With 31 Games left to play and going through the schedule I'm going to say the Phitin's fight and finish 17-14 for a season record of 77-85.
For those that were hoping for a protected top 10 pick I kindly say don't hold your breath. As of last night I think we hold the 12th worst record and if the club performs as stated above it doesn't appear we will fall much (get a higher pick).
Ideally they continue to play good baseball but lose a few more than I predict.
Astros-44
Miami-49
Cubs-55
Brewers-57
Twins-57
Angels-58
Giants-58
Mets-58
Padres-59
Mariners-59
Blue Jays-59
Phillies-60
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
RYNO
Most fans old enough to remember know the story of Ryne Sandberg. My 21 soon to be 22 Y/O son said to me last night "who is Ryne Sandberg" so it got me to thinking. Ryne was my son's age when the Phillies traded him to the Cubs. He played 13 MLB games for the Phillies and 2,164 in a 16 Year career.
I explained Ryne was Chase Utley before there was Chase Utley. A quiet guy who played every game the right way. A guy that lacked exceptional tools but worked his butt off to get everything out of what he had.
I imagine he won't be any different as a manager. During his career Ryne walked at an 8% clip and struck out less than 14% of his PA's. One might guess his philosophy and approach to the game will have street cred with the young players coming up. Not many HOF players are talked about as being great managers but I'll say Ryne is not your ordinary HOF. Most would say he was a tweener and compiled good but not great numbers over a long career.
Now, having said that...great managers are made by having talented players. Ryne should make every effort to push the FO into giving him his kind of players. Let's watch closely and pay attention to what is done not what is said.
Last night the Phillies were down 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th to the Rockies. Kratz led off the inning with a great AB and wound up with a 2B. Ryne went to a pinch runner and Mayberry moved him to 3B on a chopper to the right side. Chooch came through with a double of his own. With 1 out the Rockies walked J-Roll to set up for a double play but Michael Young walked it off with a single to left. Just the way you draw it up if you are a manager.
I'd like to see Ryne get a 4 year contract to manage this club. I'd like him around for a kid like J.P Crawford, Asche and Franco to learn under.
I explained Ryne was Chase Utley before there was Chase Utley. A quiet guy who played every game the right way. A guy that lacked exceptional tools but worked his butt off to get everything out of what he had.
I imagine he won't be any different as a manager. During his career Ryne walked at an 8% clip and struck out less than 14% of his PA's. One might guess his philosophy and approach to the game will have street cred with the young players coming up. Not many HOF players are talked about as being great managers but I'll say Ryne is not your ordinary HOF. Most would say he was a tweener and compiled good but not great numbers over a long career.
Now, having said that...great managers are made by having talented players. Ryne should make every effort to push the FO into giving him his kind of players. Let's watch closely and pay attention to what is done not what is said.
Last night the Phillies were down 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th to the Rockies. Kratz led off the inning with a great AB and wound up with a 2B. Ryne went to a pinch runner and Mayberry moved him to 3B on a chopper to the right side. Chooch came through with a double of his own. With 1 out the Rockies walked J-Roll to set up for a double play but Michael Young walked it off with a single to left. Just the way you draw it up if you are a manager.
I'd like to see Ryne get a 4 year contract to manage this club. I'd like him around for a kid like J.P Crawford, Asche and Franco to learn under.
Monday, August 19, 2013
End of an Era
The Phillies said good bye to Charlie after 9 years of wonderful service. We wrote a while back that there had to be a way to let Charlie go with dignity. In the end I believe Charlie went on his terms. He obviously went to the front office and wanted to know, he wanted a decision to be made sooner rather than later. He wanted to be let go and thus the Sandberg era began as the Manuel era ended.
Charlie will have his rightful place in Phillies History. He will come back at some point in the near future and receive his Wall of Fame night. No need to feel sorry for Chuck. To those angry with the way he was let go I say be angry with his core players. Injuries aside the guys that supposedly had his back put the nails to the cross. The front office had every intention of letting him finish out the season provided the players did their part and played hard.
I believed in February and I believe now this 2013 team was designed to see if they could capture lightning in a bottle. If it worked out great and if not we were left with openings in a few areas to get younger and evaluate what we have in young talent. The future is not Utley, Rollins and Howard. Yes they will be here for a while longer but the real future is in Dom Brown, Catcher, 3B and another OF. A new core of players must rise from the ashes and create another era of winning baseball.
Guys like Asche, Ruf and Martin are getting long looks and all appear to be big league level players. None appear to be star caliber players that win MVP's and carry a team on their backs to a WS title. Amaro's job now is to identify those types and get them here.
Could it be Maikel Franco and J.P. Crawford? Could it be the 2014 #1 pick? Time will tell and we will have a better sense once we see what they do with Ruiz and the off season FA market and a possible trade of Lee.
Charlie will have his rightful place in Phillies History. He will come back at some point in the near future and receive his Wall of Fame night. No need to feel sorry for Chuck. To those angry with the way he was let go I say be angry with his core players. Injuries aside the guys that supposedly had his back put the nails to the cross. The front office had every intention of letting him finish out the season provided the players did their part and played hard.
I believed in February and I believe now this 2013 team was designed to see if they could capture lightning in a bottle. If it worked out great and if not we were left with openings in a few areas to get younger and evaluate what we have in young talent. The future is not Utley, Rollins and Howard. Yes they will be here for a while longer but the real future is in Dom Brown, Catcher, 3B and another OF. A new core of players must rise from the ashes and create another era of winning baseball.
Guys like Asche, Ruf and Martin are getting long looks and all appear to be big league level players. None appear to be star caliber players that win MVP's and carry a team on their backs to a WS title. Amaro's job now is to identify those types and get them here.
Could it be Maikel Franco and J.P. Crawford? Could it be the 2014 #1 pick? Time will tell and we will have a better sense once we see what they do with Ruiz and the off season FA market and a possible trade of Lee.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Ethan Martin and Cody Asche
Martin got his first win in MLB ball yesterday against the Cubs al beit he only went 5 Innings. 3 BB and 4 K's there is no doubt he has the stuff to get big league hitters out if he can cut down on the walks.
Asche with a magnificent performance got his first MLB HR on a 3-5 day with two RBI. Cody surely will report to ST as the everyday 3B for 2014.
Utley formerly announced after the game he signed an extension that would hopefully keep him in red pinstripes for the remainder of his career. He does possess a full no trade clause but you know how those things go. Chase is a model franchise player and will go down as the greatest 2B in Phillies history and one of the best 2B of all time. 26 doesn't say much but when he speaks he always says the right things. He is the kind of player you want your young guys coming up to be around and learning from.
It's not easy to win championships you need stars and MVP caliber seasons from multiple players just to get in that dance. And then you need a bunch of luck just ask the 2012 Tigers and the 2011 Phillies and countless other teams that led the league in wins and walked away with nothing.
On the Pharm J.P. Crawford our #1 pick this June is tearing it up. In 128 PA's he has a .480 OBP and a 1.017 OPS. Certainly he has a long way to go before we can say he will be a star in the bigs but essentially that is what the stats look like for future franchise players. They simply hit the ground running and never look back.
A name to watch: Venn Biter a fiery little red head out of Clarksville TN drafted in the 30th round. Venn had a scholarship to UAB, a two sport star in HS he also played PG on the basketball team. Baseball however is his deal and he pushed his sign until the last day. They think he can hit, get on base and go get it in the outfield and do it all with a little bit of swagger and grit. Good Luck Venn.
Asche with a magnificent performance got his first MLB HR on a 3-5 day with two RBI. Cody surely will report to ST as the everyday 3B for 2014.
Utley formerly announced after the game he signed an extension that would hopefully keep him in red pinstripes for the remainder of his career. He does possess a full no trade clause but you know how those things go. Chase is a model franchise player and will go down as the greatest 2B in Phillies history and one of the best 2B of all time. 26 doesn't say much but when he speaks he always says the right things. He is the kind of player you want your young guys coming up to be around and learning from.
It's not easy to win championships you need stars and MVP caliber seasons from multiple players just to get in that dance. And then you need a bunch of luck just ask the 2012 Tigers and the 2011 Phillies and countless other teams that led the league in wins and walked away with nothing.
On the Pharm J.P. Crawford our #1 pick this June is tearing it up. In 128 PA's he has a .480 OBP and a 1.017 OPS. Certainly he has a long way to go before we can say he will be a star in the bigs but essentially that is what the stats look like for future franchise players. They simply hit the ground running and never look back.
A name to watch: Venn Biter a fiery little red head out of Clarksville TN drafted in the 30th round. Venn had a scholarship to UAB, a two sport star in HS he also played PG on the basketball team. Baseball however is his deal and he pushed his sign until the last day. They think he can hit, get on base and go get it in the outfield and do it all with a little bit of swagger and grit. Good Luck Venn.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Its August 1st
And the dead line came and went. M Young and Lee are still Phillies and so is Papelbon. I'm not surprised with Papelbon I thought if he were going to be moved it would have gone down a few weeks ago. Young is a surprise as a veteran player on the last year of a deal I truly thought a professional hitter such as he would have landed with a contender. It could still happen I guess if he clears waivers or gets picked up by a team he is willing to go to (he does have no trade rights).
Lee was the one piece I thought we could have garnered a haul for. The BoSox were sitting right there with the prospects to land his services. Instead Cherington decided to go with Peavy a move I am betting backfires on them. The Sox produce offensively but if they intend to count on Buchholtz to be healthy and Peavy to be healthy and Lackey to hold up down the stretch they are feeling very lucky. The Rays are right there and their front 5 are the best in the league. Pitching usually wins.
Last night I was excited to watch the Phils face the Giants for one reason. Cody Asche made his MLB debut. A 4th round pick out of Nebraska the kid can hit a little bit. Mostly doubles power but adequate with 10-15 HR pop. He can flash some leather too. How quickly tho things went down hill. There are two types of bad teams. Those that are climbing the ladder and those that have reached the top and have no where to go but down.
This line-up needs serious help. It needs youth, it needs energy and it needs some swagger. Obviously this season could have gone one of two ways. Had Doc been Doc and Howard been Howard we might have been in the conversation come September. That gamble failed and as such we march on.
On the farm not much is on the horizon. Franco looks the part but there are scouts that question whether or not his approach will play at the next level. Advanced scouting and video in the league exposes weaknesses like no other level. Biddle is either wearing down or he is hurt. His last few outings were head scratchers.
Up next the non-waiver trades. I don't expect much to be there for us. Certainly the off season FA market is not going to help. Possibly if we finish so badly down the stretch that our pick becomes a protected pick we could sign an Ellsbury or Choo. Maybe upgrade the pitching and sign Garza would help just not at the expense of offense.
Lee was the one piece I thought we could have garnered a haul for. The BoSox were sitting right there with the prospects to land his services. Instead Cherington decided to go with Peavy a move I am betting backfires on them. The Sox produce offensively but if they intend to count on Buchholtz to be healthy and Peavy to be healthy and Lackey to hold up down the stretch they are feeling very lucky. The Rays are right there and their front 5 are the best in the league. Pitching usually wins.
Last night I was excited to watch the Phils face the Giants for one reason. Cody Asche made his MLB debut. A 4th round pick out of Nebraska the kid can hit a little bit. Mostly doubles power but adequate with 10-15 HR pop. He can flash some leather too. How quickly tho things went down hill. There are two types of bad teams. Those that are climbing the ladder and those that have reached the top and have no where to go but down.
This line-up needs serious help. It needs youth, it needs energy and it needs some swagger. Obviously this season could have gone one of two ways. Had Doc been Doc and Howard been Howard we might have been in the conversation come September. That gamble failed and as such we march on.
On the farm not much is on the horizon. Franco looks the part but there are scouts that question whether or not his approach will play at the next level. Advanced scouting and video in the league exposes weaknesses like no other level. Biddle is either wearing down or he is hurt. His last few outings were head scratchers.
Up next the non-waiver trades. I don't expect much to be there for us. Certainly the off season FA market is not going to help. Possibly if we finish so badly down the stretch that our pick becomes a protected pick we could sign an Ellsbury or Choo. Maybe upgrade the pitching and sign Garza would help just not at the expense of offense.
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