Ryan Howard and the Phillies: Trade Deadline Sweepstakes Early Winners
The Giants added what seemed to be the big trade deadline prize in Carlos Beltran. There were numerous headlines involving Beltran and where he might land leading up to the trade.
Supposedly, every contender was all over the Mets to see how they could get the oft-injured Beltran into their uniform. he Giants pulled it off by sending their top pitching prospect and former number one draft pick to the Mets for the two month services of Carlos Beltran.
So how has it worked out after nearly a week? Well, not too good.
Since acquiring Beltran, the Giants are 2-5 and their first place lead has shrunk from five games down to one (yesterday they were in a tie for first). They actually lost two games to their closest competitor in the NL West, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Beltran is batting .266 (8/30) with two RBI’s and three runs scored. He also has six strike outs.
Are the Giants recent troubles Beltran’s fault? No, not by a long shot. But, he didn’t really stop it from happening either.
The Phillies, who were reportedly hot on Beltran (although Beltran himself said he was never approached about waiving his no-trade clause to go to Philly), had to “settle” (wink, wink) for two time All Star Hunter Pence. They gave up a first base prospect—who was probably never going to see the light of day with the big league club—and a single A pitching prospect.
The Phillies, however, are not renting their new acquisition as Pence will remain under team control through the 2013 season. The Phils solved a problem not only for this year, but for the two years as well. Pence, like Beltran, was also sought after but wasn’t really considered a “big-prize-impact-player.”
Since acquiring Pence the Phils are 5-0 and their lead in the NL East has moved from five games up to eight. Pence was brought to Philadelphia to protect Ryan Howard and to throw some balance into a left-handed heavy line-up.
Pence’s impact has certainly been felt.
In Pence’s first game as a Phillie, Ryan Howard went 4-4 with an intentional walk. Immediately following the IBB, Pence hit an RBI single to center.
In his second game, a right-handed pitcher was brought in with two outs in the eighth inning to pitch to Pence and spell the lefty whom just got Chase Utley and Ryan Howard out. Pence hit a double and was followed by Raul Ibanez who hit a game tying two run homer. Ibanez had a right-handed pitcher facing him because of Pence’s presence in the lineup. Later in the 10th inning, Pence doubled again and then scored the winning run on an Ibanez walk off double.
There’s been more. Those are just the early highlights.
Since Pence has been in the red pinstripes, Ryan Howard is batting .409 (9/22) with four HR’s, four 2B’s and nine RBI’s.
Pence himself is batting .285 (6/21) with three 2B’s, three runs scored and three RBI’s. He has had a hit in every game he’s played as a Phillie.
Michael Bourn was a late trade deadline deal for the Atlanta Braves, who were desperately in need of a lead-off hitter and a decent center-fielder. The Braves traded four decent pitching prospects and their emerging star center fielder, Jordan Schafer, who was already with the big league club. So what kind of impact has he had on the Braves?
In Bourn’s first at-bat with the Braves he got a base hit to lead off the ballgame. He was immediately doubled off on a line drive.
In his first three games with the Braves the team is 1-2. Bourn is batting .307 (4/13) with one 2B, two runs scored and one RBI. This is, of course, the smallest sample size of the three.
So who is the early winner of the trade deadline sweepstakes?
Well, it appears to be Ryan Howard. The Philadelphia Phillies are riding a respectable six game win streak—five with Pence—and have widened an extremely comfortable lead in their division.
Congratulations, Ryan Howard. Unfortunately there’s no real prize associated with this win.
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MLB Trade Deadline: Philadelphia Phillies Trade Possibilities
As the trade deadline approaches and the trade headlines proliferate, I find myself really pondering what deals I think would be acceptable.
There’s obviously a lot of talk going around, and sometimes it’s hard to look at all the candidates out there. This is a player by player look at a few of the likely (and one unlikely) candidates.
To start, let me say that there are a few Phillies I will rule as untouchable. They include Dominic Brown and Vance Worley. Given that they are financially controllable for the next five years, if I were in charge, I wouldn’t let either out of my hands if you offered me practically anybody (Jose Bautista notwithstanding).
The financial aspect with these guys has to be taken into consideration given the Phillies current and near-future payroll commitments.
I’ve heard a lot of Vance Worley-JA Happ comparisons, but they are not the same pitcher, and it’s not the same situation, as Cliff Lee’s salary if now involved. It remains to be seen, but I think Worley has a high ceiling and as such, I wouldn’t trade him.
So let’s take a look at what I would be in favor of.
John Mayberry, Jr., Giving the Philadelphia Phillies Options
John Mayberry was called up last week to take injured All Star center fielder Shane Victorino’s place on the roster. The Phillies figured he would be a suitable enough defensive replacement, but nobody expected Mayberry to provide much offense.
People may be thinking differently now.
In the Phillies’ Friday night return to action from the All-Star break, Mayberry batted in five of the Phillies’ seven runs. The game before that, vs. division foes Atlanta, Mayberry had four RBIs on three doubles. And earlier in the week? Well, John went deep twice in Florida against the Marlins.
On Friday night, Mayberry had a clutch one-out, bases-loaded single in the second inning that knocked in the first two runs of the game. His other three RBIs came on a two-out, bases-loaded double in the eighth inning of a 4-1 ballgame. Those three runs put the Phillies comfortably in the lead
In his six starts replacing Victorino he is batting .363 (8-22) with 12 RBIs, five doubles and two home runs. Not bad. And certainly not expected.
This is an extremely small sample size and as such there is probably not a lot that can be glommed from it. But one thing is for sure: He’s got some people thinking.
The Phillies could extend his playing time in the majors and give him some more opportunities to continue his hot streak. From there he will either sink or swim and his fate will work itself out.
With Placido Polanco on the DL, Pete Orr can be sent down to make room on the roster when Victorino returns on Tuesday of next week. Mayberry can platoon with either Raul Ibanez or Domonic Brown (or both) depending on the pitcher. The problem with this scenario is that you would be taking at-bats away from either Ibanez—who is equally as hot as Mayberry—or Brown, who seems to be just working himself into a groove. Also, it remains to be seen whether or not Mayberry can continue his hot streak if he’s made to sit for any length of time.
The other benefit to Mayberry’s recent production is that other teams may be noticing. It’s no secret that the Phils are poking around the market in search of several different pieces. Could Mayberry be a chip to that end? It would be rather strange if the Phillies traded a right-handed bat for another right-handed bat. But of course they are looking for a more proven hitter with a history of success, which Mayberry doesn’t have yet.
Mayberry is showing a lot of promise. He’s not a heralded prospect, he wasn’t one of Baseball America’s top whatever prospects, no one has mentioned him as Rookie of the Year (he’s technically not a rookie) and writers and television broadcasters rarely mention him. In a nutshell, he’s not a “sexy pick” for anything. But that doesn’t mean he can’t perform, produce and play.
Hey John, if you’re reading this I want you to know: I’m rooting for you. Go get ‘em.
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2011 MLB Trades: Phillies May Have Some Valuable, Unlikely Trade Chips
As the trade deadline approaches, fans, GM’s and media surrounding the MLB are evaluating what teams have of value and what holes they need to fill. A quick look at the Philadelphia Phillies and you may not see many pieces of value that the team can afford to lose; however, if you look a little closer, you may see one area where the Phillies have a bit of abundance. It also happens to be one of the most sought after positions, year after year for all teams.
What position do the Phillies have extra of? Well most people would say starting pitching — and they would be right. But it is highly unlikely the Phillies would trade any of their aces, and Joe Blanton isn’t exactly setting the world on fire with either his health or his play. Same for Kyle Kendrick, and to be truthful, the Phillies somewhat need him as he has shown dependability as a long reliever out of the ‘pen. And Vance Worley? No. They are going to need him down the road in years to come.
So it’s not starting pitching I’m hinting at.
Is it relief pitching? Kind of.
What I am referring to is the most coveted position in pitching — The Closer.
“What???” you say. “Closer” I respond.
So far this year the Phillies have used two closers: first Jose Contreras, and after he suffered an injury, Ryan Madson. Both are filling in for the actual closer, Brad Lidge, who was injured in spring training but is slowly working his way back to health. And both replacement closers have done an incredible job; neither Madson nor Contreras have blown a save. The Phillies are in fact the only major league team to have accomplished that this season. They are 25-0 when leading going into the ninth inning. That’s impressive for any team, but extremely impressive for a team who has used two replacement closers because their real closer is on the DL.
So, that would mean the Phillies have three pitchers who have proven ability to get the toughest three outs in the game. When I tell you the market for these guys is high, I mean it. Accomplished closers typically make in the high singles/low tens of millions of dollars a year. If you’re a team like the St. Louis Cardinals and you have playoff aspirations and are losing games on the ninth inning due to the lack of an effective closer, you are likely to pay dearly to change that.
So which contending hopefuls are currently in need of a closer? Plenty of them. The above-mentioned Cardinals are one: the team is 14 for 23 in save opportunities this year. The Boston Red Sox are eight for 13 in save opportunities. Sticking with the American League, the Texas Rangers have blown eight saves this year, and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have blown a whopping nine saves.
So, we’ve established the two basics tenants of any transaction, supply and demand. The Phillies have a supply and the majors have a demand. The only question is, will the Phillies part with one of their closing arms?
Madson is in a contract year, Lidge has a $1.5M buyout of a $12.5M team option and Contreras is signed thru 2012.
Besides being great in their assumed roles as fill-in-closer, Madson was a tremendous eighth inning set-up guy and Contreras has proved to be a great back of the bullpen guy for the seventh or eight. Trading either would create a void in the back of their own contending-hopeful bullpen. Even though young arms like Michael Stutes (whom I love) and Antonio Bastardo have done excellent jobs, they are still young and the Phillies might not want to trust such important roles to players that untested.
But Lidge is a different story from Madson and Contreras. He has been amazing (zero blown saves in 2008) and awful (11 in 2009) and average (2010). And the Phillies have proved to themselves and to the world that they can get by without him. Brad Lidge, I believe, is expendable. So the only question that remains is whether or not there is a market for him.
There is, or at least there should be. Just not a huge one. History has shown that pitchers with the unique ability to get the last three outs are always in demand. Would St. Louis give up some extra player like Jon Jay for a Brad Lidge? Would the Red Sox deal Mike Cameron for closer help? How about the Cincinnati Reds, who have blown five saves this season; would they part with a Chris Heisey for end of game insurance? Or can Amaro put his mask back on really pull off an amazing deal.
The important thing here is for Lidge to get off of the disabled list and make an impact prior to the deadline. The better he pitches, the higher his value would go.
Surely Lidge won’t command young talent or a starting piece of some hopeful contenders puzzle, but the Phillies could maneuver their way into a really nice, well-needed extra bat.
Quite frankly, the way Ruben Amaro deals, who knows what he could pull off in a Lidge deal.
I am really just speculating here but I don’t think it’s that far out of the realm of possibility. I am quite sure they will at least solicit and entertain offers for Lidge and I wouldn’t be surprised if they considered a Contreras deal, right circumstances not withstanding. My hopes for Madson are different; I would like to see his contract extended and for him to assume the closers role for years to come.
I would love to hear your opinions on this.
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Phillies at Braves: Who Will Tim Hudson Try to Injure This Time?
As the Philadelphia Phillies roll into Atlanta for a three-game set against the Braves, they are set to see Tim Hudson on Friday night. This is the Tim Hudson whose competitive advantage these days seems to rely on hitting the other team’s players and attempting to shorten their season.
He is especially prone to doing this when playing teams that compete in his division. And since the Phillies have owned this division for the past four years, their players have the biggest bulls-eye for Hudson.
In 2010, Hudson nailed Phillies third basemen and number two hitter Placido Polanco in the elbow. At the time Polanco was hitting .397 and was top in the National League for batting average. The Phillies posed the only challenge to the Braves’ slim hopes of winning the division, and Polanco was proving to be a key member of the offense. By injuring Polanco, Hudson took out a big part of the Braves only competition. It was either intentionally done with malice or just loss of control.
As it turns out, Hudson is somewhat known as a pretty good control pitcher, the type who can effectively hit his spots with regularity. So….
Polanco was not the same the entire season. He hit the DL twice and both times elbow soreness was blamed. He ended up playing a full 20 games less than he did the previous season.
Following the end of the season, he was forced to have surgery to remove bone fragments in the elbow that Tim Hudson hit with a pitch.
No big deal though, right? It happens once in a while. Well what if it happens twice in a short while?
Later in the year the Braves were again playing the Phillies, this time the end of the season was drawing near and the Braves were feverishly fighting for a postseason spot. The Phillies had already sewed up the division, but there was a possibility the two teams could meet in the postseason. Further, the Phillies had managed to come in and annihilate the Braves hopes of a division title and possibly even a Wild Card spot by sweeping the second-to-last series of the season.
It was a game in Atlanta during the last series of the year. The games meant nothing to the Phillies, whom had already clinched. Their only objective was to make it out of Atlanta without any injuries. Tim Hudson was going to do all he could to see that that didn’t happen.
Hudson was on the mound fighting for a Braves Wild Card spot and Carlos Ruiz was up. Ruiz had been on fire and was a big reason why the Braves were no longer playing for the division. He had just had a tremendous series against the Braves the week before.
You will never guess what happened. I know it’s hard to believe, but Hudson hit Ruiz with the same fastball that he had hit Polanco with. Where? In the elbow.
Coincidence?
First time, maybe. Second time? Come on.
Hudson was fourth in the Cy Young voting in 2010. He was 17-9. He had 138 strike outs and an ERA of 2.83. He only hit nine batters with a pitch and two of them were Phillies and both on the elbow. How is anybody supposed to believe that those pitches weren’t on purpose? What do you think the odds are of that happening?
I’m not gonna sugarcoat it: Tim Hudson is a scumbag. He can no longer compete with his skills so he takes cheap shots in an attempt to injury his teams rivals. It really is the lowest, dirtiest way to play the game.
I seriously hope that the proper officials are taking note and watching closely the events that transpire on Friday night in Atlanta.
And oh yeah…Tim Hudson, we owe you one…or maybe even two…
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NL East: Obviously, the Atlanta Braves Take the Division from Philadelphia
It’s so obvious. I don’t know how all the phans in Philadelphia are missing it.
The Braves are clearly the team to beat in the NL East. They have it all: pitching, power, superior defense, awesome bench. Everything’s there.
Yet those phans, and most of the national media, just can’t see it.
You wanna talk pitching? Add one part Derek Lowe, one part Tommy Hanson, a handful of Tim Hudson and a pinch of Brandon Beachy (???) and you got a championship rotation, right?
I mean, come on. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are schlubs compared to Lowe and Hanson. And Roy Oswalt is no Tim Hudson, not even on his best day. Cole Hamels??? What has that guy ever done?
I mean, besides that World Series MVP thing, he’s a really poor pitcher. Good ole “Double-B” Brandon Beachy makes Hamels look like a Little Leaguer.
So, you can see when they’re lined up against one another which one the blatantly, obviously better rotation is.
Pitching isn’t the only aspect where the Bravos trump the Phils. Offensively, they are a far superior team as well.
Just look at each team’s big power hitter: Dan Uggla versus Ryan Howard. I don’t care that Howard was the fastest player in the history of the game to hit 300 home runs. Uggla is better.
Also, the Braves have Chipper Jones, who is just in the prime of his career. Jimmy Rollins is old. He’s five years younger than Chipper Jones, but he is still old and Chipper is not.
And Jason Heyward is definitely the next Willie Mays. They even have the same nickname, which Heyward definitely earned, so it has to be true.
Even though the Braves lineup has never really accomplished anything, they are far and away better than anything the Phils have.
I’m gonna come right out and say it: The Braves are the best defensive team in all of baseball, maybe even in the history of baseball. How can the Phillies compete with that?
I’m surprised the entire team didn’t win all the Gold Gloves last year. In both leagues.
Brooks Conrad has the hands of an angel, and there’s no way he could ever, EVER make an error. Forget last year when the Braves were 26th in the majors (out of 30) and the Phillies were eighth; this year will be different and defense will be one of the reasons the Braves take the division.
Last year didn’t really go our way. We didn’t have any magic finishes at the end of games (the Braves won 21 games in their last at-bat in 2010, leading the Majors), all our major contributors were injured constantly (unlike the Phillies), and we certainly didn’t get any extraordinary performances from our bench (Omar Infante).
But as you can see, this year will be ours. Stats and previous performances never mean a thing in baseball, so why even bother with them?
It all comes down to which team’s fan base believes in it more. Here in the ATL we show up at every game, cheering and dancing and really just willing it to happen, so it will.
Talent and experience be damned. This year belongs to the Braves.
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Philadelphia Phillies vs Houston Astros BoxPlus: More Singles and 2-Out RBI
Welcome to BoxPlus, where I give you just a little more than the box score does.
Phillies 9, Astros 4
Game 2 of the Phillies’ young season saw a bit more of an offensive attack to back ace No. 2, Cliff Lee.
The Phillies started early with three consecutive singles (Polanco, Rollins, Howard) which scored one run. With one out and a “productive out RBI situation” staring him in the face, Ben Francisco couldn’t put the ball in play and struck out.
With the first of many two-out RBI situations at hand, Raul Ibanez was able to hit an opposite field double, scoring Rollins from second. Howard was not able to make it home from first, however, and would be stranded there when Carlos Ruiz flied out to left.
In the fourth, Angel Sanchez led off with the first Astros hit of the night and was quickly tripled home by Carlos Lee. It was the first of Carlos Lee’s four RBI, which accounted for all of Houston’s scoring.
Francisco and Shane Victorino collided on the triple and Victorino would later leave the game with what seems to be a very minor injury (he would single in two runs prior to leaving the game). Lee was stranded at third when Cliff Lee struck out Bill Hall and got Chris Johnson to ground weakly back to the mound.
The Phillies quickly got that run back plus one more in the home half of the fourth. After Ibanez worked a walk in a nice at-bat and Ruiz was hit by a pitch, Wilson Valdez quickly struck out.
Cliff Lee then laid down a very nice bunt, moving Ibanez and Ruiz to second and third. Shane Victorino stepped in with two outs in an RBI situation and singled on a soft fly to right field that was just out of the reach of right-fielder Hunter Pence. Both Ibanez and Ruiz scored.
The game was broken open in the fifth when Howard singled, Francisco doubled and Ibanez singled in succession. Ibanez was able to advance to second on a groundout by Ruiz and score on a single by Valdez, bringing the run count for the inning to three.
In the sixth, Angel Sanchez singled again off Lee. He was able to score two batters later when Carlos Lee homered to left-center.
Lee would go on to finish the seventh and had a fairly impressive line with 11 strikeouts, 4 hits and 3 runs. All four hits were by two players, Angel Sanchez and Carlos Lee. It’s worth noting that Sanchez is filling in for the injured Clint Barmes and is 4-for-8 against Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay, two of baseball’s best pitchers.
The Phillies were able to manufacture another run in the seventh when Ibanez walked again and Ruiz doubled him home.
Danys Baez was victimized by a Placido Polanco throwing error that should have ended the top of the eighth. The Astros would go on to squeak out a run from it.
The Phillies got one more two-out run when Francisco singled home Polanco from second. Prior to Francisco’s at-bat, Jimmy Rollins smoked a line drive right into the gut of relief pitcher Fulchino, who was able to briefly recover and throw Rollins out. I was there and it looked painful.
Jose Contreras came in for the ninth in a non-save situation. He gave up two hits, no runs and garnered two strike outs to end the game.
The Phillies really “nickel and dimed” the Astros tonight, scoring in six of their eight at bats. They had quite a few two-out RBI, which are the toughest RBI to get. They had a total of 14 hits (11 singles and 3 doubles).
After going 0-4 in the opener, Ibanez was able to go 2-for-3 with 2 walks and a double, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI. Also 0-for-4 yesterday, Polanco went 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Howard and Francisco were both 2-for-5. Every starter (except Cliff Lee) had at least one hit.
For most of the Astros, Cliff Lee was just too much to handle. Carlos Lee and Angel Sanchez seemed unfazed by Lee’s stuff, though. The Astros totaled eight hits for the game, but five were by Sanchez and Lee. Michael Bourne struck out three times and never saw the bases. Wandy Rodriguez finished four innings and has a 15.75 ERA to start the year.
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Phillies BoxPlus: Game 1 vs. Astros; New Contributors, the Bench and Singles
Welcome to BoxPlus, where I give you just a little more than the box score does.
For the first eight innings of the 2011 season the Phillies seemed a little dead offensively and rusty defensively.
Jimmy Rollins made me cringe in his first at-bat of the season when he swung at the first pitch and hit a weak ground out. Ryan Howard got the Phillies first hit of the season with a line drive to right-center in the second inning. Halladay looked good through his six innings with six strikeouts. He was forced to throw an extra 18-plus pitches (about an inning’s worth) due to an error and a bad play by Valdez; no runs were scored as a result of those errors. He did give up one manufactured earned run.
In the seventh, J.C. Romero failed in his designated role and allowed the sole left-handed batter he faced to single to left. David Herndon then allowed that runner and two more to score in that inning. The big hit was a Michael Bourne triple to center.
The home half of the seventh saw the Phillies get on the board with two runs. Placido Polanco led off the inning with a walk. Rollins saw some pitches and was able to single on a line drive to right. Still with no outs, a passed ball with Howard up moved both runners up and Howard hit a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring Polanco and moving Rollins to third. Raul Ibanez then scored Rollins on a ground ball out to first.
Madsen had an uneventful eighth, posting two strike outs. Baez also did a nice job in the ninth, giving up only a two-out single and, following a steal, an intentional walk. He ended the inning when Angel Sanchez followed with a ground out.
The home half of the ninth is where all the magic happened.
Rollins led off the inning with the first of a string of good, patient at-bats that resulted in a ground ball that split the first and second basemen for a single. Ryan Howard exercised some patience and ran the count full before singling on a liner to center, moving Rollins to second. Raul Ibanez (0-4, 1 RBI off a sacrifice fly) popped up for what would be the only out of the frame. Rollins stole third with Francisco up and then Francisco sharply lined a single over the shortstops head, scoring Rollins and sending Howard to second.
Carlos Ruiz then stepped up and nearly ended the game on a deep line drive into the left field corner that just barely went foul. He would eventually single to left, loading the bases. Wilson Valdez, who was filling in for the injured Chase Utley, went 2-4, garnering his second hit in the ninth after Francisco. Valdez’s hit scored Howard to tie the game. Pinch-hitter John Mayberry stepped in and worked the count to 2-2 before hitting the game-winning single just over the center-fielder’s outstretched glove. The outfield was playing shallow in an attempt to stop the winning run from scoring.
For the Phillies: The bench went 2-3 and drove in the game-winning run. The bullpen gave up three earned runs in three innings. The Phillies were 6-7 (all singles) in the ninth inning. Ben Francisco had the only Phillies error when he misjudged a fly ball. Rollins, Howard and Valdez all went 2-4; Valdez had the sole extra-base hit for the Phillies with a double off of Myers.
For the Astros: Brett Myers gave up 3 hits and 2 runs in seven strong innings. He had three walks and no strikeouts. He also had two hits at the plate. The Astros new closer has started the season with an 81.00 ERA.
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UPDATED: Jayson Werth Vs. Ben Francisco: A Tale of Two MLB Springs
Spring training is almost over and I know you can’t read too much into players’ spring performances, but I though it would be interesting to compare the old Phillies right fielder against what appears to be his new replacement.
Jayson Werth has appeared in 14 spring games for his new team and has accumulated 39 at-bats with 10 walks for a total of 49 plate appearances, which averages to 3.5 trips to the plate per game.
Ben Francisco has appeared in 20 games with 52 at-bats and 7 walks for 59 plate appearances, an avg. of 2.95 times up a game. Jayson is walking once every five PA’s and Ben is drawing less free passes at a clip of once every eight PA’s.
Jayson has nine hits in his 39 chances for a not-so-good .238 batting average. Ben, however is fairing much better with 19 hits in his 52 at-bats for a very nice .365 BA. For sake of curiosity I checked previous springs for both and here is the result:
Ben Francisco hit .333 and .260 in 2009 and 2010, respectively; Jayson hit .333 and .203 for 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Werth, oddly, has yet to hit a home run this spring; he had a fairly respectable 9 combined in his previous 2 springs. Francisco went deep 3 times so far and hit a combined 7 in the last 2 springs. As a matter of fact, Jayson Werth has only 3 extra-base hits this spring, all doubles. Francisco has 7 extra-base hits: the 3 HR’s, 3 doubles and a triple. (Extra info: John Mayberry, Jr. who will probably platoon with Francisco as Werth’s replacement has 9 extra base hits: 5 HR’s and 4 doubles which means Phillies right fielder’s have a whopping 12 HR’s in spring.) I know it’s only spring but one would assume Jayson would want to really impress his new teammates and bosses with a showing of some of his brutal power we witnessed here in Philly. The fact he hasn’t (at all) should really send up a warning signal.
One last stat: OPS, combined on-base percentage plus slugging percentage, a very telling stat as it shows the ability to not make an out and your ability to get yourself around the bases. Jayson OPS is well below the average starter at .685 and Francisco’s is a whopping 1.085. For comparison, Albert Pujols’ lifetime OPS is 1.011.
So, it’s fairly obvious who is having a better spring. And once again, I know it’s only spring training and it doesn’t mean a whole lot, but spring is where the season and, in most cases, Major League careers start. If—and this is a big if—they were competing for the same job there would be no question who the winner would be.
Let me know what you think. Really, I’m interested and others are too.
UPDATE: I will be updating the story daily until the season starts with game by game performances for both players.
3/24: Jayson Werth: Nationals off; Ben Francisco: 1 plate appearance, 1 walk;
3/25: Jayson Werth: 2 for 3, 1 HR, 2 RBI; Ben Francisco: PH, 0 for 1;
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Philadelphia Phillies Fans: Two Studies and Two Vastly Different Results
So last week the brilliant minds at sports magazine extraordinaire GQ released their highly scientific list of the worst fans in sports and Phillies and Eagles fans came out on top…or bottom, I guess?
GQ no doubt conducted rigorous testing and extensive surveying and spent hundreds of man-hours in an effort to clearly define and pinpoint exactly who were the worst fans in all of professional sports…or they just made it up based on whatever seemed like it would get the most press and seemed like it could possibly be true.
It’s not clear which of these two things happened and GQ makes no effort to explain. But one thing is for sure, when you are looking for relevant and important fact-based sports information, GQ is where you turn. It really is what they are best known for.
Meanwhile, this week, Brand Keys, a company focused on consumer research and engagement metrics, conducted a market research study (Wikipedia it GQ) on fans and their sports teams. The results were first released by some obscure news outlet called Bloomberg (???) who I’m sure were so desperate for news they were the only ones who Brand Keys could get to listen to their study.
Apparently, this Bloomberg thing is nowhere near the intellectual propertyof mega-news outlet GQ, especially when it comes to sports. These results, according to this Bloomberger, showed that the Phillies were No. 1 in fan loyalty for Major League Baseball and the Flyers, Philadelphia’s pro hockey team, were No. 2 for the NHL. Way to go savages!
Is there perhaps a correlation between the two studies? It’s hard to tell because in reality, the GQ piece doesn’t appear to have any actual data to back it up. Apparently, GQ just took some sensationalist headlines to determine its’ results. I wonder if they’re hiring.
Don’t get me wrong, all the headlines are actually related to real stories, but as we all know most news outlets these days tend to gravitate towards the negative. After all, that’s what people like to read, right? I mean, who cares about the story of two 13 year-old Phillies fans who sold their $5,500 a piece 2009 World Series Tickets (Diamond Club!!!) to donate to a local school when you have a juicy piece about some moron who vomited on a girl. And of course, GQ makes the completely accurate assumption that most fans are of the latter variety…because why wouldn’t they?
However, Brand Keys, who bill themselves as “The World Leader in Customer Loyalty and Engagement Metrics”, actually put the work in (give them a call GQ and I’m sure they’ll give you some instructions). Their results are actually backed with something called data? Who’d a thunk it? Apparently, there were polls of sports fans in every major U.S. city and an associated survey and moderators and complicated math…you know, work.
So I guess, the end result would be that Philadelphia now holds the duopoly of worst and most loyal sports fans. You know, I’ll take that over best and most traitorous any day of the week.
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