before Opening Day

If there are kinks to be worked out in the game of baseball, you better fix them while the games do not count. For most players currently on this Philadelphia Phillies roster, that’s the point of spring training. 

The Phillies have a pretty good idea of what their lineup is going to look like on Opening Day. Assuming that the rest of the club can stay healthy, they’ll add guys like Carlos Ruiz and Delmon Young back into the mix early in the season and utilize the lineup that they want to put on the field.

Until that moment (and even beyond), this is a team that needs to spend the spring preparing for a long regular season. They’re an older, veteran club that will have to contain the youth of teams like the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves. 

In order to do so, they’ll need to operate at 100 percent. To operate at 100 percent, there are certain aspects of each player’s game that needs to be addressed this spring.

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Phillies Roy Halladay: This Century’s Complete Game King

Philadelphia’s Roy Halladay has been one of the majors’ best pitchers in the past decade. Unfortunately, his 2012 season mirrored the Phils‘ ’12 campaign as the team dropped from 102 wins in 2011 to 81 last year. Halladay struggled with an 11-8 record and an ERA of 4.49 (his 11 wins were the fewest since he had eight in 2004; his ERA was the second worst of his career).

The 2012 season was only the second time in Halladay’s career where he did not have a complete game (he did not have a complete game in 2000 with Toronto). This broke Halladay’s streak of 11 straight seasons where he had at least one complete game. It was also rare considering that Halladay had been the league-leader in complete games for five consecutive years (two with Philadelphia and three with Toronto).

Halladay leads the majors with most complete games in this century with 64 (he has 66 in his 15-year career). Following is a look at the pitchers who have had the most complete games since 2000. (A = active pitcher)

Complete Games, Pitchers
64: Roy Halladay (a)
39: Livan Hernandez (a)
35: CC Sabathia (a)
32: Randy Johnson
28: Mark Buehrle (a)
27: Chris Carpenter (a)
26: Cliff Lee (a); Curt Schilling
25: Javier Vazquez (a); Mark Mulder
24: Bartolo Colon (a); Tim Hudson (a)
23: Felix Hernandez (a); Sidney Ponson
22: A.J. Burnett (a)
20: Justin Verlander (a); Roy Oswalt (a)

Halladay is one of seven pitchers who has had at least one complete game in 10 of the 13 seasons since 2000. Leading the way is Tim Hudson, who has had a complete game in 12 of the 13 seasons this century. He is followed by Sabathia, Halladay, Buehrle and Livan Hernandez, each with 11 seasons, and Burnett and Vazquez with 10.

As mentioned above, Halladay’s streak of 11 seasons with at least one complete game was broken last season. Sabathia is now the pitcher with the longest current streak of seasons with at least one complete game with 11.

He is followed by Matt Cain (eight straight seasons with one-plus complete game); Bronson Arroyo, Verlander and Felix Hernandez (each with seven straight); Cole Hamels (six); and Jake Peavy, Ricky Nolasco, Joe Saunders, Ervin Santana and Dan Haren (each with five straight).

Here’s a couple more stats on complete games:

* Halladay is the active leader in complete games with 66. Sabathia is a distant second on the active list with 35.

* Even though Halladay ranks first on the active list, his 66 career complete games is only good enough for a tie for 644th place on the all-time list.

* You don’t have to be a rocket scientist (or even a baseball expert) to know that the complete game is slowing becoming a rare feat in today’s game. Last season there were only 128 complete games. By comparison, 20 years ago (in 1992) there were 419 complete games. Go back another 20 years to 1972 and there were 1,009 complete games that season.

 

Follow Jerry on Twitter @StatsonTapp

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies ST Stock Watch: Which Players Are on Fire and Slumping?

With Opening Day less than a month away and a full week of spring training games in the books, the Philadelphia Phillies’ roster is taking shape.

Few spots are actually up for grabs on the Opening Day roster, but players are still able to position themselves for early season call-ups.

As for the players already projected to make the Opening Day roster, they must now prove that they are progressing towards being ready for Game No. 1, or risk losing their grip on a roster spot as spring training progresses.

So far players such as Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown are giving fans a glimpse as to what the middle of the Phillies’ lineup may look like this season. 

At the same time, players such as Jonathan Papelbon and Jeremy Horst are serving as reminders that spring training is still used for working out the kinks.

Plenty of time still exists, but each poor performance from one player allows another to improve his stock.

This list features players that had high chances of making the major league roster prior to the start of spring training. 

Spring training statistics may not matter once the regular season begins, but they give an indication as to how players are progressing towards Opening Day.

Here is the Phillies’ stock watch for players that are either on fire or slumping.

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