Philadelphia Phillies: Power Ranking the Top 50 Players in Franchise History

Every franchise is defined by the droves of players that have worn its uniform over time.

With such a lengthy history, the Philadelphia Phillies are well defined. From the home run heroics of Mike Schmidt to the monstrous power of Ryan Howard, the Phillies have supplied the power. From Pete Alexander to Steve Carlton, the Phils boast two of the best pitchers of their respective generations. From the gritty play of Pete Rose to the hard-nosed style of Chase Utley, Philadelphia has been well-represented.

Established in 1883, the Phillies have had some of the best players of all time under contract at one point or another, and by looking at the 50 greatest players in the history of this organization, we’re able to take a glimpse at the success it has had.

Is the Phillies all-time home run king number one? What about the man simply known as “Lefty”—the team’s all-time leader in wins? Will one of these commonly-named greats be number one, or are there a few surprises in store?

There is only one way to find out…

*As always, only statistics accrued with the Phillies’ organization were taken into consideration for this slide show.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies Top 25 Prospects

There’s something about the Philadelphia Phillies organization that has become the gift that keeps on giving and, no, I’m not talking about former general manager Ed Wade.

However, it would be wrong to write a list about the facet of the Phillies’ organization that helped turn the franchise from perennial pretender to annual contender without mentioning Wade, who helped turn a farm system littered with “busts” into one of the best in baseball.

Under the watch of Wade and his cabinet of baseball executives, the Phillies developed the likes of Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard, among others. When Pat Gillick took the reigns, he deepened the talent pool with players like Domonic Brown and Vance Worley, and now, it is Ruben Amaro Jr.’s job to keep the Phillies’ farm system afloat.

Now after his third draft as the general manager of the Phils (and as we try and put a miserable postseason exit behind us,) what better time to check in on the Phillies’ farm system once again? Chocked full of talented, high end prospects, listing 25 distinct players in ranked form is no simple task, but that is good news for the Phillies as an organization—fighting over which highly touted player is better than the next shows just how deep the system actually is.

So this list, by no means, is the be-all-end-all. Please note that the following list is constructed completely from my mind, and is not associated with any other baseball organization. These lists will vary from source to source.

Just a final note before we kick this list off—any prospect in the Phillies’ organization on Monday, October 17, 2011 (and is under team control for the 2012 season) will be eligible for the ranking.

So without any further ado, lets take a look at the 25 best prospects in the Phillies’ system.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: 25 Best Relief Pitchers in Franchise History

Though the use of the reliever in baseball has changed drastically over the course of the game’s history, the concept remains the same—take one of the best pitchers on your roster and throw him into a pressure-packed situation with the game on the line, whether it’s with the bases loaded in the sixth inning or trying to nail down those final three outs in the ninth.

In the long history of the Philadelphia Phillies, more than a few good relievers have donned red pin-stripes, helping to create some of the most memorable images in the history of the franchise. How many of us will ever forget Tug McGraw launching himself into the air to celebrate a World Series title in 1980, or Brad Lidge dropping to his knees to celebrate with his club 28 years later?

In this slideshow, we will take a look at the greatest relievers to ever pitch for the Phillies. As such, we will only be looking at these relievers’ statistics with the Phils, and they have been evaluated as such. Because the game has changed so much over the years, from era to era, a bevy of statistics were used to evaluate the relievers. Some heavy hitters were years pitched with the Phillies, ERA+, and games finished, and to a lesser extent, WHIP, saves and K/9, among other stats. 

So now that we’ve gotten all of that mumbo-jumbo out of the way, there’s nothing to it but to do it. Here are the 25 greatest relievers in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: Odds on Every Player on the Roster Returning in 2012

It’s over.

Looking beyond the heightened expectations and blind optimism for the 2011 season. Getting over the fact that yet again an anemic postseason offense took a mini-vacation and spoiled one of the greatest pitching staffs of all time. Realizing that Philadelphia’s golden boy, a pitcher brought in to win in the postseason, blew the biggest lead any starter had. From Chase Utley’s return to Hunter Pence’s debut, from Cliff Lee’s mastery to Roy Halladay’s usual surgical position. The Philadelphia Phillies 2011 season was certainly an enjoyable one, and one to remember, but it’s time to face facts.

It’s over.

As the St. Louis Cardinals danced on the mount at Citizens Bank Park and celebrated throughout the Philadelphia night, the collective thoughts of the Phillies’ organization changed focus. The season long thought of, “Which foe will we meet in the World Series?” quickly evaporated and became, “What needs to change for us to get back there in 2012?”

With 102 games in the win column, there’s no doubt that the 2011 version of the Phillies were a good team—a great team—and whether or not you believe the Phillies drew the short stick in the World Series or failed miserably, there’s not much denying that fact.

In spite of that, there’s also no denying the fact that personnel will change. Scapegoats will be made and players will move on. That’s just part of the game. “Baseball is a business.” With any business, changes will be made, and future success relies on those changes. Big or small, obvious or not, every move matters.

So with that in mind, and however painful it may be to do so, it’s time to take a look back at last season’s 25-man roster (plus a few bonuses!) and determine who will be wearing red pinstripes in 2012. Every player will be judged on a scale of 1-100% chance of returning.

So without further ado, lets take a look at which players we can expect back in 2012 and who is ready to fly the coop.

Begin Slideshow

Cliff Lee’s Unlikely Season Should End with a Cy Young

Clayton Kershaw and Roy Halladay are yesterday’s news. There is a bearded gentleman who goes by the name of Cliff Lee making the best case to be this year’s National League Cy Young Award winner, and when you crunch the numbers, it isn’t close. 

With the amount of fanfare surrounding his return over the winter, you would have thought that the left-handed starting pitcher was some kind of war hero. Fans praised his every move, citing his tactical takedown of the monotonous New York Yankees through psychological warfare, denying their larger offer for his services to return to Citizens Bank Park, which many Philadelphians have lovingly called “home.”

After all, Lee had liberated the fans. They’d been through much hardship after an unexpected trouncing out of the National League Championship Series by the San Francisco Giants. With the unconquerable Halladay temporarily conquered and an excellent supporting cast of Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt unable to finish the job, new talent was necessary.

It couldn’t be just any talent, though. This man had to have an impact on the club that no other player could provide. He needed a swagger that outlasted and outshone Hamels’ “Hollywood” persona. He needed a level of respectability both in the clubhouse and off the field, as Oswalt had proven with his gamesmanship and reputation as a good teammate.

Most of all, however, he needed Halladay’s focus. He needed Doc’s surgical precision that carves the opposition like a turkey on Thanksgiving. This player needed a preparedness that few others could match, and the level of talent necessary to execute his plans.

With an offense slated for a favorable rebound, the team needed that big game pitcher, and a quick glance at the free agent market made it painfully obvious that although that guy was available, he was the one that got away.

Along with Halladay’s postseason no-hitter, Hamels’ various dominant performances and Oswalt’s versatility, the club needed a proven winner. They needed the man who, in 2009, led them single-handedly to the World Series, cruising to a record of 4-0 and a minuscule ERA of 1.56. They needed Cliff Lee.

But many fans had already conceded. It just wasn’t meant to be. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. had betrayed his trust by sending him to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for three unproven prospects. After acquiring him for pennies on the dollar, the club sent him packing for an equally small amount. Just months after he became a local sports legend, Lee was sent to the American League to continue his storybook career.

After the Mariners flopped like a fish out of water, they sent him to the Texas Rangers, who like the left hander’s former club residing in the National League, were led to the World Series by their new crusading general. And though, like the team he had left, he could not slay the Giants, he gave hope to another franchise.

Finally, as a free agent, Lee controlled his own destiny. There would be no more nonsensical trades to teams scraping at the bottom of the barrel who were only interested in his services as a placeholder, so that he may be able to land them a bevy of prospects at a later date. With two consecutive trips to the World Series and no rings, it was painfully obvious that what he wanted was a championship.

With larger offers from the Rangers and Yankees, it looked like he was going to get that opportunity. Both teams were in a position to succeed. Despite that, and maybe almost foolishly, that city that was by this point just a temporary pit-stop in his career held out hope that he may return. After all, they had much in common, including a common enemy in those Giants.

By keeping their negotiations a secret until the 11th hour and the player taking a slight discount, fantasy was made reality. A few days later, as Lee once again donned red pinstripes and fastened a cap emblazoned with a curly, white “P” on his head, it all sunk in. The hero had returned. A new commander had returned to the fight, along with Halladay and a starting rotation that already had lofty aspirations.

The Philadelphia Phillies had signed Cliff Lee.

Of course, the rest is all but history. The team entered spring training with a set of goals that only the best of teams could place upon themselves. While not a single member of the Phils wanted to come out and say it in public, the media, fans and team alike all new that it was going to be a World Series title or bust.

Now 34 starts into the 2011 season, Lee has certainly lived up to his end of the bargain. After baffling the Atlanta Braves in his first start for the month of September, he improved his record to 16-7. Considering that prior to the All-Star break and the few weeks after his record was hovering right around the .500 mark really puts the coincidental fact that he has now matched Halladay’s win total into perspective.

For the first time in his career, Lee has abandoned that generalization as a “contact pitcher,” and punched out the opposition more than 200 times—about a strikeout an inning matched with his total of innings pitched, already having eclipsed 200.

Lee’s ERA of 2.47 is third best in all of baseball for qualifying pitchers, and his FIP of 2.64 shows that the former number is rather accurate, when the outcome of each pitch that leaves his hand is determined by the fate of Lee and he alone. He has induced more ground balls than Kershaw and walked fewer, and when lining the statistics up side by side, may face his biggest competition for the Cy Young Award in a man he calls his friend and teammate, Halladay.

But the race for the NL Cy Young is so close that it may come down to something of a tiebreaker. How can you justify giving the award to the lone member of the National League that was scored upon in the All-Star Game? Well, you look at his longevity and dominance .

Lee’s months of June and August—when he posted records and ERAs of 5-0, 0.21 and 5-0, 0.45 respectively—could only be compared to feats completed by legendary pitchers Bob Gibson and Walter Johnson, and that’s it. No other pitchers than these three have had equally as dominant months in a single season.

As far as longevity goes, Lee’s six complete games are third in all of baseball, lagging behind only Halladay and James Shields of the Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, all six of those complete games have been shutouts, as Lee became the first Phillie to accomplish such a feat since Philadelphia’s beloved Steve Carlton.

To put his dominance into even further context, Lee has  taken a shutout into the eighth inning or later nine times this season—the most since Orel Hershiser did so in 1988.

When it comes down to it, Kershaw and Halladay are the popular votes. The former has completely dominated his opponents consistently, while the latter has done the same and has found favor with voters. However, should the award actually go to the most deserving player, there’s no doubt that the favorite is Lee. Look at his numbers. Look at the story.

All three men are deserving of being named the best pitcher in the National League, but considering what Lee has done and what he has gone through to wind up in the City of Brotherly Love for his second tour of duty, it seems almost natural for Lee to win.

A perfect fit.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies Land Phenom Carlos Tocci with Large Signing Bonus

The Philadelphia Phillies are ready to take over the world.

They’re kind of like the evil mastermind in every good villainous movie. With Ruben Amaro Jr at the helm, they’ve constructed the monstrous plan that will be laughed at by some; but if all goes according to plan, they will be feared by all. They’ve collected a gigantic sum of money and now are taking out various divisions of the industry.

With the local scene in their rear view mirror, we’ve reached the point in the movie where the evil mastermind sets his goals higher and his conquests further. Over the winter, the Phillies took home the prize of the free-agent market, nabbing pitcher Cliff Lee. They walked away from the trade deadline with Hunter Pence in tow, and now they’ve set their sights on the global market.

On Wednesday afternoon, the news became official that the Phils had signed a player regarded as the top international free agent available this summer, inking outfielder Carlos Tocci to one of the largest deals they’ve ever agreed to with an international player.

While the Phillies have been mum on the specifics of the deal, sports writers on the local and national scale have confirmed the signing. Jim Salisbury of CSNphilly.com first reported that the Phils were on the verge of landing Tocci, while Ben Badler of Baseball America confirmed that the deal was official, and that the teenager considered by many as the best international free agent would be paid handsomely, receiving a bonus of $759,000.

After trading away Domingo Santana to complete the Pence deal, the Phillies wanted to make sure that they were able to replenish some of the void created in their minor league system. They did that in the best way possible, taking a bit of a risk to land Tocci, who at just 16 years old, is expected to be a blank canvas full of potential.

Tocci stands at 6’2″ but weighs just 160 pounds. Though he’s expected to fill into that huge frame some over the coming years, more than likely he won’t change too much. Noted to have a good grasp of the game at a young age, Tocci’s greatest tool is his speed, which many scouts are calling a “plus-plus.”

Hitting from the right side of the plate, Tocci will also balance out some of the left-handed pop that the Phils house within a deep system. As he progresses, he is also expected to develop power, and with age he should become a legitimate five-tool prospect.

At the same time, however, it should be noted that the Phillies have not always had success on the international market. In fact, the only position player on the current roster signed as an international free agent is Panama’s own Carlos Ruiz.

Tocci, who will receive the fourth-largest bonus in the history of the Phillies’ organization for an international free agent, will hope to erase the memory of the players who received larger bonuses. In 1999, they agreed to terms with promising outfielder Josue Perez, and in 2001, as they attempted to turn around a struggling franchise, the Phils signed a pair of South Korean pitchers to huge bonuses.

The Phillies, who were struggling for respectability in the late ’90s and early ’00s, threw a large chunk of change at toolsy outfielder Josue Perez in 1999, but he was never able to put it together. The Phillies had seen enough by 2004, when he was released, and after being given a tryout by the Texas Rangers, he was out of baseball by 2005.

Seung Lee, regarded as the better prospect, was paid north of $1 million, while the second pitcher, Il Kim, received a bonus of just less than that. Their minor league careers were riddled with injury, inconsistency and lack of production, and both pitchers were out of the organization by the 2006 season.

With Tocci, Philadelphia looks to turn things around on the international market. After saving their money over the last couple of seasons, they’re ready to go all in for 2011 and beyond.

While Tocci is regarded as a much better prospect than any other, the Phils have signed off of the international market. Whether or not he has an impact at the Major League level is a question well before its time, though. Only time will tell whether or not the Phils can turn their international fortunes around with a large dollar amount.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Michael Schwimer Allows Glimpse into Future of Philadelphia Phillies Bullpen

If the future of the Philadelphia Phillies‘ bullpen was foreshadowed by a long home run from a mediocre power threat to straight away center field, the future is bleak. It may be time to hop back into the DeLorean, travel back a few riffs and see if there isn’t a better draft strategy to be had.

Luckily, that’s not the case in the least bit.

After yet another solid start from a member of the Phils’ rotation was spoiled by foul weather, the team called on relief prospect Michael Schwimer to soak up a few innings on Sunday afternoon, making his well anticipated Major League debut.

A first glimpse of the tall right-hander really puts some of those scouting reports into perspective. At 6’8″, 246 lbs., Schwimer towers over home plate, with his figure nearly casting a shadow over the batter’s box, and almost instantly, you can see where all of the life in his fastball comes from. A man that has no time for pampering, Schwimer’s face was covered in a scruffy beard and his hat pulled way down over his head, casting a shadow upon his eyes. It was clear that intimidation was his game.

After missing his spot with his first Major League pitch, however, it was clear that even the menacing Schwimer was susceptible to a bit of nervous energy, and as he delivered a fastball right into Danny Espinosa’s happy zone, he was humbled very quickly. 

One pitch, one home run.

At that moment, it was rather clear that baseball is a funny game. After months upon months of waiting for the call and a few days stashed in the back of the bullpen, Schwimer’s first batter launched a mammoth home run to the deepest part of the ball park. Could a lifetime’s worth of hopes and dreams be shattered by the worst imaginable first impression?

Luckily, by most “old school” standards, a reliever’s worth is measured by his integrity. After missing his spots by more than just a little bit to his first batter, would Schwimer cave against the Washington Nationals, or show that he could be relied on?

Even as he pointed towards Espinosa’s home run like it was a lazy fly ball heading towards Shane Victorino, Schwimer knew it was gone. He glared for a moment before taking his cap, holding it over his face and pushing it back over his head. There was work to be done.

As Jonny Gomes stepped in to oppose Schwimer, the nervous energy dissipated. His location straightened itself out like his career depended on the outcome of this batter, and he was easily dispatched. In a nut shell, that’s the story of the Nats’ offense versus Schwimer.

After allowing that monstrous home run to Espinosa, Schwimer would put on something of a clinic, allowing just a bloop single. In three innings of work, saving a worn down bullpen, he’d allow just the two hits, striking out four along the way.

With the home run in his rear view mirror, Schwimer’s control quickly became an asset, and he allowed us all to take a glimpse into the vast reservoir of potential that lies ahead. The greenhorn whose career began by allowing a game tying home run quickly gave way to the prospect who compiled an ERA of just 1.88 for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

But all along, regardless of the outcome of his Major League debut, Phillies’ fans knew that the potential was there. After all, Schwimer is just one of three highly touted relief prospects in the organization, and just the first to receive his cup of coffee.

As he packed a travel bag for Philadelphia, Scwhimer certainly must have looked over his shoulder at Phillipe Aumont and Justin De Fratus, a pair of IronPigs teammates that will be with the big league club before long.

Aumont, who was acquired in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners a couple of offseasons ago, has been quite impressive in his time with the Phillies’ AAA affiliate. Posting an ERA of just 2.95, he’s struck out an average of more than 14 batters per nine innings, and while his control is still a work in progress, an electric fastball and devastating off-speed pitches will have him in red pinstripes before long.

The same could be said for fellow right handed reliever, De Fratus, who compared to Schwimer and Aumont, is a short 6’4″. After a rough start to his AAA career, he’s mowed down the competition, showing better control than Aumont and striking out batters at a similar clip (11.31 K/9.) While his ERA reads 4.11, do not be misled—he has pitched much better than his peripheral stats show, as evidenced by a BABIP of .348.

Even in the midst of one of the finest seasons in the history of a storied franchise, it isn’t too soon to look ahead. While they’ve been one of the best in baseball this season, the Phils’ bullpen is set to go through some drastic changes moving forward.

The oft-injured Brad Lidge is almost guaranteed to become a free agent, as the Phils are very likely to decline his hefty $12.5 million club option. Ryan Madson, who is represented by the renown Scott Boras, is headed for a big pay day as well. Add to that the uncertain health of the aging arm of Jose Contreras, and Antonio Bastado is the only man with a guaranteed spot in the 2012 bullpen. 

That certainly puts the Phils in a tricky situation moving forward. With numerous holes and little money to fill said areas of need, the bullpen is the one spot on the roster the team could logically improve by getting younger. With a trio of right handers possibly nearing the end of a tenure with the Phillies (Madson, Lidge and Contreras), a new trio of righties (Schwimer, De Fratus and Aumont) could be set to take over.

All we can do is hope that an era that began with a long home run to center field ends with a swing and a miss at home plate.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Roy Halladay and Each MLB Team’s Most Improbable No-Hitter Ever

Baseball is just a funny game, plain and simple. It’s the level of unpredictability that keeps us on our toes, the edges of our seat, or just flat out guessing. Of its most incredible feats, forecasting a no-hitter is certainly the most difficult.

Throughout the game’s history, we’ve seen Hall of Fame pitchers hurl their way into greatness, surprising no one and leaving us saying, “Well, it was only a matter of time.” Then again, we’ve seen journeymen, scrubs, throw nothing but zeroes up in the hit column, leaving us to wonder how they did it.

That’s why baseball is such a funny game. Elite talents have never achieved the accomplishment, and yet, guys barely making it by at the Major League level have achieved baseball immortality. Nolan Ryan had some of the nastiest “stuff” in baseball, and his no-hitters came with frequency. But who would have expected Armando Galarraga to toss a perfect game? (Which he did, by the way)

With that in mind, let’s take a look back at the most improbable no-hitter in every team’s history. Let’s take a look at the unexpected, the unlikely. Of course, those teams that have never thrown no-hitters (I’m looking at you, the New York Mets and San Diego Padres) will not be included.

Begin Slideshow

John Mayberry Jr. to Become the Phillies Next Breakout Star?

In a time where huge payrolls and absurd contracts are becoming common place, teams across the league are always looking for cheap, controllable players that have a chance to become legitimate stars.

While each and every team clings to the idea that players they’ve drafted will someday contribute at the Major League level, there are some times where we’re forced to just face facts: It’s not going to work.

Jayson Werth is the prime example of a player with plenty of raw talent who just couldn’t put things together at the Major League level. Drafted by the Baltimore Orioles as a catcher, the team tried everything to milk the potential from his thunderous bat, before finally giving up and sending him to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Jays tried to do the same thing. They spent a few years tinkering with his stance and working on his coordination before finally deciding that the best path for their franchise would be to cash in on what value he had left as a prospect and send him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade.

After a very solid 2004 season, the Dodgers thought they were on to something. Werth broke out with 16 home runs, showing glimpses of all five of the “tools” scouts love to see: Power, speed, defense, arm strength and batting average.

The following season wasn’t kind to the promising young outfielder, however, as he suffered a wrist injury and the Dodgers feared that he would never be able to swing the bat the same way again. Unwilling to tender him a contract and give him a raise as a risky player, they cut him loose and the Phillies swooped in.

It’s important to remember now that the Phillies of 2007 were not the same as the National League beasts of 2011. They didn’t have a huge payroll and an ace to take the mound every day but a couple of promising, young rookies, solid veterans, and All-Star caliber players just finding their niche. In an attempt to find some cheap value, they took a chance on Werth as a bench player.

Charlie Manuel was very pleased with Werth’s production against left handed pitchers, eventually making his way into the lineup against lefties on a daily basis before taking Geoff Jenkins’ job for good.

The rest is history.

So after that brief recap of Werth’s career to date, it isn’t hard to see why outfielders who follow the same path draw similar reviews. In fact, way before the season started, I wrote about how Ben Francisco could be poised for a break-out season, and we see the results of 2011 are more broken than anything.

It’s hard to predict what kind of impact a player could have on his club, and for that reason alone, what I’m about to write should be taken with a grain of salt. Today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports posted his daily column, and in it were a few interesting snippets about Phillies’ outfielder John Mayberry Jr.

In it, he notes that some scouts that he recently spoke to see Mayberry as a “potential late bloomer,” and compared him to Werth and Washington Nationals break-out player, Michael Morse—all of whom are tall, lanky right handed hitters with power.

While Mayberry has yet to realize his full potential, the path to the Major League taken by these three players is strikingly similar. Like Werth, the Nationals took a chance on Morse, a failed shortstop in the Seattle Mariners organization, and moved him to a position to better amplify his power. And the early results are promising.

The same could be said about Mayberry, whom the Phils decided to take a chance on following the 2008 season. Feeling as though they couldn’t get the production they desired out of draft pick and fellow outfielder Greg Golson, the Phils struck a deal with the Texas Rangers, swapping promising outfield prospects, Golson and Mayberry—both of whom were struggling with their current organizations and looking for a chance of scenery. 

The Phillies had high hopes for Mayberry’s tremendous power reserve, and they believed that the confines of Citizens’ Bank Park would play well to his swing. As it turned out, they felt as though he may never blossom into a Major League regular, despite being a first-round pick twice.

They sent him to the bench in need of a right-handed stroke, and when Francisco came to town at the 2009 trade deadline, Mayberry’s services were no longer needed, and he was sent back to the Minor League.

Mayberry’s problems were clear. First of all, he simply couldn’t hit right handed pitching. Albeit in brief stints with the Major League club, the Phillies saw a huge hitch in his swing that would keep him from being productive. The second knock was the incredible rate in which he was striking out. In both of his stints with the Phillies in 2009 and 2010, Mayberry struck out in more than 30 percent of his at-bats.

For the remainder of 2010 and the 2011 season, the Phillies’ coaching staff provided Mayberry with certain goals to work towards in the Minor League. Knowing that he could hit left-handed pitching, they told him to work on hitting right-handed pitchers, and most importantly, make contact with the ball.

The result was a minor tinkering with his stance, and in 2011, it seems like John Mayberry Jr. is finally putting things together.

After struggling early in the season, the outfielder went to AAA and worked on his problem areas, returning in July like a man who’s pants were on fire. To date, he has lowered his rate of strike outs by more than 10 percent, and his OPS of .793 vs. right-handed pitchers is surpassed by only Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard.

To measure his production, FanGraphs uses a statistic called “Weighted Runs Created,” (wRC+), which “attempts to quantify a player’s total offensive value and measure it by runs.” The stat is very self-explanatory. To understand the basics, all you need to know is that a wRC+ of 100 is average and anything north of that is better than league average. 

To date, through 67 games, Mayberry has registered a wRC+ of 124, bested only by Victorino, Utley and Hunter Pence, who’s extremely small sample size of 10 games makes him a misleading leader in this category.

Simply put, when he’s played, Mayberry has generated runs. And thanks to good base running and defense in the outfield, where he’s played all three positions, he’s generated more Wins Above Replacement (WAR) than Ryan Howard in 47 fewer games and at just a fraction of the cost.

With those numbers in mind, it isn’t hard to see that the improvements Mayberry has made over the last few seasons are helping him adjust to Major League pitching and to begin reaching his potential. Whether or not he’s able to become a break-out start like Werth and Morse remains to be seen, but with Raul Ibanez becoming a free agent at season’s end and Domonic Brown’s production at the Major League level a grey area, having a surging Mayberry in the fold for the foreseeable future is certainly not a bad idea.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

MLB Trade Speculation: Josh Willingham Would Be a Huge Mistake for the Phillies

After last night’s thrashing of the Florida Marlins, after which the Philadelphia Phillies improved to 55-32 on the season, we may see a bit of a lull in the drastic outcry for offensive help. The arguments against making a move to bolster the lineup have been the same throughout the season—the Phils have the best record in baseball and little flexibility to make a move. In short, why change what’s working?

The counter-argument is even more simplistic. As hard as it is to imagine, with a little bit of thump in the lineup, the Phillies could be even better than they are entering play on July 6. With four more wins than any other team in baseball, that’s a bold statement. Assembling a team with the potential alone to compete for the best record in baseball is an imperfect science, but with a few additions, the Phils may have the winning formula.

While it’s been pitching that has put them over the top, the biggest storyline of the first half has to have been the anemic offense. Loaded with former All-Stars, they were expected to provide enough run support to back their star studded rotation with ease, but that hasn’t entirely been the case.

Even with the lineup at “full strength,” the Phillies have been in the middle of the pack for just about every offensive category throughout the first half of the season. With a lot of familiar faces fielding the diamond in Philadelphia, their offensive standing is a far cry from their usual top five finishes. A once feared offense has spent its time making mediocre, bottom-of-the-rotation pitchers look like the second coming of Cy Young.

So while fans and scribes alike have been able to make excuses for this club’s lack of offensive production, such as the departure of Jayson Werth and Chase Utley’s questionable health, as we pass the midway point of the season, it’s time to face the facts—this is just a bad offensive team.

They certainly can’t use the home ball park as an excuse. Though proven mostly false, Citizens’ Bank Park has been an offensive haven over the years, and with the Phils currently sitting 14th in runs scored and 18th in home runs, it may be time to lay some blame on the personnel.

That said, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in a guy who can provide some stability for this lineup. With its slew of lefties, it isn’t hard to see that a right handed bat could cure a few ailments, but it runs much deeper than that. The Phils’ collective .663 OPS against left handed pitchers is the fourth worst in all of baseball, and for a team that’s made its name in power output over the last few seasons, they’ve hit just 14 home runs against lefties this season—seventh worst in baseball.

With the corner outfield positions being the only spots on the field that a trade candidate makes logical sense, we can quickly gather that a right handed corner outfielder would be a nice upgrade for this ball club. I took a look at one guy who could be a potential fit, Michael Cuddyer, last week, but another guy that makes some sense for the Phils is Josh Willingham of the Oakland Athletics.

Currently on the disabled list with an Achilles injury, Willingham should be activated sometime this week, and will have plenty of time to re-establish his trade value,should the A’s become sellers. At that point, the question becomes, “Is he a fit for the Phillies?”

At a glance, the answer is yes. He fits the criteria of what the Phils would be looking for on the trade market perfectly. Formerly of the Washington Nationals, the Phillies have seen his plus power out of the corner outfield positions first hand, and while the Coliseum in Oakland is taking a toll on his offensive production in 2011, those numbers would likely spike with a trade to a more hitter-friendly park, particularly in the National League.

Looking into his numbers with a little more depth shows that he may cause the Phillies more headaches than anything, however. As we’ve already established, the Phils need to add a right handed hitter that brings some pop to the lineup against lefties, and Willingham probably isn’t that guy.

He’s posted an ugly line of .211/.291 /.465 against left handed pitchers, leaving the yard just five times against them. The Phillies may be inclined to make a move for a guy who has had more success against lefties this season, like the aforementioned Cuddyer or Juan Rivera, who was recently designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Of course, there are certain intangibles that would work in Willingham’s favor. The Phils may be willing to take a risk on his numbers against left handed pitchers because they’re familiar with him, and he’s had some success in the National League East. Despite the fact that he has struggled, he’d still provide guys like Utley and Ryan Howard with some support, and if he can continue to improve, Domonic Brown should help Willingham himself see a good number of fastballs.

All in all, though, he’s probably not a worthwhile investment. He’s a terrible defensive outfielder struggling with a foot injury, and though he’s probably an upgrade over the likes of Raul Ibanez, that isn’t saying much. If the Phils were going to make a move for a hitter at all, they’ll need to bring in a guy who not only swings right handed, but is able to handle left handed pitching.

Making a blind move for a guy like Josh Willingham could cause the Phillies more headaches than he’s worth.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »