B/R Interview: Mitch Williams Talks Little League, Phillies’ Future, and More

As a former closer for the Philadelphia Phillies, Mitch Williams knows a thing or two about facing adversity.

You could take that statement a step further by saying that the former Phillies’ closer knows a thing or two about being underrated as well. He was the bullpen’s anchor during that storybook run at the World Series by that favorite 1993 team.

That’s what makes Williams and the Hilton HHonors Little League program such a perfect fit. The Hilton HHonors program is helping to uncover some of the greatest Little League coaches in the game—a group of people that, according to Williams, are some of the most important people in the sport.

“It’s an opportunity to bring recognition to these coaches that give up their time—they’re not compensated financially for it—and they’re basically being put in charge of our kids and teaching them sportsmanship, and hopefully, teaching them the correct way to play the game, and Hilton has come up with this program to help recognize the best Little League coach in the country,” Williams said.

Williams, who spoke with Bleacher Report on behalf of the Hilton HHonors program, made it perfectly clear that while the players deserve all of the recognition that they receive, the coaches are the people who are underrated and face the toughest obstacles in the Little League initiative.

“I think it’s absolutely huge. When you look at these guys, like I said, when you’re not paid for something and you go out there and you give it your all—and I had an opportunity to meet a couple of the coaches the other night—these guys are teaching our kids how to compete and how to compete with what I say is probably the most important thing: The sportsmanship, the traditions of the game, and how the game should be played. That’s the real thing,” Williams said.

So while the Little League World Series brings to light some of the great stories from around the world—like the Ugandan team appearing in its first Little League World Series or the sensational Japanese pitching staff—Williams is doing his best to shed light on the men that often go unmentioned—the coaches—and according to him, they are vastly important.

“I think that the coaches are every bit as important as the kids, if not more,” said Williams.

But while Williams made it perfectly clear that coaches at the Little League level are vastly important, he certainly made no bones about how important they were in the MLB as well.

Williams, who spent three seasons with the Phillies from 1991-93, also took some time to talk about his former ball club and the disappointing season that they’re having in 2012.

When asked if someone like Phillies’ skipper Charlie Manuel or general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. should take the fall for the way the club’s season has gone, Williams picked up his managerial crusade right where his Little League mission ended.

“I’m not so sure it falls on Charlie [Manuel],” said Williams. “I don’t think that it falls on Charlie at all, because ultimately, he does not make the decisions on who is brought in and who is not brought in. That falls on the general manager.”

To a certain extent, Williams certainly has a point. Manuel was forced to put together a lineup for much of the first half of the season that did not include the two best hitters on his roster—Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

Amaro didn’t exactly assemble the greatest depth players in the world, giving Manuel guys like Ty Wigginton, John Mayberry Jr., Laynce Nix and Michael Martinez to work with. According to Williams, a lot of the Phillies’ failure this season could be shouldered by the GM.

“We’re past the Pat Gillick era. All the moves that Pat Gillick made back before the Phillies won the World Series in 2008—those moves are all done and gone. Now it’s up to Ruben Amaro. This is Ruben Amaro’s team. I think that this is really the first year that Ruben has had to go out and make decisions on personnel and put a team together, and it didn’t turn out too well,” said Williams.

Indeed, this is not Pat Gillick’s team. The Hall of Fame GM, who put together all of the right moves prior to the 2008 season, has watched his successor cripple the team financially and the on-field product suffer, so what’s next for the Phillies’ current GM, according to Williams?

“Ruben, in my opinion, has something to prove this offseason,” Williams said.

And he certainly will have plenty of holes to fill, most notably the ones in center field and at third base, where the Phillies are sure to explore both the trade and free-agent markets.

But Williams also believes that the Phillies’ issues run much deeper than that. Not only will they have to address their outfield and third base positions, but according to Williams, they’re in desperate need of both a right-handed power bat and bullpen pieces.

“They have to find a guy in the offseason that can fill [the right-handed power bat] role,” Williams said. “If they don’t get that role addressed, and if they don’t get their third base situation addressed, it’s gonna be tough. That, and they have to add pieces to their bullpen.”

But that right-handed power bat role won’t be easy to fill. Speaking to Williams, he made the point that the Phillies haven’t had much in the way of a right-handed power hitter since Pat Burrell left town following the World Series parade in 2008. Coincidence?

“I mean, everybody when Pat Burrell was [in Philadelphia], everyone liked to rip on Pat Burrell, but when he was hitting behind Ryan Howard, that was when Howard was hitting 45 [home runs] and driving in 145 [runs],” Williams said. “Because Pat was a threat to hit the ball out of the park, he worked pitchers. They have to find a guy in the offseason that can fill that role.”

And while the Phillies may have had someone like that in the post-Burrell era in Jayson Werth, he’s moved on as well and Williams’ point is clear. The Hunter Pence project failed and the Phillies need some right-handed power.

Of course, those bats don’t come cheap.

Williams was well aware of the Phillies’ massive payroll and the fact that they may have to cut costs somewhere, but when asked if that cost should be Jonathan Papelbon, Williams emphatically refuted that statement.

Maybe it was just the former closer in him talking, but Williams was clear that if the Phillies want to be a dominant team, they’d need a dominant closer—even if he costs $13 million a year.

“Yeah, I would [pay a closer $13 million a season],” Williams said. “If he’s dominated enough, absolutely, because there is… A lot of people don’t realize the disaster that Brad Lidge was in the ninth inning and the effect of having those games blown. I think a shutdown closer is worth every penny.”

But that’s in the future. Williams was talking about the future of this Phillies team because he, like so many other people around the game, have realized that there is no hope for the club’s 2012 season. But when reminded that there are still games left to play this year, Williams said that the Phillies owe it to their fans to play like they’re still in contention.

“I’m not gonna lie and say it’s easy,” Williams said. “But I will sit here and tell you that they’re obligated to go out there and play every game as hard as they can play it. I don’t care if you’re in dead-last place. The schedule has 162 games on it and you’re paid to play 162.”

“I know I was on the ’92 team in Philadelphia and we were terrible, but I can sit here today and honestly say every time I ever took the ball, I gave everything I had, and I think that’s what players have to do. It doesn’t matter. This is professional baseball and when you throw the word “professional” in there that means you are being paid to do it.”

“When you’re being paid to do a job, you give those fans that are paying a lot of money to come watch you play — you better have enough pride to go out there and play the game as hard as you can play it, regardless of the standings,” Williams said.

Williams was talking about 2012, but 2012 is over for the Phillies. This isn’t a team built to play spoiler. This is a team that was supposed to contend for a World Series. Williams knows that as well as anyone.

While he wouldn’t call the year a “fluke,” Williams did give the Phillies credit for having to play most of the season through big injuries. But he didn’t sound so confident for the future of this ball club either. His comments really make you wonder how far this Phillies team has fallen with this dreadful 2012 campaign.

“I don’t care how good a baseball team you have. If you take the two biggest bats in your lineup out of the middle of your order, it changes the entire way the rest of the order is pitched,” Williams said. “But the moves that were made in the offseason by Ruben Amaro Jr., in my opinion, were not moves that bettered this club. I think there needs to be more.”

The Phillies will watch the World Series from home. Then, the man who dropped the ball in 2012 will go to work on the free agency and trade fronts.

But Williams is right. If this club can’t land a center fielder, a third baseman, bullpen pieces and a right-handed power bat, this club is in trouble.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

All 25 Philadelphia Phillies’ Biggest Regret of 2012

The Philadelphia Phillies‘ list of regrets for the 2012 season runs a mile long and narrowing it down to just one for each player was no simple task.

That’s pretty much the regular season in a nut shell for this Phillies team. They came into the regular season as a favorite to win the National League East in spite of losing Ryan Howard and Chase Utley to the disabled list early.

But that’s what name recognition will do for you. There were All-Stars up and down the roster. The pitching staff had three ace pitchers and a closer that’s been to the All-Star Game. Two third of the outfield had been to the All-Star Game, but neither of those players survived the trade deadline.

The season just wound up being a big snowball and a steep hill for this club. A tiny snowball at the beginning of the season just kept picking up momentum and rolling down the hill until it couldn’t be stopped.

Now, we’re looking at one of the most disappointing teams in baseball with a list of regrets that are enough to depress even the most casual of fans.

But like I said—it’s just been that kind of season for this Phillies team.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 25 Best Home-Run Bashers in Franchise History

Chicks dig the long ball.

So do managers, offenses, and front offices. Let’s face it. The only people that don’t dig the long ball are probably the opposing pitchers.

Who in their right mind can’t get behind a home run? There’s just something about it. The sound that the ball makes when it cracks against the bat. The majestic arch it creates as it sails over the other team’s head. The roar of the fans when it finally hits the seats.

It’s one of the greatest moments in baseball and there are no two ways about it. The long ball is just exciting.

Well the Philadelphia Phillies know this first hand. Their history books hold the names of some of the most thrilling home run hitters of all-time. You’re going to see Mike Schmidt and Ryan Howard on this list. I don’t think that’s a spoiler.

But the Phillies also have had plenty of underrated power hitters. They’ve had guys nicknamed for their brute strength and guys that you wouldn’t have expected on a list like this in a million years, but baseball is timeless, and that’s what makes it great.

Buckle in. We’re about to witness some big time power.

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Ranking the Penny-for-Penny Value of All Philadelphia Phillies Players

In a season where the Philadelphia Phillies can lay claim to the highest payroll in the National League and finish near the bottom of the National League East, you better believe that fans are going to start asking questions.

How can a team with a payroll that rivals the behemoth New York Yankees, currently in first place in the American League East, fall victim to teams like the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves?

Well, there is a simple answer. They’re not spending wisely. You can spend all the money in the world on this sport, on one team, but if you’re not spending money on the right players and personnel, you’re not going to win. It’s as simple as that.

When a team like the Phillies isn’t winning, however, the conversation is anything but simple. People want to know and will be quick to point out players that are making far too much money, the best steals on the roster, and even which players should be guaranteed money long term.

So let this slideshow serve as something like a “primer.” Heading into the offseason, we’re going to hear a lot about the Phillies’ payroll and the massive, albatross contracts that saddle it.

If you really want to know who’s burdening this club, however, you have to look at the penny-for-penny value. That’s right. You have to compare the amount of money that each player is making to the value of their services on the club.

So naturally, cheaper players are going to be more valuable. That won’t stop some big-money players from being extremely important to this roster though. It also won’t stop big-money players from tying down the payroll like an anchor.

So in this battle of perceived value versus guaranteed money, who on this club is coming out on top?

*Note: This slideshow is discussing the 2012 season only. We will discuss the player’s 2012 salary and their value to the club for this season.

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25 Least Exhilarating Summers in Philadelphia Phillies History

At this point in the season last year, heading down to Citizens Bank Park to check out the Philadelphia Phillies was at the top of the list for fans’ summer plans.

Now, they’d rather take a nap. It’s been that kind of season.

Sure, the Phillies have their excuses, but at the end of the day fans don’t care about excuses. They care about having a team in the postseason hunt and getting ready to gear up for October baseball. But there will be no October baseball for the Phillies after this summer.

There was no big name, All-Star addition at the trade deadline. Instead, they sent a pair of former All-Stars packing: Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence.

But in a funny, peculiar kind of way, Phillies fans should find some kind of comfort in knowing that as sad as this season has been for the Phillies, it isn’t the saddest by far. It’s not even in the top 25.

So if you’re looking for a reason to cheer up, here is what I can do for you. Take a look at this history of the least exciting seasons in Phillies history and be thankful that it isn’t this bad.

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25 Offseason Moves the Philadelphia Phillies Could Make to Reclaim NL Throne

The Philadelphia Phillies‘ season could be compared to a dinghy moving through a field of ice in the water.

When you’re forced to hop into a small boat and navigate through a field of ice, you know you’re already facing big problems. That’s what the Phillies faced this season when they were forced to open up the campaign without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Sure, you can navigate around the big chunks of ice, which is what the Phillies did when they brought in guys like Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix and Freddy Galvis to play first and second base in the absence of their All-Stars.

Those are moves you make to plug holes in the boat. You don’t want the water pouring in and threatening to take the whole thing down, but some holes are just too big to fill. So when Roy Halladay went down, it was kind of like hitting the proverbial iceberg.

The water poured into the boat and the Phillies had no way of stopping it. It rushed in and flushed their postseason hopes away, and now the club is forced to look toward the future.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

The Phillies made a pair of moves at the trade deadline to free up some space under the luxury tax so that they could fix this thing. In the following slideshow, I’ll take a look at a few scenarios that could lead the Phillies back to the top of the NL East in 2013.

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Odds for Each of Phillies’ Top 25 Prospects Being Called Up on September 1

The Philadelphia Phillies didn’t want to be in a position to evaluate talent for the future in the month of September because it would mean that they were on the outside looking in at the postseason race.

Now that they’re nearly 20 games out of first place in the National League East and double-digits out of the Wild Card race, however, that’s exactly the position that they find themselves in.

Though a lot of the Phillies’ top talent is in the lower levels of the farm system and slowly moving its way towards the MLB, there are still some exciting prospects in the upper levels of the system. Without a doubt, the Phillies will be giving some of these guys an audition in September, but who?

The following list will place odds on each prospect’s chances of receiving a September call-up this season. Ranking the prospects is not a focal point of this list. Instead, it attempts to handicap each prospect’s chances of being in the MLB on September 1.

The 2012 season may be a lost cause for most of the veterans on the Phillies roster, but for some of the prospects waiting on the doorstep, the journey is just beginning.

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Phillies Continued Use of Kyle Kendrick over Tyler Cloyd in Rotation Is Baffling

It wasn’t a question they wanted to be asking themselves early in the month of August. The Philadelphia Phillies were supposed to contend for a World Series this season. It just doesn’t feel right that they’re in this position, but it’s time to finally address that dreaded question.

What do they have left to lose?

For the team with the highest payroll in the National League, being nearly 20 games out of first place and double digits out of a Wild Card position can be classified as a “lost season.” Now, it’s time to figure out where they stand moving forward.

That’s why it is baffling (and bordering on idiotic) that the Phillies have continued to make a commitment to Kyle Kendrick in their starting rotation while right-handed pitcher Tyler Cloyd has been arguably the best starting pitcher in Triple-A this season.

The Phillies’ commitment to Kendrick is certainly understandable. After agreeing to a one-year deal that would allow the sides to avoid arbitration last winter, Ruben Amaro Jr. and company signed off on a new, two-year deal worth $7.5 million that would also buy out a couple of his arbitration years, leaving him eligible for one final time before the 2014 season.

For the Phillies, it was all about cost-certainty. They didn’t want to move into Kendrick’s last (and most expensive) year of arbitration completely in the dark, especially after bringing Jonathan Papelbon aboard and pushing their payroll over the luxury tax limit.

But the point is much more simple than that: Kendrick is being paid like a back of the rotation starter. He’ll earn $3 million in 2012 and $4.5 million in 2013.

Now, you can see the real problem beginning to take shape. Kendrick hasn’t been good as a starting pitcher this year. In fact, he’s been pretty bad. As a starter, Kendrick has posted a record of 2-8 with an ERA of 5.01. He has allowed 12 home runs and the opposition has tagged him to the tune of a .293 batting average and .832 OPS.

Of course, that poor showing in the starting rotation forced him back to the bullpen upon the return of Roy Halladay, but that’s where the story gets interesting. Kendrick was actually much better in the bullpen than in the starting rotation.

Kendrick has made 12 appearances out of the bullpen this season totaling 13.2 innings. He has posted a record of 2-1 to go along with a 3.95 ERA and the opposition isn’t hitting him as well. They’ve posted a batting average of .231 and an OPS of .692, and they’ve yet to take Kendrick deep.

So now we have the first piece of the puzzle. Kendrick has undoubtedly been much better out of the bullpen than he has been in the starting rotation. Now, take a look at what Cloyd has done with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and compare the results.

Cloyd is 11-1 with an ERA of 2.25 this season. He is striking out 6.15 batters per nine innings while walking just 2.27. The opposition is hitting just .204 against him and his WHIP is less than one.

Of course, it isn’t all sunshine and roses for Cloyd. His BABip of .231 indicates that he’s due for a major regression. Talent evaluators aren’t fond of him because he is a right-handed pitcher with “average stuff.” He has a below average fastball and barely average secondary offerings. His best tool is his control.

However, even in light of all of the roadblocks in front of him, Cloyd’s FIP of 3.72 still suggests that he can, at the very least, be a solid fifth starter. So again, it’s time to ask why he’s not getting that opportunity.

The Phillies are not in a position to climb back into the postseason race. That ship sailed quite a long time ago, when they made the decision to move Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino at the trade deadline after being swept by the Atlanta Braves.

Now, the club’s focus should be on the 2013 season. The Phillies have obvious holes. Who plays center field? Who plays third base? Who hits lead-off? However, Joe Blanton’s departure and Kendrick’s struggles should have opened a spot in the rotation for a fifth starter.

If the Phillies are too stubborn to give Cloyd a chance to come up and show that he can compete at the MLB level, it would be one of the biggest mistakes in a season where you can’t even count the mistakes on your fingers.

Are the Phillies really naive enough not to give Cloyd a chance because they don’t believe, through their own talent evaluators, that he can retire Major League hitters?

Or is it something else? Are the Phillies too stubborn to move Kendrick back into the bullpen because of his salary for the 2013 season, which would suggest that he is being paid like a starting pitcher? Is this another case of Charlie Manuel “sticking to his veteran players?”

The bottom line is this: The Phillies should have called up Tyler Cloyd yesterday, because it is time to face the music. This is a lost season. The Phillies are playing to stay healthy and evaluate talent for 2013. 

Who knows? Maybe Cloyd comes up and shows that he can be a legitimate option as the club’s fifth starter next season—for the minimum salary, at that. At worst, he gets shelled in the MLB and the club knows it needs to find a fifth starter for 2013, be it Kendrick or someone else.

But at least they would be able to say that they tried.

For now, Kendrick’s days in the starting rotation should be over. As much as he would hate to hear it, “what you’ve done for me lately” actually matters in this league, and Cloyd has been doing this whole “winning” thing for a lot longer this season.

Again, it wasn’t a question that the Phillies wanted to be asking themselves at this stage, but a question that must be asked nonetheless.

What do they have to lose?

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

The Philadelphia Phillies’ All-Speedster Team

Speed thrills.

Sure, it’s usually the massive home run hitters or elite starting pitchers that make the most money, but I think that most baseball fans would agree that the speedsters are the most exciting.

It’s watching guys swipe two bags in a single inning, or bust it around second heading for a triple, or to take that even further, watching them attempt the so-called “most exciting play in baseball”—the inside-the-park home run—that forces our hearts to skip a beat.

The Philadelphia Phillies have had their fair share of speedsters throughout their history.

Observers of today’s team have watched Jimmy Rollins set the table at the top of the Phillies’ lineup for years. Shane Victorino was recently traded, but does the “Flyin’ Hawaiian” have a spot on this list?

If speedsters truly are the most exciting players in the game, then you can consider this the most exciting all-time Phillies’ roster of, well, all-time. It is dedicated to the base thieves, those with a proficiency for the triple, and some of the most explosive defenders of all-time.

Of course, there isn’t always a place for a speedy player on an MLB roster, so this one will certainly be unique in its on way, and deserving of a special note:

*Note: While starting pitchers have certainly made a name for themselves on the base paths in the past and present, members of the bullpen have not. Obviously, there won’t be a bullpen on this team. Well, not for pitchers anyway.

This club’s “bullpen” will be more like a list of honorable mentions. A “bullpen” of pinch-runners, if you will, listed in order and noted.

So with that in mind, check out this unique, all-time, all-speed roster. If nothing else, they’d be fun to watch.

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Ruben Amaro’s 25 Biggest Fails as GM of the Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are having the kind of season that puts the word “failure” in perspective.

To be out of the postseason race in the month of August after having the expectations of a World Series contender in spring training is simply inexcusable for the team with the highest payroll in the National League.

Of course, when you devote that kind of money to build a winner and it doesn’t win, the blame falls on the general manager, tasked with putting that team together. For the Phillies, that man has been Ruben Amaro Jr. since November 1, 2008.

It has been an interesting ride for Amaro thus far. He took over the organization’s front office at the peak of its success—the day after the Phillies paraded down Broad Street to celebrate just their second championship.

The four seasons that followed could be described as a “fall from grace.” The Phillies made it back to the World Series in 2009, but lost. In 2010, they were expelled from the National League Championship Series. The next season, they made an even earlier exit.

In 2012, making the postseason would be nothing short of a miracle.

While you shouldn’t put too much stock in that decline, it is symbolic of Amaro’s tenure as the general manager. Although he has had his share of successes, he has had his share of failures as well, and that’s how the Phillies wound up in this position.

Let’s take a look at the 25 biggest failures of Amaro’s tenure.

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