Philadelphia Phillies: Biggest Strength/Weakness of Every Roster Player

Baseball is a funny game in the sense that players actually have an opportunity to be “perfect” on any given day. Just ask Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay about being perfect.

More often than not, however, no one is perfect. Baseball players are human beings, and human beings have their strengths and weaknesses. Unlike other human beings, though, baseball players live their lives under a microscope.

As far as the game of baseball is concerned, their strengths and weaknesses are made available to the public. Which players can hit for contact? Which players can hit for power? Which players can’t hit at all?

Over baseball’s history, statistics have been developed to keep track of who does what well. Organizations pay players more money on what their strengths are, but their weakness subtract from their overall value.

So with spring training right around the corner, what better time to take a look at the greatest strength and weakness of each player on the Phillies roster? Who needs to work hard during spring training, and who needs to hone their skills?

For up-to-the-minute Phillies information, check out Greg’s blog, The Phillies Phactor.

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25 Incredible Philadelphia Phillies You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

The history of the Philadelphia Phillies is kind of like that gigantic history textbook that your teachers forced you to lug around in grade school.

That textbook covered an enormous amount of time and history, and frankly, it was impossible to get through the whole thing in one year. So, your teacher would have you skip around from chapter to chapter, reading the most “important” information but leaving some of the more interesting chapters and people out of the curriculum.

The history of the Phillies is very similar: It’s extremely long and very hard to cover in its entirety.

With just about 130 years of Phillies baseball in the books, scribes skip around from year to year to cover the greatest moments. The World Series teams of 1980 and 2008 are givens. We’ve all heard about the Whiz Kids of 1950, the first Phillies team to appear in the World Series in 1915, and the string of dominant clubs during the 1970s, led by Steve Carlton and Mike Schmidt.

Those are a lot of great clubs, but generally speaking, barely a fraction of the history of this organization. Created in 1883 as the Philadelphia Quakers, hundreds of excellent players have worn the Philadelphia uniform in some way, shape, or form, most of whom are often forgotten about as time takes its toll.

Those players accomplished great feats; feats that will no longer go unnoticed.

The goal of this slideshow is to bring some of the greatest players in the history of the organization into the forefront of the minds of the casual Phillies’ fan. You diehard fans may have heard of some of these players, but I’m willing to be there are a few surprises.

Shrouded by recent accomplishments, the history of the Phillies has become somewhat of an uncharted territory, and there are still plenty of great names to uncover.

*All statistics refer to time spent with the Phillies’ organization alone, unless otherwise stated.

For up to the minute Phillies information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 25 Greatest Postseason Moments in Franchise History

To state the obvious, getting to the postseason is not easy.

Some fans believe that fate plays a hand in the outcome of the regular season, while others will boldly proclaim that the hottest teams make the playoffs and the hottest team of them all wins the World Series, but all can agree that it’s not easy.

All of the pieces need to fall into place. Team chemistry is one thing that great teams have always stressed, but no team would make the postseason without a vast amount of talent. You don’t get to the playoffs without being a good team, and you don’t win the World Series unless you’re firing on all cylinders.

But once a team reaches the postseason, magical things happen.

Sure, that sounds like a cheesy thing to say, but how else can you put it? Great moments are crafted during the regular season, but the postseason is a different beast. The stakes are higher and emotions run wild, and now, when great moments happen, they are so much more than just great moments—these moments are what legends are made of.

The Philadelphia Phillies have had their share of memorable postseason moments. Since their inception in 1883, the Phillies have appeared in the postseason following 14 different seasons. That opens the door for a number of great moments, but which of them made the cut?

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25 Most Underrated Players in Philadelphia Phillies History

With close to 130 years of existence under your belt, giving each and every player his fair share of respect is a challenging thing to do. As the game progresses and more advanced statistics come to light, it becomes even more challenging. Now we’re faced with the reality that some of the game’s all-time “greats” were actually no more than all-time “goods,” and players that often go unmentioned should be looked upon with greater awe.

The Philadelphia Phillies have watched thousands of players don their uniform. We hear stories about the great ones all the time. Mike Schmidt was probably the greatest third baseman to ever play the game, and Steve Carlton was one of history’s best lefties. Robin Roberts strung together one of the most successful stretches of pitching in baseball history, while Pete Alexander was purely untouchable.

Those all-time greats provide the horsepower, but some of the organization’s most underrated players steered the bus. Baseball is the ultimate team sport. You can’t win with just one man, whether or not he’s a pitcher who throws a shut out or a slugger who launches three home-runs. Without each other, there’s not much to be done.

In a lot of winning seasons, it is that group of underrated players who often do unmentioned and unrecognized, but without them, history would look very different for the Phillies. It’s time to give them the proper respect.

For the sake of this article, the word “underrated” will be easily defined. I’ll take a look at each player’s statistics (and intangibles, if that’s your thing) and assess their value to the club against the attention they received for it. Who’s value went unnoticed, though invaluable?

*All statistics refer specifically to the player’s Phillies’ career, unless otherwise stated.

For up to the minute Phillies’ information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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25 Most Polarizing Philadelphia Phillies of All Time

When you’re around for as long as the Philadelphia Phillies‘ organization has been, a lot of players are going to sign contracts to wear your uniform. Like anything in life, some you will love, but others you will absolutely despise.

If the Phillies are known for anything, however, it is a passionate fan base, and that creates a few interesting results in regards to a love / hate relationship. The city of Philadelphia is a blue collar town, and Phillies’ fans love players that work hard, succeed, and leave their all on the field.

As long as you play the game the right way, you’re okay by Phillies’ fans. On the flip side of that coin, however, approach the game in an opposite matter, and, well, you’re going to wind up in the dog house for a long, long time.

For the sake of this list, we’ll call those guys “polarizing players.”

That means that these players inspire one type of response. They are absolutely loved by the fans or the fans absolutely hate their guts.

The players on this list are ranked by their “polarization factor.” More simply, they are ranked by the emotional response they invoke. So, for example, if one player if Player A is “liked” more than Player B, then obviously, Player A will be ranked higher.

However, if Player C is “hated” more passionately than either player is “liked,” then he will be ranked the highest.

Now the only question is: Just who are these players?

For up to the minute Phillies information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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Top 25 Philadelphia Phillies Fan Videos

This part of the off-season can be a bit of a tease for baseball fans across the country. After all, you will spend a countless number of days counting down until Opening Day or listening to ball scribes tell you that Spring Training is “right around the corner.”

Well, you can keep telling yourself that, but pitchers and catchers won’t be heading to Florida or Arizona any faster if you do. Sure, that date may be just a couple of weeks away, but at the end of January, with snow and ice on the ground and nothing better to do, it still feels like Spring Training is light years away.

How about a better way to occupy your time?

The Internet is a marvelous thing, but I’ll spare you the lengthy, colorful explanation as to why and get right down to the most simple fact: It’s entertaining.

So as I sat in my chair, hot cop of coffee in hand and watching the snow fall to the ground, I longed for Spring Training. I took to the Internet to try and remind myself that Clearwater, Florida was “right around the corner” for the Phillies, but instead, stumbled upon something much more entertaining than crossing days off of the calendar: Fan videos.

Now that the Phillies are once again a team that contends year in and year out, the fan base is the life force behind this franchise, and boy, are you guys entertaining. In this slideshow, I’ve assembled a host of videos either about, filmed by, or including the fans.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry… Okay, you probably won’t cry unless you’re overly emotional, but I promise that you’ll find some of these excellent fan videos, some humorous, some inspiring, certainly entertaining.

For up to the minute Phillies’ information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Top 25 Positional Prospects in the System

The Philadelphia Phillies know the importance of developing a strong core of positional players as prospects.

After years of losing and en route to setting a new mark for losses by a franchise in sports history, the Phillies began to develop a strong farm system, and a couple of years later, watched the cream of that crop hoist a World Series trophy over their heads.

There are simply no two ways about it. Drafting and developing great positional prospects won the Phillies the World Series title in 2008. That team was a potent offensive group led by the exploits of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, and Pat Burrell, to name a few. 

With Burrell being long gone and the rest of that core of players aging, it is never too soon to look to the farm system and take a look at which prospects may make up that next core. Though the Phillies’ system is thin at some positions and has plenty of question marks, this organization is oozing potential.

The Phillies love to draft and sign players with excellent raw tools and a ton of upside, and those types of players are numerous in this farm system. The real question is: Which players have the best chance on donning red pinstripes in the MLB? Who are the best of the best?

For up to the minute Phillies’ information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Top 25 Pitching Prospects in the System

When it comes to pitching, the Philadelphia Phillies are filthy, stinking rich, and they aren’t afraid to show it.

After all, how many teams can say they sent three members of their five man starting rotation to the All-Star Game? The Phillies can. How many teams can say they lost a man considered an “ace” on most clubs to a back injury during the season and replaced him with a guy who finished in third place in the National League’s Rookie of the Year voting? The Phillies can.

Impressive tidbits, no doubt, and we haven’t even mentioned the bullpen, which surrendered the fewest runs in the National League last season. Sure, Ryan Madson is wearing a different shade of red (after signing with the Cincinnati Reds,) but so is Jonathan Papelbon.

A lot of teams who have to face this pitching staff like to believe that there is trouble brewing for the Phillies. After all, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are in their mid 30s. There’s no guarantee that Cole Hamels will be wearing red pinstripes after the 2012 season, and Vance Worley shows signs of regression.

But not so fast.

While it may be true that the Phillies’ big league staff has its share of question marks, they’ve spent a dubious amount of time preparing for the future of their pitching staff. By mixing an intriguing blend of college arms and high school prospects, the Phillies have cultivated one of the game’s strongest farm systems for pitching.

The real question is: Just who are they?

For up to the minute Phillies information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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25 Sweetest Swings in Philadelphia Phillies History

Pitching may be the name of the game for the Philadelphia Phillies nowadays, but this is a franchise whose history is littered with prolific offenses and players who know how to square up a round ball with a round bat, and that’s not an easy thing to do.

For an offensive player, hitting is like fine art. These men spend years mastering their craft, each with his own personal, unique flare. The best hitters, like the best artists, are normally those who have perfected the many nuances of their profession. Like a master artists’ fine brush strokes, a hitter with a sweet swing can do a lot of damage.

But before we look at the sweetest swings in the history of the Phillies’ organization, it is important that we define just what a “sweet swing” is. To me, a sweet swing is one that comes naturally. Hitters with such a swing normally share a few traits. Their bat stays in the strike zone for a long time and there is very little, if any, extra movement in their swing.

Hitters with a “sweet swing” are usually very balanced at the plate, and although each and every swing is different, they all pass the eye test—they’re aesthetically pleasing. A “sweet swing” gets right down to business, with all of the aforementioned traits in mind, this swing passes over the plate for just a split second, making contact with the ball and sending it hurtling in the opposite direction.

Now that we have defined what qualifies as a “sweet swing,” let’s take a look at the best the Phillies have to offer.

For more, up to the minute Phillies’ information, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Stat Predictions for Each Player on the 25-Man Roster

On paper, the Philadelphia Phillies are the best team in the National League, and you can make a strong case for the argument that they are the best team in all of baseball.

However, I’ll use the same caveat that shortstop Jimmy Rollins made way back in the spring of 2007, when he made his famous, “We’re the team to beat,” prediction: That’s just on paper.

The Phillies have been the best team on paper for the last couple of seasons, but have yet to cash that paper in for a World Series trophy. Injuries, inconsistency, and a lack of timely hitting have plagued the Phillies when it matters most, and now, as the core of a talented roster ages, whether or not the Phillies can capture their third World Series title in franchise history is shrouded in doubt.

There should be little doubt that the Phillies have the talent to not only win the World Series in the near future, but fulfill those lofty expectations of being the best team in the game. If the Phillies are healthy, they have the offense to back their elite pitching, and that could mean trouble for the rest of the National League.

So before I dust off my crystal ball and predict each player’s slash line, I’d like to make a note. While I will consider the health of a player moving forward, I will not be predicting that they are injured at any point during the season, and their statistical totals will represent that. This means that the statistics of some players will have to be adjusted.

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