MLB Trade Speculation: 4 Clever Deals That Could Help the Philadelphia Phillies
June 23, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
In an interview with Jim Salisbury a few weeks ago for csnphilly.com, Ruben Amaro stated that the Phillies will not make a major move at the trade deadline.
Charlie Manuel, on the other hand, has stated that he’d like to add a right-handed bat.
Amaro is sly like a fox, so it’s tough to take his comments seriously. Just look how he unexpectedly swooped in and snatched Cliff Lee from everyone’s grasp. During his stint as GM, Amaro’s been an outside-the-box kind of guy.
It should be an interesting month or so leading up to the deadline to see how Amaro handles the financial situation. That is of course, if the Phillies decide to be a player at the deadline.
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June 22, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
No manager in Phillies history platooned his players like Gene Mauch.
They called him the “Little General” because of his phenomenal attention to do detail. At times he’d single-handedly win a game by consistently being one step ahead of the opposing manager. There were also times where he overmanaged and cost his team games.
During the historic 1964 collapse, Mauch panicked down the stretch and started aces Jim Bunning and Chris Short on two days rest three seperate times in September.
A lot of people fault him for the collapse, but his platoon system was one of the main reasons why the Phillies stayed in first place for most of the season.
Frank Thomas, Danny Carter, John Herrnstein, Roy Sievers and Vic Powers all at one point played first base. Ruben Amaro Sr. and Bobby Wine shared duties at shortstop. Cookie Rojas and Tony Taylor flip-flopped at second base. Clay Dalrymple and Gus Triandos shared playing time at catcher. Johnny Briggs and Tony Gonzalez combined to play center field. Wes Covington, Adolfo Phillips and Alex Johnson played left field.
Six of the eight regulars on the current Phillies are left-handed (Victorino and Rollins are switch-hitters); it’s no secret that the Phillies could use a right-handed bat. With Domonic Brown and Raul Ibanez both left-handed, it makes the most sense to get a right-handed corner outfielder.
Philadelphia Phillies: Just Another Birthday, Cliff Lee Leads Phils to 3-0 Win
June 16, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
To the fans in my section chanting “Let’s go Clifford,” remember, his name is Clifton!
Less than a month ago, some Phillies fans started to question the Cliff Lee signing. After an abysmal performance against the Nationals where Lee allowed six earned runs over 5.1 innings, his ERA sat at 3.94.
Clifton’s been nothing short of sensational since.
Over his last three starts, Lee’s given up just one earned run over his last 24 innings pitched. He’s allowed just 13 hits while striking out 21. He’s picked up the win in each of his last three outings.
His ERA now sits at 3.12.
Oh, and he’s also swinging the stick quite well. His RBI double in the fourth inning gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead.
His .242 batting average is right up there with Raul Ibanez (.242), Carlos Ruiz (.245) and Ryan Howard (.251).
His average is better than Domonic Brown (.229), Ben Francisco (.216) and Michael Martinez (.203).
He and Cole Hamels are battling for bragging rights; Hamels too is hitting .242.
Ryan Howard went yard for the second time in the series. Both home runs came via the opposite field. Before the start of the four-game set, Howard’s last opposite field hit came on May 10 at Florida.
Could this be a sign of things to come?
In other news, John Kruk got the nod as the 33rd member of the Phillies Wall of Fame.
He’ll be the second player from the 1993 National League winning team to be inducted; Darren Daulton is the other.
Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com
MLB Power Rankings: Rating Charlie Manuel and the Managers in the Major Leagues
June 14, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
We live in a society where we look at results.
When a team is winning the manager is considered a good leader. When a team’s losing, well, that manager might be headed for the unemployment line.
They get paid the big bucks to make the tough decisions. When to tinker with the lineup, when to make a pitching change, when to pinch-hit, when to pinch-run, when to make a defensive substitution, when to intentionally walk someone, when to call for the shift, when to bunt, when to hit and run.
It’s all part of the job.
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Philadelphia Phillies: 4 Prospects the Phillies Should Hold onto at the Deadline
June 9, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
The Phillies have been very active at the trade deadline the last couple of seasons. This has many fans speculating that Philadelphia will once again make a big move at the deadline.
I’m not as speculative.
The Phillies already made their big splash by landing Cliff Lee in the offseason. Due to that signing, they are a bit strapped for cash.
If a move is made, it will be nothing drastic like a Carlos Lee, Carlos Quentin or Hunter Pence.
There’s no question that the Phillies need a bat, but it won’t be a high priced player.
(As a side note, I don’t consider Domonic Brown a prospect anymore. He’s not going anywhere anyways)
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Philadelphia Phillies: Charlie Manuel’s Most Memorable Moments and Quotes
June 1, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
His slang has a bit of a flair to it. His grammatical proficiency isn’t the best. The annunciations of certain words can get a bit peculiar. But… Charlie Manuel wins baseball games.
He possesses remarkable patience, and knows the art of hitting. He’s a player’s manager who sticks with his guys through thick and thin.
The Phillies introduced Manuel as their new manager on November 4, 2004.
As he stepped up to the podium to greet the media he stated…
“I’m a baseball guy.”
“I hear guys say, ‘Well, he’s a lifer. You know what I am? I’m a 24-hour-a-day baseball guy. I live and sleep baseball.”
He’s not afraid to speak his mind.
Philadelphia Phillies: Top 10 Prospects to Get Excited About
May 24, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
Some think it’s still too early to call up Domonic Brown.
My question: Why is calling him up a bad thing?
To me, if he has all of the tools, he’ll take this particular opportunity and run with it.
There’s no question that he can swing the stick. He’s done nothing but mash the baseball at the minor-league level.
He’s yet to overcome the psychological hurdle of the big leagues. He’s found success at every level but the big one.
It looks like Charlie Manuel will bat Brown in the seven-hole like he did last night.
We’ll find out what his mental makeup is all about in the coming months. I think he’ll be fine.
Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay Avoids Stretch of Infamy
May 20, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
Before Roy Halladay’s first pitch of the game against Texas on Friday, Phillies broadcaster Chris Wheeler summed it up perfectly: “He’s pitched two straight complete-game losses; that’s gotta stop.”
The last pitcher to have three straight complete games without a win was Steve Carlton in 1973
The lineup has been in a slump, but the starting pitching has done its job. The Phillies entered interleague play with a 26-17 record; they’ve lost five of six.
They still have the best record in the National League.
Texas can really score. They’re aggressive at the plate and on the basepaths. It’s going to be an interesting three-game set and a potential World Series matchup.
One important question surrounding the Phillies: with Shane Victorino on the disabled list, who’ll step it up in the outfield?
With the call-up of Dominic Brown, it’s a tryout for the starting right field job.
The Phillies need someone to pick up the slack in the two, five and six holes in the batting lineup.
John Mayberry has produced, while Ben Francisco has slumped. Brown will get an opportunity to play some right field. With Mayberry’s ability to play center, he’ll be given playing time. Philadelphia 76ers youngster Jrue Holliday broke out this year in the NBA and Mayberry looks like him—maybe that’s an omen.
The opposing pitchers are approaching Ryan Howard cautiously, and he’s been cold lately. He’s in a 0-for-23 slide. Pitchers will continue to pitch him cautiously if no one steps up behind him.
It’s not a coincidence that the Phillies have lost five of six during Howard’s slump. He’ll get out of it.
The call-up of Brown may have fueled Francisco’s fire as he launched a two-run home run in the left field seats in the bottom of the second to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Phillies.
Raul Ibanez is an interesting hitter. He’s known to get cold in long stretches, but hot in long stretches as well. At 39, many have given up on him. In 2010 he got off to a slow start, but picked it up in the second half. A year prior in 2009, he had an MVP-like stretch in the first half of the season.
Charlie Manuel sticks with his players, so I expect Raul Ibanez to continue playing left.
He hit a solo shot to deep center to make it 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth.
As for the two-hole that Victorino’s occupied for most of the season, Michael Martinez and Wilson Valdez have shared the spot in his absence. Pete Orr has gotten some starts at second base as well.
Chase Utley continues to progress in Clearwater.
As the Phillies search for production after Howard, Placido Polanco looks like he’ll remain third in the order.
With the dominant starting pitching, if the offense can muster three runs, they’ll have a great chance at winning.
Steve Carlton can pop a champagne bottle; his three consecutive no-decision complete games record remains intact. Roy Halladay went just eight innings tonight, but the Phillies won 3-2 with Halladay getting the win.
Cliff Lee starts the second game of the series; that should be fun.
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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 High Bust-Potential Prospects They Should Trade
May 16, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
The MLB draft is a crapshoot.
Every year each team drafts approximately 50 players. It’s considered a success if six of those prospects wind up in the bigs.
Year in and year out, the Phillies select a lot of developmental project players. Many of those developmental players are in Single-A ball, and at this point it’s very tough to gauge what these players will be five years from now.
Out of all of the prospects in the Phillies system, Domonic Brown has the highest ceiling. He also has a high bust potential.
But he won’t be on this list.
Philadelphia Phillies: Chase Utley, Roy Oswalt and Chooch Rehab in Clearwater
May 12, 2011 by Adrian Fedkiw
Filed under Fan News
As Chase Utley turned on a fastball in the fifth and deposited it out of Bright House Field, a big grin could be seen on countless Phillies fans around Philadelphia.
He’s getting there.
The big club had an off day, but down in Clearwater, the Phillies present and future combined to take on the Palm Beach Cardinals.
In Philadelphia, Comcast Sportsnet aired the game due to the unique circumstances. It was a rare opportunity to check out some Single-A baseball.
Triple-A and the bigs aren’t vastly different, but at the Single-A level, you could see why a lot of these players have a while to go. There were some misplays in the field and some control issues from the pitchers.
Roy Oswalt started, while Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz got in some at-bats.
Obviously, Utley and the knee have been the story in Clearwater. He has 18 games remaining in his 20-game rehab assignment.
More than anything, I wanted to see Utley run the bases.
He lead-off the fourth and worked a walk. Ruiz hit a groundball in the hole to move Utley to second. He had no limp, no wincing as he went full-board into second. On the plant rounding second base, once again no limp, no wincing.
It’s a great sign.
Oswalt came in with a 75 pitch limit and didn’t have the normal velocity on his fastball. Jim Salisbury reported that his fastball read 89-91 MPH on the radar gun and Ruiz stated that his fastball had no life.
At the minor league level, the hitters see mostly fastballs, so I was trying to figure out whether or not Oswalt threw a lot of changeups and breaking pitches for that reason.
When he threw his fastball, the Cardinals got some good swings in.
After a long bottom of the fourth that saw the Threshers score two, the Cardinals answered with two of their own in the top of the fifth.
With the tightness in his back, Oswalt sat for about 15 minutes during Clearwater’s at-bat in the fourth and just didn’t look sharp in that fifth inning.
Overall, Oswalt allowed three earned on seven hits and one walk in five innings pitched.
I’d like to see him get another rehab start in before being called back up.
Ruiz, also recovering from a sore back, went one-for-three with a single and a run scored. Most likely, he’ll be brought up tomorrow for the Atlanta Braves series.
As for the game, Clearwater defeated Palm Beach 7-5.
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