Phantastic Phillies Insider

Utley Comes Home, Hits 2 HR For Old Times Sake

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 04:51:00 +0000

On Tuesday, beloved 2nd baseman Chase Utley returned to Philadelphia as he debuted on April 24th, 2003-- or so the story goes.

Actually, Utley's first Major League at bat was on April 4th, 2003. He struck out as a pinch-hitter on 7 pitches and a full count to end the 2nd inning against Pittsburgh's formidable Jeff Suppan. The Phils lost that game 9-1.

That day, a 24 year-old shortstop named Jimmy Rollins went 0-4. 1b Jim Thome, OF Marlon Byrd and Placido Polanco, who Utley would replace at 2nd base were in the lineup. All 3 would have an ill-fated return during the team's decline after their unprecedented (for Philadelphia) reign from 2007-2011.

However, Utley got his first Major League start in a game on April 24th, 2003.

"CHASE UTLEY, A PHILLIE FOREVER"

Altherr a Bright Spot

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Wed, 10 Aug 2016 03:02:00 +0000

Phils 2017 CF?

Aaron Samuel Altherr hit his 3rd HR in 12 games Tuesday, a 2-run shot to right center that put the Phils up 2-0 in the 2nd inning. It was a lead that crumbled quick, as they surrendered 4 in the bottom half, then went on to be obliterated at Dodger Stadium for the second straight night (9-4 Monday, 9-3 Tuesday).

Altherr appears to have some pop at the plate and is as good as advertised in the field, where he is a natural center-fielder. It might've been a different season had he been healthy from the outset.

"You know, Altherr still has to prove himself offensively," Mackanin said. "I like what I see and I think he's going to. But he's a darn good center-fielder. He plays anywhere well. He glides to the ball. It's fun watching him play. There's a good chance he'll be the center-fielder, and we'll move Odubel. But we're not doing anything right now."

"At some point, the thought crossed my mind to make that switch this year," Mackanin said. "Maybe in September, just to get Odubel familiarized with a corner. But he adapted to center field so well last year. This year, he's not quite the same guy. If I have what I consider a better defender in center field, that's what I'd like to do."

Tuesday, Vince Velasquez encouraged fans that want him to stay in Philadelphia when he continued to squelch his trade value by surrendering a staggering 11 hits, 9 runs, 2 BB and 3 HR in just 4 2/3 innings of work wherein he managed to throw 100 pitches. He left the game with a 2.79 WHIP and a 17.36 ERA. Not too plausible.

The day before, Zach Eflin, who fans were already calling the Second Coming after 1 decent start in June and an even better one in July, got smacked around like a bad-mitten birdie to the tune of 7 runs on 7 hits, 2 walks and 3 HR in just 3 innings. Eflin is now winless in August with an ERA of 14.63.

When you pair those performances with fallen ace Aaron Nola's 10.42 June and 6.30 July ERA, it becomes crystal clear why young arms are a double-edged sword. A lot of potential and at least as much to grow on.

Nola is currently on the 15-Day DL. Manager Pete Mackanin acknowledged Wednesday that Nola (elbow) could miss the rest of the season.

CY Young Candidates include former Phils

Hamels shows his 'I think I need glasses' squint.

Cole Hamels:

32 year-old Hamels is 12-3 with a 2.89 ERA (#2 in AL) leading the charge for the Rangers, who are running away with the AL West and currently have the best record in the entire AL.

J.A. Happ:

Happ is enjoying a career year with Toronto at age 33. He was traded to Toronto in 2012, then got mostly smacked around there until 2015 when he pitched for both Seattle and Pittsburgh before returning to the Blue Jays before this season. He leads MLB in wins at 15-3 during his second tenure in Toronto with an ERA of 3.09 (7th in AL) and his 1.15 WHIP is a career high.

A closer look reveals Happ appearing somewhat constipated.

Happ is 5-0 with a 1.48 ERA since June.

Trivia: Baseball History

Rangers 3rd Baseman Adrian Beltre's .400 lifetime batting average at Colorado's Coors Field is the best batting ave. at a single venue (min. 200 AB) since Mel Ott (a.k.a. "Master Melvin" of the N.Y. Giants) hit .415 from '26-'47 at the Baker Bowl, the former home of the Phillies.

Nola Returns To Form

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 00:49:00 +0000

1st inning of Nola's rebound performance.

The 49-42 Marlins arrived at Citizens Bank Park Monday for a 4-game series against the 43-50 Phils.

All-Star 23-year-old ace Jose Fernandez (11-4, 2.52 ERA) got the start for Miami vs. Phils fallen ace Aaron Nola (5-8, 4.69).

The Phils were coming off a loss where they managed only 1 hit vs. the Mets.

Enter Fernandez's 8-2 record, 1.71 ERA and 107 S.O. over 73 2/3 innings in his last 11 starts.

Nola's First Half was filled with highlights, followed by some lows. Over his first 12 starts, the 23-year-old right-hander had a 2.65 ERA, ranked 6th in the majors with a 0.99 WHIP (behind a group that included Cy Young winners Clayton Kershaw and Jake Arrieta and All-Star Jon Lester) and 4th in strikeouts-to-walks ratio.

He misplaced his signature ability to locate the baseball down and on the corners over his next 5 starts, went 0-4 with a 13.50 ERA and was roughed up for 38 hits and 27 earned runs in 18 innings over that span.

The 23-year-old saw his most-recent scheduled start skipped to allow him some mental peace, which he found on a pond in Louisiana during the all-star break, where he caught 20 bass in a 2-day span.

Nola, great again.

"It was good to get home and see my family and do some fishing,” Nola said Sunday. "That keeps me calm. It keeps my mind in a better state. I think [the time off] helped me. I had a lot of support behind me and a lot of advice. ... just staying positive and believing in yourself."

“My body’s healthy, I don’t really think it’s a mental break,” Nola said of his recent trouble on the mound. “Mentally, I feel fine. I just felt like the past month, I struggled.”

Nola made good on his claim Monday when he stymied Miami with 6 dazzling innings of perfection, allowing just 2 hits, 0 runs and S.O. 5 to just 1 walk.

"Good news was Nola," said manager Pete Mackanin after the game. "He pitched really well. He was painting the corners. It was very encouraging."

"Just try to get lower strikes instead of trying to hit a corner," Nola said of his goals for Monday's start. "So I feel like that's where I got myself in trouble."

"I think he was back to being himself, he was confident," catcher Cameron Rupp said. "He probably had a little fatigue [in June]. First full big-league season, just 23 years old. It seemed like he went seven, eight innings in almost every start, so he probably just ran out of juice."

"He was painting to both sides of the plate," Mackanin said. "He was outstanding, keeping the ball down, at and below the knees. It was great to see, very encouraging."

Fernandez, meanwhile, was dynamite for Miami. He S.O. a career high 14 in 6 1/3, but left trailing 2-0.

Joseph has been rounding a lot of bases lately.

Tommy Joseph contributed to that deficit with his 12th HR in just 160 AB (a 42 HR season pace), a solo shot to leadoff the 7th. Joseph is now hitting .400 with 4 HR in 30 AB in July and 4 HR in his last 11 games.

However, with 2 out in the top of the 9th, Jeanmar Gomez blew the save when he surrendered 2 runs on a single, a double, a wild pitch, a walk and another single. It was only his 3rd blown save in 28 tries.

Knotted at 2-2, the game went to extra innings, but the Phils lost in 11 innings when 3B Martin Prado hit just his 3rd HR of the year, which was Phils reliever Brett Oberholtzer's 3rd pitch of the game.

Arguably the league's best closer, All-Star A.J. Ramos closed the door for Miami, his 30th save in 31 tries.

The formative Marlins took over the final Wild Card spot with a Mets loss to the Cubs.

The Phils need Franco to heat up again.

The Phils offense finished the First Half on a tear. They scored 130 runs from 6/11 to the All-Star Break, which ranked #6 in the NL, and their 36 HR during that span was #3. Peter Bourjos, Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez and Cameron Rupp each hit over .315 during that span.

However, the Phils have opened the Second Half ice cold scoring 2.25 runs per game and losing 3 of their first 4 games. Bourjos is 1-12, Franco 1-16, Hernandez 0-16 and Rupp 2-10 for a combined .074 (4-54) in those games.

Miami improved to 6-1 in their last 7 games. The Phillies fell to 36-3 when leading after 8 innings.

The Phils offense needs to wake up in a hurry if they are going to stay alive in the Wild Card race. They went into the break 6 back and have already dropped to 8 GB in the playoff hunt.

Still, the silver lining Monday was a huge upside: Aaron Nola, their ace, looked like himself again for the first time since 6/5. That was a key revival.

Nola debuted almost exactly 1 year ago in MLB.

The fact remains that Nola's struggles the past month may prove, in the long run, his greatest strength. He never had to grapple with failure like that at any level of the game. It has been almost too easy for him. Former team ace Cole Hamels always asserted that breakdowns led to his best achievements. The same can hopefully be true for Nola. He took the next step to making it true Monday.

After all, as fun to follow as this team is, the eye remains on the future with Nola a key piece of that puzzle.

The Double-A Reading Fightin' Phils (66-29) have a 9 game lead over the entire Eastern League, the best record in professional baseball and a multitude of solid prospects that could be part of the Phillies' next playoff team.

Since his promotion from A Clearwater 2 weeks ago, OF Andrew Pullin is hitting .420 at AA, while RF Dylan Cozens has slugged 25 HR and 29 2B in 350 AB this year for Reading, who lead their league in almost every offensive category, including average and HR.

RHP Vince Velasquez (8-2, 3.32 ERA) starts for the Phillies on Tuesday night. RHP Jose Urena (1-1, 7.52) will make his first start this season for Miami.

The 2016 Phillies: First Half

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Wed, 13 Jul 2016 04:41:00 +0000

There is no doubt that this season is a marked improvement over last year. The 2015 Phils finished 27 games out of First Place in the NL East and lost 99 games, dead bottom of MLB.

The 2016 Phils are a delightful departure from that lifeless squad. The seeds that were planted in 2015 took route and blossomed in the First Half of 2016.

Velasquez takes the surprise ice bucket challenge.

A big First-Half highlight came early on 4/14 when starting pitcher Vince Velasquez, a December acquisition for departed closer Kenny Giles, fanned 16 and walked none in a 9 inning shutout.

The Phils pitching staff appeared seemingly out of nowhere, led by strong young starters, but backed by a startlingly solid bullpen that nobody saw coming.

For weeks they held their own as division contenders, much to everyone's surprise and most people's disbelief. Briefly, one Thursday this Spring, they even held First Place for 4 hours. Those hours faded, as did their contention. Doubters squinted at their run differential, poor offensive output, the youthful arms that seemed unlikely to sustain and the lopsided luck they had managed in one-run contests.

The Phils made good on those numbers by dropping a staggering 22-of-26 and 13-of-14 in June. They appeared to be on a downward spiral toward orbiting last year's plummet, losing starter studs Velasquez and Aaron Nola along the way.

Then, they surprised us all again when the Phils rebounded to go 12-5 (including winning 8-of-9) from 6/23-7/10 in their final 17 before the break to move within 6 games of a NL wild-card spot.

The clubhouse transfer of power is complete: from RyHo to Franco.

This time, their winning was dependent on the suddenly not slumbering bats, which woke up in the nick of time to prevent perishing into certain irrelevance.

The Phils went into the break 12 games back of Washington, whose +105 run differential is 2nd in baseball, winners of 7-of-10 at 42-48. No one looking at this team at the cellar at the conclusion of the 2015 season wold have been disappointed to see their current status at the end of the First Half of 2016.

There are many holes, but let's take a moment to appreciate some of the brighter spots on a roster that shows flourishing talent turning heads on both the pitchers mound and the out of the batters box.

1) SP Aaron Nola:

Nola looked like an ace for most of the First Half.

Nola, through most of the season, has been a first-rate ace. In May, the then 22 year-old posted a 2.31 ERA over 6 starts. In April and May, Nola S.O. a total of 76, while walking just 13. His control was masterful. On April 28th in Washington, he shutout one of MLB best teams over 7, 2-hit innings, walking 1 and S.O. 7. His next outing was another challenge in St. Louis, and he delivered a mirror performance: 7 innings, 2 hits, 1 BB and 7 S.O. again.

Then, on June 4th Nola turned 23. The next day, he S.O. 9 in 6 shutout innings vs. Milwaukee. Since? He's been crushed. He has managed to stay in the game for only 18 innings over his last 5 starts. During those appearances, his ERA has nearly doubled, sailing from 2.65 to 4.69.

The Phillies and Nola are calling it "dead arm." However, it's non-coincidental that his team's collapse coincided with his own struggles. At his low point, his team lost 13-of-14 to fall from contention in the NL East.

That's because Nola is the team ace. An ace must lead. Like a captain, his team can soar only as far as he can take them. Nola must rebound in the Second Half and finish strong or clouds will linger long after the season closes.

When he's on the mound, he's dazzling.

2) SP Vincent Velasquez:

Houston had him figured out precisely. They knew he had all kinds of upside when they drafted him in 2010. After all, he S.O. 58 in 55 big league innings in '15 for the Astros. However, they also knew he was injury prone. That was cemented prior to the 2011 season, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. He nearly quit baseball at the age of 18 due to the grueling recovery from Tommy John surgery.

This season started like a dream for the then 23 year-old. In just his second start for his new team, Velasquez S.O. 16 batters and walked none over 9 innings at the Bank on April 14th. He finished the month 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA.

However, on June 8th when All-Star veteran John Lackey was on the hill for the MLB best Cubs, the season took a turning point for Velasquez, when he left the game after getting one out because of right biceps soreness. Velasquez threw two pitches and quickly left the mound when a trainer came out.

"I'm not concerned at all,'' Velasquez said. "I have been in this situation before.''

The Phillies were concerned, though. They shut him down until June 27th, when he returned without missing a beat: 5 shutout innings, 7 S.O. and no walks lead to yet another victory. At the halfway point, Velasquez is 8-2 with a 3.32 ERA. He has S.O. 93 and walked 26 and opponents are batting just .250 against him.

However, he has to stay healthy for the rest of the season to show that he is a big league starter who can handle the load of a 162-game season.

When he's healthy, he's sensational. If he can stay healthy, the sky is the limit.

Franco looks up as his hits sail on and on.

3) 3B Mikail Franco:

Franco has been terrific. After a Rookie-of-the-Year caliber debut in '15, he appeared to have lost a step out of the gate in '16. He was hitting for substantial power, but by June 23rd his average had hit a season low .235. Then, he caught fire in S.F. on June 24th and in the final 2 1/2 weeks of the First Half of the season raised his average .034 points to .269. He leads the team with 18 HR and 52 RBI. He hit the team's (& MLB's 4th) longest HR so far this year: 471 feet on July 10th in Colorado to end the First Half. On July 6th, he hit a HR in his 4th straight game, 1 shy of tying the club record for consecutive games with a HR accomplished 5 times by: Bobby Abreu, Mike Schmidt, Dick Allen and twice by Chase Utley in title year '08.

Franco gives fans every reason to believe that the future has arrived and bright days are not far off.

4) CF Obdul Herrera:

Herrera leads the Phils in hits, OBP and Ave. He spent most of the First Half among NL leaders in those categories as well, until his major dropoff in June (.276) and July slump (.225). He became an All-Star for the first time this past week. He is the best pure leadoff hitter the Phils have had in what feels like forever and has even added pop with 10 First-Half HR. He has been very good and can be great if he streaks in the Second-Half like he did in April (.313) and May (.324).

Rupp is tough, plays with fire.

5) C Cameron Rupp:

Rupp has been one of the best surprises of 2016. In just 209 AB, he has 9 HR and 17 team-leading 2B, which have led to his .507 SLG% (#2 on team). He is hitting a surprising .287 after a .290 June and .385 July so far. His blocking of the plate on May 14th was a defensive highlight ranking among the best in the past few years for the Phils. It showed grit and toughness the young team desperately needs.

"I sacrificed," said Rupp at the time, unaware of an abrasion on top of his forehead. "I don't know how I caught it."

"OUT!"

Rupp played middle linebacker and fullback at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano, Texas.

"I was usually the one hitting people," Rupp said. "It was fun. Definitely an adrenaline rush."

Rupp has surprised everyone, including team management and has justifiably become something of a fan favorite and a team spark.

6) 1B Tommy Joseph:

On June 10th, Joseph officially became the team's starting 1B, taking the reigns from RyHo after over 10 seasons, many of them gloried. Joseph responded by homering twice vs. Washington.

"Now playing 1B: Tommy Joseph."

"I can't sit Tommy Joseph," Manager Pete Mackanin said. "You can't say enough about Tommy Joseph. He looks like the real deal, and it's great to have him here."

At the Break, Joseph leads the team with a .516 SLG% and has 11 HR in just 153 AB (which projects to a 40 HR season). He is batting .255 and must learn discretion with only 6 BB.

Joseph hit just .204 in June, when Mackanin moved him out of the cleanup spot.

Joseph has rebounded in the first 10 days of July, hitting .435 with 3 BB and 3 HR.

There is more to say:

2B Cesar Hernandez hit .305 in June and is batting .410 in July to bring his season average to .291, proving he can be a valuable contributor although he remains a somewhat one-dimensional hitter. SP Jerad Eickhoff (6-10, 3.80 ERA) intermittently appears ready to breakout into a full-fledged power starter, but has lacked consistency...

All in all, it's what you'd expect from a rebuilding team-- but more. It's clear that the 2016 Phils are a long way and a far cry from their 2015 predecessors. There is real pulse and enthusiasm both in the clubhouse and beginning to rebuild in the fan base.

In the words of 22 year-old rookie SP Zach Eflin:

"There's a bunch of chemistry in this locker room, It's a really cool thing to be a part of."

The 2016 Second Half starts Friday with a weekend series vs. the Mets at the Bank.

Catch all the Second Half action here: http://phantasticphillies.blogspot.com/

Phillies Management Forfeits Game

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 04:54:00 +0000

Phillies are abusing Morgan as much as opposing batters.

The Phillies did not get a HR from Mikail Franco today, which ended his consecutive game HR streak at 4, 1 shy of tying the Phils all-time team record. Nonetheless he continued his torrid hitting streak with 2 hits, including a double to deep right to lead off the 4th inning. The Phillies, however, lost the contest 11-2, and this one was on management.

Phillies management conceded the 1st of 4 in Colorado Thursday, although the reasons why remain a mystery. To take a young squad like this and offer them zero support at starting pitcher is a true puzzle. Furthermore, to ask starter Adam Morgan to continue to pitch at the big league level in the condition he is in appears downright cruel.

Morgan went 5 innings, allowed 9 hits and 6 runs. His ERA for the game was 10.80 and his WHIP was 1.80. He fell to 1-7.

Morgan is the worst pitcher in baseball. While it's clear he possesses some abilities and is likely a perfectly nice person, his performance this season has been a cataclysmic, epic meltdown. What management seeks to gain by continuing to put him on the mound, a nightmarish place for him at present, cannot be understood. At best, they are damaging his psychological state, at worst his mechanical and physical one.

Morgan is now 1-7 with a 6.65 ERA. His ERA is worst in MLB by an entire run. In 66 innings, he has allowed a staggering 90 hits. Batters have a collective .320 average against him. His WHIP is 1.60. Only the Pirates Francisco Liriano has a worse WHIP-- and only by a slight fraction: 1.64. The difference is that Liriano won 16 games 2 1/2 years ago and went 12-7 with a 3.38 ERA and 200 S.O. just last year, so the veteran is being given an understandable chance to work through it. Plus, his ERA is 1 run better.

While Aaron Nola "clears head," Morgan has clock cleaned.

What is the 26 year-old Morgan "working through?" Why isn't he in the minors being given a chance to develop and improve. What use and benefit can his becoming a laughing stock offering batting practice to opponents truly be? Phillies management is abusing Morgan as much as opposing batters.

Understood, they wished to give rising star Aaron Nola a "chance to clear his head" with extended time off by missing a start heading into the All-Star break. However, could the Phillies have not given a start to a deserving AAA pitcher or claimed someone off waivers or perhaps re-signed Pedro Martinez or given Chase and Jen Utley's favorite dog a chance on the mound?

There must have been an alternative to the cruel and unusual punishment of putting Adam Morgan on the mound in Colorado Thursday. It's simply not right: to him, to his teammates, to fans or to the fielders who have to chase the balls opponents are hitting during his major league batting practice routines.

Phils Slugger Makes it 4-in-a-row

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Thu, 07 Jul 2016 03:43:00 +0000

Franco has harnessed the 4-slot.

Wednesday, Maikel Franco batted cleanup once again, and the Phils won again. At the twilight of his career, Ryan Howard watched from the dugout as his reign of power was officially transferred to the 23 year-old Dominican Third Baseman.

Franco hit a HR for the 4th straight game and the Phils won their 4th game in-a-row. Franco became the first Phillies hitter to belt a home run in 4 straight games since Ryan Howard did it in '12.

It was the 7th straight game and 8th of 9 that Franco has batted 4th. The Phils are 8-1 in that span. The Phillies are 9-2 in their last 11 games, and Franco is hitting .395 with 1.237 OPS, 5 HR and 12 RBIs in that span.

"He looks like he's more under control," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "It could a byproduct of the fact that other guys around him have started to chip in, to where he doesn't feel like he has to do it all by himself."

Franco conferred:

"When you see the team not do really well, that's the first thing you think about," Franco said. "You want to go out there and try to do something. Obviously, at that point, you try to do too much. But right now, I just feel comfortable at the plate. The team's showing a lot of energy."

His opposite field HR in the 6th traveled 373 feet, tied the score at 2. It was Franco's 17th HR and his 9th since June 1st. Franco's 17 HR rank 15th in the NL.

Franco is combining poise and power.

"I'm just really comfortable at home plate," Franco said. "I see the pitch much better. That's what I'm doing right now, trying to see the ball and trying to put good contact on it."

The Phils would fail to take the lead and fell behind again 3-2 when reliever Hector Neris faltered in the 8th, surrendering a run on 3 hits to raise his July ERA to 3.33, after a 3.77 May and June.

In the bottom half of the 8th, it was Franco leading off. He worked the count full after an initial called strike. The team needed 1 run to tie it and keep hopes of a sweep at the Bank alive.

With their power hitting cleanup hitter at the plate, Franco seemed poised to swing for the seats in hopes of tying it with one sweet stroke.

After all, his opponent was the Braves' hard-hurling Arodys Vizcaino, who had already offered Franco 6 fastballs in this one at-bat.

Instead, Franco showed poise and maturity while watching another fastball just miss low and outside at 100-mph.

"If you a betting man, you wouldn't bet that he'd take a walk because he was trying to tie the game up," Mackanin said. "But he had a great at-bat there."

Carlos Ruiz singled, then after Tommy Joseph grounded into a double play with Franco now at third base. SS Freddy Galvis drew 2 quick balls, then fouled one off, followed by called strike 2. On the 5th pitch of the at-bat, Galvis brought Franco home with his 8th HR, a 389 foot shot to right field that put the Phils on top, finally, 4-3, the score that reliever Jeanmar Gomez made stick with a clean inning to notch his 23rd save of the season (#5 in the NL).

Franco showed trust in his teammates by not swinging for the fences.

Galvis' hits have been clutch, though infrequent.

"Before, I'm not taking 3-2 in a one-run game," Franco said. "When I do that, it means I'm working the right way and I see the pitch the right way."

And his teammates noticed:

"After he gets some hits," Galvis said of Franco, "his confidence just goes up. And when his confidence goes up, everybody wants to be like Mike."

Although his .221 average (.150 in July, .178 in June) has been a disappointment, Galvis leads the Phils with 8 game-winning RBI.

The Phillies' record for consecutive games with a HR is 5, which has been accomplished 5 times, including twice by Chase Utley in the 2008 season. Bobby Abreu, Mike Schmidt and Dick Allen have also homered in 5-straight games for Philadelphia.

Franco will have his chance to tie that mark on Thursday in hitter-friendly Coors Field when the Phils open a 4-game series before heading into the all-star break.

CF Obdul Herrera, named to the NL All-Star squad yesterday, added 2 hits and an RBI of his own, lifting his average to .305 (#15 in the NL).

Hernandez has been scalding hot.

2B Cesar Hernandez continued his extended torrid streak, as well. After quietly hitting .304 in June, including games of 4-4, 4-5 and 3-5 in the final week, Hernandez is 10-22 thusfar in July, batting .455. He is now 22 for his last 46, hitting .478 since June 20th. In that time, his average has blossomed from .248 all the way up to .287. The 26 year-old is making $510,000 this year.

His teammate, Maikel Franco, is making just $393,797. His 17 HR are 1 behind Jay Bruce of the Reds ($12.5 million) and 1 behind reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper ($5 million). Franco is hitting .262, Harper .258, Bruce .268. Franco's average is up from .235 on June 23rd.

Wednesday, veteran starter Jeremy Hellickson continued to pitch well. He allowed just 1 earned run in his 6 innings of work to keep his team within striking distance.

Phils Power Prayers Answered

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Wed, 06 Jul 2016 03:25:00 +0000

Franco is 1st Phils power hitter in a long time.

Mikail Franco homered for the 3rd straight night as the Phils 4 HR in all powered them to their 3rd win in a row. They also secured their 3rd-straight series win by taking the first 2-of-3 vs. Atlanta and have now won 8-of-their-last-10. In his last 5 games, Franco has 3 HR and 7 RBI, while batting .526.

Franco is 18-44, hitting .409 since June 24th. He is now on pace for the first 30-HR season by a Phillies player since Ryan Howard's 33 in '11 and the first by a Phillies 3rd baseman since Scott Rolen hit 31 in 1998.

Tommy Joseph, Cody Asche and Peter Bourjos also homered for the Phils whose offensive onslaught has led the majors for weeks after a season of dismally low prior production.

"It was nice to see," manager Pete Mackanin said. "Guys are still swinging the bats pretty well. ... We took advantage of some pitches up in the zone."

Bourjos, known as a Gold Glove caliber outfielder, has now hit safely in 14-straight games. "I think everybody puts together good at-bats and that puts pressure on the pitcher to make his pitches," Bourjos said. "He threw some pitches over the plate and we hit some home runs."

Eflin doused for big performance.

The big news on the day was 22 year-old right-hander Zach Eflin, who not only won his first major league game, but did it with a complete game shutout.

"I was just out there with loads of confidence," Eflin said.

Elfin, the Phils return from the Dodgers for Jimmy Rollins in 2014, S.O. 6 and walked none. He was economical at 92 pitches: "The less pitches the better," he said, smiling.

He's the first Phillies rookie to throw a complete game since Vance Worley in July 2011.

"It's something you can't really describe, just being around these guys," Eflin said.

After losing an almost incomprehensible 22-of-26 and 13-of-14 in June, the Phils have officially rebounded by winning 7-of-8 to move within 7 games of a NL wild-card spot.

"There's a bunch of chemistry in this locker room," said rookie Eflin, "It's a really cool thing to be a part of."

Congratulations: Herrera is an all-star.

CF Obdul Herrera was the only Phillies player named to the NL All-Star team. He entered ranked first in four-hit games with three and had two separate hitting streaks of at least 10 games.

Herrera, batting .302, said that he was proud to represent the Phillies, then burst into laughter when he was jokingly asked whether he would participate in the home run derby during the all-star weekend. He has 10 HR, which is significant for him, but hardly a power presence among the greater major leagues.

Herrera batted .313 in April, .325 in May, .276 in June and is hitting .294 thusfar in July. His .302 season averages ranks 16th in the NL, while his .388 OBP is 13th and his 43 walks rank 8th. It's hard to recall a more pure true leadoff hitter in a Phillies uniform. Hopefully, this all-star appearance will be the 1st of many for Herrera, who has a great chance at age 24 to lead the Phils well into the future.

Wednesday at 1:05PM ET, the Phillies (39-46) will face rookie Tyrell Jenkins (0-1 with a 5.79 ERA), which means Tuesday's 4 HR was a mere warm up for Wednesday's home run derby.

The Phils will counter with veteran Jeremy Hellickson, who has been steady and successful. Over his last 3 starts, Hellickson is 2-1 with a 2.37 ERA, allowing 5 earned runs in 19 innings with 15 S.O. and just 2 BB.

Rupp, Phils Win Second Straight Series

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Mon, 04 Jul 2016 02:41:00 +0000

Catcher Rupp and 3B Franco hit HR Sunday.

The Phils won their 7th of 10 and 5th of their last 6 games when they beat K.C. at the Bank 7-2 Sunday. The Phils followed a sweep of Arizona by winning 2 of 3 vs. K.C. Arizona has a losing record, so beating the defending World Series champs over the weekend was vastly more impressive.

More importantly, the Phillies have been amassing hits at a rate unheard of at any prior point in the season.

While the Phils offense still ranks 2nd-to-last in the NL, the Phils have put 70 runs on the board in their last 12 games, which is 5.83 runs per game. Previously, they were averaging just over 2 runs a game, making it almost impossible to win games once the starting pitching began to falter. The Phils have double digits in all but 3 of their last 12 games (and 9 hits in one of those 3).

"It only takes one or two guys to get going," Mackanin said. "I always thought we're a better hitting team than we showed."

Rupp is hot-hitting, fun to watch and easy to like.

Catcher Cameron Rupp, who the Phillies don't see as a long term solution at the position, is turning heads. In June, he batted .290 with 5 HR, a .594 SLG. % and a .941 OPS.

Off and running in July, Rupp hit a 1-2 pitch the opposite way into the right-field seats in the 1st inning to give the Phils a 3-0 lead. It was Rupp's 6th HR in 19 games. Rupp now has 8 HR and 16 2B in just 191 AB, while hitting .288 this season, which is the 2nd best average on the team. He's making $508,000.

"It was 98 mph so he supplied the power," Rupp said of his 362 foot HR. "He left the pitch up and over the plate."

At age 27, Rupp has now totaled 530 AB thusfar in the big leagues since his debut in 2013, all for Philadelphia. Last season, he logged 100 more AB, totaled 1 more HR (9), but half the 2B (9), so he is managing more power this time around with significantly more hits (he batted .233 in '15).

Starting pitcher Vince Velasquez, in his 2nd start since returning from 3-weeks on the DL because of a strained right biceps, was terrific. He went 6 innings, allowed 2 runs, S.O. 7 and walked 2. His 1st game back Monday was even better: 5 shutout innings, 7 S.O., 0 BB. With Sunday's win, he is 7-2 with a 3.34 ERA. The question isn't "Can he pitch," but rather "Can he stay healthy?" The Astros answered with a definitive "No" to the latter, then dealt him to the Phils in December as part of the return package for closer Kenny Giles (0-3, 4.76 ERA, 1 save for Houston).

Meeting on mound early Sunday.

At the beginning of the contest, Velasquez scared his manager Pete Mackanin because his hardest pitch was only 90 mph in the early going. Mackanin visited the mound:

"We thought: `Oh-no, not again.' But He assured us he was fine," Mackanin said. "He didn't have his above-average velocity, but he made his secondary pitches."

"It took me a little bit longer to warm up," Velasquez said. "Just dragging a little bit. Everyone has dead arm at some point. You have to pitch through it and utilize all your pitches."

The Phils still have a run differential of -93, which ranks 4th worst in all of baseball. However, they've now climbed back up to the 9th most wins in the NL out of 15 teams.

3B Maikel Franco has been red hot. He pounded a towering HR 431 feet to left-center field in the 8th, after having hit an RBI infield single in the 5th and contributing a single and run scored in the 1st.

Franco is delivering the best Phils power since Howard 2.0

Franco now has 14 HR and 45 RBI in the first half of the season. Also, 5-of-his-last-6 games have been multi-hit. He's 15-for-36, hitting .417 in his last 9 games. That's a big improvement over the .233 and .230 averages he disappointingly posted in June and May. Franco's power has been consistent and much-needed on this roster. The 23 year-old is 23rd in the NL in HR and 24th in RBI and the team leader in both categories.

The Phils will host Atlanta (28-54) and then travel to Colorado (37-44) to end the first half of their season and head to the All-Star break. The two losing teams give the Phils ample opportunity to end on a high note by continuing their winning streak. However, they will have to do it without fallen star starting pitcher Aaron Nola, who will miss his scheduled start Thursday for some extended time off to "clear his head."

The righthander has a 13.50 ERA in his last five starts, which is the first such string of poor outings

Nola sent packing to 'find himself.'

of his baseball career, which until now has been almost too easy at every level of baseball he reached leading to and including the Majors.

How Nola rebounds, adjusts and returns may shape the next chapter in his promising career.

"If you ask anybody, we all want to be pitching every fifth day," Nola said. "It's what they want to do and I understand. But hopefully it will help. Any time you get some time off, it's good. But I'm still going to try to get my work in the best that I can and get ready for my next start."

Atlanta righthander Joel De La Cruz (0-1, 4.50 ERA) will start against Jerad Eickhoff (5-9, 3.38) in the series opener Monday afternoon.

Phils select Mickey Moniak with #1 overall pick

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Fri, 10 Jun 2016 07:21:00 +0000

CF Moniak became the face of the Phils future Thursday.

It was the first time since 1998 that the Philadelphia Phillies chose first in the MLB draft. It was OF Pat Burrell then and OF McKenzie 'Mickey' Moniak Thursday. Moniak is 6'2" and 190 pounds. Google him and you'll see him track down impossibly deep hits to the track in CF and watch him spray the field with hits galore, which he did all summer long to drive his value to the tip-top of this year's draft.

"I’m just very excited to be a Phillie. I'm going to be working as hard as I can and do anything necessary to move my way up and hopefully put on that Phillies uniform in Philadelphia,” he said on Thursday night.

He's confident, composed and as full-proof to be a solid five-tool major leaguer as anyone in this year's draft. The 2016 draft is slightly unusual in how unpredictable it was to see a clear favorite for #1.

"The No. 1 pick has always been a dream," Moniak said. "Up until the point where the commissioner said my name, it was all a mystery. When it happened, it was unbelievable... It’s definitely a huge honor.”

Moniak, right, won gold with Team USA.

Moniak helped the Team USA under-18 team capture the gold medal at the 2015 Under 18 Baseball World Cup in Japan. He played for La Costa Canyon High in Carlsbad, Calif., where he hit .476 with 46 RBIs and 40 runs this season. He comes from a baseball family—his grandfather, Bill, played in the Red Sox organization and his father, Matt, played at San Diego State.

His coach Justin Machado at La Costa Canyon says he “will be a leadoff guy and a center fielder wherever he goes. His first step as a defender is amazing. He has a nose for the ball and can read swings pretty well.”

“I just want to help my team win. If I have a bad at-bat. I still have to go to center field and make a good play. It definitely puts things in perspective.”

It's significant that by all accounts he projects as a major league CF. No other outfielder in this year's draft is thought to be dominant enough at his position that it's certain he won't play a corner position or move around. Moniak's speed is cartoon-like, and he shows tremendous stolen base potential. One reason for that is that he is characterized as a "gamer," who loves to play 'all out' and 'go for it,' while showing tremendous love of the game in the style of a Chase Utley.

Moniak can track and catch anything.

“The one thing I try to do is stay within myself. Obviously playing with all the tough competition this summer helped me. I think think playing with all the top guys, reassured me that I could play with those guys. Over the summer, there would be 50, 60 scouts at every event you went to. It’s good to have an experience like that. The main thing I’ve learned is you have to have fun. It’s called play ball, not work ball, my (Team) USA coach said. You have to enjoy yourself.”

“First and foremost, you’ve got to look at it like that. The main thing about baseball and the main thing I like to do when I play the game of baseball is you can’t put too much-added pressure on yourself. In between the lines, the main thing is go out and win a ballgame. That’s your main focus. That’s all you’ve got to focus on."

He is known to be a 'gym rat', who never stops working out and working on his technique and mechanics.

"I take a lot of pride in hitting," Moniak said. "It's something I work on a lot."

Detractors, especially those who are frustrated with the current Phillies parent club, are scoffing at the team adding yet another powerless outfielder when power is the current team's biggest flaw. He also wasn't the most talked about player, who was probably LHP Jason Groome, who fell to #12, where he was snatched up by the Red Sox.

However, most everyone in the baseball world loves how professional this kid already is and how much he improved this Spring, when his stock rose at a meteoric pace. Senior advisors Pat Gillick and Charlie Manuel were among those Phillies executives who were high on this decision.

Phillies scouting director Johnny Almaraz said in a statement: "Collectively, we believe Mickey was the best player available in the draft. He’s a true center fielder with incredible offensive ability and the potential to be a perennial All-Star."

The Phillies #1 pick selection was embraced nearly unanimously by baseball experts, including former Phillies CF Doug Glanville, who asserted that-- in his opinion-- power comes in the later stages of a player's development.

While certainly not a reliable rule, Glanville would appear to be correct in Moniak's case. In his Junior year, he went Ben Revere by hitting no HR. Then, he added strength to his slender frame and belted 7 HR as a result this year, his senior and final year of high school.

“I like to work on all aspects of my game," Moniak said. "The main thing I’m working on now is to put on muscle and get more power in my swing.”

He gets many hits up the middle, which is attractive to experts as well, since that area of the field is so difficult to defend.

Moniak hit .476 with 7 HR, 12 triples, 46 RBI, 40 runs scored and a .921 slugging percentage. He was the Gatorade California Baseball Player of the Year and finished his four-year varsity career with a .390 average, 105 RBI and 105 runs scored.

Said Jim Callis, senior writer for MLB.com and MLBPipeline.com: “He’s a plus defender, he can really run and he’s one of the best hitters in the draft. He doesn’t have big-time power, but he’s also not just a slappy guy. He can hit 12-15 homers. For a high school guy, he’s very polished and provides positional value and hitting ability. You’ve got a solid regular. His floor is very high and his ceiling is very high.”

"Moniak features a good set of physical tools, with above-average running speed, a solid-average throwing arm, and outstanding outfield defensive instincts. His weakest tool is raw power but he isn't punchless," wrote John Sickels at Minor League Ball in May. "Most observers consider his swing mechanics to be excellent and he is one of the top pure hitters in the class."

Melissa Lockard, the MLB editor at Scout.com, said consistency is what has separated Moniak from the other high school position players:

“Every time scouts came out to see him, they seem to love him more,” she said. “You always got the same level of play. He can do everything pretty well. There’s not one super standout tool, but he gets good marks in pretty much every category. He looks like he can stick in centerfield, hit around .300, hit double digits in home runs and stolen bases and be a good defender. He’s shown more and more than he’s got the skill set to stay in that position and provide that kind of offense.”

CBS Sports writes: "In addition to having an outstanding baseball name, Moniak has been one of the biggest risers in the draft class over the last year. He went from decent prospect to potential No. 1 pick this spring thanks to a true five-tool skill set. Moniak's worst tool is his throwing arm, which is about average. He projects to hit for both power and average long-term thanks to an easy lefty swing and a sound approach. Good speed and instincts make him a no-doubt center fielder as well. Few players in the draft offer similar upside and all-around ability."

He was scheduled to attend Utley's alma mater UCLA for college at the time the Phillies drafted him Thursday. If the progress of former 13th pick SS J.P. Crawford is any indication, then fans can hope to see Moniak at the major league level around 2020 at age 22. Crawford was picked by the Phils in 2013 and is now major league ready, although has yet to debut.

Nola Shows Grit, Perseveres

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Mon, 06 Jun 2016 06:01:00 +0000

The Phils got a much needed sigh of relief with an 8-1 drubbing of Milwaukee Sunday to close the gap back to .500 and improve to 28-29 with just their 2nd win in their last 10 games. The Phils had lost 11 of 13 before splitting a 4-game series with the Brewers over the weekend.

It was the first series the Phillies didn't lose since May 18th.

With this season's resurgent NL East filled with competitive bidders, the Phils have fallen far in those weeks, from Second to Fourth Place.

Sunday, it was Ace Aaron Nola beginning June just as he completed May. Nola went 6 shutout innings, striking out 9, which tied a career high. Nola allowed 10 base runners and pitched out of trouble several times, but never yielded a run. It was a strong show of maturity for the rising star, who turned 23 on Saturday. Nola is 6th in the NL with a 0.99 WHIP and 8th in S.O. with 85.

Nola is the real deal.

After surrendering a leadoff walk, followed by a single in the first inning, Nola faced the heart of the order with 2-on and nobody out. He appeared in trouble. These are the moments most young pitchers panic and error. Nola, however, calmly S.O. Milwaukee's #3 and #4 hitters on a total of 6 pitches in identical fashion: 2 consecutive called strikes, followed by swinging strike 3. His trademark calm and unhittable curveball served him well. Then, after a strike followed by a ball to RF Domingo Santana, a double steal put runners at 2nd and 3rd with 2 out and a 1-1 count. Nola dug down and got a swinging strike, followed by a foul, then finished with another swinging strike 3, his 3rd of the inning, to retire the side.

Nola faced runners at 2nd and 3rd again in the 2nd with only 1 out and managed 2 ground-outs to keep the Brewers scoreless. In the 5th he allowed 2 on with 1 out, then struck out the next 2 batters to end the inning. In all, he threw 103 pitches and is 8th in the NL in IP with 78, which the team will have to keep a watch on to caution against over extending him during the tail end of a season which likely won't result in a playoff run.

"It was strange," Nola said. "I told the infielders that I was going to give them a 1-2-3 inning one time. It didn't happen. I got in jams pretty much every inning. I would get the leadoff guy, and then they'd get a hit. Or I'd get two outs, and then they'd get a hit. I battled hard and kept the team in the game, which is the most important part."

Nola's determination and ability to fight his way through nights where it doesn't come as easily are tremendous signs of his progress and a bright light for the team's immediate future.

CF Obdul Herrera continues to provide light at the top of the order, as well. He sparked the team's 2nd highest scoring game of the season with 4 hits Sunday. Herrera's .317 average is 14th in the NL, but more than that he is second in the NL with a .426 OBP, which is making him arguably the best Phillies leadoff hitter in decades.

Franco's power has been significant.

3rd baseman Mikail Franco added a bullet of a solo HR which traveled 386 feet to LF in the 3rd inning with 2 out, flashing his tremendous bat speed. Although his average has been disappointing this season, he is on pace for 28 HR and 88 RBI, which could give him the best Phillies power output at 3rd base in almost 20 years:

1998 Scott Rolen hit 31 HR
1992 Dave Hollins hit 27 HR

Catcher Cameron Rupp added a HR of his own. He is batting .500 with 2 HR in 4 June games for the Phils, who had 13 hits in all Sunday:

"We know that we can do it, and we showed it," Rupp said. "We just have to be consistent with it. The bats are there. Hitting is contagious. It really is. When guys keep getting big two-out hits and keep the line moving, you can do a lot of damage. We did that today."

Tommy Joseph hit a ground rule double to deep right center in the 5th to make it 4-0. Joseph is 7 for 20 during the 5-straight starts manager Pete Mackanin has given him, hitting .350 with a 2B, a HR and 2 RBI. His S.O. are high and he rarely walks, but he is an obvious advantage over Ryan Howard, who has hit an astonishing .151 with a .211 OBP while earning $25-million this season.

The Phillies will play their next 6 games against the Cubs and Washington. They would gain tremendous confidence if they could somehow pull off a split over those 6 games. However, it's a tall task, since the opponents are baseball's best, the Cubs, and 5th best (Nationals) teams. After all, the Phils were just swept back-to-back by both teams from May 27th-June 1st, when the Phils were outscored by a collective margin of 33-11. So, Monday through Sunday the Phils will essentially be revisiting their nightmares. Hopefully, they can Carl Jung their way through it with more heroic results.

Read more Phils coverage here: http://phantasticphillies.blogspot.com/

Growing Pains

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Mon, 30 May 2016 07:23:00 +0000

Velasquez was shelled in Chicago Sunday.

The Phils were embarrassed by MLB-worst Atlanta, who beat them 2-out-of-3 last weekend at home, then tripped up in Detroit, where they again dropped the first 2 before salvaging the final of a 3 game set.

Then came their weekend series vs. baseball's best team, the Cubs. The result was the Cubs first sweep of the Phils at Wrigley Field since 1995. Nobody said it would be easy, and in many ways-- especially statistically-- the handwriting was on the wall, but nonetheless dropping 3-straight over the weekend and being swept for only the 2nd time this year (and the first since losing 3-straight in Cincinnati to start the season) must hurt for these young, battle novice Phils.

"Every team goes through a lull. Every team goes through a hot streak and a cold streak," Manager Pete Mackanin said. "How you come out of those streaks - especially the cold streaks - determines how good of a team you are. I choose to believe we're at the bottom of the roller coaster and on our way up. That's the way I look at it."

Velasquez surrendered 7 runs on 9 hits in just 4 2/3 innings. His WHIP has ballooned to 1.25 during a May stretch where 4 of his 6 outings have been poor. He has now given up an alarming 18 hits and 10 runs in his last 2 outings.

"When you get behind the count, you have nowhere else to throw a fastball but down the middle and then you give up home runs," Velasquez said Sunday. "It's just one of those days, I guess. You can't do anything about it. Just one of those days where they get the bat on the ball and it falls into play and you have to continue pitching."

Amazingly, at 26-24 and 2 games over .500 the Phils are at a low point since May 6th when they were 16-14 and went on to win 6 of their next 7. That is more a testament to how overachieving these Phils have been than anything else. They were expected to pick up where they left off last season at dead last in baseball. Instead, they have been this season's biggest surprise, an upstart pitching first squad of wannabes and forming talent.

The Phils got the challenge they deserve and earned in Chicago. The MLB best Cubs improved to 34-14 at their expense. They will have no time to nurse their wounds, either, when they return home to open a 3-game series against the NL East leading Nationals (30-21) Monday night. While the schedule was made long before the Phils proved themselves with 24 wins to 13 losses from April 9th to May 18th, that winning run earned them this stretch of challengers they were anyways destined to meet.

David Hernandez has been a great surprise in relief.

Since May 18th, however, the Phils have gone 2-7 and are suddenly beginning to look like the team everybody was reading between the lines to predict would fall on their collective face. After being outscored 17-5 in the 3 games they lost over the weekend in Chicago, the Phils have MLB's 5th-worst run differential at -43. They have scored the 2nd fewest runs in baseball at 160. Yet, they still posses baseball's 14th best record at 26-24 (.520 win %), while the teams with worse run differentials this season are a collective 67-132 (.337 win %).

Much of this can be attributed to the terrific pitching they have had. That wasn't the case from the 3 Phils starting pitchers in this series. However, a silver lining was the bullpen, which pitched 9 1/3 shutout innings over the 3 games for a 3.58 ERA thusfar this season, including a terrific run of allowing only 3 earned runs in its last 22 1/3 innings of work for a 1.21 ERA during that span.

Monday at Citizens Bank:

Phillies RHP Jeremy Hellickson (4-3, 3.97 ERA)
vs.
Washington RHP Tanner Roark (3-4, 2.71 ERA) to begin an 11-game homestand.

Phils Face Stretch of Open Road

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Fri, 27 May 2016 05:22:00 +0000

Philadelphia shut out Atlanta 5-0 on Sunday behind one of Jerad Eickhoff's best games of the year. It was the Phillies' MLB-leading 7th shutout this season, which matches their total for all of last year.

SS Delvin Perez projects as a 1st round draft pick.

Sources say that the Phillies set up a private pre-draft workout Thursday with Delvin Perez, a 17-yr-old shortstop from Puerto Rico in preparation for their #1 overall pick in the June 9-11, 2016 draft in NJ. Sources say the Phils are "struggling" under the weight of their decision and are contemplating a plethora of candidates.

Perez is tall, lanky, exceptional defensively and speedy on the base-paths. However, it's questionable whether his hitting is big league ready:

"His defense is obviously there," a top MLB scout said. "It'll take time to see how much he hits. It's the hardest thing to project, because it's the hardest thing to do. But he's where he needs to be with his speed and defense."

"I'm very focused on what I'm doing," Perez said. "And I'm ready."

It's difficult to know where Perez will fit into the Phillies system. Obviously, at age 17, he will be a minor leaguer for a while, but just how long?

Crawford's patient maturity at the plate astounds scouts.

After all, the Phillies already have the top ranked shortstop in all of the minor leagues, one who is likely to see a promotion to the majors sometime this season: J.P. Crawford.

Crawford hit .265 with a 12.1% walk rate, 5 home runs and 7 stolen bases over 405 plate appearances in the high-minors in ’15. The shortstop was also heralded as an “assured defensive shortstop with soft hands and smooth actions [and] a plus arm,” by Baseball Prospectus.

ESPN bumped Crawford up to #2 on the MLB prospect list this week behind #1 Washington Nationals starting pitching prospect Lucas Giolito:

"Crawford has continued to control the strike zone at an unusual level for his age -- he'll play the entire season at 21 -- and earned a promotion to Triple-A last week, even though his average was just .265 for Reading. He's still an outstanding defensive shortstop with great instincts, though now that he's at a higher level, I'd like to see him get a little more aggressive when ahead in the count because he has good bat speed and a little more power than you'd expect from a middle infielder."

Crawford in spring training vs. Yankees (3/3/16).

However, GM Matt Klentak and the organization on a whole are not in a rush to promote Crawford. Refreshingly gone is the must-win-now pressure Reuben Amaro Jr. was forced to operate under after inheriting the winning fever that comes with 5-straight division titles and 2 World Series births.

The Phillies will play 12 out of their next 16 games against 2 of the best teams in the NL: The Cubs (ranked #1) and Nationals (ranked #3). It will not only be a test of their strength, it is a stretch of games that will answer some crucial questions about the team's present and future.

All season long, the 2016 Phillies have been somewhat of a walking contradiction. Are they the team that can't score runs or the team with the blockbuster pitching? Are they the team with the horrid run differential with all the luck in 1-run games propping up their record or are they the best turnaround story in baseball, knocking on First Place during a self-declared rebuilding year?

All of this, of course, is a conglomeration of the truth. Therefore, the win-loss results of the next 16 games will define their immediate future.

General manager Matt Klentak has already declared that he will be a buyer at the July 31st trade deadline if the Phils still posses a winning record at that time.

Bruce has hit .476 with 2 HR in 21 AB vs. Phils in his career.

There is a legitimate rumor that the Phils may try to upgrade their offense by acquiring Reds OF Jay Bruce if still in competition at the trade deadline.

Bruce, 29, has hit 216 HR, all with Cincinnati since he debuted in 2008, the year the Phils won it all. He has hit at least 20 HR in all but 1 season ('14, he hit 18 HR), including 30+ from 2011-2013. He is batting .263 and on-pace to hit 28 HR and drive in 100 RBI this season.

The Reds are non-competitive at 15-31 (3rd worst in MLB) and are looking to unload Bruce and his over $12 million dollar salary.

The Phillies should avoid Bruce like the plague. The last thing they need is another aging slugger who is 1 injury away from an ineffective albatross. Furthermore, Bruce hit .217 in '14 and .226 in '15 and his OBP (.281/.294/.317 in last 3 seasons) is putrid. Is that the kind of black hole you want eating up the cleanup spot until he ages his way out of the lineup? One hopes Klentak and co. have learned the lesson of the RyHo extended contract disaster (which Yahoo Sports called Thursday, "The worst contract ever") of 2010, which the Phillies are still paying for, literally and figuratively.

Utley comes home August 16th.

Well, this stretch of games, which will leave the Phils just under a month from the end of the First Half of the season, will be one of their toughest of the season-- and it doesn't get easier from there.

In the 2nd half of the season, the Phils schedule is arguably the toughest in all of baseball. They will have a pair of series against the AL Central's First-Place White Sox, a plethora of games against MLB elite division rivals the Mets and Washington, a series vs. 2nd-place Pittsburgh, the NL West First-Place Giants, St. Louis (leading the NL in runs) and 6 games against the Dodgers, including Chase Utley's sure to be emotional homecoming on August 16th at Citizens Bank Park.

Phils GM has to be happy with what he's seen, yet patient.

There is no doubt that if the Phils are to remain standing when the smoke clears at the end of September, they will need not only strength but reinforcements. That help must come in the form of bats. Big bats. Bats that can bring in runs with one swing. One potential place that relief can appear is from the minor leagues. The other is through a trade. Klentak is no dummy. He knows that the Phils will have to prove themselves, that they'll have to wade through some tough competition to reach July 31st still winners. It's trial and error. Lose and go back to the drawing board, waiting for the nucleus to gel over an indefinite amount of time before getting another chance to make a run at the playoffs. Win and get immediate help that could result in a real shot at October glory. That trial starts now.

Friday, the Phils will begin a weekend series at Wrigley Field in Chicago against MLB's best team, the Cubs, 31-14, 14-6 at home. Hopefully, the Phils are saying their prayers.

Fri, May 27	Cubs vs Philadelphia	2:20 PM	Lester (4-3)	Morgan (1-2)
Sat, May 28	Cubs vs Philadelphia	2:20 PM	Hendricks (2-4)	Eickhoff (2-6)
Sun, May 29	Cubs vs Philadelphia	2:20 PM	Lackey (4-2)	Velasquez (5-1)

Phils Slip to Third Place

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Sun, 22 May 2016 05:19:00 +0000

GM Klentak plans to be buyer at trade deadline.

The Phils were in a virtual tie for first place Thursday night in the surprisingly wide-open NL East. Cautious GM Matt Klentak was even saying he would be a buyer at the trade deadline if the team still had a winning record, but asserted that he won't compromise the rebuilding effort that has taken an astonishingly ahead-of-schedule appearance.

So, it was all perfect table-setting for a 3-game series against the horrendous Braves. Atlanta arrived at Citizens Bank Park Friday with a NL worst 10-30 record; 12th out of 15 teams in pitching and dead last 15th (behind the #14 Phils) in hitting. Off to one of the worst starts in their history, they fired manager Fredi Gonzalez on Tuesday and have yet to replace him.

The Phils even had team ace Aaron Nola opening the series Friday, seemingly irrelevantly, as the then 8-3 in past 11 games Phils were about to feast on the then 3-11 in past 14 games Braves.

However, an opportunity to pad their record has turned into a nightmarish weekend for the Phils. Their inability to score runs caught up with them against a Braves team seemingly inept at all fronts. The Phils were beaten at home 7-1 Friday, then shutout 2-0 Saturday.

Don't blame him: Nola continues to shine.

While Aaron Nola took the loss Friday, he actually only surrendered 2 earned runs over 7 innings, S.O. 6 and walked 2, actually lowering his ERA to 2.85 and 2.00 in May. He's now 3-3 with still the 3rd best WHIP (0.90) and 7th most S.O. (64) in the NL.

It was Phils 3B Maikel Franco Friday who made a pair of errors, including a costly throwing miscue in the 7th inning that resulted in 3 unearned runs. He came in with only 2 previous errors all season.

"It's part of the game, so I just try to forget that day and try to come in tomorrow and do my best for my teammates," Franco said.

Two former Phils had a hand in their defeat in the first 2 games of the 3-game series:

Braves leadoff hitter Chase d'Arnaud had a career-high three hits Saturday and is 5-for-8 in the series, his return to Philadelphia, where he played last year.

LF Jeff Francoeur, also a Phillies player in 2015, led off the 4th inning with a single that sparked the rally for the only 2 runs Atlanta would score-- or need-- Saturday.

Manager Pete Mackanin

"Not a real good night," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Friday. Too bad the Phils came out without showing up Saturday to compound their weekend hangover.

After dropping two at home to the woeful Braves, the Phils fell from 1/2 game out of First Place to 2 games out and now in Third Place behind Washington and the Mets.

After consecutive last-place finishes in 2014 and 2015, the Phils have now gone 17 innings without scoring after losing the first two games of the Atlanta series. The Phillies have totaled eight hits with 17 strikeouts and four walks, and failed to bat with a single runner in scoring position Saturday.

The Phils now have the infamous distinction of scoring the fewest runs per game in the NL. Atlanta, who has just posted 9 runs in 2 games against them, is averaging 3.3 runs per game, while the Phils are dead last at 3.2 runs-per-game. It's a testament to the small miracle their #5 ranked pitching staff has managed to pull off that they were 24-17, a half-game out of First and looking to be buyers at the trade deadline entering this series.

ESPN's lead baseball analyst and former Philadelphia local sports writer Jayson Stark even handed the Phils the Surprise Team Award on Thursday:

"Before Opening Day, Baseball Prospectus played out the season 1 million times, based on its PECOTA projections. The Phillies were the only team in baseball that was given a zero percent chance to win the World Series (although, to be technical, that was just because they computed to have less than one-tenth of a 1 percent chance). Then, however, the real season started. And something crazy happened: When those same Phillies hit that magical 40-game mark, they were six games over .500 (23-17). They also had a minus-30 run differential. So how many other teams since 1900 had a record that good and a run differential that lopsided after 40 games? Right you are. That would be none, according to baseball-reference.com. What a story this team is."

He rightfully mentioned: Odubel Herrera in his first quarter baseball notables:

"The Phillies' hyperactive center fielder walked exactly 28 times last season -- in 537 trips to the plate. He already has walked 29 times this season -- in 174 trips to the plate. That's because Herrera somehow has improved his walk rate from 5.2 percent last year to 16.7 percent this year. And how improbable is that? Here's how improbable. Only one player since 1900 has had his walk rate jump by more than 10 percent in one year. That player was Barry Lamar Bonds in 2003-04. Except that Bonds was helped slightly in his quest by those 120 intentional walks he got in 2004. Herrera has been honored with two intentional walks. In his career. Go figure."

Herrera has brought stability to CF and the top of the order.

Herrera has been #2 in OBP and #6 in batting average for much of the season. Additionally, his power has swelled, and he's already half way to his 2015 HR total of 8 and is on pace to hit 15 HR this year.

Herrera, however, missed Wednesday's game with a sore back and returned Friday only to go 0-for-3 and not appear healthy. Then, Saturday, the normally stellar gloved CF appeared to misjudge the ball and then tried to make a diving catch, which cost the Phils. Herrera was not charged with an error, but could have been. The Braves scored both of their runs as a result of his mistake. Herrera clearly isn't healthy.

The 2 wins in Philly have secured the Braves only their 2nd series win of 2016. The Phils will try to salvage one Sunday with Jerad Eickhoff on the mound. Unfortunately, Eickhoff (1-6, 4.44 ERA) is 0-5 with a 5.45 ERA in his last 6 games with opponents hitting .293 against him.

"Just trying to make little adjustments from last outing," Eickhoff said. "Curve was not effective, two-seamer had good life. Slider is a big pitch for me."

To make matters worse, Braves left-handed hitters love to hit him hard:

Braves Kelly Johnson is 4 for 8 against him and Freddie Freeman is 3 for 5 with a homer. They will be eager to face a pitcher who is allowing left-handed hitters to bat .324.

Read more Phils coverage here: http://phantasticphillies.blogspot.com/

Velasquez Hurls Phils to 1/2 Game from First

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Wed, 18 May 2016 05:25:00 +0000

Velasquez S.O. 2 batters per inning Tuesday.

After Tuesday's 3-1 win over Miami, the Phillies are 23-17 and only 1/2 game out of First Place. Amazingly, only one NL team (MLB's best Cubs) has won more games than the rebuilding upstart Phils. 40 games into the season, the Phillies are defying all expectations for what their ceiling could be, both internal and across the baseball world. ESPN reluctantly ranked them 13th in baseball, held back from higher because of a combination of their limp offense, poor run differential and the cloud of doubts that linger over Citizens Bank Park.

"We can't force culture to develop," GM Matt Klentak said a few days ago. "But when it starts to develop, we can do our best to let it happen. And that's what's happening right now. It's a young team. They're playing hard. They believe every night that they can compete. Most nights, we do compete."

Catcher Cameron Rupp added: "We wanted to come out and play and have fun. Anything we do is going to be a positive after last year. I think we've surprised everybody."

"Surprise" is an understatement.

Everyone is holding their breath waiting for the Phils to fall back down to Earth. The strength of their pitching, which ranks 6th in the NL has been something of a revelation. The quality young arms currently flourishing in the rotation is the best sign for future success of Philadelphia baseball in a long time. The cohesiveness and consistency of the bullpen is the most pleasantly unexpected success of the first quarter of the season.

The Phillies are 2 S.O. shy of the best in the NL (Washington).

Velasquez made history with a 16 S.O. shutout on 4/14.

Vince Velasquez, who struck out 10 Marlins (including the side in the 2nd) over 5 shutout innings Tuesday, has been remarkable. “There’s riding life in the zone with his fastball,” Padres manager Andy Green said of him after he K'd 16 Padres on 4/14. “It was explosive, reminds me of when I saw Scherzer going as well as he goes, and that fastball is literally exploding through the zone.”

"We really like him. He's going to be special," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said Tuesday.

Velasquez is 3rd in the NL in wins (knotted at 5-1 with baseball's best pitcher Clayton Kershaw), 7th in S.O., 6th in WHIP and 8th in ERA. He'll turn just 23 on June 7th.

And he's not even their best starting pitcher. Aaron Nola, who coincidentally will turn 23 only 3 days before Velasquez does, is the Phils-- and one of baseball's-- best.

It's impossible to think that anyone, even the Phils themselves, could have conceived of this level of success in the standings at this point in the season before the season started. Experts are struggling to justify it now when you take a closer look at the numbers: 14-3 in one run games, a run differential of -30...

Yet, the Phils are the hottest team in their division with 7 wins in their last 10 games and find themselves knocking on the door of the Nationals for First Place.

Gomez has been terrific, but can it last?

Jeanmar Gomez has a career ERA of 4.08 and WHIP of 1.40. In his worst season for his previous 2 teams (Pittsburgh and Cleveland), he posted a 5.96 ERA ('12 with Cleveland) and walked almost as many as he struck out. He should certainly be expected to fall down to Earth. In fact, the writing is on the wall that he already has. After surrendering a walk and 2 hits in the 9th inning Tuesday, he recorded his MLB leading 15th save. However, while his April ERA was 1.80, his ERA in May is 4.05.

Guess who leads the AL in saves? If you answered Ryan Madson, you cheated. Madson, who will turn 36 this summer, has pitched just 17 innings for the Oakland A's this year, but has completed 11 saves in 11 tries, while posting a 1.02 ERA. Last season, Madson helped the K.C. Royals win the World Series. In 2008, he was instrumental when the Phils did the same.

Tommy Joseph's 1st HR was a "bullet."

Tuesday night, big First Baseman Tommy Joseph batted cleanup for the Phils. Joseph landed his first major-league hit Monday night when he batted in the 5-spot. In his first at-bat on Tuesday, he hit his first HR (just inside the LF foul pole, described by the announcer as "a bullet"), then added a single to right in the 4th and a full-count RBI single to CF in the 6th, which led to another run.

His parents were at Citizens Bank for his 1st HR: "It's nice for them to be here, and I get to share this moment with them," Joseph said.

Joseph was 3-for-3 out of the cleanup spot and the Phils led 3-0. In his final at bat in the bottom of the 8th, Joseph S.O,. on 4 pitches against Miami reliever Dustin McGowan, but it was a very impressive step up to the #4 spot for Joseph.

Joseph, 24, was traded to the Phillies as part of a return package in '12 for OF Hunter Pence, who went on to win 2 World Series with the S.F. Giants. The Phillies have seen little return on that trade (they acquired Joseph with Nate Schierholtz and Seth Rosin). However, after posting a .347 average and a .611 slugging % with 6 HR and 7 2B in his 1st 95 AB of the season, Joseph earned a promotion from AAA Lehigh Valley to the majors on May 13th. So far, the 6-1, 254 pound (he says he lost 25 lbs. since last season, when he finished with a .193 batting average) 1B has 4 hits in his 1st major league 10 AB and, like so many of the young faces on the field for the Fightin', proving competitive and fun to watch.

Neris has been intimidating and dominant.

A pivotal part of that picture has been 26 year-old Dominican reliever Hector Neris. Manager Pete Mackanin has said Neris has "closer stuff," perhaps hinting at his future role with the Phils. In the meantime, Neris has been torching the NL as a set-up man for Gomez. In 24 innings, he's allowed just 10 hits, has S.O. 33 and boasts a team-leading 0.71 WHIP and now has a towering 75 S.O. to 17 walks in his young career. Tuesday, Neris S.O. the side on 16 pitches in the 8th to set-up closer Gomez and lower his ERA to 1.50.

Phillies pitchers stuck out 17 Marlins to even their best-of-3 series at 1-apiece. The deciding game will be played Wednesday at 1:05 PM in Philadelphia. Jeremy Hellickson (3-2, 4.12 ERA), coming off a shutout vs. Cincinnati will oppose Tom Koehler (2-3, 5.14 ERA), who is coming off 2 excellent outings, including 5/7 vs. the Phils: 7 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 2 BB, 8 S.O.

The Phillies will have the day off Thursday, before opening a 3-game weekend home-stand against MLB-worst Atlanta (9-29) with ace Aaron Nola on the mound.

Nola, Phils Reach Milestone

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Sun, 15 May 2016 07:07:00 +0000

Aaron Nola will turn 23 on June 4th. Already, at age 22, he is one of baseball's best pitchers. There's every reason to believe he will keep getting better. After all, he has been before our eyes with every new day on the mound. Another milestone in a brilliant young career came Saturday. The movement on his pitches during a 3-2 win in Philadelphia Saturday was incredible. Nola set a new career-high by striking out 9 Reds in his 7 innings of work. He walked 1 and allowed only 1 earned run.

He threw pitches that dove in on guys, down near their ankles and ended up in the catcher's mitt for called strike 3 like a magic trick. (Who could blame them for gawking?) He threw pitches that dove and sunk, rose and cut. He made them miss, and he froze them.

Nola is 3-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last 5 starts. His 0.85 WHIP is #3 in the NL behind 3-time Cy Young Clayton Kershaw and defending Cy Young Jake Arrieta. He is #5 in the NL in S.O. behind Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Madison Bumgarner. Don't be surprised to read Nola's name mentioned alongside those elite superstar pitchers, get used to it.

Meteoric rise: Phils drafted Nola at #7 in 2014.

"He has a great way about him," his manager Mackanin said Saturday. "He knows how to make adjustments. He's a lot of fun to watch."

Nola's command is enthralling. His days on the mound worth savoring, His S.O./BB ratio (6.44/1) is nearly Kershaw-like. He has S.O. 58 while walking 9 (#3 in the NL).

The Phillies are now 1 game out of First Place after winning 6-out-of-7 again. They completed a 5-5 10-game road trip and are 2-0 at home since. They have the 4th ranked pitching staff in the NL, but are next to last in offense.

The rebuilding Phillies are inconceivably 22-15 and 22-11 since opening the season 0-4. It's true that they're a MLB-best 14-3 in one-run games, which many cite alongside their -25 run differential to prove that they're not as good as their record. However, it's also true that at the nearly quarter point in the season their record is better than its been at any point since they finished 2011 a franchise best-ever 102-60.

The Phils play 1 more at home against the Reds, then host division foes Miami and Atlanta for 3-games each.

Nola, Phils Win Again

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Wed, 04 May 2016 06:10:00 +0000

Ryan Howard went long (415 feet to right center), his 6th in the 6th off Michael Wacha and starting pitcher Aaron Nola made it stick with 7 strong shutout innings to give the Phils a 1-0 win in St. Louis in the 2nd of a 10-game road trip.

Nola seems better with every pitch.

After a scoreless 9th, Jeanmar Gomez is now 9-for-9 in saves (2nd in MLB). Recently, he said of the closer role, "I don’t think too much about that. I just focus on my pitches, focus on keeping the ball down and making quality pitches.”

Aaron Nola was majestic. St. Louis is the #1 ranked offense in all of baseball. They lead MLB in batting average (.275), HR (40), Total Bases (446), SLG % (.487), OPS (.836) and Runs scored (153).

Tuesday, Aaron Nola surrendered just 2 hits, muting the Cardinals over 7 dominant innings in St. Louis. He walked 1, while striking out 7. His control was astounding. He threw a remarkable 76 of his 111 pitches for strikes.

He has now S.O. 44 batters so far this year (#4 in all of MLB). His WHIP has fallen to 0.80 (also #4 in MLB). He is the best young pitcher Philadelphia has seen in a long, long time. To put it in perspective, the pitchers who have struck out more batters or posted a better WHIP than Nola this year are a whose-who of major league pitching stars:

Madison Bumgarner, S.F. Giants. 2015 Salary: $6,916,667. Claim to fame: WS, NLCS MVP '15

Clayton Kershaw, L.A. Dodgers. 2015 Salary: $31,000,000. Claim to fame: 2014 NL MVP, Cy Young: 2014, 2013, 2011

David Price, Boston. 2015 Salary: $19,750,000. Claim to fame: 2012 Cy Young

Jake Arrietta, Cubs. 2015 Salary: $3,630,000. Claim to fame: 2015 Cy Young.

Drew Smyly, Tampa Bay. 2015 Salary: $2,650,000. Claim to fame: Silly name.

Noah Syndergaard, 23 years-old, 2016 salary: $531,875. Claim to fame: Looks like superhero Thor. After 2015 Worlds Series splash, widely considered one of baseball's best young arms.

Well, count Nola in.

Nola set the bar high, yet keeps getting better.

Nola is making around $600,000 in 2016. He was taken #7 overall by the Phils in the 1st round of the 2014 draft. He has been fantastic ever since. In his debut 7/21/15, he allowed 5 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and S.O. 6 in 6 innings. He is 7-4 in his young career.

He has now gone 20-consecutive shutout innings, allowing just 6 hits and 4 walks, while striking out 21 over that span. The best is yet to come.

The Phillies are now 10-2 in their last 12. They are 16-11 and have gone 16-7 since their 0-4 start. They gained a full game on First Place Tuesday, when Washington and the Mets each lost, leaving the Phils just 2 1/2 back in the NL East. The Phillies have the 6th best record, yet have produced the 4th fewest runs in all of baseball. That is thanks, of course, to their awesome young starters and surprisingly effective bullpen.

The Phils young guns trio of starters, Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff helped the Phils set a MLB record of strikeouts per 9 innings in April.

Their strikeout-to-walk ratio is: Aaron Nola, 44-7, Jerad Eickhoff, 32-5 and Vince Velasquez, 39-10. That's 115 S.O. to just 22 walks-- and it's May 3rd-- and that's just 3 guys.

What the Phils have is lightening in a bottle: dominant young starting pitching. Eickhoff is 25, Velasquez 23 and Nola 22.

Velasquez, Phils young arms firing everyone up.

Now, it's true that Houston dealt Velasquez because they doubted his post-Tommy John ability to stay healthy for the long haul. Time will tell.

And yes, much is being made about the Phils poor run differential (the accumulative amount they score vs. the amount opponents score against them), which is 9th worst in all of baseball. They have been outscored by 22 runs in their 1st 27 games and have been outscored 10-4 in the 1st 2 games of their current series in St. Louis, although they won 1 and lost 1 of those games.

However, that is missing the bigger picture. Nobody took the Phils to win the World Series this season. In fact, almost all 'experts' took them to finish dead last.

Yet, here they are, creeping into some experts 'Top 10'.

They can't score, but they can compete. They won't beat you with the long ball (although Howard did Tuesday for old times sake in his home town), but man will they make you whiff.

Ask any owner, any manager, any player, any 'expert,' "What's the one component you would choose to build a team around?" The answer across the board will be, "Starting pitching."

Eickhoff is Phils 3rd Young Gun in rotation.

The Phils, in an unlikely short amount of rebuilding time, have a foundation for future winning. Instead of showing concern for their run differential as though the house of cards is about to topple, enjoy the ride and remember nights like Tuesday, when future all-star, perhaps future NLCS MVP Aaron Nola took the mound on a cloudy night in St. Louis the 1st week of May in front of 40,000 baseball devotees and S.O. 7 (mostly) World Series winning batters.

Remember Rollins-Utley-Howard and Hamels when they were emerging. In 2006, when the team shed high-paid stars OF Bobby Abreu and RP Rheal Cormier for what they saw as a long term rebuilding effort, nobody would have predicted the Phils would win the division or make the playoffs the next year, but they did both.

That's not to say this team is a replica of that one or that in 2 years these Phils will win the World Series, which those Phils did.

It's that the excitement that this team is now generating is awesome-- and it's for real. As is the nucleus of pitching talent on display, which is as good a young core as the Phils have displayed in a long time.

The Phils have 2 more games in St. Louis, where they split the first 2.

Phils Beat Papelbon Again, Sweep Nats

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 02:22:00 +0000

Aaron Nola pitched like an ace.

The First Place Washington Nationals were 8-1 at home before the Third-Place Phillies completed a 3-game sweep of them there Thursday. The Phils have now won 6-out-of-seven games and are a mere 2 1/2 games behind Washington, sandwiching the Second Place Mets, who have won 6-straight and 9-of-10.

Starting pitcher Aaron Nola S.O. 7 with 7 innings of 2 hit shutout baseball. Closer Jeanmar Gomez recorded his 7th save (#2 in the NL) with another scoreless 9th and the Phillies beat Jonathan Papelbon yet again, causing him more misery against his former team.

Thursday, Nola reached 37 S.O. on the season, which ranks him #4 in the NL. His 0.88 WHIP ranks #7, although he is 1-2 and did not record the win.

In the top of the 9th with the score knotted at nothing apiece, the Nationals brought on relief pitcher Felipe Rivero and his 1.54 ERA.

Herrera, a true lead-off hitter.

Phils CF Odubel Herrera was the first to face him. Herrera was 0-for-2 on the night. He had been struckout looking in the 4th and lined out to right in the 6th. However, while it could appear he had been unproductive, that is far from true. In fact, he drew a lead-off walk and attempted a steal, but was caught to start the game. It's terrific to see his aggression on the base paths, where he ranks #7 in the NL in stolen bases.

Herrera has a .453 on base percentage (#4 OBP in NL) with 22 walks (#2 in NL). That's amazing when you consider he isn't a power hitter or playing for a First-place team, which means nobody is pitching around him, which they are Arizona's slugger Paul Goldschmidt who leads the league with 1 walk more than Herrera.

Herrera's ability to draw walks and utilize a scrupulous eye at the plate makes him arguably the best true leadoff hitter the Phillies have seen in quite some time. Without opening a debate or drawing extensive comparison, it is well-known that Jimmy Rolllins, who loved to leadoff for the Phils, had an Achilles heel in that role: his putrid .324 career OBP.

Herrera lead off the 9th with a single to center field. Then, SS Freddy Galvis doubled to deep left center, moving Herrera to 3rd base. Sensational 3rd baseman Maikel Franco was intentionally walked to load the bases with still nobody out. Then, sadly (and strategically debatable), Darrin Ruf was brought in to pinch hit for Ryan Howard. (Wow, sign of the times.) The Nationals, desperate to salvage a game of the series and maintain their dwindling first place stronghold behind their franchise-best start, which shrunk daily throughout the week during the Mets win-streak, countered with closer Jonathan Papelbon. Papebon promptly S.O. Ruf on 3 pitches.

Rupp's double sails over Jayson Werth.

However, with 1 out, the next batter to face Papelbon was catcher Cameron Rupp. Rupp fouled one off, then another. Papelbon had the hitter right where he wanted with 2 quick strikes. With 1 out and 2 strikes on Rupp, none of the bases loaded runners had scored and the score still read 0-0 with Rupp facing an 0-2 hole. Then, Rupp drew a ball. Then another. It was a 2-2 count.

On the next pitch, Rupp doubled to deep right (he has a .480 SLG % with 1 HR and 7 2B in 50 AB) to plate Herrera and Galvis and put the Phils on top 2-0.

"It's always sweet, especially sweeping these guys in your division," Rupp said. "A lot of people write us off saying we don't want to win. That's not true. We come out here and play."

Gomez has authoritatively taken the reigns from Giles.

Then, 28 year-old Gomez came in to swat the Nats in the bottom half of the inning. He surrendered a lead-off single to Ryan Zimmerman, but then induced a fly out followed by a Jayson Werth ground out double play to SS to end the game.

Gomez has been amazing for the Phils. He is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Meanwhile, Kenny Giles, who Gomez has replaced, is 0-2 with a 7.45 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP for the Astros, who the Phils traded him to late last year for a bunch of promising prospects, including Vincent Velasquez, who has been one of the Phils best starters this season: 3-1, 1.78 ERA (#6), 33 S.O. (#5, behind teammate Nola) and 0.87 WHIP (#5).

Herrera and Galvis score the winning runs in the 9th.

The Phils won 3-0 to complete the impressive sweep in Washington, their first since 2009.

They return home for a weekend series against Cleveland before beginning a 10-game road trip.

The Phils are young, competitive and exciting. They haven't been that combination for a long time.

Phils Relish Embarrassing Papelbon

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 05:28:00 +0000

Walkoff win!

For the Phillies it was just another chapter in the psychological undressing of Jonathan Papelbon. 7/28/15 the Phils traded their all-time leading closer (123 saves) and Boston's all-time leading closer (219 saves) to division rivals Washington. While neither the Phillies or the Nationals were playoff bound last season, it was widely considered that Papelbon (who was 17-for-17 in saves for the last-place Phils at the time) would squash them under his cleat at ensuing divisional contests in coming seasons, while closing for the up and coming Nationals. Already touting one of baseball's most stocked minor leagues, Washington got off to its best start in franchise history this year at 9-1. Then came Sunday.

Harper's record power vs. Phils.

Washington was looking to sweep the Phils Sunday after pounding their lights out for two straight nights for a cumulative score of 17-2, giving them 7-straight wins. It looked like a cinch when defending NL MVP Bryce Harper hit his 6th HR (2nd in NL) and 15th RBI (also 2nd in NL) 428 feet to right center in the top of the 10th inning off reliever Jeanmar Gomez to put Washington on top, 2-1.

Bryce Harper has now hit HR in 6 consecutive games at Citizen Bank Park. When Harper hit his solo HR Sunday, he tied Cubs infielder Ernie "Mr. Cub" Banks for a record at Phillies' stadiums. Banks hit 6-straight at Connie Mack stadium playing against Phillies legendary pitcher Robin Roberts. No Phillie has ever done it. The closest was Chase Utley, who hit HR in 5-straight at Citizens Bank Park in 2008.

Then, Papelbon met his fate in the bottom of the 10th when he faced an unlikely nemesis: SS Freddy Galvis.

"I played behind him, so I know how he pitches," Galvis said of Papelbon, who blew a save by allowing a HR to Galvis in his 1st game back in Philadelphia last September. "I know what his ball does."

With one out, Peter Bourjos (hitting .189) doubled to left off Papelbon (5-5- in saves, 1.80 ERA coming in). Then with 2-out, Andres Blanco (.308) PH an RBI single to left to tie the game at 2-2, then advanced to second on the throw with veteran base running (at 32, one of the older Phils).

Galvis isn't exactly, well, Bryce Harper-- or even Andres Blanco for that matter. Entering the at-bat, Galvis was 0-for-4 with a .205 batting average. However, he drove a Papelbon 2-strike fastball to left over the head of former Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth (himself no Galvis these days, hitting just .171 at age 36 after hitting .221 last year) to plate Blanco and win the game. Galvis stomped on 2nd base and players rushed to him from the Phillies' dugout to celebrate.

Still playing, for what it's Werth.

"I just didn't execute," said Papelbon, who was 5-for-5 in 2016 before blowing the save vs. his former team.

Improbably, it wasn't the first time Galvis had beaten Papelbon since the two parted ways.

In his first trip back to Philadelphia in September, Papelbon surrendered a HR to Galvis (blowing a save opportunity).

Galvis is now 3-for-3 with a HR, a 2B, a walk and 2 RBIs against Papelbon.

Meanwhile, Papelbon is 1-2 with a 12.27 ERA in four games against the Phillies since joining Washington.

Pivetta: 6-foot-5, 220 pound Rottweiler.

The Phils return for the famed yet infamous closer was Double-A right-hander Nick Pivetta, 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 18 games/17 starts between Class A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg last season.

Pivetta, a 22-year-old Canadian, was a 4th-round draft selection in 2013. He was ranked by Baseball America as the 10th-best prospect in the Nationals' organization.

Papelbon chokes Harper 9/27/15.

Infamously, Papelbon grabbed his crotch in response to Phillies fans' boos after blowing a save during his waning days in Philadelphia. He added another in a string of career sideshow low-lights when he attacked his superstar teammate-NL MVP Harper in the Nationals’ dugout last season. The fight broke out after Papelbon was vocally critical that the 22-year-old Harper had failed to run out a pop fly. Harper retorted that he would be happy to “fight [Papelbon] right now,” and Papelbon took him up on it. The next inning, Papelbon promptly surrendered a two-run HR.

The Phillies open a 3-game series in Philadelphia against the defending NL champion Mets on Monday. Noah Syndergaard, the toast of NY this offseason, opposes Jerad Eickhoff Monday in a pitching matchup of two quality young starters off to hot starts.

Tuesday marks the follow-up for sensational starter Vince Velasquez, who etched his name in history by S.O. 16 (albeit Padres) while walking none his last time out.

Mon, Apr 18	vs NY Mets	7:05 PM	Eickhoff (1-1)	Syndergaard (1-0)	250 available
Tue, Apr 19	vs NY Mets	7:05 PM	Velasquez (2-0)	Verrett (0-0)	859 available
Wed, Apr 20	vs NY Mets	7:05 PM	Hellickson (1-1)	Colon (1-1)

Velasquez S.O. 16, Makes History

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Fri, 15 Apr 2016 06:41:00 +0000

The Phillies 23 year-old right-hander Vincent Velasquez made history Thursday, less than 24 hours after his teammate in the rotation Jerad Eickhoff continued to impress with a 9K, 0 BB stellar performance.

When the Phillies traded their closer Kenny Giles to the Astros in December, Velasquez was a key part of the Phils return. In 19 games (seven starts) for the Astros last year, he posted an ERA of 4.37 in 55 2/3 innings and struck out just over a batter an inning, averaging 94.6 mph on his fastball.

The 2010 second-round pick had been re-ranked at No. 69 on MLB's Top 100 list, and sat at No. 4 on the Astros' Top 30 when the Phils got him. He entered into the Phils prospect list at #5 before being promoted to the majors.

In his first outing with the Phils on April 9th vs. the Mets, Velasquez sparked a shutout at Citi Field. His 6 innings were dynamite: 3 hits allowed, 9 S.O., 3 walks.

Thursday, however, he took the next step in a thrilling young career.

He S.O. a staggering 16 and walked none in a complete game shutout of the Padres at Citizens Bank Park to complete a 3-game sweep of S.D. Velasquez allowed just 3 hits. He has not yielded an earned run yet this year.

Most impressive, the quality and power of his pitches never faltered throughout the contest. Velasquez hit 97 mph with his fastball on pitch No. 101. His final pitch of the game was 96 mph.

More importantly, Velasquez didn't walk a single batter during the start. He induced an amazing 27 swinging strikes!

"I reached back," Velasquez said. "I wasn't really looking at the radar gun. I was just trying to get a last strikeout and celebrate."

"My face doesn't show it, but it was fun," Velasquez said 15 minutes after striking out the final batter. "I'm fully excited. Man. Gosh, it's still hitting me."

Velasquez is the third pitcher (after Dwight Gooden and Kerry Wood) under 24 since 1913 to strike out 16 and walk none in a shutout.

"It looks like we made a pretty good trade, I'd say," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "How much fun was that to watch?!"

"A young Zack Greinke right there," pitching coach Bob McClure said. "That was like watching the same thing."

"That was incredible," righthander Aaron Nola said. "I felt like it was automatic. It looked like a video game."

"His fastball, I mean, it had every bit of life that it had to it," Catcher Cameron Rupp said. "It got to a point where I was thinking to myself, 'I kind of want to mix in a breaking ball here, but I don't need to.' He was blowing everybody's doors off with it."

Ryan Howard (yes, he's still around) hit his 3rd HR of the season and drove in the only 2 Phillies runs Thursday. The 2nd-place Phils are now 5-5 and have won 3-straight and 5-of-6. They will host 1st-place Washington and the Mets in back-to-back series beginning Friday.

Velasquez's complete game 16 S.O. no walk shutout has only been equaled by 1 active pitcher in all of baseball: (now) Washington's Max Scherzer, who Aaron Nola will face Saturday in Philadelphia.

Velasquez now leads the NL in wins (2), ERA (0.00) and S.O. (25). He is second in WHIP behind L.A.'s Clayton Kershaw.

The 3 young guns: Velasquez, Nola and Jerad Eickhoff in the Phils rotation are making things very exciting and encouraging with an eye to the future, which the organization has so effectively transformed into something bright.

The Kids Are All Right

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 06:25:00 +0000

The Phillies are seeing return on their monumental trade of homegrown all-star Cole Hamels last August. Tonight at Citizens Bank Park 25 year-old starter Jerad Eickhoff resembled Hamels in his prime. Even the inferior offense of the Padres couldn't rain on Eickhoff's gem: 7 innings, 4 hits, 9 S.O. and no walks in a 2-1 win over S.D.

It would be one thing if today was the best game of his young career. However, truth be told this was Eickhoff's 10th professional game, and he is steadily building a resume of consistently dynamic performance and stellar control. In 2015 he S.O. 49 while walking 13. His 2.65 ERA was accentuated by his 7th and 8th career outings to finish last season vs. the division leading Nationals and Mets when he S.O. 10 and walked 1 in each back-to-back start. This season he has S.O. 12 and walked 2 while posting a 1.50 ERA (16th in MLB).

Hamels, 32 years-old for Texas, has pitched 2 games this season and has posted a 2.08 ERA with 12 S.O. and 6 BB with a slightly higher WHIP than Eickhoff. There's no question who you'd rather hold the ball opening a playoff series in October-- at this point, but Eickhoff is making premier look mundane under the big lights of MLB. Not bad from the 4-spot of the rotation.

Nola is on fire and opening eyes across baseball.

When you pair his knockout performances with 22 year-old Aaron Nola (#2 in rotation, a control-and-command pitcher featuring a fastball that averages just 90.5 mph), who has 17 S.O. (4th in MLB), no walks and a 0.71 WHIP (6th in MLB) it's undeniable that the Phillies organization took something out of alignment and quickly put it on track for success. Those seeds are already beginning to blossom.

According to Baseball America, the Phillies farm system ranked between 22nd and 27th in baseball from 2011-2015. All that win-now trading had taken its toll down the line. Now? After the past couple seasons of shedding old snakes and retooling with an eye down the line, Baseball America ranks the Phillies organizational talent #8 in baseball. MLB does them one better, placing them at #7. It is very encouraging, if not exciting and a not so modest achievement of altitude in such a short time.

Franco is most exciting Phils 3rd baseman since Rolen.

Wednesday, it was 23 year-old 3B Maikel Franco's hot-hitting again that staked a lead for Eickhoff and the Phils. Maikel hit his 2nd HR, a solo shot to left (400 feet) with 2-out in the 1st to put the Phils up for good.

When X-rays revealed a small fracture in his left wrist in August of last year, Franco's bid for Rookie-of-the-Year was cut short.

His mark made, Franco is out of the shoot running in 2016. He has 2 HR and 5 RBI in his first 8 games, an OBP of .455 and an OPS of 1.110.

In the bottom of the 3rd Wednesday, again with 2-out, Franco doubled to deep left center to drive in the only other run the Phils would get or need to win the game. Franco is batting .379 and looks like he's enjoying every minute of every game with mounting comfort in the big leagues.

Franco and homegrown Nola are more fun to watch and more exciting to route for than any players who have blossomed with the Phils in a long time. The kids are not only all right, they're a breath of fresh air.

The 2nd-place Phillies have won 4-out-of-5, including beating the NL-defending Mets 2-out-of-3 this past weekend at Citi Field in N.Y. They go for the sweep with an afternoon game Thursday 1:05pm EST vs. S.D., then host the division leading Nationals (6-1) for a weekend series. Aaron Nola pitches Saturday night vs. former Cy Young Max Scherzer.

Phils Rebuilding 50 Cents at a Time

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 05:56:00 +0000

On Friday, the Phillies agreed to a new two-year contract with manager Pete Mackanin that runs through the 2017 season. The deal includes a club option for 2018.

Mackanin's first two stints as an interim manager, with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005 and the Cincinnati Reds in 2007, saw him lose his job at season's end. The third time proved to be a charm: He was give the Phillies job permanently in September after taking over on an interim basis in June.

His interim stint in Pittsburgh spanned only 26 games to end the year - the then-lowly Pirates won 12 of them - before Jim Tracy was tabbed as the team's new leader a week after the season's end.

With Cincinnati, he took a team that was 31-51 when Jerry Narron was fired and led it to a 41-39 record. The Reds replaced him with Dusty Baker after the season, though, and Mackanin again "put that warrior face back on and plugged along and hoped that something good would come of it," Shane said.

It wasn't until no one expected it that Mackanin was afforded his chance. Sandberg abruptly quit 74 games into a miserable Phillies rebuilding season this year. A young and inexperienced team, playing with renewed energy under Mackanin, finished three games under .500 in the second half, a minor miracle considering the roster and the team's major-league-worst 63-99 record for the season.

New Phillies president Andy MacPhail lifted Mackanin's "interim" label in September, signing him to a one-year contract with a club option for 2017. MacPhail had yet to hire general manager Matt Klentak, thus the short-term commitment.

Mackanin has quite a challenge ahead of him in his first full season as Philadelphia Phillies manager. As baseball fans know, the Phillies are moving forward with a massive rebuilding effort. That means Mackanin's roster will be filled with young players looking to find their way at the major-league level, and some older players who are struggling to hang on.

It's a job designed for a patient individual, because the mistakes will be frequent and frustrating all season long. However, it does seem that Mackanin has a system in place that should in theory limit mistakes being repeated. Because if they don't, everyone pays!

Mackanin is fining his players 50 cents for every little mistake that's made during training camp. And it's not just the players making the mistakes who are fined either, it's everyone in camp.

"If you don't get a bunt down, everyone pays 50 cents," Mackanin said before Thursday night's rained out Grapefruit League game against the Braves at Champion Stadium. "If you don't hustle, everyone pays 50 cents. If you miss a cutoff man, everyone pays 50 cents.

"It's a way to be picky about little things, like you made it into second base, but you should've slid. You hit a double, but you coasted into second when you should've come around hard in case the guy bobbles the ball. Fifty cents. It allows me to be a real [jerk] about things like that. What, are you going to complain about 50 cents?"

The money shouldn't be an issue, but personal pride should be. That's exactly what Mackanin is playing into here. No one wants to be the reason why the whole team is being fined, regardless of the amount. The fine is secondary to the flack players will catch from their teammates, so that should guarantee sharper focus and better attention to detail.

"When I announce the fines and this week you have $2.50, a half-dozen players get on that guy," Mackanin added.

With that said, even with sharper focus and better attention to detail growing pains in the form of mistakes are bound to take place with such a young roster. According to Mackanin, those mistakes have added up quite a bit, with close to $1,000 in the fine jar already. But continually driving home fundamentals and execution every single day could ultimately pay off for the Phillies.

Or it could be the Phillies way of financing their rebuilding effort. With an abundance of youth and inexperience around him, Mackanin may be using the tip jar to finance his hidden island getaway.

It's good to see his desire to motivate and cultivate a climate and culture of accountability and conscious performance.

The Phillies are 14-7-2 in spring training and open the season April 4 in Cincinnati.

The material in this post is adapted from various sports news sources, including this blog.

To read more from Phantastic Phillies Insider, click here to be redirected to the site.

Phils New GM Makes First Moves

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Fri, 20 Nov 2015 06:43:00 +0000

The Phillies new GM Matt Klentak has been busy this week making moves for pitchers and answering questions about a potential trade for his own pitcher, Kenny Giles.

Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said this week, "There are a number of players on our roster that teams like. It doesn't mean that we are going to trade them." And: "I don't want to categorically say that we are or we aren't going to do anything."

In other words, 'I may trade him/anyone if I am offered enough in exchange.'

Reasonable enough from the first manager in a long time hired by the Phils to helm a rebuild. Yet, more than a little negligent in the tenuous process of grooming fans.

Kenny Giles has become a fan favorite. Not surprising. The team is a last place team. Giles is a first-class performer. Giles offers desperately needed relief on the field-- and for fans. His teammates appreciate it too. They call him, "100 Miles Giles" (because he throws, at times, 100 mph). He's called upon to save major league games by his coach. He does, night after night, with almost impeccable consistency.

Giles offers desperately needed relief on the field-- and for fans.

Over the last two seasons, the only relief pitchers with a better ERA than Giles' (1.56) are Wade Davis (0.97), of the recently crowned World Series-champion Kansas City Royals, and the New York Yankees' Dellin Betances (1.45).

He is 24, but his poise says otherwise. He has just completed his second year in the big leagues, but his resume bests most of his newbie teammates.

The Phillies' roster overhaul has left just four active pitchers with at least three years of major-league service time. Five of the team's 12 pitchers are rookies.

Shedding Giles would be lucrative if a significant package would be the return. For example, two or three top-tier prospects from a team that needs only a closer to run deep next season. However, the Phils need to caution against dealing Giles at any cost, because he is controlled for years to come at a modest salary due to his youth. He is a rare thing. A closer excelling at the major league level from day one, igniting fans and teammates alike, capable of galvanizing the next generation.

Saturday, the Phils signed right-hander Dustin McGowan to a one-year deal. He had been released April 1 by the Los Angeles Dodgers after posting a 6.75 ERA in seven spring training appearances. The 33-year-old began last season as a starter for the Toronto Blue Jays, going 2-2 with a 5.08 ERA in eight starts before being converted to a reliever in May. He went 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 45 games in relief, holding opponents to a .215 average.

On the same day, Klentak made his first trade as Phils GM young tenure as the Phillies' general manager, adding a veteran pitcher to its young starting rotation.

The rebuilding Phillies acquired righthander Jeremy Hellickson from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for pitching prospect Sam McWilliams. Hellickson, 28, joins a rotation expected to include righthanders Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and lefthander Adam Morgan.

Bizzarely, Hellickson is the pitcher who inadvertently ended Phils Third baseman Maikel Franco's Rookie of the Year bid this past season. Franco, the most exciting new Phillies player in a while, was hit by a Hellickson fastball back in August which broke his wrist and abruptly ended his season.

Now the pitcher and victim are teammates.

Hellickson, a former rookie of the year and gold glove winner, has a career 3.96 ERA over six major league seasons, the first five with the Tampa Bay Rays. He posted a 4.62 ERA over 27 starts last season, his first with Arizona. He is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility and set to become a free agent after next season. He made $4.28 million last year.

"We like what he has done in his career," Klentak said. "He's a good fit for us. He's been a steady performer the last five years and he has some hardware on his mantel, a rookie of the year (2011) and Gold Glove (2012). I think one of the things on top of the obvious is that he's a veteran guy but still just 28 years old. He'll pitch at 29 this season, so we're excited that he's still in his prime. And more than anything, he's a competitor. He wants the ball. We've talked about building an environment and we think he'll be a very positive influence on our staff."

Hellickson posted a 2.95 ERA in 2011, his rookie of the year season with Tampa Bay, and a 3.10 ERA in 2012 but has a 4.86 ERA over the last three seasons. He is known as a fly ball pitcher, having allowed 20 or more in each of his four full seasons. That is a troubling tag for a pitcher headed to Citizens Bank Park. Furthermore, despite improving his strikeout rate and improving his walk rate from 2013 onward, his results got worse. Additionally, from 2011 to 2013 Hellickson's 'hard-hit rate allowed', according to FanGraphs, increased from 23.2 percent to 34.9 percent. All this spells a hard road uphill for a successful year with the Phils.

The Phils also got James Russell, who turns 30 in January, posted a 5.29 ERA over 34 innings with the Chicago Cubs last season but posted a 2.97 ERA over 572/3 innings the previous year. He has spent most of his six major-league seasons with the Cubs but logged 241/3 innings for the Atlanta Braves in 2014.

Nine days prior, they claimed Dan Otero, a 30-year-old reliever, who had been a highly-productive contributor in Oakland from 2013-14. The control artist put up a cumulative 2.01 ERA in 125 2/3 innings in that span, with 5.2 K/9 against 1.5 BB/9. He was used particularly heavily in ’14, when he made 72 appearances and logged 86 2/3 frames.

Though he maintained that K:BB ratio in 2015, however, Otero was torched for 35 earned runs in 46 2/3 innings. There was some poor luck in the BABIP (.354) and strand rate (59.5%) arenas, but the righty also saw his groundball rate drop to below 50% while allowing a 14.9% HR/FB rate.

Wednesday, the Phils announced that they had signed five players to minor-league contracts. All of the players received an invite to major-league spring training camp and they are expected to provide depth at the Triple A level during the season.

Two of the players – right-handed pitchers Chris Leroux and Reinier Roibal – spent time in the Phillies' minor-league system during the 2015 season.

Here’s a quick look at the five players:

RHP Chris Leroux, 31 – The reliever had a 3.90 ERA in 85 1/3 innings in the Brewers' and Phillies' organizations in 2015. He has pitched in the majors for the Marlins, Pirates and Yankees.

RHP Reinier Roibal, 26 – Used mostly as a reliever in 2015, he posted a 1.64 ERA in 31 games while pitching for the Phillies’ Clearwater and Reading clubs. He has averaged 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings in four minor-league seasons.

INF Emmanuel Burris, 30 – The veteran infielder has played in 287 major-league games with the Giants and Nationals. He hit .279 and had a .341 on-base percentage for the Nats’ triple A Syracuse team in 2015.

RHP Frank Herrmann, 31 – He appeared in 95 games for the Indians from 2010 to 2012. He pitched in the Angels' and Pirates' organizations last season and registered a 3.76 ERA in 52 2/3 innings. He had 53 strikeouts and 10 walks.

INF Ryan Jackson, 27 – He has spent time in the majors with the Cardinals and Angels. He has hit .272 with a .343 on-base percentage in 680 minor-league games.

What Klentak is consistently saying thusfar is, ' We're going to throw a bunch of young talent into the organization and onto the field and find out what sticks to try to form a nucleus that excels. Don't expect results soon'

"Players will dictate when this team is ready to be as good as they can possibly be, and players will develop at different speeds, at different rates. Some will be better than we thought they would be and some will underwhelm us... and what I do know is at the first sign that this team is ready to be good and take that next step-- and I hope it's April-- I know that we will do everything we can to support that group and create a core that's going to last a long, long time."

Klentak seems earnest and focused on following through on the long path that leads to eventual glory. However, he hasn't faced Philly fans or seasons of losing. He seems to be bracing himself, and fans, for a long term vision, while allowing us, if not himself hope that the long term might start soon.

Ryan Madson Wins World Series Game

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Sun, 01 Nov 2015 04:55:00 +0000

In MLB's comeback story of the year, former Phillies setup man Ryan Madson is poised to win his second World Series title and his first since the one he helped clinch with the Phils in 2008.

Madson, now with the Royals, was pivotal Game 4 winner Saturday in N.Y. vs. the Mets. Madson put the Royals up 3-games-to-1 with a commanding 7th inning relief appearance.

After Madson was drafted by the Phillies in 1998, he became an integral part of the team's 2008 World Series championship as reliable 8th inning setup man for closer Brad Lidge. Then, when Lidge left the team, Madson transitioned to the closer role with tremendous success, notching 32 saves and a 2.37 ERA in his final year with the team in 2011.

Then, the Phils parted ways with him during a contract negotiation dispute with Phillies enemy mega-agent Scott Boras. Madson then spent 2012 with the Reds and 2013 with the Angels, although he never threw a single pitch at the major-league level for either club due to injury which led to right elbow surgery.

January 4th, 2015 Kansas City signed him to a minor league contract, which led to his promotion to the majors on April 4th of this year.

From there, Madson ran with the ball, completing his finest Major League season to date and helping the Royals make their second-straight run at a World Series title (in 2014, the Royals lost to S.F. 3-2 in game 7 in K.C.).

Madson posted a remarkable 2.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and .205 Batting Average Against, all career highs at age 35 after 2 full seasons of not throwing a single pitch in the big leagues and post-elbow surgery. Of note, his 2015 season ERA is precisely what he posted with the Phils during the 2008 postseason: 2.13.

On Saturday he achieved his season-high performance when he came into the World Series in the 7th inning with his team trailing 3-2 to the Mets at Citi Field in N.Y.

Madson faced Lucas Duda, the Mets first baseman who hit 27 HR this year. Madson fell behind 2-balls to no strikes. Then worked his way back with a foul and then a strike looking, before Duda drew ball 3 for a full count. Madson induced a pop-up out on the final pitch of the at-bat, his 6th to just the first batter of the inning.

Next up was Mets star catcher Travis d'Arnaud, ironically a 1st round draft pick in 2007 by the Phillies, one of many talented players shed during the free-wheeling talent spending win-now days of former Phils GM Rubén Amaro, Jr.

Madson dominated d'Arnaud: 1st strike looking, foul ball strike 2, followed by foul ball (again), then strike 3 looking. 2 outs, 1 to go.

However, the next batter was a whole different story. It was Mets LF Michael Conforto. Conforto had already achieved fame Saturday night when he hit home runs off of 2 different Royals pitchers in this single World Series game: starter Chris Young and reliever Danny Duffy.

Madson dug in. First pitch? Ball 1. Second pitch: strike swinging. Followed by ball 2, hitters advantage at 2-balls-to-1-strike. 4th pitch of the at-bat, Madson tiring? Strike swinging. Now 2-balls to 2-strikes.

Next pitch ball 3, another full count. Then, Madson got him. Strike 3, Conforto struck out swinging and Madson completed a comeback story for the ages. The Royals would stage a comeback in the next half inning, to take their first lead of the game, 5-3. That's how it ended. The Royals walked away with game 4 in N.Y. and now lead the best-of-seven series 3-games-to-1 with 1 more game left to play in N.Y. on Sunday followed by 2 in K.C. (if necessary). The Royals and Madson need just 1 win in the final 3 games to be crowned World Series winners within days.

Madson will join a growing list of players who won the 2008 World Series with the Phils and who went on to win an additional or more World Series titles since, including outfielders: Pat Burrell, Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino.

Utley Controversy Explodes

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 15:43:00 +0000

The debate about Chase Utley raged on through the night.

The N.Y. Daily News wrote:

"LOS ANGELES -- Chase Utley may be wearing Dodger blue these days, but Saturday night, the Mets were seeing red over the former Phillies superstar. Just like he did in 2010, Utley made a controversial late and hard slide into second base, flipping Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada.

Unlike that play between division rivals, this time it was extremely costly.

Tejada suffered a broken leg on the play and the Mets fell apart as the Dodgers rallied for four runs and a 5-2 win in Game 2 of the NLDS."

"It wasn't a slide, it was a tackle," Mets outfielder Michael Cuddyer said of Utley's takeout slide into second base Saturday night that broke the leg of Mets' second baseman Ruben Tejada.

"There was no intent to injure Ruben whatsoever," Utley said. "The whole play happened fast. … You have an opportunity to break up a double play, you should do that. My focus is seeing the ball."

The Dodgers Howie Kendrick hit a bouncer to Murphy's right. It took Murphy nearer the bag. His flip was slightly behind Tejada, who was racing to the base.

"I didn't realize his back was turned," Utley said. "It happens fast."

Utley is known as a player who 'plays hard.' He had actually taken out Tejada on a similar play five years ago and many others throughout his 13 year career. Nonetheless, as playoff time is big stage, social media has buzzed all night and into Sunday, where former player Alex Cora wrote, "Hard slides are acceptable, tackles no," and Mets catcher Anthony Recker wrote of a "brutal dirty slide."

Justin Upton wrote, "If that was a superstar shortstop we would have a Tulo Rule being enforced tomorrow," a reference to Troy Tulowitzki and baseball's new rule protecting catchers, dubbed "The Buster Posey Rule."

More MLB players reactions can be read here:
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2015/10/11/9496327/chase-utley-slide-ruben-tejada-mlb-players-reaction

There is discussion of a review by MLB, a potential suspension and the pending hostile reception Utley will receive in NY if he is eligible to play when the series resumes there on Monday.

Utley Breaks Mets Shortstop's Leg

noreply@blogger.com (Phantastic Phillies Insider) — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 06:11:00 +0000

Utley being Utley and playing hard has sparked controversy.

In strange but true breaking news, Chase Utley of the Dodgers has gone Hollywood in wishing his present playoff and former divisional foe Mets to 'break a leg' in their first postseason performance since 2006.

In what is now being called a "controversial play" that is headlining every site on the internet (including Yahoo and ESPN), Utley may have unwittingly altered the course of the MLB playoffs with one single pinch hit appearance in game 2 of the NLDS, now tied at 1-game-apiece between the Dodgers and Mets.

The play occurred with one out in the seventh inning Saturday night and the Dodgers trailing 2-1 and 1-0 in the series. Utley's single was the first hit of the inning for L.A. and sparked the 4 runs they would score in the inning to even the series at a game apiece. Utley's run scored was the go-ahead game winner.

ESPN's David Schoenfield posted "UTLEY'S SLIDE BROKE THE RULES." He asserts that Utley's play that ended with Ruben Tejada leaving with a fractured right fibula has nothing to do with "'the way the game has always been played.' We evolve. Let's play the game the right way ... clean and fair and by the rules." Should have been out.

Adam Rubin, ESPN: "Old nemesis Chase Utley is still haunting the New York Mets."

More analysis and video of the slide here:

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/64112/saturdays-top-5-the-slide-heard-round-the-baseball-world

Meanwhile, Cole Hamels of the Rangers put the heavily favored to win-it-all Toronto Blue Jays on the brink of elimination Friday when he posted a 7-inning 2-run start walking nobody and striking out 6 in Toronto.

Other ex-Phils factoring heavily in this postseason include middle relief pitcher Jake Diekman (who went to Texas in the Hamels trade), who has been impeccable vs. Toronto this postseason: 4 innings pitched over the 2 games, 3 S.O., 0 BB and reliever Ryan Madson, who helped the Royals tie their series vs. Houston Friday with a 2 S.O. 8th inning appearance reminiscent of 2008.