The 6 Biggest Regrets and Missed Opportunities of Phillies’ 2013 Season

Though expensively constructed, the 2013 Philadelphia Phillies came apart like a cheap suit.

It is hard to believe now, but in March and even into April there were Phillies fans who fervently believed that the aging heart of the 2008 world champions had one last playoff run in them.

Now we know that the Phillies are aged, not aging, And the thought of a playoff run seems as far away as it did in desolate Phillies days like the late 1990s.

Where did it all go wrong?

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Philadelphia Phillies Players Who Must Be Let Go This Offseason

Following every major league season, each team has a select number of players either eligible for arbitration or free agency. For the Philadelphia Phillies, this is no exception. With 12 arbitration-eligible players this offseason and a handful of free agents to boot, the upcoming offseason will be one of the most transaction-heavy and intriguing in Phillies history.

As is the case with any offseason, there are certain types of moves that can be made. In the case of the arbitration-eligible player, he can be tendered a contract to return for at least one more season, or he can be non-tendered and hit the open market before hitting six years of MLB service time. Options of all sorts can also be declined, whether on the side of the player, team or both parties. Vesting options with unmet requirements can also render players free agents.

If a player is a free agent, he can be signed to a new contract or sign one with another team. Trades can also occur, as can designations for assignment, the latter of which usually happens when the 40-man roster is being trimmed down and revised before the Rule 5 Draft.

The Phillies have at least one or two players in each category listed in the above paragraph, but not all of them are definitely goners. Only a select few are virtual locks to be wearing another team’s uniform next year—or no one’s at all. Here’s the list of Phillies players who must be let go this offseason, whether by non-tendering, walking in free agency or via trade.

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Quick Pitch: In 1984, Ryne Sandberg Ran Like a Cheetah, Not a Ryno

Fourth in a series of short player profiles spotlighting the peculiar and the noteworthy

With Ryne Sandberg’s recent hiring as interim manager of the Philadelphia Phillies, one achievement of his Hall of Fame career bears a closer look. Apart from his 1984 National League MVP, a home run title, two monster performances in the Chicago Cubs’ only postseason appearances since 1945 and stellar defensive play that culminated in nine Gold Gloves and the highest career fielding percentage ever by a second baseman, Sandberg’s 19 triples (tied with Juan Samuel) led the Majors in 1984, far outpacing such speedsters as Willie Wilson, Tim Raines and Willie McGee.

Spiking glaringly in Sandberg’s statistical record, those 19 three-baggers stand as one of the more anomalous marks in baseball annals. Prior to 1984, Sandberg had never hit more than five triples, nor did he leg out more than eight after that career-defining season.

In contrast, Juan Samuel followed his 19 three-base hits in 1984 with three consecutive seasons of double-digit triples. Yet Sandberg—fleet enough to swipe 344 bases in his career—quickly reverted to his norm, averaging a mere six triples per season during his Major League tenure (in 1984, he slammed six in June alone).

Sandberg hit as many triples in 1984 as he did home runs—a curious statistic in itself for a quantity that large—made more odd when considering that Sandberg averaged 15 more home runs than triples per season throughout his career. Further taking into account that cozy Wrigley Field is no haven for triples (Sandberg is the only Cub since Ron Santo in 1964 to lead the league in that category and the first to triple as often since Vic Saier in 1913), his 13 three-baggers hit in 79 home games in 1984 suggest that Sandberg knew all the holes in Wrigley’s ivy.

Perhaps most remarkable about Ryne Sandberg’s triples explosion of 1984 is that, on five separate occasions, he smashed a three-base hit in consecutive contests, at one point logging four in a span of nine July games. Sandberg’s surfeit of triples actually brought him within a single base of Dale Murphy—who out-homered him 36-19—for the National League lead in total bases.

Although triples play little role in attracting MVP votes, Sandberg’s surprising output of three-base hits surely helped earn him the 1984 NL MVP.

Spearheading, along with mid-season acquisition and eventual Cy Young Award winner Rick Sutcliffe, Chicago’s drive to its first postseason since the end of World War II, Sandberg peppered triples at clutch moments: two of them came in extra innings (one leading to a steal of home), five times he hammered a three-bagger with the game tied and nine times Sandberg crossed the plate after knocking a three-base hit—which, when considering that he led the NL in runs scored by eight, contributed mightily to that crucial honor.

There is no explanation for such a short-lived knack for hitting triples—but none is needed. Leading Chicago to a 25-win improvement over the previous season, Ryne Sandberg was, in 1984, what George Orwell might have called unreal. 

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Philadelphia Phillies: Full Scouting Report on Each September Call-Up

The Philadelphia Phillies‘ press release setting forth their September call-ups was so understated and so uninspiring that it reminded me of the late, great David Foster Wallace’s summary of tepid applause at a tennis match.

“The applause of a tiny crowd is so small and sad and tattered-sounding that it’d almost be better if people didn’t clap at all,” Wallace wrote in “The String Theory,” published in Esquire.

That, sadly, is the sort of malaise the list of the Phillies’ September call-ups is likely to inspire in the team’s fans.

No one was clamoring to see more of Phillippe Aumont, but the omission of Maikel Franco and his 31 minor league home runs (per Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer) was a real disappointment.

Four of the September call-ups are, for better or worse, familiar faces. 

Freddy Galvis is back up—in fact, he started at shortstop last night. As the press release recounted, Galvis “hit .245 with three home runs and 25 RBI in 62 games for Lehigh Valley this season.” His 0-for-4 performance last night dropped his career average to .215.

Unfortunately, Galvis is probably the best player the Phillies called up.

Right-handed starting pitcher Tyler Cloyd is back after compiling a record of 5-9 with an earned run average just under five at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In 13 major league starts, Cloyd has served up 12 home runs.

Right-handed relief pitcher Luis Garcia was also called up. I cannot improve upon the way the press release explained the stark difference between Garcia at Triple-A and Garcia in the major leagues, so I won’t: “Garcia has retired all 12 batters he has faced at Lehigh Valley since being sent down on August 25. The 26-year-old has a 5.59 ERA in 19.1 innings for the Phillies this year.”

Left-handed relief pitcher Joe Savery is back in the majors again. It is true that Savery “has a 1.38 ERA in 13.0 innings for the Phillies this season,” per the press release.

It is also true that, despite his gaudy statistics, Savery did not pitch in Philadelphia from July 13 until last night, when he promptly yielded an earned run in less than an inning of work.

The last two September call-ups, unlike the four already mentioned, are primed to make major league debuts.

Left-handed relief pitcher Mauricio Robles earned his ticket to the big leagues (for a month, anyway) with 64 minor league innings (at Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley) and an ERA under two.

The most intriguing new Phillie is catcher Cameron Rupp, who faced long odds coming into this season as far as being the minor league catcher the Phillies would be calling up in September was concerned.

Rupp began 2013 firmly planted behind catching prospects Tommy Joseph and Sebastian Valle. But Joseph had a nightmare of a season and is presently shut down due to a concussion he sustained in May. Valle responded to that opportunity by hitting .203 at Double-A Reading.

In summary, then, the Phillies called up a journeyman right-handed starter, a utility infielder who cannot hit major league pitching, three relief pitchers and a catcher who started the season behind Valle in Reading.

This September cannot end soon enough.

 

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