Philadelphia Phillies: 7 Prospects Who Are Tearing It Up in the Minor Leagues

After trading so many top talents to acquire Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Hunter Pence, among others, the Philadelphia Phillies may finally be starting to get back to having a serviceable farm system.

Most notably, the Phillies are stacked at the low levels of their organization with pitching talent. Most of the guys have been considered as three/four starters at best, but some arms, Jesse Biddle and Adam Morgan particularly, have distinction as No. 2’s with Biddle even having the potential to be a top ace.

Then, of course, there are a handful of offensive players with skill and talent, including the young Kelly Dugan and Maikel Franco as well as Cesar Hernandez, who very well could be the heir apparent to Chase Utley if the Phillies choose not to re-sign their All-Star after this season.

The farm is not barren, and as the first month of the season has shown, there are some talented prospects making names for themselves.

And with that being said, here are seven prospects, some ranked, some not, who have really been tearing it up at their respective minor league levels. This list is not about those with the most potential but rather just looks at 2013 and the guys who have really performed well in this calendar year.

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Philadelphia Phillies Faced with Reality That Roy Halladay May Never Be Back

Roy Halladay gave up five runs on two hits in the first inning of the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 14-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Sunday. After a clean second inning, Halladay allowed another four runs to cross in the third, leaving the game after surrendering nine runs while only recording seven outs.

After the game, Halladay admitted he has been battling shoulder soreness. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro told reporters the Phillies will have no choice but to put Halladay on the disabled list.

Per Phillies.com:

We’re likely to have to put Doc on the DL. Up until now he hasn’t really expressed any discomfort. He hasn’t been on our injury report. But now it sounds like we’ll have to DL him. Until we do some diagnostic work, we won’t know exactly what’s going on with him, but clearly, it doesn’t seem like he’s very healthy. It was pretty apparent with his performance, unfortunately.

Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki confirmed the news on Monday.  

The Phillies had to be watching the game—seeing one of the great pitchers of our generation completely fall apart for the fifth time in eight starts this season—wondering if Halladay will ever return to top form.

Halladay told reporters after the game that his shoulder has been sore since the Pittsburgh Pirates outing on April 24, validating the belief that something was physically wrong with him during these last two outings. Per the Phillies.com report: 

I felt good all spring. I felt good all year. I just got up after that start against Pittsburgh and had soreness in there and wasn’t able to get rid of it. That’s really all I have. We don’t have a lot of information on it. We did some tests, and obviously they aren’t completely conclusive as to what it is.

As writers, we are asked to take our fan caps off and try to look at a player, team or story in an objective way. I’m not ashamed to admit that with this player on this team involved in this story, objectivity is impossible. I root for Roy Halladay not just because he is on the Phillies, but because it has been a true pleasure to watch him work the last few years. 

There have not been many players in the history of the game like Halladay, so to have the privilege of watching him work every fifth day has been incredible.

Now, watching him fall apart and hearing him search for answers after each demoralizing loss this year has been like seeing a member of your family slip away…with nothing you can do about it. 

At times this year, the old Roy was back, like in his seven-inning, two-hit, six-strikeout win over the St. Louis Cardinals in April or his six-inning, one-hit, eight-strikeout gem against the Pirates the next time out.

I was convinced, as a fan and a writer, Halladay was back. Sure, he didn’t have the same velocity, but after two rough outings to start the season, the former ace had figured out a way to change his game.

Everything would be OK, wouldn’t it? 

Watching his last two outings—Halladay gave up eight runs on nine hits in 3.2 innings against the Cleveland Indians in his last start before Sunday’s debacle—there were flashes of the old Halladay here and there.

In the second inning on Sunday, Halladay threw just 10 pitches, retiring the side in order. The old Halladay looked like he was back, for a fleeting moment.

Of course, that was after walking two, hitting one and giving up a bases-loaded double and a bases-clearing triple in the first inning. The second-inning success was also before the third-inning humiliation, when Halladay hit another batter, walked the next, gave up a single to load the bases and, after a strikeout, served up a 1-0 fastball only to see it smacked over the right-field fence.

Grand slam. 

Adeiny Hechavarria, the Marlins hitter responsible for the bases-clearing homerun, came into Sunday batting .169 with three RBI on the season. After his triple in the first and grand slam in the third, the light-hitting shortstop upped his total to 10 RBI, with seven coming in two at-bats off a former Cy Young Award winner and likely Hall of Famer in Halladay.

Only, this isn’t the same guy he was. He can’t be, and it’s looking more and more like he won’t be anymore. 

If it wasn’t bad enough for Halladay on Sunday—being hung out to dry by his manager and pitching coach when they left him in the game with the bases loaded and nobody out in the third—Halladay had to stand on the mound after the grand slam until the umpires could finish reviewing the play.

During the break for review, Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz trotted out to the mound and chatted with Halladay. The television cameras showed a close-up of the two, leaving viewers to wonder what that conversation must have been like. 

What do you say to the greatest pitcher you’ve had the chance to catch when you both realize it’s over? 

Phillies fans can’t expect Halladay to return and be the pitcher he once was, and after a year filled with injuries and ineffectiveness, it’s fair to speculate if Halladay will ever come back at all. 

What if he can’t get it back? Halladay doesn’t owe anyone anything. How many times can he try to get back the greatness before he realizes it might not be there anymore? 

Phils manager Charlie Manuel was asked a question about Halladay’s future after the game (via Phillies.com): 

We always talk to him. As long as he feels like he is healthy and can pitch and the doctor says he’s healthy we pretty much…gotta send him back out there.

…

I think he’s very professional. I think that how he thinks is what he’s going to come and tell me. I think if it got to that, he’d come and talk to me about that. 

You can infer what “that” is pretty clearly. Nobody wants to talk about “that,” especially not a pitcher like Halladay who just won a Cy Young award two years ago. “That” shouldn’t have come this fast.

Halladay missed nearly seven weeks last season with an extended stint on the disabled list after several horrible outings in May. He was out all of June and half of July before coming back to, honestly, a similar result to what the Phillies have seen season. In some games last year, Halladay looked like the Cy Young award winner we remembered. Others, not so much.

After a dreadful run in September, the Phillies—following weeks of speculation—finally shut Halladay down with a few starts left in the season. Something was clearly wrong, and it took both the pitcher and the team too long to admit it.

This year was supposed to be different, even though Halladay had a woeful time in spring training trying to find his command and getting his velocity anywhere close to what he needed to be effective at the major league level. Some pundits suggested the Phillies should have left Halladay in extended spring training when the team came back up for the regular season, certain something had to be wrong with him.

Halladay kept insisting he was fine physically, and the team had no other choice but to believe him.

Think about the predicament the Phillies brass were in having to trust that one of the greats in the history of the game could work through his problems when performance after performance is indicating he can’t.

Then, after two horrible starts to begin the regular season and a trip to the DL or demotion from the rotation looming with another bad outing, the guy pitched three straight gems.

We were all fooled into thinking he was back because we wanted to be. 

Nobody thought he was the same Halladay as 2009 or 2010, but if anyone could find a way to get guys out with the stuff he had left, it was Doc.

Maybe we were the ones losing it. 

When Halladay was pulled on Sunday, he kept his back turned away from the dugout until Manuel lumbered all the way out to the mound to take the ball. 

Halladay walked off to a smattering of groans, boos—most of the boos were likely directed at Manuel for leaving Halladay out there so long—and applause, with some fans left hoping that a cheer or two might serve to remind the ace know of how much he means to the team, the fans and the city.

“You’ll get ’em next time, Roy.”

Watching someone you love slip away is never easy. Knowing he may never come back—at least not as who he once was—is even harder.

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Stock Up, Stock Down for Philadelphia Phillies’ Top 10 Prospects for Week 5

It’s a good thing that some of the Philadelphia Phillies minor league pitching prospects have had success this season, because it appears another call-up will soon be needed.

John Finger of CSNPhilly.com reported that Roy Halladay admitted to having a sore throwing shoulder. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the pitcher will likely go on the disabled list.

If Halladay ends up on the disabled list, a starter will be needed May 10 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Which pitcher will potentially join Jonathan Pettibone and become the second minor league call-up this season?

In terms of who will be pitching on regular rest, Adam Morgan made his start Sunday at Triple-A, setting up May 10 as a possibility for his major league debut.  However, he has seen his ERA increase in recent weeks.

Although he is not currently ranked as a top 10 prospect, Tyler Cloyd recently struck out 10 batters in an eight-inning victory at Triple-A.

Which other top 10 prospects, according to Baseball America, are setting themselves up for a potential major league call-up?

Let’s take a look at which players’ stocks are up and which are down following Week 5.

 

*All statistics courtesy of MiLB.com unless otherwise noted.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay’s Crashing End Hard on All Concerned

The final curtain may be coming down on Roy Halladay‘s once-dazzling run as a starting pitcher in Philadelphia.

Whether the show can reopen in another city some other day is, well, some other day’s question. 

The here and now is pretty awful. When the Triple-A All-Star team that goes by the name of the Miami Marlins hits you with more earned runs (nine) than you get outs (seven), something is clearly wrong.

Halladay’s earned run average stands at 8.65. He is probably going to land on the disabled list (per ESPN.com) with what has loosely been described as “shoulder soreness” but might more accurately be called “he lost it.”

Whether Dr. Lewis Yocum declares Halladay fit for duty or not is beside the point now.

Halladay has taken the ball seven times this season. Four of those times, his team has been irretrievably behind by the fourth inning. 

What the Phillies are paying Halladay to pitch this season (an even $20 million) is no longer important, either.

Halladay’s results would be unacceptable from a pitcher earning the league minimum. Halladay’s price tag does not make resigning the Phillies to more lopsided losses any more justifiable.

In a perverse way, placing Halladay on the disabled list—maybe even finding out he cannot pitch at all—will be a sort of relief.

Consider all the agita the Phillies and their fans have been exposed to by Halladay just in 2013:

• Spring training was consumed by “is he or isn’t he healthy” stories amid bad outings.
• After two outings, with his ERA over 14, the alarm bells were piercing.
• In search of an explanation (scapegoat?) career backup catcher Erik Kratz saw his name dragged down for Halladay’s sins, like it was his fault Halladay had lost velocity and couldn’t locate any more.
• Just this week, Halladay felt compelled to defend his pitching coach, Rich Dubee, from criticism from noted mechanics expert Mitch Williams. Talk about a low point.
• Now this, an early Mother’s Day massacre at Citizens Bank Park where half the 45,276 announced were wandering to the parking lot like mugging victims by the sixth inning.
• Followed by the coup de grace: Halladay’s concession that he has been pitching hurt for two weeks.

Ugly, irresponsible things leak out of situations like Halladay’s unraveling, including but not limited to radio talk show hosts questioning Halladay’s integrity:

You didn’t ask me, but in my opinion there is no chance that Halladay is saying he is injured to excuse his inability to do his job, or to engender sympathy.

The Phillies have had more than their share of high-priced talent who signed the contract and then jaked it at every opportunity. Lance Parrish, Gregg Jefferies, Travis Lee, Kevin Millwood: Phillies fans have had their share of mutts. Roy Halladay is not a mutt.

But neither Halladay’s valor nor his standing among the game’s active greats is doing anything for him when Adeiny Hechavarria is halfway to the cycle with seven runs batted in off Halladay in the third inning.

Halladay’s quick spiral into uselessness is putting everyone around him in difficult spots, per CSNPhilly.com’s John Gonzalez.

Charlie Manuel: “I have a hard time watching him struggle.”

“Until we do any diagnostic work, we won’t know exactly what’s going on with him,” Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “But, clearly, it doesn’t seem like he’s healthy. It’s pretty apparent with his performance, unfortunately.”

Everything ends badly, or it would not end.

For Roy Halladay and the Phillies, their time together appears to be ending far more rapidly and sadly than either party could ever have imagined.

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Roy Halladay Injury: Updates on Phillies Pitcher’s Shoulder

Roy Halladay‘s tumultuous season just got a lot worse. The Phillies’ star pitcher left the Sunday, May 5 contest against the Miami Marlins due to discomfort in his shoulder. 

 

UPDATE: Thursday, May 9, at 9:29 p.m. ET by Eric Ball

—End of update—

 

UPDATE: Wednesday, May 8, at 2:00 p.m. ET by Tom Kinslow

Mike Axisa of CBSSports.com had more information on Halladay’s timetable for surgery and recovery and more of his thoughts on the entire process.

“[Doctors said the surgery] could turn the clock back two or three years for me,” said Halladay. “I feel like it’s a lot better than some things I anticipated … I don’t feel as lost as before. I feel like there are some answers there.”

Halladay, 35, will have the surgery “as soon as possible.” He cautioned that they will be smart about the entire process and take whatever pre- and post-surgery steps are necessary without rushing back to the field.

“I couldn’t understand why my location was so poor. So I really didn’t know what to think,” added Halladay, who pitched to a 8.65 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in seven starts this year. He allowed nine runs in 2 1/3 innings to the Marlins on Sunday.

—End of update—

Roy Halladay (shoulder) has been placed on the 15-day disabled list, according to MLB‘s Todd Zolecki.

—End of update—

 

 

After the veteran starting pitcher got chased in the third inning Sunday afternoon by the Miami Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies revealed even more terrible news (via the Bucks County Courier Times‘ Kevin Cooney):

Halladay has been dreadful this season, and while this could very well explain some of the problems he has been having, it’s a potentially serious injury no one wishes for.

After beginning his 2013 campaign by allowing 12 earned runs through 7.1 innings in his first two starts, Halladay appeared to finally regain his Cy Young form.

The 15-year veteran won two of his next three starts, giving up just eight hits and four runs while striking out 16 in 21.0 innings. He lowered his ERA from 14.73 to 5.08, efficiently putting his catastrophic start in the rear view.

But as Cooney notes, this particular malady arose on April 24 just after he held the Pittsburgh Pirates to one run and one hit in six innings:

It would make sense, considering how horrendous he has been since that encouraging stretch.

On April 30, he lasted just 3.2 innings against the Cleveland Indians, getting blasted for eight runs and three homers. On Sunday, he gave up nine runs through 2.1 innings against the Giancarlo Stanton-less Miami Marlins.

For those wondering, CSN Philadelphia’s John Gonzalez notes this is a completely new injury for the veteran starter.

Add it all up—a very un-Halladay start to the season, an injury to the pitching shoulder for someone with over 2,700 innings pitched under his belt and a visit with famed surgeon Dr. Lewis Yocum—and the outlook doesn’t look good for Roy Halladay.

After Sunday’s loss, the Phillies sit at 14-18, five games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. 

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Philadelphia Phillies Need to Let the Fire Sale Begin, Starting with Cliff Lee

From 1994 through 2001, nobody really wanted to play in Philadelphia.

The organization was a mess.

The clubhouse was not very enlightening.

The team couldn’t win ballgames.

Sure, the likes of Scott Rolen were there. But every Philadelphia Phillies fan knows how that turned out.

As Jayson Stark noted in his book Worth the Wait, the detrimental nature of the inner workings of the Phillies during that span created an apathetic atmosphere toward baseball. Losing was accepted and nobody took credit for the blame.

Not the free-swinging Bobby Abreu. Not Larry Bowa. Not the young Jimmy Rollins.

It wouldn’t be until several years later when the culture would change and the road to a World Series victory parade would be paved. 

Fast forward to 2013. The Phillies are no longer a World Series threat, let alone contenders in their own division. The sky hasn’t quite fallen, but multiple blunders are driving the perception that the Charlie Manuel era is coming to an end. Fans are still seeking out hope that a break here or there will propel the Phillies back into legitimacy. 

But the sad reality is that no breaks are coming for the Phillies. The climb will only get steeper and the hurdles will only get taller. 

Following Wednesday night’s blowout loss to the Cleveland Indians, Phillies hurler Cliff Lee said the team needs “to have a little more pride.” At 12-16, the Phillies are five-and-a-half games out of first place in the National League East division.

I am not sure if pride will win the Phillies more games or not.

Seven of the 12 Phillies wins came against the New York Mets and Miami Marlins. Of the 16 losses, the Phillies fell to the Atlanta Braves (twice), Kansas City Royals (twice), Cincinnati Reds (three-game sweep), St. Louis Cardinals (twice), Pittsburgh Pirates (three times) and Cleveland Indians (two-game sweep). The other two losses came against the Mets and Marlins.

Put simply, the Phillies can’t beat good baseball teams. The Mets and Marlins have a combined winning percentage of .432. The other six clubs the Phillies faced and lost 14 games to boast a combined winning percentage of .565. 

It is just May, though. No one can seriously consider selling the team off at such an early juncture in the season, right?

Wrong.

With a minor league system that has consistently failed to get prospects ranked in the top-50 lists of Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus over the course of the last two seasons, something needs to change. 

The Phillies must begin with lefty Lee. Aside from the admiration Phillies fans have for Lee, his $25 million per annum contract through 2015 (with a club option or buyout for ’16) is no longer commensurate with the club’s current situation. Of current players on the roster, Lee will fetch the largest return.

Everyone can see which way the wind is blowing in Philadelphia, whether they admit it or not. The month of May is the perfect time to start working out prospective deals for the left-handed pitcher. By June, he should no longer be in a Phillies uniform.

The Phillies are a better team with Lee, but they are not a good enough team with him, either.

The run the Phillies had since 2007 was fascinating, but the club needs a makeover. It’s unfortunate that Lee never got to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy on Broad Street. But at the end of the day, it’s time for reality to set in. A new direction must be undertaken in order for Phillies fans to feel the way they did in 2008.

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Would Dodger-Like TV Megadeal Save the Phillies, Restore Juggernaut Status?

The Philadelphia Phillies are a dying powerhouse, but they could soon find themselves celebrating a major victory off the field that could, in turn, make them winners on the field again.

You can count on the major victory part happening, but the whole “make them winners on the field again” part is another story.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, there’s some buzz going on about the Phillies’ next local television contract. Their current deal with Comcast expires at the end of 2015, meaning they’re very much in line for a new deal very soon.

Given their status as one of baseball’s premier franchises, the Phillies’ next deal is sure to be a big one, perhaps so big as to put them in Los Angeles Dodgers territory.

Meaning billions. Not one. Not two. But several billions.

What’s more, Fox Sports is out there waiting to give Comcast a run for their money. There could be a bidding war for the rights to show Phillies games on the tube.

“And they want Philadelphia,” a source told Passan of Fox. “They got the Yankees [by buying a share of the YES Network], which helps. They’re not going to have the Red Sox. They’re not going to have the Mets. They want another East Coast team.”

So…How much money are we talking here?

Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about the situation last year and threw a number out there: $5 billion. But this was before the Dodgers arranged their $7 billion TV contract, as well as before News Corp struck a deal with the YES Network. 

So $5 billion now sounds a bit conservative. A $6 billion TV deal is more like it. A $7 billion TV deal to match the Dodgers should not be counted out.

Exactly how much TV money the Phillies are raking in per year now isn’t clear, but Wendy Thurm of FanGraphs put it at $35 million per year last November. That’s nothing compared to the potential hundreds of millions the Phillies could be raking in per year in a few seasons.

This amount of money would more than make up for any attendance revenue on which the Phillies may be missing out, which is a legit issue these days. Attendance at Citizens Bank Park is way down in 2013, and Matt Gelb crunched the numbers and determined the Phillies could be missing out on $25 million just in ticket revenue.

Beyond that, so much TV money would allow the Phillies to maintain a high payroll. That’s important seeing as how, you know, it’s hard to imagine the team without one.

Per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Phillies have had an Opening Day payroll north of $110 million every year since 2009. They’ve been north of $150 million the last three years, and could surely go north of $200 million once they get their new TV deal squared away.

For all the money the Phillies have spent since 2009, however, they’ve only gotten one trip to the World Series out of it. For all the money they could spend in the future, they first have to decide what sort of direction they want to go in.

As to that…well, shoot. Place your bets.

Not even general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. knows where the Phillies are headed. In a talk with Jon Morosi of FoxSports.com last week, Amaro admitted that he’s not sure what’s going to happen over the next four months, much less next year. He knows his club is headed towards a crossroads.

“We’re going to have to turn left or right. We have to decide,” said Amaro.

One direction means staying the course, which means not selling veterans like Roy Halladay, Chase Utley, Michael Young and Carlos Ruiz at the trade deadline and then going from there when the offseason arrives. The other direction means blowing it all up and going young.

Which, of course, is the non-euphemistic way of saying “rebuilding.”

The Phillies are knocking on that door. According to Baseball-Reference.com, their offense is the third-oldest in baseball. Their pitching staff is also the third-oldest in baseball. Thus far, their aging roster has compiled a 12-15 record that puts them well behind the youthful Atlanta Braves and slightly behind a youthful Washington Nationals team that is much better than it’s shown.

Halladay, Utley, Young and Ruiz will be free agents at the end of the season. Charlie Manuel’s contract is also running out. Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Ryan Howard will be sticking around, but only the first two are still stars. If the Phillies do end up falling out of the race, it’s not hard to imagine Lee and his contract finding their way to the block.

So yeah, this is certainly a team ripe for a roster blowup and subsequent reboot. It just seems to be a matter of when, not if Amaro is going to give the go-ahead to make it happen.

A quick rebuild could happen Red Sox-style, a notion proposed by Morosi that seemed to intrigue Amaro. 

The Red Sox cleared a bunch of payroll with last August’s trade with the Dodgers. The Phillies could do that by dealing their veterans at the deadline, or they could just hang onto them and hope to make a few qualifying offers at the end of the season. Then they would just have to use their newfound payroll space wisely.

The Red Sox did that by collecting short-term contracts that won’t bog them down several years from now. By the time these contracts are over, the Red Sox will have graduated some talented players from the minors. They could then augment their young core by spending big again. Badda-bing, badda-boom.

This is where things get tricky for the Phillies, however. They can manage the short-term contracts part, but making like the Red Sox would require a commitment to rebuilding their farm system over the next few years. 

The Phillies are not without talented youngsters, but their system as a whole is lacking. Heading into the season, Baseball America ranked Philly’s farm system 24th in MLB. ESPN’s Keith Law (Insider post) put it at No. 27.

The Phillies are going to have to make a commitment to rebuilding up their farm system to what it was a few years back. Let’s not forget that the system gave the big club three superstars in Howard, Utley and Hamels and provided the trade chips that brought guys like Halladay and Hunter Pence to Philly.

If the farm system continues to be neglected, the Phillies will be forced to rely on their money to keep the wins coming. Even with an influx of new TV revenue, that’s not going to be an easy thing to do. 

Buying up free agents is going to be an option, but there are only going to be so many good ones available. In this age of long-term extensions, fewer and fewer stars are going to hit free agency in their primes.

We’ve also seen that even the ones who do hit free agency in their primes are likely to provide only a couple of good years before fading. Trying to build a long-term contender strictly with free agents is a fool’s errand.

The Phillies’ TV riches could also be used to orchestrate trades with teams looking to dump high-priced players they no longer want, like the Dodgers did with the Red Sox last year and the Toronto Blue Jays did with the Miami Marlins over the winter. That would be one way for them to land slightly younger star players, which would be nice.

What’s easy to overlook about those deals, however, is that the Dodgers and Blue Jays had to surrender some quality young players. Taking on money wasn’t enough. For the Phillies to pull off deals like that, they’re going to need a strong reservoir of young players from which to draw, which of course leads back to the farm-system conundrum.

Money is good. Money can cure many ills in baseball, and it’s certainly better to have it than to not have it. But it only translates into wins if the baseball people are making good decisions, and the size of the accompanying check is not the measure of a “good” baseball decision.

So I’m not about to draw a straight line between the Phillies signing a massive TV contract and them returning to juggernaut/perennial World Series-contender status. To borrow from South Park, the progression here is more like:

• Phase 1: Sign TV contract
• Phase 2: ?
• Phase 3: Win World Series

With or without the hundreds of millions in TV money, Phase 2 is going to be a doozy. 

 

If you want to talk baseball, hit me up on Twitter. 

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Philadelphia Phillies: Grades for Every Fightin’ Phils Player in April

When you were a young child in school, you probably had a favorite teacher. Someone who cared about you, who inspired you to reach beyond your pedestrian abilities and exceed even your most immodest intellectual goals.

Or maybe it was just a soft grader you were most fond of, i.e. someone who would take a paper you knew deserved a B- and give it a B+ just because she liked you.

In the moment, that indulgence feels good. But deep down, you know that that sort of coddling is far more likely to encourage backsliding than it is to inspire a better effort next time around.

That is why the following grades are going to trend toward ruler-wielding and belittling. Through 27 games, this Phillies team is more “juvenile delinquent” than “summa cum laude.”

This team needs to shape up fast.

 

Domonic Brown: Here we have a career .236 hitter who is hitting all of .241 at the end of April. He is loafing on defense—never mind David Murphy’s excuse-making, as yours truly was in the building for that debacle and Brown embarrassed himself with that display. 

Brown has no stolen bases. If his name was “Jack Smith,” he would already be at AAA Lehigh Valley. Here is hoping Delmon Young’s defense is not as bad as advertised. D.

 

Ryan Howard: The Big Piece’s start has been altogether adequate. Howard is on pace for about 20 home runs, 90 runs batted in and a .280 average. Is that worth $25 million? Of course not. But if he can play 155 games or so and produce at that clip, you would have to take it. B.

 

Ben Revere: Uh oh. Maybe the Minnesota Twins knew something the Phillies didn’t. A .200 average with one extra-base hit in 23 games is just not good enough. Revere hit ninth in the Phillies’ first interleague game against the Cleveland Indians. That was only because Charlie Manuel was not allowed to hit him tenth. F.

 

Chase Utley: Hard to ask for much more from No. 26 thus far. Utley leads the team in home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage and OPS. The five errors are a bit disconcerting, but few will notice the stray fielding miscues as long as Utley hits like this. A-.

 

Jimmy Rollins: For a guy who has played every day, Rollins’ opening month was quiet enough to drive a fan to distraction. May and June will go a long way toward deciding whether Rollins is still an elite shortstop or just another guy. C+. 

 

Erik Kratz: Tasked with holding down the fort until Carlos Ruiz returned from suspension, Kratz instead made a horrible turkey bacon commercial, had trouble handling the pitching staff and hit .191. If only Tommy Joseph or Sebastian Valle was showing anything in the minor leagues. D-.

 

Michael Young: If not for Utley’s fine play, Michael Young would be the only Phillies regular worth a damn. Which reminds me of one of the infamous backhanded compliment Dean Wormer laid on Robert Hoover in “Animal House”: “Mr. Hoover, president of Delta house? 1.6; four C’s and an F. A fine example you set!” A+.

 

Kevin Frandsen: Michael Young has been so good that Frandsen‘s opportunities have been severely limited. If the Phillies are telling the truth, that is just fine with them. Still, Frandsen has been ready when called upon, with a number of key pinch hits including a possible season-saver against the Kansas City Royals. B+.

 

Freddy Galvis: You know how everyone loves the backup quarterback in football? That is how Phillies fans feel about Galvis. “Give him a chance! He can really play!” Well, Galvis is out of the gate blazing hot as always, hitting .222 in limited action. Wake me up when he does something notable. C.

 

Laynce Nix and John Mayberry, Jr.: These two are graded together because (channeling Gary Matthews here) for me, they are basically the same player. Mayberry started off hot, then predictably cooled to his present .242 average. Nix is pinch-hitting like a world-beater…but that is all he does. If either or both of them were waived tomorrow, it would be okay. These guys are everywhere in Major League Baseball. C.

 

Cole Hamels: Your new consensus staff ace followed up his beguiling spring with a series of horror show starts. He got his first win this past week, but even in that game he walked six batters. Hamels needs to get his head out of and north of his posterior, like, right now. D.

 

Cliff Lee: Like the man himself, Lee has been almost entirely unnoticed thus far this season. His numbers (2-1, 3.03 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) are all better than average, but he’s certainly no Matt Harvey. On this staff, though, he is the ace so far. B+.

 

Kyle Kendrick: Then again, maybe calling Lee the staff ace thus far is a touch unfair to KK. Kendrick will always be overlooked because he does not really strike anyone out. He relies on soft contact—when the contact is hard, he gets crushed. But a 2-1 record with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP is no joke, son. A-.

 

John Lannan: Two quality starts, one shelling and a disabled list stint. Sounds like a future valedictorian! Incomplete.

 

Roy Halladay: After so much hand-wringing through the spring, Halladay’s April has conclusively shown him to be exactly what he is at this point in his career. He has three quality starts out of six trips to the hill. He is 2-3. His ERA is presently almost seven.

As with Domonic Brown, if Halladay’s jersey said “Smith” on the back, he would be in the minor leagues. But the jersey says “Roy Halladay,” so he will get the ball until he proves he cannot compete in at least every other start. C-.

 

Jonathan Papelbon: For a 12-15 team, an eight-figure salaried closer is like a Maybach in the driveway of a double-wide. But Papelbon has been that Maybach, at least. A.

 

Mike Adams: On this team that cannot run away and hide in many games, Adams leads in appearances. He is called on so frequently because he either needs to hold a slim lead or keep the team in it late. Adams arrived with a big reputation, but he has only been decent.

He is better than what the Phillies had in setup roles last season. Talk about damning with faint praise. B.

 

Antonio Bastardo: Is he back to being an elite bullpen option? Is he just a left-handed one-out guy? It is too soon to tell. Bastardo has been quite effective thus far, though, allowing just one earned run in 10 appearances. That will do. A-.

 

Phillippe Aumont: For relief pitchers, won/lost records are often poor measures of their effectiveness. In Aumont‘s case, though, he is 1-3 on merit. Buy in to the decent ERA (3.52) if you like. For me (channeling Sarge again…sorry) it’s all about the WHIP over two and the 1/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Here is another guy who is not a competent major league player up at this level because the Phillies have no other answers. D+.

 

Jeremy Horst, Chad Durbin, Raul Valdes: None of these guys can pitch at this level, either. If at least one of them does not find something fast, this team is not going to finish above .500. F.

 

Jonathan Pettibone: Yes, the two starts have been sort of promising. But the major leagues are full of fifth starters who top out at five innings. Pettibone has been little more than that thus far. Incomplete.

 

Humberto Quintero and Ezeqiel Carrera: Neither had a single memorable moment. Incomplete.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Phillies Activate Delmon Young, Have Full Lineup Intact

For the first time all season, the Philadelphia Phillies will have their full lineup available when the team begins its series with the Cleveland Indians tonight.

No, the Phillies’ most recent roster additions are not the same as last season’s, when Chase Utley and Ryan Howard returned prior to the All-Star break.

However, the arrivals of two right-handed hitting lineup options this year can still boost an offense that is slowly heating up as the first month of the season concludes.

The first option, Carlos Ruiz, returned from a 25-game suspension last Sunday and picked up a double in the Phillies win.

Just two days later, the Phillies have now activated Delmon Young from the disabled list according to Paul Casella on the team’s official website.  

Young’s presence means that the Phillies’ lineup has picked up two right-handed hitting options in three days, and gives the team its full set of roster options for the first time this season.

Casella also notes that Ezequiel Carrera has been designated for assignment. 

While the Phillies know what they are getting with Ruiz, Young’s arrival is a bit more intriguing.

For one, following the brief series against the Indians, Young will have to play right field in order to remain in the lineup.  He has not played right field since 2007, and only played 31 games in the outfield last season while primarily serving as the designated hitter for the Detroit Tigers.

If Young’s defense in right field is not up to par or fails to remain consistent throughout the season, the Phillies could have an interesting decision to make going forward regarding his status.

Additionally, the Phillies have currently drawn the second fewest number of walks in the National League and have the fourth lowest team OBP.

Last season, Young had 112 strikeouts to 20 walks and finished with a .296 OBP.

In seven minor league appearances this season, Young struck out seven times and did not draw any walks.  However, he also batted .367 between High-A ball and Triple-A, picking up 11 hits in 30 at-bats.

Young’s arrival gives the Phillies another lineup option following Ryan Howard.  Ruiz batted fifth in his return, but Young also received 508 at-bats from the five spot last season.  With Domonic Brown also batting behind Howard, the Phillies’ lineup will have power potential, but question marks remain surrounding how often the team can get on base.

If the Phillies decide to keep Chase Utley and Michael Young batting second and third, respectively, Ben Revere’s next appearance in the lineup could come from the eighth spot.

A batting order that features two more right-handed batters with double-digit home run potential, followed by Revere, the pitcher’s spot and Jimmy Rollins, could make for a solid lineup. 

Combined with a starting rotation that is beginning to heat up, the Phillies are getting their full team together at a great time.

One player whose stock could take a hit if Young’s return is a success is Darin Ruf.  With Young, Brown, Revere, John Mayberry, Jr. and Laynce Nix currently set in the outfield, and Freddy Galvis also playing adequate outfield defense, Ruf has his work cut out for him to earn a call-up.

For now, however, the Phillies will have their full lineup together has they begin a stretch of six straight games against opponents with losing records.

Young’s arrival will not single-handedly push the Phillies into first place, but his presence combined with Ruiz’s, as well as continued success from Utley and Michael Young, gives the Phillies a potent lineup that should no longer be at a disadvantage against left-handed starters or relievers.

Furthermore, the Phillies have now exhausted their two remaining internal options for improving their offense, meaning that they could now look externally for other lineup options.

In the meantime, the Phillies’ activation of Young gives them another right-handed lineup option at a time when its pitching staff has the third lowest ERA in the NL in the last seven days.

 

*Young’s minor league statistics can be found on MiLB.com, while all other statistics can be found on ESPN.com.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Winners and Losers from 1st Month of Action

With the the 2013 MLB season’s first month of six practically in the books, the scope of contenders and pretenders is already starting to form. For some middling teams sitting around the .500 mark, like the Philadelphia Phillies, things may not be as clear-cut.

One thing’s for sure, though: Some parts of the Phillies have been good if not great, while others have been bad if not atrocious.

The Phillies aren’t exactly winners or losers right now—they’re both. So why not take into account what they have to offer from both sides of the spectrum?

Here are the Phillies’ biggest winners and losers after the season’s first month of play.

*All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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