February 9, 2010
In an interview with My Fox Philly, Ruben Amaro, Jr. said that the fifth spot in the rotation is Jamie Moyer’s to lose. Moyer told Amaro that he will be ready to pitch by Opening Day.
“Jaime’s come along really well and he adds some depth in our rotation,” Amaro said.
“It’s his spot to lose,” Amaro also said.
This is good. It motivates Moyer to be a better pitcher and it gives Kyle Kendrick a chance to steal it from Moyer, a much better position to be in. Though I feel it should be Kendrick’s spot, I won’t be surprised if he does in fact win it and forces Moyer back into the pen.
February 9, 2010
Player: Brian Schneider
Number: 23
Position: C
Bats/Throws: L/R
Acquired: signed in early December to a two-year, $2.75 million deal
2009 Stats: (w/ NYM) 59 games, 170 AB, 11 R, 37 H, 3 HR, 24 RBI, .218 AVG, .292 OBP, .335 SLG
Intangibles: Scheider is in no way, shape, or form an offensive power house but he has thrived in the Phillies’ park when playing against them as an Expo/National and Met. He has decent power which is an improvement to Chris Coste and Paul Bako last year. He also has a better glove and is a better game manager than the former two back-ups. He will work well as Carlos Ruiz’s back-up.
Expectations: I expect him to play a very solid role in keeping Chooch fresh. I can’t predict what kind of numbers he will have but they better be much better than last season.
February 5, 2010
Player: Placido Polanco
Number: 27
Position: 3B
Bats/Throws: R/R
Acquired: signed in early December to a three-year, $18 million deal.
2009 Stats: (w/ Detroit) 153 games, 618 AB, 82 R, 176 H, 10 HR, 72 RBI, .285 AVG, .331 OBP, .396 SLG
Intangibles: Not only is Polanco a tough guy to strike out (recorded a career high 46 strikeouts last season) but he a great fielder, winning his second Gold Glove at second base last season. His .285 last year was the lowest average he’s recorded since 1999 but should be able to get that back up in an offense that surrounds him with opportunities. He was a fan favorite when in Philadelphia and the fans are thrilled to have him back.
Expectations: He is going to bat second in the line-up, bumping Shane Victorino to the end of the order to add a spark. Polanco’s 2009 campaign was very similar to Victorino’s. Though Victorino’s average, hits, runs, and OBP were higher, Polanco’s knack for not striking out, something Victorino struggled with, is what earned him the two-hole spot. I expect a .290 average with 6-10 homers, about 60-70 RBI’s, and a dramatic increase in runs-scored with Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth, and Raul Ibanez all batting behind him.
February 4, 2010
As you guys may know, Dan has been recapping the top 10 best moments of 2009. As you have noticed, we do not mention winning the division, going to the playoffs, or the World Series as moments because they are way too obvious. So instead we looked at some of the individual moments that have highlighted the season. Here is a look at moments 10 through 2 and a listing at the bottom of some honorable mentions we found tough to leave out:
#10 – Pedro Outduels Lincecum
#9 – Phillies All Star OF trio
#8 – Bruntlett’s Unassisted Triple Play
#7 – Werth Steals Home
#6 – 2 Grand Slams
#5.5 – J-Roll’s Autograph
#5 – Ring Ceremony Game
#4 – July 11 Comeback
#3 – Phillies acquire Cliff Lee
#2 – HK Dies
Here are some of my honorable mentions from 2009:
Chase Utley’s stand-up inside the parker: Utley crushed a ball to just left of the 409-foot marker in center field in the third inning. The ball took an awkward bounce off the wall and shot past Reds’ CF Willy Taveras into no-man’s land. Utley circled the bases and crossed home standing-up.
22 runs versus Cincy: Utley, Shane Victorino and Greg Dobbs homered, Cole Hamels ripped a two-run double and Jimmy Rollins scored twice… in the first inning alone. The Phillies scored 10 runs in the first and scored 12 more in the next seven to win 22-1.
Happ shuts-out the Rockies: Happ struck out 10 batters and allowed only four hits top pitch his second complete-game shut of the season out versus Colorado. The rookie lefty was vying for a rotation spot heading into the late-season stretch and earned his spot with the stellar performance.
Howard’s PH homer with the flu: Howard was released from the hospital early in the day after recording a temperature of 103. With the Phillies trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Howard came up with two runners on and two outs. He connected against reliever Danys Baez for a drive into Philadelphia’s bullpen to give the Phillies a 5-3 lead. It was his fifth career pinch-hit homer. Ryan Madson unfortunately blew the game in the ninth.
Pedro’s 130 pitch count vs. NYM: The Mets really missed Martinez that night as they watched him throw 130 pitches, his highest in eight years. This moment was sweet not only because it was versus the Mets but because it mathematically eliminated them. Pedro went eight-scoreless innings, making the Mets miss their daddy (yes I know it was a Yankees saying but it was still appropriate).
Stay tuned for #1…
February 4, 2010
Scott Lauber reports that the Phillies signed right-hander Oscar Villarreal to a minor-league contract. Though in his article he said that Villarreal is not invited to Spring Training, Todd Zolecki confirmed that he Villarreal is in fact going to try out.
The 28-year old hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2008 with Houston. He was signed by Kansas City before the 2009 season but developed the need for Tommy John surgery and missed the season. He is most remembered for his time in the Atlanta Braves bull pen where we was very solid. In six seasons, he has a career 14-15 record with a 3.86 ERA and 1.37 WHIP for Arizona, Atlanta, and Houston.
This is another move where the Phillies are looking for diamonds in the rough and hoping to polish them off and make good use of them for cheap. He is a very talented reliever and could provide some long relief when he is up with the Phillies. He will most likely start in AAA to get his arm back into shape.
February 3, 2010
The Phillies signed veteran OF Freddy Guzman to a minor league contract. His contract doesn’t include an invitation to Spring Training though so he is guarenteed to start in the minors.
Guzman spent the 2009 season with the Triple-A affiliates of the Orioles, Mariners, Red Sox and Yankees. He did get 10 games of action with Yankees, going 1-6 with a stolen base. In 101 games last year in the minors, the 29-year-old speedster batted .223 with a .272 on-base percentage, two homers, 17 RBIs and was 45-for-54 in steals.
This is just a minor-league deal. He won’t make the opening day roster and I only expect him to make it if the Phillies need a speed demon on the bench. He should be up in September when the rosters expand to 40 players.
January 31, 2010
Player: Roy Halladay
Number: 34
Position: SP
Bats/Throws: R/R
Acquired: Acquired in a trade with Toronto for Michael Taylor, Kyle Drabek, and Travis D’Arnaud.
2009 Stats: (w/ Toronto) 17-10, 32 games, 239 IP, 208 K, 2.79 ERA, 1.13 WHIP
Intangibles: The Phillies got the best pitcher in the game when they traded for Halladay. He is a work horse and a game changer. He doesn’t walk a lot of batters and is a ground ball pitcher. Doc has a lot of diversity in his pitch arsenal. His fastball is in the mid-90’s, his sinker is in the low-90’s (making it a very dangerous pitch that fools batters and forces ground balls), and his cutter is his signature pitch. He also has a good curve and change-up.
Expectations: I think Doc will win 20 games this year and be a serious Cy Young contender. He’s pitching in a weaker hitting division and Cy Young winning pitchers that have made the switch to the NL have dominated in recent history (Randy Johnson, Johan Santana, and Cliff Lee). Now that he’s the ace of this staff, it will take a lot of pressure off the rest of the rotation and bull pen.
January 28, 2010
Player: Ross Gload
Number: 3
Position: LF
Bats/Throws: L/L
Acquired: Signed a two-year, $2.6 million contract in the middle of December.
2009 Stats: 125 games, 230 AB, 33 R, 66 H, 6 HR, 30 RBI, .261 AVG, .329 OBP
Intangibles: He’s another power-hitting lefty, something the Phillies needed after dropping Matt Stairs. Gload can be just that as he hit .261 with six home runs and 30 RBIs last season with the Marlins. He hit .318 as a pinch-hitter as well. He isn’t a great fielder and will most likely be a one-and-done player.
Expectations: I expect him to have a year similar to Stairs in 2008. If he has a season like last year, he’s an instant success. A batting average around .270 overall and over .300 as a PH will suit the team well. He will also be expected to hit a few homers, something that can easily be done in the hitter-friendly CBP.
January 28, 2010
MLB.com released their Top 50 prospects of 2010 and the Phillies own outfielder Domonic Brown and pitcher Phillippe Aumont cracked the list with Brown at 14 and Aumont at 47. Shockingly pithing phenom Stephen Strasburg of the Nationals is second on the list and not first. That honor goes to outfielder Jason Heyward of Atlanta.
Ok..if I answer this, I risk aggravating certain baseball fans. I don’t know if I want to do that.
