Philadelphia Phillies: Why Michael Cuddyer’s Versatility Would Benefit Phils

Before you all go out and get your Cuddyer jerseys, hold up, because he hasn’t been signed…yet.

Rumors swirling around the web involving the possibility of the Phils signing Cuddyer began last night after the Jim Thome signing was announced. According to Phillies insider Jim Salisbury, not only is this a possibility, but Ruben and the team are “seriously pursuing him.”

For the Phillies, signing Cuddyer not only makes sense but it also makes the team that much better. While Cuddyer isn’t the flashiest or youngest player out there, he brings solid defensive abilities and a pretty good right-handed bat to the lineup. Not to mention he can play 1B, 3B, LF and RF, which is something the Phillies could desperately use.

Cuddyer offers options and versatility for a Phillies team that currently has more questions than answers. The big one is going to be who starts the season at first base.

At First Base

While optimists alike hope that Ryan Howard will be ready go, it is very, very, let me stress VERY unlikely that he is healthy and in baseball shape come April. For this reason, the Phillies are going to be looking for a first baseman to play at least the first month of the season.

The options? Right now it is John Mayberry Jr. and Thome, both of whom have played first for the Phillies before and both of whom are in different situations regarding the position.

For Mayberry, the Phillies left-fielder, having to step in at first base isn’t foreign to him. He spent some time there last season when Howard was given rest. Although Mayberry played solid first base and didn’t appear to be a liability, he is also needed in left field. It seems certain Mayberry will make the team at one of these spots, but his inexperience of spending a full year or even multiple months consistently at first might have the Phillies exploring other options.

Then there is Thome, one of those other options. Thome was not necessarily signed to step in for Howard, and he may not get the chance. The 41-year-old has only played minimally in the field in the past six seasons, and his defensive ability is yet to be seen. Although he will probably get a shot in spring training, his primary role may end up being as a bat off the bench as opposed to an everyday player.

This is where Cuddyer comes in. His averages of 22 HR and 80-plus RBI the past three seasons aren’t exactly Howardesque numbers, but they will take some of the pressure off of Hunter Pence and Chase Utley to try to make up for Howard’s missing presence.

Cuddyer is also familiar at the first base position and poses less of a liability than Thome and even the inexperienced Mayberry. He is the best option for the Phils at this position.

At Third Base

One of Cuddyer’s other positions is at third. The Phillies don’t necessarily need a third baseman as Placido Polanco is expected to be ready to go at the beginning of the season, but again Cuddyer would give them options. Last season, Polanco suffered from back problems and saw his productivity dip dramatically. Not only would Cuddyer be able to play third if this happens to Polanco, but he could also step in to give Polanco rest, which might benefit the production of the aging third baseman.

At Right Field

With Pence in right field, Cuddyer would not be needed to play this position, but having the option is always good.

At Left Field

If Mayberry is playing at first, Cuddyer would take his spot in left field. Although it makes more sense to leave Mayberry at left and put Cuddyer at first, this is another one of those options the versatility of Cuddyer offers.

Wherever Cuddyer would end up playing would help the depleted Phillies offense. He is a right-handed bat to aid a left-handed heavy lineup, and if Raul Ibanez is not re-signed, Cuddyer would greatly help Utley and Pence in carrying the offensive load for the team. This is a move that makes sense for the Phillies, and one that makes sense for Cuddyer.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

2012 Philadelphia Phillies: Why Signing Jim Thome Can Be Low-Risk, High-Reward

The announcement was just made and confirmed by Phillies.com: Jim Thome is returning to the Philadelphia Phillies, pending a physical.

For the Phillies, signing 1B Jim Thome didn’t exactly come as a surprise. The pieces were in place to bring Thome back last season, but ultimately he was traded to another of his former teams, the Cleveland Indians.

With Thome back in the clubhouse, it is sure to boost the spirits of fans and players alike. Although he has played barely any defense since being traded from the Phillies to the White Sox, it looks that he might be called to do that for the Phillies.

It will be an interesting move to see what the 41-year-old has left. In a seemingly low-risk, high-reward move, the Phillies could be rewarded big time for bringing the adored superstar back to Philadelphia.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: Projecting the 2012 Phillies’ Bullpen Ladder

There is an old saying that goes, “every team is only as strong as its weakest link.”

This is the case in all sports and all teams. For the Philadelphia Phillies, a team with a great amount of talent but as observed in the 2011 NLDS, quite a few flaws as well, their weakest link was partially caused by a lack of bullpen depth.

For the Phillies, who, in the past, 2008 to be exact, had the best bullpen in MLB, the opposite could be said of the 2011 team. Suffering injuries to all three of their closer options, the Phillies were forced to start an inexperienced pitcher at both the closer and set-up positions. Although the experiment worked at first, both of the young arms burned out by September, giving the Phillies few options in the bullpen.

Although the bullpen cannot be solely blamed for the 2011 postseason failure, it is a contributing factor. In 2008, the Phillies won the World Series with their excellent bullpen, and in 2012, they are going to need a bit of a bullpen redux in order to hope to do it again.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: 12 People Most Affected By Not Winning the World Series

Let’s face it, the Phillies season was not supposed to be over yet. Most if not all Phils fans expected that they, and not the St. Louis Cardinals would be playing deep into October.

They believed and wanted for the Phillies to be playing game one of the World Series yesterday.

But let’s be honest here. Baseball seasons rarely ever go how you expect they will.

For the odds on favorites the Phillies, not meeting these expectations is something that could haunt this franchise for years to come if they can’t win a ring in the next few years.

More than players, management has also been affected by the 2011 disappointment.

Now that it is off season, decisions have to be made regarding the makeup of the team and how to make it better going forward.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: 7 Reasons Why They Didn’t Win the Ring in 2011

Just as the 2008 World Series image of Brad Lidge on his knees after he struck out Eric Hinske for the Championship is one we will never forget, so is this year’s NLDS image of Ryan Howard on the ground in pain as Chris Carpenter and his Cardinal teammates celebrated in front of 40,000+ absolutely stunned Phillies fans.

It didn’t seem right that the best season in Phillies history would end so unceremoniously, but it did.

As Howard tried to run down the line his Achilles tendon snapped and left him on the ground in pain. His pain was the physical manifestation of the pain hundreds of thousands of Phillies fans felt when they saw that their World Series caliber team could not even make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

For the Phillies, and their fans, this loss meant more than just going another year without a ring. It marked disappointment, one of the most if not thee most disappointing seasons in Phillies history. The perfect team was believed to be assembled and with the four aces, considered by some to be the best staff ever put together, odds were not only on the Phillies making the Fall Classic but winning it as well.

With high expectations and even greater aspirations, the Phillies failure will be one that won’t soon be forgotten. Time to ask the question “why.” Why, if the perfect team was assembled did the Phillies lose? Why if they had four of the best pitchers in baseball could they not even make it past the NLDS? 

Begin Slideshow

2011 MLB Playoffs: Previewing the Keys for the Phillies vs. Cardinals NLDS

Baseball fans, prepare because it is that time of year again. You can throw away regular season stats, MVP numbers, pitching ERA and records because it is time to start fresh in the postseason.

Every team starts with a clean 0-0 slate and has a chance to rectify regular season performances or build upon them. For the Phillies and the Cardinals, this is exactly the case.

The Phillies finished the season with the most wins, but in their head-to-head matchups, the Cardinals dominated.

Both of these teams have a chance to make their mark on the playoffs and here are the keys, in no particular order, that each team will need in order to advance to the NLCS.

Begin Slideshow

MLB Playoffs 2011: Power Ranking the Experience of All 8 Postseason Teams

After yesterday’s jaw-dropping regular season finale, the 2011 MLB Playoffs are finally set with baseball’s top teams ready to compete for baseball’s greatest award, the World Series Championship.

This year, the playoff experience that each team brings is at an all-time high. The Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers have all made the playoffs at least once in the past decade. In the last 10 years, seven of the eight teams have advanced to the World Series and four of those seven have won it. Four times in the past 10 years have some of these teams faced against each other in the World Series, Diamondbacks vs. Yankees in 2001, Cardinals vs. Tigers in 2006, Rays vs. Phillies in 2008 and Yankees vs. Phillies in 2009.

With all of these teams making the playoffs in the recent past, there is a great deal of familiarity on display in the matchups. The importance of playoff experience cannot be overstated and it will be a key factor in deciding who wins the World Series.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies Reaping the Benefits of 2002 Moneyball Draft

By now most people probably know a little bit of the story about Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics and the “Moneyball” draft theory.

With the movie set to come out in a few weeks, the story of how the 2002 Athletics went from worst team in baseball to playoff participant will be told. 

The story that won’t be told however is how the Philadelphia Phillies are capitalizing on the results of that very draft through three top picks in Cole Hamels, John Mayberry Jr. and Joe Blanton.

Phillies RH pitcher Joe Blanton was actually one of Beane’s picks in the 2002 draft. The 6’3, 245-pound pitcher was drafted second by the Athletics and 24th overall based on his sabermetric value.

He was not the flashiest prospect but his other and more inclusive stats, as Beane called them, such as WAR (Wins Against Replacement) and FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) had him ranked as one of the top possible prospects.

He was the perfect fit for Beane’s “Moneyball” experiment and had great seasons for both the Athletics and the Phillies.

The Phillies’ LH pitcher Cole Hamels was also part of the 2002 draft class. He was the 17th overall pick by the Phillies.

Hamels, who was passed over by Beane because he was only in high school, has turned out to be one of the best pitchers taken in that draft. For a Phillies team that was certainly struggling, Hamels turned out to be a great pick.

Phillies LF and backup 1B John Mayberry Jr. was another pick of the “Moneyball” draft. Mayberry, who was drafted 28th overall by the Seattle Mariners, was another high school kid whom Beane considered a foolish pick.

Beane beleived it was much easier to gauge the stats of those out of a college and as a result skipped over guys like Mayberry. Out of the 41 first round picks, Mayberry was the only one not to sign as he chose to go to Stanford to play college ball instead.

Three of the top 30 picks of the 2002 draft are on the Phillies roster and have certainly made their impact.

Blanton, who was widely considered the Athletics’ biggest success of the draft, came to the Phillies during the 2008 season as part of a trade that occurred in July of that season.

Blanton’s first few starts with the Phillies were great. He was good for pitching a lot of innings and throwing strikeouts. He was a power pitcher and added to the rotation of Brett Myers and fellow 2002 draftee Hamels. Blanton made the Phillies a playoff team.

In the playoffs he was a solid and consistent starter who even hit a HR in the 2008 World Series on the way to helping the Phillies win the game and the World Series.

Hamels is one of the many “home grown” Phils that are on the team. He was drafted by the team, came up in the system and currently is part of the pitching rotation.

Beane’s characterization of Hamels being a “foolish draft pick” has certainly proven false. “Hollywood” Hamels has been everything the Phillies expected when they drafted him.

After spending only a few short years in one of the best farm systems in baseball, Hamels joined the staff. A few years after that, Hamels was the ace of the staff and was widely considered one of the best up and coming players in the major leagues.

Hamels added to his resume by being simply lights out in the 2008 postseason. He went 4-0 in the playoffs en route to winning the NLCS and World Series MVP. He was a huge part of the Phillies’ success in 2008.

Mayberry has only recently made his mark on Major League Baseball. The player who chose to attend college instead of enter baseball was acquired by the Phillies in the 2008 offseason for OF Greg Golson.

Mayberry has been a breath of fresh air for the Phils who lost Jayson Werth to free agency and had their top prospect Domonic Brown go down with an injury after struggle offensively.

Desperately in need of a right-handed power bat, Mayberry provided just the punch the Phillies needed and did so at just the right time.

After being demoted to the minors he came back with a vengeance and was awarded a platoon spot in LF with Raul Ibanez.

His power and speed have helped him succeed and at one point in the season he had 17 extra base hits in 26 at-bats. Just like Hamels and Blanton did in 2008, Mayberry is looking to make his mark on the 2011 postseason.

In a draft that saw Prince Fielder, Nick Swisher, Zach Greinke, B.J. Upton and so many other major league talents, the Phillies have clearly been the draft winners.

Even though they only began with one of the top 30 picks, they acquired two more who have been essential in their past and recent success. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: 7 Keys to the Phillies Winning the 2011 World Series

The Philadelphia Phillies have been referred to with many different names throughout the 2011 season. The best team in baseball, the best pitching rotation in history, World Series favorites, the Four Aces and my personal favorite, the Miami Heat of baseball.

Well, we all know how the Miami Heat fared when it came to the playoffs, but the Phillies expect to take a very different trip through the postseason.

As always, the goal is to win the World Series, and with the team Ruben Amaro, Jr. has assembled, this goal is very attainable. With great pitching and a stellar offense, the Phillies are only a few steps away from parading down Broad Street.

Here are the keys that the Phillies will need to do to become the World Champions once again. 

Begin Slideshow

« Previous Page