Philadelphia Phillies Pick Pettibone, Will Make MLB Debut Against Pirates

When Philadelphia Phillies‘ fifth starting pitcher John Lannan hit the 15-day disabled list with a strained knee tendon, two questions came to mind. The first was how long Lannan would have to sit out, and the second (and more important), who would take his place in the Phillies’ rotation?

MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki answered the first question last week on Thursday, April 18 when he tweeted the following:

 

 

Manuel said Lannan could miss six to eight weeks. Maybe less.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 18, 2013

 

While the disabled list qualification stood at 15 days, Lannan could very well miss as much as two months. Consequently, someone would need to be called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his place. But who were the candidates, and who would win out?

Zolecki also laid out the candidates in another tweet:

 

 

Amaro said Biddle not option to replace Lannan. Replacement to come from Triple-A: Morgan, Martin, Cloyd, Pettibone. Morgan pitched today.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 18, 2013

 

B.J. Rosenberg also has a spot in the IronPigs‘ rotation, but he’s served solely as a reliever in the major leagues and hasn’t fared well in that role.

Martin is in need of more seasoning, leaving Cloyd, Morgan and Pettibone as candidates to make it to the majors.

Cloyd was viewed as the favorite, as he’s the only one of the bunch to have major league experience. He was called up to make a spot start for a sick Cole Hamels last August and fared off against another starting pitcher making his MLB debut, Matt Harvey. The Phillies failed to provide Cloyd with any run support and lost the game, 3-1.

Morgan has the most potential and the highest praise of the bunch, ranked as the Phillies’ fifth and seventh-best prospect by Baseball America (BA) and MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo, respectively. As I mentioned last week, Morgan has a solid repertoire with all four pitches considered above-average.

Alas, I was wrong when I said that Morgan would make the majors before Pettibone. According to Zolecki once again (I promise this is the last one), starter Jonathan Pettibone has been called up to take Lannan‘s place in the Phillies’ rotation:

 

 

RHP Jonathan Pettibone will start for the Phillies tomorrow. A roster move will be made tomorrow to accommodate him.

— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) April 21, 2013

 

What can be expected of Pettibone? In my opinion, he sits between Cloyd and Morgan in terms of talent. While he lacks overwhelming speed, Pettibone, ranked as the fourth-best prospect by both BA and Mayo, tops out at 92-93 miles per hour on his fastball, which should be more than sufficient. His control is excellent, and along with his changeup, is considered the best in the Phillies’ system, according to BA.

Pettibone will not be a starter who overwhelms the opposition with his pitching, so there may not be too many strikeouts. Fortunately, what you also won’t see a lot of from Pettibone are walks. Per Baseball-Reference.com, he has averaged a 2.6 BB/9 rate over his minor league career.

In addition, Pettibone sports a minor league career 3.44 ERA and 1.23 WHIP. And though he’s off to a rough start in 2013 with an 0-1 record and 9.64 ERA, given his abilities and praise concerning control, he’s probably the safest bet to fill in for Lannan.

Maybe Morgan has more potential. Maybe Cloyd has the experience. But Pettibone has the readiness the other two lack, and most importantly, he has the fifth spot in the Phillies’ rotation until further notice. While he’ll be up against some stiff competition in A.J. Burnett and the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night, Pettibone should be able to hold his own in his major league debut at Citizens Bank Park.

Congratulations to Pettibone on his call-up and best of luck to him as he starts his major league career.

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Mapping out the Path to a Blockbuster Cliff Lee Deadline Trade

The 2013 Phillies are off to a difficult start. At 6-10, on the heels of an injury-plagued, disappointing 81-81 finish in 2012, concern is mounting in Philadelphia.

While the problems of offense, specifically on-base percentage, Roy Halladay’s decline and the future of manager Charlie Manuel will take center stage over the next few months, don’t forget the best player on the 25-man roster: Cliff Lee.

Regardless of how dominant Lee is in 2013, it might not be enough to drag Philadelphia back into the postseason. In reality, it might not be enough to garner a winning record. While the headlines in Atlanta on Wednesday revolved around Braves broadcaster Chip Carey’s “mother’s basement” comments in regard to Baseball Prospectus’ updated playoff odds, the real story should be how meek Philadelphia’s start has their current outlook for October baseball.

On Wednesday afternoon, holding a 6-8 record at the time, Baseball Prospectus gave the Phillies only a 25.1 percent chance of playing October baseball. They’ve lost twice more since that graphic, falling to 6-10. As you can imagine, the odds are rising in their favor.

While general manager Ruben Amaro has delayed the inevitable rebuilding process up to this point, a change in Philadelphia is on the horizon.

At some point, fan support will dwindle, Atlanta and Washington could pull away and moves will need to be made to ensure a more competitive outfit in 2014 and beyond. While putting Cole Hamels, 29, on the trading block would ensure the highest possible return, there’s little chance the franchise would move a player they just committed over $140 million to last season.

Instead, look to Cliff Lee’s dominance, trade rumors from last summer and pitching-hungry teams this July and August for the most likely domino to fall. In order to rebuild a barren farm system, Lee’s durable, strike-throwing arm may be moved.

Considering the prowess of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, it looks as though Philadelphia’s most realistic route back to contention and postseason baseball in 2013 is through the second wild-card avenue. It’s only April, but the glut of quality rosters across the National League make it hard to believe that these Phillies, even with Lee and Hamels, can get to the 87-90 wins it will likely take to snag one of those spots. Between Los Angeles, St. Louis and Arizona, the second-tier teams in the NL Central and West are deeper, younger and built for the long haul.

The most intriguing part of potential Cliff Lee trades this summer: value in the eye of the beholder.

If Philadelphia falls out of contention and looks to be proactive with Lee’s value, he can be marketed to many different organizations due to the Phillies’ high payroll structure and their need for high-end prospects.

For example: If, say, the New York Yankees, long-time admirers and chasers of Lee’s left arm, decide to make a run at him, Philadelphia could offset its payroll concerns by paying a large chunk of the $87.5 million he’s guaranteed through 2016. In return, New York could supply Philadelphia with some of the best prospects in its organization.

On the other hand, Philadelphia could rid itself of Lee’s current and future cost by allowing a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers, with a seemingly endless supply of payroll, to take the full brunt of Lee’s deal in return for middling or poor prospects.

While that wouldn’t solve Philadelphia’s issue in the minor league ranks, it would allow them to re-invest that payroll in future free-agent markets, potentially filling multiple positions. It’s the approach the Boston Red Sox took last winter in re-investing the payroll they sent to Los Angeles last August.

The odds against Philadelphia are growing by the day. Due to Lee’s large contract and Philadelphia’s dueling needs and payroll prowess, suitors can come from almost any direction if the lefty hits the market.

Of course, the last step in the puzzle would be Lee’s blessing.

As part of the free agent-contract awarded to Lee in December of 2010, there is a list of 21 teams that Lee can’t be moved to without his consent.

Considering his dramatic return to Philadelphia, multiple moves around the country from Cleveland to Philadelphia to Seattle to Texas—all within a few years—and stories about placing his family near the best hospitals, it won’t be easy to gain the blessing in order to complete a trade.

Yet it won’t be impossible.

Lee is 34 years old. Despite his reputation as a great big-game pitcher, he has yet to hoist a World Series trophy. In theory, the return to Philadelphia prior to the 2011 season was seen as the final stepping stone to achieving that goal. The quarter of Lee-Hamels-Halladay-Roy Oswalt was set to deliver the Phillies their second World Series within five years.

Of course, it hasn’t materialized. Considering the age of the roster, the window is closing fast.

Lee has dazzled fans, won on the biggest stage and brought home a Cy Young award.

If broached with an offer to move to a contender, save Philadelphia payroll and/or bring them back a brighter future and collect his hefty salary, it’s a move all parties would have to consider later this summer.

Are the 2013 Phillies a contender in the National League? Comment below, follow me on Twitter or “Like” my Facebook page to talk all things baseball!

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On Jonathan Papelbon, Obama, Guns and What Athletes Can and Can’t Say

In the last two presidential elections, several members of the Philadelphia Phillies openly campaigned for Barack Obama. Jonathan Papelbon was not one of them.

Yesterday, Papelbon was talking to CSN Philly about the bombings in Boston—Papelbon used to live near the blast area—and he said how unsafe he feels at sporting events, specifically being so close to the fans. 

On that notion, Papelbon and I agree, stadiums and the players (and fans) are not nearly as safe as we should be. The thing is…Papelbon took his clearly emotional yet justifiable fears and went…off book. Via The700Level.com:

I don’t feel comfortable doing that. I really, truly don’t. Today’s day and age has gotten so crazy, every, you know…all this stuff going on and, you know, shoot, man, Obama wants to take our guns from us and everything and you got this kind of stuff (the Boston bombing) going on, it’s a little bit insane for me, man. I really don’t even know how to take it.

OK, look, I know that gun control is a big issue in society right now and I know that there are a lot of people in this world who actually believe the president is trying to take away their guns. I also get that Papelbon is legitimately scared after a street he walked down for years was bombed. But to somehow correlate the two into a sound bite about the safety of being in a stadium is severely wrong-headed for a baseball player in that situation.

Again, I agree with Papelbon that stadiums aren’t safe enough and it doesn’t take much for a maniac in the stands to attack a player who is shaking hands, signing autographs or giving a few high-fives. This is a different world we live in than when most of us were kids. The rules—and in some cases the access and ability to interact with celebrities—have to change.

But what in the world does that have to do with Obama, or guns, or Obama taking our guns? Does the Phillies closer want to start packing in the bullpen? Those fans on Ashburn Alley in Philly can get pretty rowdy late in the game, but he tried to combine two very disparate topics into one talking point.

The gun control debate is our nation’s most polarizing issue right now, so it’s no surprise a famous athlete would use his stature in the community—and his ability to talk into a microphone and have everyone in the country hear him—to share his thoughts.

But…well…should he? 

 

Athletes speaking their minds

Should Papelbon have mentioned Obama taking our guns away at all, let alone in the context of the Boston bombing?

Let’s answer that two ways.

First, specifically: No. Papelbon was a moron for saying the line he did, even if it was in context of a confusing and emotional time for him. The president is not actually going door to door with a bucket asking law-abiding citizens to hand in their firearms. That’s not even close to what the gun control debate really is, and for someone like Papelbon to make a flippant comment like that on television doesn’t help anything.

Now, more generally: Was Papelbon right to make a comment, any comment, about today’s hottest political fight? Yes and no.

Yes, Papelbon is entitled to his opinion and if someone is going to put a microphone in front of his face and ask him about a societal issue—the Boston bombing is certainly a societal issue—he is entitled to use that time to make his point. If Jimmy Rollins and other members of the team can stand hand in hand with Obama at a rally on an off day, Papelbon is well within his limits to say something before a game that may not jibe with the current path our President hopes policy will go.

And then there’s the “no” side of whether or not he should have commented. It’s the same “no” that would pertain to Rollins or any other player on a team sport who delves into political commentary.

 

Can sports be apolitical?

“Republicans buy shoes too,” is the old saying attributed to Michael Jordan about his not speaking out on societal or political issues. That is the go-to line whenever athletes jump into political pools. More to the point of this specific issue with Papelbon, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians and the wholly apolitical not only buy shoes, but shirts, jerseys, caps and tickets to support their local teams.

We want to root for our favorite teams without having to necessarily agree with the beliefs of the players, coaches or owners.

If you are a liberal in the Philadelphia area, you must hate the comment Papelbon made this week, making it difficult to root for the guy the next time he comes in to close a game. 

Last year when Rollins was stumping around town for President Obama, the conservative fans must have been incredibly annoyed as well. Hearing an athlete talk politically forces fans to acknowledge that players have affiliations outside of our favorite team. 

 

The greater issue

This concern isn’t just about guns, or Papelbon. Players on the same team have different views on the same topic, and it’s up to fans to either ignore those beliefs or make a conscious decision to root for (or against) that player accordingly. 

I don’t want to suddenly make this a story about Tim Tebow, but he is the best example of an athlete with a set of beliefs—religious, political or otherwise—shaping his fanbase. It can be hard to root for a team when you know a player on the roster has different beliefs than you. You know that his personal success earns him more fame and more money, both of which can be used to spread the word of those beliefs.

In a way, rooting for him to help the team can be a tacit approval of everything else. At the same time, he’s just one member of a team that includes many other players, some of whom feel the exact opposite. Are we, as fans, just supposed to ignore it all?

Most fans root for a team because that team plays the closest to our house. That’s how we usually choose our sports allegiances: proximity and familial lineage. For generations, sports fans haven’t cared who owns the team or how they got the money to afford a professional sports franchise in the first place. The team is close, we can go to the games and watch them on TV, and the rest never mattered.

We love our local athletes if they can hit, run and pitch better than the guys from the other city, even if the players on that team are actually more likable guys or fall in line closer to our system of beliefs.

We never had to care about all this other stuff in the past because the players were never this accessible during their careers. Now, thanks to 24-hour sports networks, Twitter, etc., we know about so much it makes it harder to be a fan.

Now, I’m not asking for us to go back to the era of don’t ask-don’t tell, or whatever the proper vernacular in sports may be, but I do wonder if we simply know too much about our team-sport athletes.

 

All-Access

I know I’m a hypocrite, both as a writer and as a sports fan, for even suggesting that we know too much. I get that.

We want our athletes to be themselves and share their lives and experiences with us. We certainly want them to be good talkers, so it gives us stuff (like this) to write. So if this article scares Papelbon or the next Papelbon out of talking to the media, I’ve just cut off my own face to prove a point to my head. Or whatever the expression is. 

Just because an athlete says something we don’t like, or says something socially uninformed—such as saying the president of the United States wants to round up all the firearms of law-abiding citizens—doesn’t mean we shouldn’t want them to say it. Right? Besides, who are we to stop our athletes from talking? Writers? Reporters? Please. 

We live in a day and age where people can become their own private publishing house. If someone has something to say, they’ll find a way to say it, stupid as it may be. We should probably just embrace that.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Despite Optimism, Team Proving It’s No Better Than 2012

Entering 2013, it was well-known in baseball circles that the Philadelphia Phillies were supposed to be the hungriest club. Their injury-plagued, star-crossed 2012 campaign, combined with the knowledge that this would probably be a farewell tour for the aging dynasty of the NL East, was supposed to be a recipe for a great rebounding year.

Superficially, the logic made some sense.

For the first time since 2010, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard would both be in the Opening Day lineup. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, both having seasons of anomaly a year ago, would get fresh slates. The eighth-inning woes of the previous season would be solved with the signing of Mike Adams, arguably the best setup man in the game. Throw in a torrid spring training from Domonic Brown, and expectations were sky-high on April 1.

As we sit here on April 18, however, Phillies fans are left sipping a cold glass of reality.

Fifteen games into the 2013 season, the club is 6-9. The offense, which scored 4.22 runs per game in 2012 for their lowest total since 1997, is scoring a pathetic 3.47 runs per game. The pitching staff, whose 3.83 collective ERA in 2012 was supposed to be fixed by good signings and rebound seasons, is pitching to the tune of a 4.90 ERA in 2013, over a full run higher than 2012.

The storylines that made the hearts of Phillies fans happy prior to the season have yet to come to any kind of fruition. Chase Utley is leading the team in home runs and RBI with 3 and 12 respectively, but has struggled to find consistency. His .283 batting average is acceptable, but his high number of ground balls and sudden impatience at the plate are very frustrating.

Ryan Howard has been a non-factor at the plate this season; there’s no other way to put it. The fact that he leads the Phillies in strikeouts with 16 is not overly surprising, but his slash line is. The “Big Piece” is hitting only .241 with a single home run and 5 RBI in 62 plate appearances. His .362 slugging percentage is horrible. Going beyond the stats, Howard looks totally uninterested when the bat is in his hands and seems to be going through the motions.

While Cliff Lee has come out in 2013 ready to put last year’s aberration behind him, he has been replaced with Cole Hamels starting the season off with an aberration of his own, with the newly-signed left-hander starting the season off 0-2 with a 7.56 ERA. Roy Halladay’s problems have seemed to follow him into the new season, as he sits with a 1-2 record and a 7.63 ERA.

Domonic Brown’s great spring seems to have been a complete mirage. Batting just .231 with two home runs and 11 K’s so far, No. 9 looks no different than he did in the first three seasons of his disappointing career. A back injury that he sustained Wednesday night could send him to the disabled list, further cementing his player profile of an injury-prone underachiever.

Mike Adams hasn’t made too many mistakes, but what good is a great setup man when you are always trailing when the eighth inning comes around? The Phillies’ brass arrogantly advertised the Adams-Papelbon duo as the best one-two punch in baseball prior to the season, but the moribundity of the bats coupled with the inability of the rest of the staff to hold a lead going into the eighth inning has led that particular brag to become tantamount to a Miami car salesman bragging about his newest automobile’s terrific heated seats.

Sadly, the most unfortunate part of the lackluster beginning to this season is how predictable this mediocrity should have been. Mr. Amaro, who had been a pretty liberal-spending and gutsy GM in his first few seasons, made the same mistake as Mr. Lurie and Mr. Roseman did across the street. He, along with the rest of the Phillies management, assumed the team would simply take the field on April 1 and be a better team than they were in 2012 simply because they are the Phillies, who won so many division titles and two pennants in recent years past.

The organization decided to ignore the troubling facts going on around them; they chose to believe a middle-relief corps made up of unproven puppies such as Jeremy Horst and Phillippe Aumont and hangers-on of yesteryear such as Chad Durbin and Raul Valdes would suddenly and smoothly become a cohesive and solid group.

They chose to believe that the 40 percent of their starting rotation that owned career ERA’s north of 4 would be a reliable back end that could pitch quality starts, even though neither Kyle Kendrick nor John Lannan ever proved they could do so consistently.

They chose to believe that their outfield, which on Opening Day of 2012 was composed of two All-Stars, would not miss a beat in production going into 2013, even though it was composed of a .235 career hitter who never started an opener, a 24-year-old second-year player who never hit a home run and a 29-year-old who still hasn’t had enough plate appearances in a season to qualify for a batting title.

It doesn’t make any Phillies fan feel any better about the outfield when we cast an eye on our division rivals in the deep south, where we see that Justin Upton, a player for whom Mr. Amaro eschewed trading, is leading the major leagues in home runs with eight.

In closing, I will present a caveat of optimism to this pessimistic article: A 10th of the way through a long MLB season in no way presents the entire story. At this point in the season, simply winning three or four games in a row can give an entirely different feel and look to a ballclub.

But as optimistic predictions turn into real statistics and standings, we are taught a cautionary tale about this game of baseball: numbers on the backs of jerseys and numbers in those players’ pasts don’t determine success. What does is producing at the plate and on the mound, which the 2013 Philadelphia Phillies better start doing, and fast.

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Philadelphia Phillies Minor Leaguers Who Will See Time in the Majors This Season

The Philadelphia Phillies have struggled in the 2013 season so far. For the first six or seven games, the offense was on fire but the pitching staff was allowing too many runs, save for Cliff Lee. Then, in the last six or seven games, the offense has been anemic, to say the least, while the pitching staff has regained its composure.

It’s been one of the more puzzling starts to a Phillies season in recent history, and while it’s only April, it still provides cause for concern. At this point in time, everybody is healthy and the team should be at its best. If this is the best the Phillies can do, should fans be concerned that the season will turn out to be somewhere around .500 like last year?

Nevertheless, the Phillies stand at 6-9 after a humiliating 11-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds last night, giving them the series sweep. And it’s not like the Reds were a great team, either—entering the series, Cincinnati was just 5-7 with many an offensive player failing to produce.

If this trend continues, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. could look to trade away some of his big league pieces in the first stages of a potential rebuild. Folks, it may be time to say that the Phillies’ dynasty of dominance has too quickly come to a close.

Putting the total negativity aside, if players are traded, injured, or the team does fall out of contention to the point that they want to see what they have lying around in the farm system, minor leaguers will be called up throughout the season. Here’s a list of those who could find themselves with—or back with—the Phillies by the end of the 2013 regular season.

*All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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Philadelphia Phillies: What Position Should First-Round Draft Pick Be Spent On?

Ordinarily, you could answer a question like this via simple process of elimination. What do you already have? Once you know that, you know what you need.

Except, with this Phillies team, the answer to the primary question is a bit troubling.

The Phillies have a young, dynamic center fielder in Ben Revere. After that? You tell me.

Maybe you can say they have a young left fielder with some upside left in Domonic Brown. But after tearing it up at spring training, Brown is back to his old underwhelming self, hitting .240 in the early going, or just a few ticks above his career average.

Beyond Revere and Brown, the Phillies do not have an everyday player younger than 30 years of age.

If the Phillies were a dynasty league fantasy team, its owner would making three-for-one and four-for-one trades for keepers and playing for next year.

Good luck to the Phillies there, though. Only in fantasyland would Ryan Howard be tradeable with three seasons and $85 million left on his deal while hitting .245 and slugging .377 thus far this season.

Perhaps the only really good news for the Phillies as far as the upcoming Major League Baseball draft is concerned is that, with so many players (Roy Halladay, Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley, Michael Young) reaching the end of their contracts, major league spots will become available for some of the talent in the system.

When that happens, minor league spots open up for the Phillies’ new draftees—one of whom figures to be the 16th overall pick.

As such, it bears considering what the Phillies already have in the minor leagues by way of players that might be ready to play for the big club sooner than later.

From a raw-skills perspective, catcher Tommy Joseph and shortstop Roman Quinn may be the most ready to make the leap in the short term.

Quinn is blocked next season by incumbent Jimmy Rollins…in theory. In fact, Rollins might be willing to accept a trade to a contender rather than sit through a rebuild.

Quinn has six errors in 11 games at Single-A Lakewood thus far in 2013, though, so it would probably behoove both the Phillies and Quinn for Rollins to play out his contract in Philadelphia. Regardless, the Phillies do not need to spend this first-round pick on a shortstop.

Joseph is off to his own slow start at AAA Lehigh Valley, but with Ruiz likely to be gone after this season the 2014 job seems like it is Joseph’s to lose. And Sebastian Valle is in the wings behind Joseph. Catcher is another position where this pick makes no sense.

Third base prospects Cody Asche (Lehigh Valley) and Maikel Franco (Single-A Clearwater) look to be the future at that position. Asche, particularly, is really struggling at Lehigh Valley—he is hitting under .200 in the early going—but he will have all year to sort things out while Michael Young plays for a new contract.

With Utley likely leaving after his deal expires, second base will be open. But Freddy Galvis could slot quickly and cheaply there, and he is still a very young player.

We already addressed the ugly logjam at first base.

At least for a couple of seasons, the Phillies’ starting pitching situation seems largely settled. Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee will be anchoring the staff for the next two seasons (at least).

Help is on the way from the minors, as highly regarded prospects Jonathan Pettibone, Ethan Martin and Adam Morgan have all risen to Lehigh Valley.

And the best arm in the system, Jesse Biddle, is already at AA Reading.

So with all of that said, it seems process of elimination will work just fine after all. The Phillies have reasonable plans for every position on the diamond except for the corners in the outfield.

The Darin Ruf left field experiment failed miserably in Clearwater, and as of this writing, he is hitting .279 at Lehigh Valley. With no home runs.

The Phillies should spend their first-round pick in the upcoming draft on a corner outfielder. Preferably one who can hit for power and average.

Whether one of those players will still be on the board at No. 16 remains to be seen.

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Selecting the Philadelphia Phillies’ All-Time Dream Team

Prior to the current run of sustained success in Philadelphia, putting together an all-time dream team for the Philadelphia Phillies would have likely resulted in a satire piece featuring luminaries such as Robert Person, Steve Jeltz and Rico Brogna.

Of course, times have changed. National League East titles, playoff appearances, NL MVPs, star acquisitions, a new ballpark and, of course, a World Series championship have all contributed to change the perception of the Phillies franchise.

Ironically, it’s also why the fans are struggling in 2013 to come to grips with a window of opportunity that is closing. Not only are the memories of winning fresh, but the contributors from that group are still with the ballclub.

Here is my take on selecting the Philadelphia Phillies’ All-Time Dream Team.

 

Catcher

Carlos Ruiz (2006-present, 106 OPS+, 1x All-Star, 15.2 WAR): Chooch wasn’t the first to come to mind, but his place on a World Series championship team, starting for the 2008 champs, and  improving bat vaulted him above Darren Daulton and Mike Lieberthal. His 15.2 WAR lies below Daulton, but Ruiz has accomplished the feat in just over six big league seasons. It took Daulton well over a decade to give that kind of value to the organization. 

 

First baseman 

Ryan Howard (2004-present, 135 OPS+, 3x All-Star, 2006 NL MVP, 18.1 WAR): While it’s easy to be critical of an aging, declining Howard right now, don’t forget the player he was when emerging from an overextended stay in the minors. From 2006-2009, Howard was one of, if not the, most feared hitters in the game.

Howard ranks second on the all-time Phillies franchise lists for slugging percentage and home runs. Anyone who cranks out nearly 200 home runs in four seasons, including 58 in 2006, deserves a spot on this team. 

 

Second baseman 

Chase Utley (2003-present, 126 OPS+, 5x All-Star, 55.2 WAR): During Howard’s MVP season and home run barrage, Utley’s Cooperstown-caliber play next to the Big Piece on the right side of the infield was lost in the national shuffle. In Philadelphia, they’ve always seemed to understand the privilege of watching Utley play.

Among the all-time Phillies ranks, Utley is fourth in WAR and a good bet to catch and pass Richie Ashburn for third sometime this summer. If his knees and hips hold up, Philadelphia will face an interesting dilemma in deciding on a contract offer for Utley next winter. 

 

Third baseman 

Mike Schmidt (1972-1989, 147 OPS+, 12x All-Star, 3x NL MVP, 106.5 WAR): Michael Jack Schmidt wasn’t just the easy choice for greatest Phillies third baseman in history, he’s arguably the greatest player to man the hot corner in the history of the game.

The 548 home runs and Gold Glove defense equals a player whom Baseball-Reference.com credits with more value than all but 25 players in the history of baseball. Among those with less career WAR than Schmidt: Randy Johnson, Joe Morgan, Cal Ripken and Albert Pujols. 

 

Shortstop 

Jimmy Rollins (2000-present, 97 OPS+, 3x All-Star, 2007 NL MVP, 42.0 WAR): As J-Roll continues to display exemplary durability and athletic ability through the years, his climb up Philadelphia’s all-time lists are inevitable.

The greatest Phillies shortstop in history also will present baseball historians with a more difficult task when his career ends: voting yes or no to induction into Cooperstown. What once seemed like an easy debate, or, in other words, there wasn’t a shot, now has become an interesting topic. Either way, his leadership, durability and all-around game will land him in the Phillies Hall of Fame.

 

Outfield

Richie Ashburn (1948-1959, 111 OPS+, 4x All-Star, 57.2 WAR): The 1995 Hall of Fame inductee should need no introduction to Philadelphia faithful. Ashburn debuted and starred before his time, becoming one of the most disciplined hitters of the ’50s on his way to four different seasons of .400-plus on-base percentage marks and two 100-plus walk seasons.

Despite power numbers that were pedestrian (29 career home runs), Ashburn’s ability to get on base would make him one of the most sought after players in the game today. On this dream team, he’s the natural choice to leadoff.

 

 

Chuck Klein (1928-1933, 1936-1938, 1939, 1940-1944; 139 OPS+, 2x All-Star, 34.9 WAR): Despite four separate stints in Philadelphia, Klein made his mark on the record books. While playing in an offensive era surely boosted his numbers, the five-year run between 1929-1933 (1.050 OPS, 1,982 total bases) are video-game numbers in a pre-video-game world.

 

 

Bobby Abreu (1998-2006, 139 OPS+, 2x All-Star, 47.0 WAR): Before you scoff at the notion of Bob Kelly Abreu as an all-time Phillie and member of this dream team, please drop the narrative that he was a “losing” player and the team won in the years after he left simply because he was traded to New York.

Instead, consider these facts: Abreu posted a .400-plus on-base percentage in eight out of his nine seasons in Philadelphia, posted six 20-20 campaigns and received MVP votes in more than half of his years with the club. Like it or not, the guy was a tremendous all-around talent.

 

Starting pitchers 

1. Steve Carlton (1972-1986, 120 ERA+, 7x All-Star, 4x Cy Young winner, 64.6 WAR): It starts and ends with Lefty at the top of this dream team rotation. Of all the accomplishments in a Phillies uniform, Carlton’s 1972 season stands out. Coming over in a lopsided, to put it mildly, trade for Rick Wise, Carlton’s contract dispute in St. Louis turned out to be Philadelphia’s big gain.

There have been many great individual pitching seasons in baseball history, but Carlton’s 12.1 WAR in 1972 ranks among the greatest performances ever. Considering the team record of 59-97, Carlton’s 27-10 record is eye-opening. If he was given better talent to pitch behind, it’s not crazy to think Lefty could have won 35 games that season. 

 

2. Robin Roberts (1948-1961, 114 ERA+, 7x All-Star, 69.7 WAR): While the philosophy behind voting for individual awards has changed over the years and decades, it’s worth noting that Roberts placed in the Top 10 for NL MVP voting during five of his seasons in Philadelphia. Voters may not have been in tune with wins above replacement in the mid-’50s, but six straight years of 300-plus innings transcends advanced metrics and baseball research. 

 

3. Curt Schilling (1992-2000, 126 ERA+, 3x All-Star, 36.8 WAR): The results of the 2013 Hall of Fame voting aside, Schilling was one of the best pitchers in the history of baseball, let alone the Philadelphia Phillies.

Of course, some in Philadelphia would argue that many of his best seasons came after leaving. That’s true, but don’t discount what he did while there. From 1992-1999, Schilling’s eight full seasons in Philadelphia, he ranked 11th in ERA+, fifth in strikeouts, third in complete games and second in strikeout-to-walk ratio.

 

 

4. Cole Hamels (2006-present, 124 ERA+, 3x All-Star, 2008 World Series MVP, 28.7 WAR): Considering his relative youth and career on the horizon, let’s focus on Hamels among every pitcher in baseball since debuting in 2006. Over that span, the lifetime Phil ranks sixth in strikeouts, 11th in IP, ninth in ERA+ and fourth in K/9. His dominance is only just beginning, folks.

 

 

5. Cliff Lee (2009, 2011-present; 142 ERA+, 1x All-Star, 15.3 WAR): Surprised? If you’ve truly watched Lee evolve into one of the most consistently dominant arms in the game, you shouldn’t be. Throw out the W-L record of 2012. Instead, focus on what he brings to the mound each and every time: otherworldly strike-throwing ability.

In the history of baseball, Lee ranks sixth in career strikeout-to-walk ratio with a mark of 3.68. Ironically, Phillies history is littered throughout the top five. Curt Schilling is the best ever. Roy Halladay, who just missed out on this list, ranks fifth.

 

Closer 

Brad Lidge (2008-2011, 113 ERA+, 1x All-Star, 1.7 WAR): When it comes to Brad Lidge, throw out the middle and the end. When assessing which relief pitcher in Phillies history belongs on their dream team, Lidge’s perfect 2008 season, capped off by striking out Eric Hinkse to seal the World Series, is all the matters. Outside of Mariano Rivera, every closer is violate. Somehow, someway, Lidge found a way to channel his ability into one storybook season.

 

*Advanced stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

 

Agree? Disagree? Who would be on your all-time dream team in Philadelphia? Comment below, follow me on Twitter or “Like” my Facebook page to talk all things baseball!

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Stock Up, Stock Down for Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 10 Prospects for Week 2

With multiple starting pitchers, a third baseman, second baseman and catcher among the list of potential free agents for the Philadelphia Phillies following this season, it doesn’t hurt to monitor the progress of certain minor league prospects.

The season is only two weeks old, so there is still plenty of time for these prospects to improve their game or, unfortunately, regress by the end of the season.

As of now, however, a player such as Darin Ruf has a chance to remain on the Phillies’ radar for this season while players such as Cody Asche and Tommy Joseph could enter into the 2014 picture. 

Although the Phillies have plenty of prospects worth monitoring, the following list contains only those players listed by Baseball America as the team’s top 10 prospects.

With that in mind, here is a list of which players’ stocks are up and which are down following week two.

 

 

*All statistics courtesy of MiLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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Drunk Phillies Fan Gets Branded with Hot Spatula at Tailgate

Mmmm, breathe it in.

That’s the fresh air of baseball season—hot dogs cooking on the grill, beer brats stewing in their juices and the acrid smell of human flesh burning in the parking lot. 

Yes, “human being” was added to the list of things cooking outside Citizens Bank Park when one Philadelphia Phillies fan became far too overzealous with his use of barbecuing instruments and seared a hot-off-the-grill spatula into the buttocks of another Phillies fan. 

Warning: Video contains nudity, people-burning and profanity. So know that.

It’s well known that Phillies fans at tailgates get weirder and rowdier than a forest of drunk fruit bats, and this incident begs a handful of questions.

Which came first: The drunk guy laying on the ground or the idea to sear the spatula into another human being? Did he pass out there with his pants down? Or did this individual willingly lay down for this futile experiment?

Obviously, there had to have been riot punch consumed before this unceremonious occasion, considering only a beverage with a heavy payload of grain alcohol could keep a man this calm while being branded. 

We’ve seen some strange things happen at Phillies games, however, not the least of which involved a young fan storming the field in 2010 and receiving a taser blast courtesy of stadium security. 

Or blasting each other with Roman candles and flipping cars while celebrating winning their way into the World Series in 2009.

As you can see, this spatula incident is just the latest and most painful occurrence that Phillies fans have inflicted on one another, and it’s not likely to be the last thing we see from this season.

In the meantime, someone get this man some rubbing alcohol or some riot punch to sterilize his burned bottom.

Nothing says “Go team” like grill marks: Dr__Carson

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies’ Hottest Starts to the Season That Will Continue

Thus far, the Philadelphia Phillies‘ season has been loaded with disappointment. Roy Halladay hasn’t found his niche after an equally rough spring training. Ryan Howard just hit his first home run of the season on Tuesday. Ben Revere and Domonic Brown have struggled to get on base. Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick have looked mediocre. Carlos Ruiz remains suspended until April 28. And let’s not forget that the Phillies sit at 4-5, under .500, through the first nine games of the season.

While there has been disappointment—some of it expected, some not—there has also been some difference-makers in the games won. John Lannan looked solid in his Phillies debut and so far is second only to Cliff Lee in ERA among starting pitchers. Speaking of Lee, he’s been on absolute fire, and little looks like it will slow him down. Hard to believe it’s the same guy that didn’t get his first win until July last year (not that it was his fault).

Along with Lee, there are a few players on the Phillies who are in the midst of a hot streak to start the 2013 season. Here’s a list of those players who are both hot now and will continue to be as the season progresses.

*All regular season stats courtesy of FanGraphs.com and all spring training stats courtesy of Phillies.com unless otherwise noted.

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