- Cliff Lee, with the assistance of an 8-ball, says he doesn't know whether or not he'll be traded between mid-Spring & late July and will compete for the Phillies in the meantime. He is also healthy and throwing his bullpen sessions every three days as opposed to every other day, which is only a precautionary measure.
- Papelbon says he'll continue to be himself: close games, mentor the younger guys, speak his mind. He also says that the Phillies could end up with a near-winning record. At least one thing is clear: he will be the closer if he performs well per Ruben Amaro, Jr.
- Cole Hamels harshly criticized the Phillies in a short Q & A with Bob Nightengale of USAToday.com, saying he can't win here and wants a trade. In his presser, he rephrased that, saying he wouldn't mind a trade if it helps the Phillies, but will continue to do his best to help the Phillies win.
- Howard: Ruben apologized to Howard for making their "better off without you" conversation public. Reiterates that they will work around him. Ryne said he will keep Howard in the line-up most days.
- Galvis is ready to take control of the SS position, says he "will play his game" and not Rollins'. While he must perform, it is imperative we are not too harsh: he hasn't gotten consistent playing time in about three years. Let's sit back & see what he can do with regular playing time, shall we?
- Many of the Phillies players, especially the "future core players", reported to camp early: many of the hitters reported on Thursday with the pitchers and catchers. Asche seems to be the winner, taking fly balls in the OF for most of Feb. Revere added that some are aiming to be player-leaders, which happens over time.
- Ryne calls this a "transition year" while many fans compare this team to the Sixers - calling this a "tanking year". I feel the phrases "transition year" or "rebuild" are more accurate descriptions of the 2015 Phillies than "tanking": This team is capable of winning 66-78 games this year. Reviewing Ryne's comments a few months ago, his goals this year include improving communication with his players along with being amenable to playing the younger guys in other positions.
- Reported this morning, the Red Sox likely get Cuban IF prospect Moncada, 19 Y.O., for a $30MM bonus, which would likely cost them an additional $30MM payment to MLB. The Phillies had interest, but I think the bigger failure is not taking Y. Tomas, 23 Y.O.
- Injury: Phillies OF prospect Kelly Dugan is out for at least two weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot.
- And last, but not least, I give you the new hitting program assignments, plus a note about broadcasters:
- Hitting Coach Henderson: In-charge - will rove between the groups.
- Former Manager C. Manuel: Howard, Ruiz, Franco, Francoeur, & Sizemore
- Former 3B/ HoF M. Schmidt: Brown, Asche, Ruf, & Galvis
- Schmidt will reportedly add home-game Saturdays to his broadcasting schedule this year. Ben Davis takes over for Jaimie Moyer, who left to be with his family.
- Assist. Hitting Coach Mizerock: Utley, Revere & Hernandez
- Minor League Hitting Coaches Rende, Tracy & Brundage will work with the rest of the hitters.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Welcome to Spring Training: Updates from Camp
Well, Spring Training is finally here. So, that means talking baseball, right? WRONG! Trade rumors continue:
Sunday, February 15, 2015
A Sense of Optimism: How the 2015 Phillies Contend
It's not a far'fetched scenario. Baseball is a weird yet fun-to-watch sport: 162 games in ~180 days, nine innings & 27 outs per team. You'll always win 1/3 of your games and loose another third. It's just the grind that is a six-month baseball season. Weird things happen. Last year, the Phillies throw a combined no-hitter & scored 14 against the Rangers on O.D. yet lost 89 games. Since 2011 ended with the Howard collapse, the Phillies have lost more games than they won: 81-81 in 2012, which followed a 102-win season, and then back-to-back 73-and-89-seasons: 227-259 in last three years. So why optimism?
The Phillies are finally getting younger. Last year, the bullpen came around. For most of the rest of the season after Giles' debut, that bullpen - Pap, Bastardo, Diekman, De Fratus, Hollands, and Giles - was 2nd best in the majors behind the Yankees & best in the NL, making that combined no-no possible. This year, we knew that the rotation would be in-transit despite Hamels on the block & Lee a question mark after injury. One reason was Buchannan ,who made ~20 starts to a 3.75 ERA. Now, with Rollins, Byrd, & Bastardo traded (and Sandberg getting permission to platoon Howard), the offense can start to get younger & develop some players at the ML-level.
The rotation has Hamels (1.91 ERA from June 1 on & still only 31 Y.O.), Williams (re-signed to a 1-YR deal after going 4-2 w/ 2.83 ERA with Phillies), Lee (throwing regular-Lee... sorry, had to!) and Buchannan with many competing for the fifth starter role.
The bullpen may have lost the inconsistent Bastardo & the Phils could say goodbye to Pap anytime but is still going to be a force with Hollands, Giles, Diekman, & De Fratus established. There is a risk of injury and some regression as the league figures these guys out, but they should be ok.
If the offense goes right for the Phillies, then things get interesting. This was the biggest question mark entering the off-season. How would the Phillies change these guys? We knew veterans were on the block, but could a deal get done? Yes, two deals did get done. We traded three players (two on offense) for four pitching prospects. Crawford, age 19, continued to tear up Class A affiliates and then Franco, age 21, tore it up & earned a September call-up, which gives us hope. And then two critical things happened: first, as mentioned earlier, Sandberg can give Howard more days off; and second, few days ago, the Phillies announced they were forcing the Phillies players & prospects to learn (the nuances of) how to play small-ball. FINALLY!!!
So, who gets more playing time? Galvis, Hernandez, Ruf, Brown, Revere, Asche, and perhaps from late May onward... Franco. Yep, these guys will be given more playing time to prove whether or not they can play (nearly) everyday. I am most curious if Darin Ruf can hit like he did a few Augusts ago (when he broke Howard's Eastern League HR record). If that was a 9 on a scale of 10, I think his hitting will amount to a 6 or 7 over a full year. I am also curious how Ryne handles the inconsistent Revere and how he gets Utley days off. After May 28th, he went quiet offensively, except for an increase in HR.
Will the new hitting philosophy work? I don't think these guys will buy into it quickly. Some might, but if the coaches don't handle each player correctly, it will take longer. The veterans may have an ego, so do tread lightly, Henderson.
There are a lot of ifs in camp, and while I did not buy into all the ifs many other writers put out last year... I do buy into them this year. While I ultimately think the Phillies will not contend this year, there are a lot of interesting story lines to follow throughout the year. Baseball is not won on paper and amazing things can happen in 162 games. Come in with low expectations of a win but do not fret: you may witness something amazing regardless of a win or loss.
Another perspective: Keep an eye on the talent at AA this year. If they make strides, that will also be grounds for calling 2015 a good season. Enjoy the games! Four days until reporting date for pitchers & catchers.
The Phillies are finally getting younger. Last year, the bullpen came around. For most of the rest of the season after Giles' debut, that bullpen - Pap, Bastardo, Diekman, De Fratus, Hollands, and Giles - was 2nd best in the majors behind the Yankees & best in the NL, making that combined no-no possible. This year, we knew that the rotation would be in-transit despite Hamels on the block & Lee a question mark after injury. One reason was Buchannan ,who made ~20 starts to a 3.75 ERA. Now, with Rollins, Byrd, & Bastardo traded (and Sandberg getting permission to platoon Howard), the offense can start to get younger & develop some players at the ML-level.
The rotation has Hamels (1.91 ERA from June 1 on & still only 31 Y.O.), Williams (re-signed to a 1-YR deal after going 4-2 w/ 2.83 ERA with Phillies), Lee (throwing regular-Lee... sorry, had to!) and Buchannan with many competing for the fifth starter role.
The bullpen may have lost the inconsistent Bastardo & the Phils could say goodbye to Pap anytime but is still going to be a force with Hollands, Giles, Diekman, & De Fratus established. There is a risk of injury and some regression as the league figures these guys out, but they should be ok.
If the offense goes right for the Phillies, then things get interesting. This was the biggest question mark entering the off-season. How would the Phillies change these guys? We knew veterans were on the block, but could a deal get done? Yes, two deals did get done. We traded three players (two on offense) for four pitching prospects. Crawford, age 19, continued to tear up Class A affiliates and then Franco, age 21, tore it up & earned a September call-up, which gives us hope. And then two critical things happened: first, as mentioned earlier, Sandberg can give Howard more days off; and second, few days ago, the Phillies announced they were forcing the Phillies players & prospects to learn (the nuances of) how to play small-ball. FINALLY!!!
So, who gets more playing time? Galvis, Hernandez, Ruf, Brown, Revere, Asche, and perhaps from late May onward... Franco. Yep, these guys will be given more playing time to prove whether or not they can play (nearly) everyday. I am most curious if Darin Ruf can hit like he did a few Augusts ago (when he broke Howard's Eastern League HR record). If that was a 9 on a scale of 10, I think his hitting will amount to a 6 or 7 over a full year. I am also curious how Ryne handles the inconsistent Revere and how he gets Utley days off. After May 28th, he went quiet offensively, except for an increase in HR.
Will the new hitting philosophy work? I don't think these guys will buy into it quickly. Some might, but if the coaches don't handle each player correctly, it will take longer. The veterans may have an ego, so do tread lightly, Henderson.
There are a lot of ifs in camp, and while I did not buy into all the ifs many other writers put out last year... I do buy into them this year. While I ultimately think the Phillies will not contend this year, there are a lot of interesting story lines to follow throughout the year. Baseball is not won on paper and amazing things can happen in 162 games. Come in with low expectations of a win but do not fret: you may witness something amazing regardless of a win or loss.
Another perspective: Keep an eye on the talent at AA this year. If they make strides, that will also be grounds for calling 2015 a good season. Enjoy the games! Four days until reporting date for pitchers & catchers.
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