7 Reasons Charlie Manuel Needs to Keep His Job as Phillies’ Skipper for 2013

With the way the Philadelphia Phillies 2012 season is going, it should really come as no surprise that seven-year skipper Charlie Manuel‘s managing decisions have been questioned.

As typically happens when a team is underachieving the way many believe the Phils have this year, Manuel has found that his job is anything but safe.

Of course, the record and overall inconsistent play has been a source of concern for the Phillies and their fans. Manuel just hasn’t been able to get the job done this year with the players that he has had to work with. He has done the best that he could, but as critics will say, there is a lot that he could have done differently.

Who knows if the Phillies would be looking at making the playoffs if Manuel did things a little differently? No one really and with the bullpen’s utter failures, it is hard to believe that any manager could have made this a playoff-caliber team.

Part of the reason why Manuel’s future with the team is in question is because of Ryne Sandberg.

Currently managing the Phils’ AAA affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Sandberg, despite having just four years of minor league managerial experience, has already been tabbed as the potential successor to Manuel. The players are high on him and he was recognized as the 2011 International League Manager of the Year.

For the Phils and the fans, promoting Sandberg could seem like the perfect choice. After all, he was already scouted by both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, the organization Sandberg built his Hall of Fame career with, for jobs last year. The Phillies had to sweat it out and wait as fortunately neither team chose him.

The Phillies, who made the regretful decision to trade the young Sandberg when he was just a prospect in the system, are not going to make the mistake of letting him leave again. They are committed to giving him a chance as right they should.

It just shouldn’t be next year, though.

In order to thoroughly explain why Manuel deserves to keep his job, the best way to do so is to compare him to Sandberg, his would-be successor. After the comparisons, it should be clear that Manuel, and not Ryno, should be the Phillies manager at least until his contract expires following the 2013 season.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Walk-off Heroics Are Coming at Just the Right Time

They say lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, and in the case of the Philadelphia Phillies, who are coming off of three straight comeback wins including two thrilling walk-offs, that saying is definitely correct.

The team, which for the better part of the season has been a disappointment and injury-riddled group, has proven lately that lightning doesn’t strike the same place just twice—it does it three times.

Not to completely kill this lightning metaphor, but ever since the All-Star Game ended, with the exception of two games in the San Francisco Giants series, the Phillies really have caught lightning in a bottle, and they most definitely are not ready to let it go.

Since the start of the second half of the season, the Phillies are 8-4, including two season-high four-game winning streaks. They are averaging about 4.6 runs a game during this time and have not yet played a game where they scored less than two.

For a team that had yet to win a game when trailing after eight, the Phillies have now done that twice as they came back from a four-run deficit in the ninth and a six-run deficit in the eighth of the first two games of the Milwaukee Brewers series. The third game of this series also marked the second time in three games that the Phils won on their final at-bat.

There is no doubt that the Phillies’ recent success can be attributed to their players stepping up. Eric Kratz, the backup catcher for the Phillies, was huge in each game of the series, scoring the game-winning run in Game 1, hitting a two-run home run that led the eighth-inning comeback in Game 2 and going 3-3 with the game-tying RBI in Game 3.

Jimmy Rollins also had a good series, topping it off with the game-winning RBI to help the Phillies do something they had yet to do this season—sweep a series. 

On top of this, the heart of the order for the Phillies is starting to heat up, and it couldn’t be happening at a more vital time. Carlos Ruiz has not had a weak moment this season, but recently Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are starting to get back into their normal groove.

Utley especially, who had been struggling with the exception of a few home runs, is really starting to put better swings on the ball. He and Howard had a home run in the first game of the series, the fourth for Utley this season. He also has 13 RBI, most of them coming after the break.

Utley is taking pitches and has worked out eight walks recently as well. He is getting on base in whatever way he can and is starting to really hit the ball like the old Chase Utley. Perhaps the most promising stat about Utley, however, is that he has played in six consecutive games, and it doesn’t seem like he will be missing a significant amount of games for the rest of the season.

Howard is also starting to get hot. He too has four home runs, three of which have come in the last seven days. His average is starting to climb, and so are his production numbers, as the guys in front of him are getting on base so that he can actually do his job of driving them in.

Taking the good with the bad, the one thing that has gone wrong since the break is the starting pitching staff. Luckily for them, however, the bullpen and offense have really carried the team and helped to mask some of the starters’ not-so-perfect outings. For the majority of the season, it has been this same bullpen and offense that have let down the pitchers, but now they are the ones picking them up.

The way this team is playing, they have their confidence back, they have their fight back. They are finding ways to win ballgames and are outlasting their opponents, showing the mark of a playoff team, something the Phils may manage to become if they keep playing like this.

Once seeming like an unlikely possibility, the Phillies are making waves in the Wild Card race. They are only 9.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves, a team against which they have a very pivotal three-game series in just a few days.

The series against the Braves and subsequent one against the Nationals will determine the mettle of this team. Walk-offs are nice, and in addition to the heroics giving fans and players alike reasons to be pumped and excited, they have also put the team in the mentality that no matter how much they are down, there is no game this squad can’t win.

The problem, however, is that against the Braves, Nationals and other top NL opponents, the pitching is going to be better. The closers they face are going to be better then KRod, who in an off-year has only converted three saves in nine opportunities. They aren’t always going to be able to get those comeback wins.

Still, the Phillies are making things possible again. They are making us believers that maybe—just maybe—they can make a miracle happen. The core of the team is back, healthy and starting to produce, the starting staff is set for the rest of the season, the bullpen, although still a little shaky, is performing better now that Kyle Kendrick is back in the relief role and, most importantly, we can all breathe a sigh of relief as trade rumors surrounding Cole Hamels are officially dead and buried.

This team is playing like they did in 2008, and it is a good thing they are. Because it is exactly that kind of play that it is going to take going forward for the Phillies to make the playoffs and continue to have us on the edge of our seats.

It is that team that made us believers in a World Series Championship, and it is this team in 2012, that is doing its best in the second half of the season to keep that belief and that dream alive.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay’s Return Will Spark Phils Winning Streak

With Roy Halladay set to make his first start since May 27, the Philadelphia Phillies have to be optimistic as they make a push for a spot in the 2012 playoffs.

Although they have put themselves in an unenviable position and will be playing from behind for the rest of the season, Halladay coming back could not have come at a better time.

Currently sitting at 40-51, the Phils have gotten off to a solid start in the season’s second half. After losing their first game against the Colorado Rockies, the team has been on a three-game winning streak which featured back-to-back eight-inning starts from Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton. 

It may not seem like much, but the Phillies picked up a game on the Nationals during this streak and are currently only 13 behind them for the division lead. The Phils have also gotten closer to reaching the .500 mark as they recorded their 40th win Monday night against the LA Dodgers.

Right now, the team is doing exactly what they need to do and that is to win games. With Halladay back, this winning streak should no doubt continue and, as he takes the mound Tuesday night, that is exactly what the Phils are going to need him to do.

 

The Anchor of the Rotation

If there is any question at all over how much Halladay means to this team, just ask a guy like Juan Pierre, who even though he has only been his teammate for a few months, easily expressed the impact Halladay has. 

“Everybody looks to him (for leadership). He doesn’t say much, but you know what he can do when he goes out there because of his work ethic. (Cole) Hamels and (Cliff) Lee are both tremendous guys, but Roy’s the anchor.” – Juan Pierre courtesy of the Washington Post

Pierre’s comments are just a few in the long line of amazing credit that players, both opposing and teammates, have given Halladay over the years. His impact in a staff can truly never be overstated.

 

Hello Halladay, Goodbye Kendrick

There is no question that Halladay is an ace and that he is the Phillies’ ace. With his presence back in the rotation, the Phils will once again have a formidable pitching staff that can compete with the rest of the division.

On top of him coming back to pitch every fifth day, Halladay’s return to the lineup means the Phillies are able to put Kyle Kendrick back in the bullpen. This offers two benefits, as Kendrick was not having a great season from the rotation and now the bullpen will have much needed help.

Over recent years, Kendrick has proven a valuable asset for the Phillies from the pen. This season, the Phils’ pen has faltered and, on several occasions, has cost the team valuable games. The only way they even have a shot at the playoffs begins with fixing the pen. With Kendrick back, short of a trade, this gives the Phils the best chance to fix the bullpen and to have some sort of stable reliever to go to late in games.

 

The Much Needed Ace

Halladay is a guy that can give this team eight innings most of the time he goes out to the mound. Since he is just coming off the DL, it might take a few starts, but once he feels ready to go there will be nothing stopping the Phils from riding Halladay for the rest of the season.

Hopefully, this will mean the bullpen is not even a factor. It has been proven this season that the formula for this team’s success is for the starter to hand the ball off to closer Jonathan Papelbon. With Halladay back on the mound, the Phils have one more pitcher with the capability to do this and to do it on a regular basis.

In addition to this, Halladay is a guy that more often than not will keep a team in games. Although he struggled earlier this season, it can be said that some of that could be attributed to his injury. A healthy Halladay, which the Phils expect to be getting, won’t have this problem. As a result, whenever he is on the mound, the Phillies will have a chance to win the game.

With each game as important as the last, this seemingly small matter will ultimately prove to be very important.

 

Championship Drive

It has been said by many that this Phillies team does not possess the desire needed to win a championship. Most of the core have been there and won it before, so it is understandable if the drive to win wouldn’t be as strong.

Halladay however is a completely different story and more than anyone else on this team right now, he has the strongest desire to win a World Series ring.

This is the one item missing from an otherwise wonderful major league career. Hall of Fame aspirations aside, Halladay wants this more than anything else as it is the ultimate accomplishment.

For this reason, Halladay is going to fight for a ring. He is going to show up for the second half of the season dedicated and determined, perhaps more so than ever. Having him back gives the Phils someone who will push for success and demand nothing less. If there is any hope of the Phillies reaching the postseason, it will be because Doc is back and because he is ready to take control of this staff as only he can.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Things the Team Needs to Do to Be Playoff Contenders

As the second half of the season begins, the Philadelphia Phillies find themselves in foreign territory. They are 14 games behind the Washington Nationals for the division crown and 10 games back of the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds for the two Wild Card spots.

Basically, the Phils are aboard a sinking ship and if they don’t climb out soon, they will be out of the playoff picture, finishing a season that all will soon want to forget.

Even though the situation is grim, there is still hope for the Phillies. One of the biggest problems for the team this year is that they have not played up to the level that they should be. The players haven’t stepped up in ways that they have in the past.

Although this has been a source of concern it now represents a reason to hope. The Phillies have the talent to get it done, they just need to show up to play as soon as the second half of the season begins.

There is no question this is an uphill battle, but there is still a chance, albeit a slim one, that the Phillies get it done. Here are the ten things that the Phils must do at the start of the break in order to keep the possibility of making the playoffs alive.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Why Activating Howard from the DL Can Turn Season Around

For the Philadelphia Phillies, the announcement that 1B Ryan Howard will return to the line-up for tonight’s game against the Atlanta Braves, could not have come at a better time.

In the midst of a season of ups and downs, the Phillies need something to turn this season around. The return of Chase Utley last week was supposed to be the remedy, but it has only been a temporary cure. Utley has done his job for the most part, but the power of the line-up continues to be absent and the need for Howard continues to grow.

At 10 games under .500, 13 games out of first and an incredibly tough mountain to climb just to make the playoffs, things have not been good in Philadelphia. The team recently was forced to trade Jim Thome because of his inability to play in the National League, and rumors have been swirling about possible trades of Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino.

It is probably no surprise that rumors of a firesale have spread considering the recent state of the team, but considering last night’s final straw, these rumors might become true as the trade deadline approaches.

With Cole Hamels on the mound, the Phillies looked to take a victory against the New York Mets. Leading 5-4 in the 9th inning, the Phils brought in their closer, the almost sure thing in Jonathan Papelbon.

Unfortunately, last night was Papelbon’s second blown save, and it couldn’t have come at a worst time. The Phils lost the game while the Marlins, Braves, Nationals and of course Mets all took wins, and distanced themselves that much further from the last place Phillies.

Much hasn’t gone right for the Phillies this season and the injuries to Howard, Utley and Roy Halladay haven’t helped. Now with Utley back and Howard ready to make his 2012 Phillies debut, things could finally start to turn around. And if the Phils hope to make a 6th consecutive playoff appearance, they will need it to turn around and to turn around soon.

To quote a Counting Crows song, “you don’t know what you got til it’s gone.” For the Phillies, this is exactly the situation they found themselves in with Howard this season.

Although his production was always valued, I don’t think anyone really realized how much this team would miss him until they were forced to play the first half of the season without him in the line-up.

In terms of power and production, Howard’s career 864 RBI and 286 home runs lead the team by far. This season, those numbers have been sorely missed as the Phils rank tied for 13th in home runs and 15th for RBI.

Howard’s return will give this line-up a spark and a reason to be optimistic for the rest of the season. Although Carlos Ruiz has done an excellent job filling in for Howard in the clean-up spot, putting the “Big Piece” back there will give the Phils a very formidable heart of the order, something they have not had all season.

Howard has also been missed at first base. With Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton, Laynce Nix, John Mayberry and Hector Luna all seeing time at the bag, there has really been no consistency at the position both at the plate and on defense.

Even though one player won’t suddenly turn this team into a championship contender, it could go a long way to keeping morale up and to giving this team hope going forward. There has been a glaring hole in this team all season, and with Howard back, that hole is only going to get smaller. The power and production he provides has not and cannot be matched by what this team currently has.

For the Phils, who have been in the cellar for the better part of the season, getting Howard back can’t hurt. With just a few games left before the All-Star break, this is the perfect time for the slugger to return, as the team is going to need to have some kind of magical second half of the season to get a shot at another World Series appearance.

They are going to need Utley, but they are certainly and maybe most importantly going to need Howard.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 4 In-House Names to Replace Kyle Kendrick in the Rotation

It has always been known that, when you go somewhere, it is not polite to “overstay your welcome.” Well, unfortunately for the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher Kyle Kendrick does not seem like the courteous type.

It should be obvious to all fans, media and anyone else that Kendrick has overstayed his welcome in Philadelphia. It is time for the team to cut their losses and move forward with a new pitcher to anchor the rotation.

In the past few years, Kendrick has been given chance after chance to stick with the big league club. He has been used as a spot starter and long reliever in the bullpen with some success, but when it comes to cracking the starting staff, KK just can’t seem to put it together.

That’s not to say he’s been completely useless with the Phillies. He has had good seasons in the past, including a stellar rookie campaign in 2007 which helped push the Phils into the playoffs. Kendrick went 10-4, winning 13 of his 18 starts. In the postseason, he was the No. 2 pitcher on the roster.

Ever since then, however, Kendrick has been up and down. He has been to the minors and back more times than one should care to count, and has never been particularly effective.

In all his years though, he has not been as bad as he has in 2012.

Kendrick’s season, as has been his career, is marked with incredible inconsistency. He is 2-8 on the season with 52 strikeouts and a 5.35 ERA. The 2012 season also saw him throw his first ever complete game shutout.

With as many issues as the Phillies have had with their starting staff this year, they need to supplant someone in the fifth spot that can give them consistency and a chance to win—something Kendrick has not done in recent starts.

If they hope to make the playoffs, they need to seek pitching help from someone else, perhaps an arm in the minor leagues.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Assembling Full 40-Man Roster of Top Homegrown Players

From baseball’s beginnings to the game that is played today, the importance of player development has not been underscored. Before there were farm systems, scouts would look at players participating in other leagues. Unaffiliated with other teams, if a major league club found a player they liked all they had to do was make an offer.

Today, the way teams develop players is a little different. Often they will acquire them from the MLB Amateur Draft or as undrafted free agents. Then the player will likely begin a long and slow process in the minors until they are deemed major league ready.

Sometimes players drafted won’t make it to the bigs with the team that signed them. Sometimes draft picks won’t make it at all.

With the way Major League Baseball is, you can’t know which draft picks will become stars or which undrafted free agents you should take a chance on. You can guess, but until you see that player in action, you won’t know.

Since the Phillies have recently stressed the importance of the farm system and since it is that farm system that has enabled them to make such blockbuster deals, I thought it would be interesting to look back at those players that weren’t involved in blockbuster deals, those players that were drafted or signed by the team and that started and in some cases finished their careers in Philadelphia.

Without further ado and with an intensive look back into the franchise’s history, I present the best 40-man roster the Phils can assemble using only players that are considered to be homegrown talent.

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Philadelphia Phillies: How Chase Utley’s Return Impacts Team’s Playoff Chances

The result of Thursday night’s Philadelphia Phillies game, a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies, pretty much sums up how the entire season has been going.

Citizen’s Bank Park, a place that boasts loud and passionate fans, used to be a place that other teams dreaded to play in. The home-field advantage was never more obvious than when the Phils took the field at their stadium in the heart of their beloved city. In 2012, however, it has just been a place where the Phillies play their home games. Nothing much is special about it, no added advantage is obvious. The team isn’t winning any more games at home. They aren’t winning games period.

Nothing has been easy for the Phils this season. Whether it has been the injuries to key members of the team, uncharacteristic errors in the field, a lack of success against other teams’ bullpens or just an inability to score with runners on base with less than two outs, the championship formula this team has had in the past few years is not there.

Morale is down and frustration is obvious. It is on the faces of the players, the dumbfounded looks of the manager and the disappointment from the fans.

This team needs something, well a lot of things. It needs to get help in the bullpen. It needs to get its ace and sluggers off of the DL. It needs its other ace to find a way to win a game. It needs to score more runs. It needs to make less errors, both mental and on the score sheet. It needs to take action, to play inspired baseball. Most importantly, this team needs to get its swagger, its confidence, its personality back.

Most of what the Phils need, most of what I described, is embodied in the heart and soul of one player. He is someone who doesn’t shy away from a challenge, someone who plays with grit and passion, someone who is a leader. He may have arthritic knees but that doesn’t change the fact that when healthy, he can really smack the cover off of a baseball.

If you haven’t figured it out, the person I am referring to is All-Star second baseman Chase Utley.

Having yet to face major league pitching and the wear and tear of major league fielding, Utley is close to making his 2012 debut. In fact, according to a recent report via AOL Sporting News, Utley could be back before the calendar turns to July.

While Utley’s return has been long anticipated, at this point in the season, one has to wonder if it will be enough or if the Phils have already dug themselves a hole too deep to climb out of.

Even then, a bigger question arises. When Utley comes back, how will he be? Will he go back to how he was pre-2011? Will he be able to play back-to-back games? Will his knees hold up for the rest of the season?

With all of these questions and so far, not enough information to create the answers, it is hard to predict how Utley’s return will impact the team’s chances at a sixth consecutive playoff berth. If Utley is healthy, however, and returns to the form he has had in the best years of his career, it would not be surprising to see the Phillies once again atop the NL East.

On the field, Utley brings solid defensive skills. He has never been perfect in the field but it is something he has invested time and energy in improving. With the bat, Utley has offensive prowess. His quick swing enables him to get the barrel on the ball and helps him get around on pitches. He grinds out each at-bat and is rarely ever an easy out.

Something else that the Phillies desperately need is situational hitting and when at his best, Utley does this as well as anyone else in the game. With a runner on second, nobody out, such as in Thursday’s game when Ty Wigginton led off the inning with a double, Utley knows what he has to do and more often than not executes.

In addition to what Utley offers with his bat and his glove, depending on his knees, he can also be a threat on the bases. Although not the fastest, Utley has also had good career numbers in base stealing percentage. Just like every other aspect of his game, he works so hard at it and as a result, when he does run, he picks his moments, and more often than not, he chooses them wisely.

In the dugout, in the clubhouse, in the locker room and on the field, Chase Utley is a leader. For someone who keeps his life relatively under wraps in terms of the media, Utley has proven himself to be a vital part of who the team is. Much of the confidence, swagger and personality this team alludes comes from the way Utley plays the game. The younger players on the team imitate him and the older players respect him. 

If Jimmy Rollins is the fire and Ryan Howard is the heart of the line up, Chase Utley is obviously the soul. Without its heart and soul, Rollins’ fire is just an extinguishing flame. It goes without saying that with Utley back, this team will start to get some of its morale back. Rollins’ flame, which has been starting to light up, will catch fire. Led by Rollins and Utley, the rest of this offense will catch fire too, just in time for a late playoff push in the heat of the summer months.

So even though the Chase Utley Phillies fans will see is still in question, what isn’t in question is what he means to this team. So much of Utley’s value is not measured in a box score. It is in the intangibles he exudes just when he takes the field. For the Phils, getting Utley back will impact their playoff chances and could very well make them a playoff team again. 

No matter what, though, the Phillies will be an interesting story to watch as the final, pivotal months of the season are underway.

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Philadelphia Phillies: How the Phillies Can Sweep the Washington Nationals

When the baseball schedule was first released, not many expected a late May series between the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies to be one with a lot of importance. While many may have expected the series to feature the division leader and the team in the cellar, it is a safe bet that not many expected the Phillies to be in the cellar and the Nationals to be near the top, a few games behind the Atlanta Braves for the division lead.

It may not have been the expected result but nevertheless that is how things have shaken out and that is likely what will be the story of the series.

For the Phillies, this series is almost make or break. They are coming off of a stretch which saw them win seven of their last 11 games, but which also included two back-to-back losses against the struggling, under .500 Boston Red Sox. During this stretch the Phillies got their record above .500 for the first time since their season opening win.

With the Nationals in a bit of a slide, the Braves have taken over first place. Their record is good enough for third best in MLB and as they keep winning, it is going to become harder and harder for the Phillies to catch up to them, especially if they do not manage to win this series against the Nationals.

It won’t be easy, but the Phillies have been a much better team in May. Also, with the injuries the Nationals have suffered, the Phils would be primed to take advantage. As the Nationals are a young and up and coming team, winning this series would be a small way that the Phillies could prove to their NL East opponents, that their reign at the top is not yet over.

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Carlos Ruiz: Why the Phillies’ Catcher Deserves to Start the 2012 All Star Game

When Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz first joined the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006, he was coming off of a season in Double-A Reading in which he posted a .385 batting average with five doubles and six home runs in 91 at-bats. As a result of these numbers, Ruiz received his major league call-up and started 27 games with the Phillies.

In 2007, he was awarded the starting catching job with the Phillies, among talk of concern regarding his ability to hit, catch and have his body hold up for the entire season. As insurance, the Phillies signed Rod Barajas in the 2006 offseason to back up their catching prospect. An injury to Barajas left an opening for the 33-year old-rookie Chris Coste to start, but instead Ruiz got the majority of the catching time. In the 115 games he played in, he hit .259 and recorded career highs in doubles (29) and RBI (54).

Playing great backstop from behind the plate, Ruiz showed his doubters and quickly dispelled the thoughts that he couldn’t be a major league catcher. He instantly endeared himself to fans by a few clutch hits and key plays behind the plate, earning him the nickname of “Chooch.”

After 2007, Ruiz never looked back. He earned the full-time catching job outright and has been as vital to this team as any other player in recent years. His defense and pitch calling have never been in question and his offense is continually improving. He has been this team’s MVP time and time again, but has never gotten to start or even made the NL All-Star team. 2012, however, could and should be his year.

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