Phinally Philly

With the Phillies deciding to part ways with Pedro Feliz after last season, there was going to be a new 3rd baseman manning the hot corner in Philadelphia.

The Phillies ultimately decided to bring back Placido Polanco and shift him to 3rd base. After shipping him to Detroit in 2005 to make room for Chase Utley, Polly became an All-Star and 2-time Gold Glove winner at 2B for Detroit.

After shifting to 3rd base, where he had played earlier in his career, to start Spring Training, Polanco seemed to be making the transition easily.

However, in a Spring Training game today, Polanco tripped up on the mound fielding a pop-up and went down awkwardly. He ended up with a sprained knee and should only miss a few games.

This injury brought up the possibility of Polanco missing some time. Who would replace Polly if he gets hurt or this little experiment doesn’t go well?

In year’s past, the Phillies tolerated Pedro Feliz’ lack of offense because his defense was just that good. The opposite is probably going to be true for Polanco. His offense will most likely be better than his defense. Problem with that is this team has plenty of offense, but could use the defense that Feliz could provide. Polanco was a Gold Glove winner, but how well he will transfer to the other side of the infield has yet to be determined.

If Polanco doesn’t work out, either due to injury or ineffectiveness, the Phillies don’t have many options. Greg Dobbs is all-purpose utility man who will make the final roster and could fill in at 3rd base if needed. He would be an adequate fill-in, but he’s not an everyday player. His specialty is filling in where he is needed.

Another interesting possibility would be Cody Ransom. The Phillies signed him in the offseason to provide organizational depth. He was the Yankees’ Opening Day 3rd baseman last season when Alex Rodriguez was on the disabled list. Ransom has started off the spring well, even homering in 2 different games in 2 different cities on the same day. It’s nice to have a veteran in an organization that is empty of 3rd base prospects.

With Polanco ultimately only going to miss a few games, this question will go unanswered. Placido and his giant head will surely knock down their fair share of balls at the hot corner, but will most likely fall short of Feliz’ level of defense. The Phillies are counting on the increased offensive production from Polanco will make up for the decrease in defense.

Otherwise, the Phillies really don’t have many options at 3rd base.

Over the past two seasons, it’s been established that Brad Lidge is the closer in Philadelphia with Ryan Madson setting him up.

When Lidge has hit a rough patch or been injured, it’s been Madson that has bumped back to the end of the bullpen and asked to close games for the Phillies.

Those times have been a mixed bag for Madson. He has struggled through closing games. While not expected to be the shut down closer that Lidge has shown himself to be, he is expected to at least hold the position down until Lidge can come back.

In the offseason, the Phillies went out and signed reliever Danys Baez, who has closed a lot of games in his career. Baez has 114 career saves, compared to 15 for Madson, with 10 of Madson’s coming in 2009. Baez has been brought in as a veteran backup at the closer’s spot.

With Lidge coming off an injury, his status for Opening Day in Washington is up in the air. Even though Baez is in camp and ready to go, Charlie Manuel has endorsed Madson as the one to close if Lidge isn’t ready to go.

“I’d say Madson is first in line with that. He’s got a big arm, and definitely the last couple years he’s gotten more experience with it. He has a chance to get even better at closing out games.”

While that endorsement may help Madson’s confidence, it won’t do much for helping him get the job done. Madson has been shuffled between duties during his major league career in Philadelphia. He was a starter, long reliever, set up man closer and back and forth between those spots during the season. He had his best season in 2008, when he was able to stay in the set up role that he is best in.

Madson seems to have closer’s potential and will undoubtedly be a closer full time at one point, shifting him between responsibilities hasn’t helped Mad Dog. If Madson can head into a season knowing what his role is, he’s better off for it. When it is time for him to be a closer, it would be much better for him to know that going into the season.

Baez was brought in to be a veteran presence with closer’s experience in what is shaping up to be a young bullpen. Let Madson stay in that set up role and keep his focus on what his job is. If Lidge isn’t ready to go, put Baez back there and let Madson be the 8th inning guy.

Hopefully Madson proves me wrong and shows that he can go back and forth in his roles in his 8th (really?!) season with the Phillies.

Not going to lie, I wasn’t that excited when I heard that the Phillies signed Jose Contreras in the offseason. This is a Phillies team that needed a little help in the bullpen, and adding someone like Contreras didn’t seem to be the addition that was needed.

Contreras has been a solid, if not spectacular pitcher during his 7 seasons in MLB. His best years were with the Yankees  and he’ll most likely not put up numbers like those he put up in New York, but he’s a solid bullpen addition at this point in his career.

Signed to a 1 year, $1.5 million contract, the Phillies signed Contreras as insurance in case Jamie Moyer wasn’t ready for Opening Day and Kyle Kendrick wasn’t able to seize the 5th spot in the rotation. With both Kendrick and Moyer off to great starts this spring, it seems as if Contreras is destined for the bullpen.

However, he’s hit a few rough patches in his first few outings. Even though he pitched 2 scoreless innings in his first outing, the Yankees jumped all over him yesterday, lighting him up for 6 runs in and inning and 2/3. He gave up six hits to go along with three walks and a wild pitch.  While he showed up to camp in good shape, those numbers just aren’t going to do it for this team.

The Phillies have slotted Contreras into the same type of long-relief/spot starter role that Chan Ho Park filled last season. He’ll most likely be used in games that get out of hand early, so as long as he can settle things down when he enters the game, he’ll be alright. Not too many pressure situations await him this season, so he can just settle down and pitch.

While he is listed at 38 years of age, there is really no way to tell how old this Cuban defector really is. With a ton of experience in the Cuban leagues in addition to his time in MLB, Contreras brings a veteran presence to the bullpen.  With a few youngsters potentially making a run at open bullpen spots, it’s always nice to have a few seasoned vets in there to help them out.

It’s only one outing early in spring training, so there’s really nothing to worry about just yet. Contreras knows what he needs to do in the spring to get himself ready for the season, so I’m sure he’ll work on getting things in line. With a little under a month until Opening Day in D.C., he has some time.

Guest writer Joe Gallagher returns to pick a bone with Ruben Amaro:

A little over two months ago, our Philadelphia Phillies were sitting pretty. They had just won 2 Pennants and a World Series title in two years. They had held a stirring and emotional parade just a year and a half ago. The city was and still is in love with them. They had perhaps the top lineup in all of baseball and a top of the line farm system. They were the envy of every other team in baseball. Then they messed up. They traded one of the top 5 pitchers in all of baseball, a man who almost single-handedly guided them through the postseason, Cliff Lee. They also sold their farm system for Roy Halladay. Halladay then rode in as a White Knight, brandishing an arsenal of crippling fastballs and wicked, knee buckling breaking balls. Roy is supposed to cure all. He is supposed to lead the Phillies to their 2nd World Series title in 3 years. Here’s why, no matter what happens, the Phillies messed up.

Now, this article is not my condemnation of the Phillies acquiring Roy Halladay. I do believe that Halladay is in fact the best pitcher in baseball. He has proved durable, and downright nasty. He outsmarts hitters like Mr. Burns steals money from Springfield. When Halladay is on the mound, there is no doubt that the show stops – all eyes are on him. No, this article is about Ruben Amaro, the Phillies young, headstrong General Manager, whose mistake may cost this team the ultimate prize.

Like I said, this team was the envy of baseball just two months ago. They appeared to be a dynasty in the making with that powerful lineup, solid pitching staff, and phenomenal minor league farm system. Look, I have loved my Phillies all 16 years I have been alive, through the days of Rico Brogna and Tyler Greene and I cannot say I have ever been more pleased in my life. Now, I know that sounds shallow, or stupid, or ridiculous, but I love baseball. For the past 11 or so years prior to 2008, almost every time I saw 11:11 strike the clock I wished the Phils a World Series win. So, to see them in this position was truly unbelievable.

Consequently, when I heard they traded for Roy Halladay on December 15, 2009, I was even happier. But then I heard that Cliff Lee would be sent to Seattle as part of the deal. That excitement quickly turned to a feeling of exasperating emptiness. See, in late July of ’09, Ruben Amaro pulled an all-time heist, acquiring Cliff Lee for a package of prospects nowhere near Lee’s worth. Lee, as I said above, proceeded to make himself very comfortable in Philly, baffling hitters and pitching the Phils through the playoffs with stuff made of legends. You thought Cole Hamels was a cool customer in ’08, well how about Lee’s one handed, practically yawning, nab of the baseball in Game 1 of the World Series? That is a moment I do not think I will ever forget.

But the Phillies did not close the deal. The bats went cold with the fall air and the rest of the pitching staff collapsed. So, Amaro figured he would go out and get the best pitcher available to push his guys over the top. Only problem is, as a result, he got worse. He traded a package of Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor, and Travis D’Arnaud for Hallday. Drabek was considered their top pitching prospect and is supposed to be at least a #2 starter with ace potential. Michael Taylor is a guy I’m a huge fan of but was not going to fit into the Phillies’ plans anytime soon, as the corner outfield positions are locked up and he is already almost 24. D’Arnaud, however, was their only polished catching prospect at this point and with Carlos Ruiz turning 31, the trade left no successor in waiting.

Still, I am not condemning the trade of the prospects. Trading prospects works for me if it can help push the team towards the ultimate goal. I philosophize that you should always seize the moment rather than living your whole life waiting for the future. The problem with the whole ordeal was that Ruben then was so insecure about trading his farm that he decided he needed some retribution. He traded Cliff Lee for Phillipe Aumont, Juan Carlos Ramirez, and Tyson Gillies. These were not the most highly regarded prospects in baseball. Amaro essentially traded a top of the line pitcher for a not-so top of the line collection of prospects. That is the kind of move that gets GMs fired.

Now, sure you might argue that money was the reason for this move. The Phillies could not possibly afford to keep Lee and Halladay together long term. Well, that may be true, but they certainly could have kept them together for one year. Imagine a front line rotation of Halladay, Lee, and a rejuvenated Cole Hamels. Yep, that’s right – downright unstoppable. That rotation also leaves room for injury. You would have not one, maybe two, but possibly THREE aces.

So you say, what about the future? Well then after the Phillies celebrate World (Insert Chase Utley’s adjectival phrase) Champions Part 2 with another smashing parade, they would offer Lee salary arbitration. He would probably decline seeing that he wants his first big contract, which at 31 or 32 years old is very understandable. By declining that salary arbitration the Phillies would be granted two additional first round picks in the next Major League Baseball Draft. With those additional picks, right there is the potential for more talent than the Phillies received for Lee from Seattle. Say he accepts the arbitration, well then you have Cliff for another year at maybe 15 million or so. Still though, there would be no commitments long term. Amazing isn’t it? That Ruben Amaro can make such a vital miscalculation, and he can still be so celebrated.

See, it is widely accepted that Mr. Amaro upgraded his starting pitching with the acquisition of Roy Halladay. But then again how much better can Halladay pitch in the playoffs than Cliff Lee did last year, when every time he took the hill, Scott Graham could be heard somewhere shouting “Put this one in the win column for the Phightin’ Phils’!” But even if you remain adamant that Halladay is a better pitcher than Lee, which overall I will concede that he is, ever so slightly, you cannot rationally argue that Ruben Amaro succeeded in making the team’s standing better. He decimated his farm system and may have cost the Phillies two maybe three World Championships. I say three, because if he was willing to trade Drabek, Taylor, and D’Arnaud now. Remember the reason they did not acquire Halladay this past July was that they were unwilling to part with Drabek. He could have pulled both trades and had Halladay, Lee, and likely another parade in ’09. It truly baffles me.

The karma of the deal can be spotted if you look to Lee’s middle name: Phifer. Disambiguated it is: Phillie Lifer. Not anymore. Sorry, Ruben you may have your true love, Roy Halladay, the best pitcher in the game, but amazing you screwed up the standing that I and so many other Phillies fans have cherished for so long: the envy of baseball.

Our only hope now is that “Amaro’s Folly” turns out the same as the famed “Seward’s Folly” (the acquisition of Alaska from Russia, which was met by much criticism) – with success. The fact of the matter is, however, even with a World Series win, a costly blunder was made. And at that point success won’t come because of Ruben Amaro, it will come in spite of him. I leave you with the only words I can find nestled in my limited vocabulary that adequately describe the issue, “UnbeLEEvable.”

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Signing off, saying you stay gritty, Philadelphia – I’m Joe Gallagher.

For the second consecutive season, the biggest news in Spring Training will come down to who the 5th spot in the rotation will belong to when the Phillies head north.

Last season, the race was between Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ,  and Chan Ho Park. With Chopper moving on to the Yankees and Happ solidifying his spot in the middle of the rotation, there was bound to be a new competition for the last spot in the rotation.

The race is primarily between Kendrick and Jamie Moyer, with a few other long shots in case neither of those two perform.

Kendrick made his spring debut against the Yankees yesterday, following in the footsteps of his new role model, Roy Halladay. Kendrick has been working out with Roy and has even started to sport the same facial hair style. If he pitches like Halladay, the Phillies will be in good shape. In his two innings of work, Kendrick gave up one hit to go along with one strikeout. Not a bad debut.

Jamie Moyer made his spring training debut this morning in a B game, going three innings. He gave up three singles, no runs or walks and three strikeouts. He threw 31 pitches and got 23 of them over for strikes. An impressive start for the old goat.  I’m actually surprised to see Moyer throwing off of a mound at all this early in camp. After his offseason surgeries, I thought he wouldn’t be ready until closer to the season opener. At this stage in his career, Moyer knows what he needs to do in order to be prepared for the season, so he should be alright. Granted, he knows this is a competition and will do everything he can to show he can still ptich.

Obviously, the Phillies want the Kendrick of a few years ago when he came up from Reading and won 10 games his first year and 11 the next. After losing out last year and starting out in Lehigh Valley, Kendrick came back late in the season and won a few games for the Phils down the stretch. If he can develop his other pitches, he’ll be a sold pitcher for the big club.

Moyer had an up and down season last year. While still winning 12 games, he was bumped out of the rotation to make room for Pedro Martinez and sent to the bullpen. Jamie pitched extremely well out of the bullpen and made a few spot starts until getting injured late in the season. After a few complications from surgery, Moyer seems to be back on track to be ready for Opening Day in a month.

It’s hard to tell what the Phillies would prefer out of this race. While they have a lot of money committed to Moyer, the team has been known to eat money when it comes to under performing players.  (Adam Eaton, anyone?) Plus, the Phillies want to see if Kendrick can come back to the major leagues and pitch at a high level. If he can, he’ll be a valuable part of the rotation for the next few years.

At the end of spring training, if Moyer and Kendrick have pitched pretty similar, I see the 5th spot going to Moyer. Keep Kendrick around in the ‘pen for long relief and spot starts. His confidence would get shattered beyond repair if he has to start in Lehigh again. Keep him around with the big club in case Moyer falters.  Jamie probably knows that this should be his final season, so he’ll be going all out to make it successful.

By the end of the season, I think Moyer will have made more starts than Kendrick, but it will be close.

While the Phillies first exhibition game was a 13-6 win over the Florida State Seminoles yesterday,  the Phillies start playing the big boys today.

In the Grapefruit League opener, the Phillies play the New York Yankees at Bright House Networks Field at 1:05 P.M. Now, besides being the spring training opener, the game will also serve as Roy Halladay’s Phillies’ debut. An entire city of baseball fans has been waiting for this day all winter. To finally see Doc in red pinstripes will exciting.

This game will be a World Series rematch for about an inning, maybe 2. After the first couple of innings, the fringe players and spring training invitees will begin to filter in. The regulars may play a little longer as this is against the Yankees, but most of them will be out of the game by the 3rd inning most likely. Hell, as all of the beat writers just Twittered, even the starting lineup will be watered down:

SS Rollins, 3B Polanco, CF Francisco, RF Werth, LF Mayberry, 1B Ransom, 2B Castro, DH Bocock, C Ruiz with Halladay pitching.

Interesting to see Cody Ransom playing for the Phils against the Yanks after opening last season as NY’s Opening Day 3rd baseman when Alex Rodriguez was injured.

Even thought this may be the first game, it will hopefully be the beginning of a long journey that will end in late October for this team.

It’s been a long 4 months, but Phillies baseball is finally back.

Once again, a huge gap in between the Random Phillies Gear Sightings here on Phinally, but I figured it’s time for a new one.

I’m not too sure about the demographics of our readers, but I’m pretty sure there are at least a few cyclists out there that will like our latest sighting. This could interest non-cyclists as well.

This cycling cap was made by one of my high school classmates, Gary Rothera. He sells more of them online here and posts updates on what hats he’s completed on his Twitter account.

In addition to the hats that can be found online, Gary also takes custom orders, of which this Phillies hat and this Eagles hat are

How cool are they? Not as cool as the skull he uses to display them, but pretty damn cool themselves.

I first saw Gary’s hats a few weeks ago on Thrillist Philly. Good to see a small business getting some ink.

Even though these Phillies gear sightings haven’t really gotten going in the way that I originally imagined, I’m going to make another push to get this segment become a regular part of the site, driven by the fans.

There are many ways to contribute your own Phillies gear sightings. You can contact us through our Contact page, upload a picture to our Phinally Philly Flickr group, or even @ reply us on Twitter at @Phinally.

Let’s try and get a few more sightings before Opening Day.

Obviously, the biggest news in Spring Training yesterday was the bearded monster that is Jayson Werth. After an offseason spent back home in Illinois, Werth showed up to camp looking like Falkor from The Neverending Story, as Mistertug pointed out.

While the beard is impressive. the bigger news is that everyone is in camp and accounted for. There were a few stragglers showing up “late” yesterday, but they were still in before the official reporting time. When you have players like Roy Halladay and Chase Utley on your team, you’re late if you’re not 2 weeks early.

In somewhat of a surprise move, former Phillies reliever Chan Ho Park took less money than the Phillies offered him to sign with the New York Yankees, signing with the defending World Series champion for the second straight season. The money that the Phillies were offering to Park instead went to Danys Baez, who will likely fill the same role that Park held last season. The major reason I bring this up is because now that he’s in NY, he’ll have to shave that awesome facial hair he was sporting last season. I guess Werth knew that the team was going to lose the Bearded Wonder Eric Bruntlett and possibly Park, so he decided to make up for those losses himself.

Overall, the roster is pretty much set at this point. No real bench competitions to speak of. The only real competition is for the 5th starter’s spot. Jamie Moyer has been appointed the spot by Ruben Amaro early in camp, saying it was Moyer’s to lose, but there is going to be an open competition. Kyle Kendrick looks to be the other horse in the race, with a few other long shot possibilities. As it was last season, I don’t see one person holding down the 5th spot for the entire year. I think Moyer breaks camp in the 5th spot if he is healthy, and if not, Kendrick gets it. A combination of those two will hold down the spot for the majority of the season, barring injury to either one.

Now that everyone is in camp, the real work begins. The Phillies look to become the first team to win 3 straight National League pennants since the 1942-44 St. Louis Cardinals. Adding the best pitcher in baseball was a great start, but it’s a long season.

I’ve got the Phillies over the Yankees in the 2010 World Series, 4 games to 2. Now make it happen boys.

Featured image credit: Yong Kim, Philly.com staff photographer

As the oldest player in Major League Baseball, Jamie Moyer has shown that it’s still possible to perform at a high level at an advanced age. With his contract expiring at the end of the 2010 season, this could be Moyer’s last season.

With the disappointing end to his 2009 campaign, you can bet that Jamie will be pushing himself hard to make up for how last season ended.

Even though he performed very well after being put in the bullpen to make room for Pedro Martinez, Moyer conceded that the role change could have played a part in his injury.

From Delco Times beat writer Ryan Lawrence (new to the Twitters at @ryanlawrence21)

Moyer: “I wish I could pinpoint something, but I really can’t. It potentially could have.”

Moyer enters Spring Training as the leader for the 5th spot in the rotation. It’s his job to lose, as Ruben Amaro, Jr. has made it a point to mention multiple times. With spots 1-4 filled by Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, and J.A. Happ, there is going to be an intense competition for that last turn in the rotation. With Kyle Kendrick looking to rejoin the major league rotation, he will compete with Moyer for the last spot, along with several minor league candidates. Unless Moyer falters big time in Spring Training, he will be the 5th starter.

With the way that the schedule lines up for the Phillies, a 5th starter isn’t even needed until the 3rd week of the season. That will give Moyer plenty of time to recover from his offseason surgeries.

With a record of 47-31 over 3 1/2 seasons in Phillies’ pinstripes, Moyer has been a valuable contributor to the success in Philadelphia the past few seasons, both on and off the field. Jamie is constantly in the ear of the younger pitchers on staff, teaching them the little parts of the game that he’s picked up over his career. He will definitely have a future in coaching, and hopefully it’s right here in Philly.

With the rest of the rotation being stocked with power arms, Moyer will look to keep hitters on their toes and lead the Phillies in wins for the 3rd straight season. Even if he doesn’t, we’ll have at least have one more season of those glorious Liberty Bell stirrups.

With Spring Training starting next week, there will be baseball from now until the end of October, when the Phillies will parade down Broad Street for the 2nd time in 3 years as World Fucking Champions.

A few tidbits to bring to you:

-The Phillies equipment truck left Citizens Bank Park yesterday, loaded with all the equipment needed for Spring Training, and should get to Clearwater shortly. As Todd Zolecki noted

The team loaded 15 cases of gum, 12 cases of sunflower seeds, 20 coolers, a palette worth of drink mix, 300 batting helmets, 350 pairs of shorts, 450 pairs of socks, 600 pairs of pants, 600 hats, 200 fleeces, 1,200 bats, 2,000 T-shirts, 10,000 cups, 15,000 baseballs and 150 pairs of batting gloves.

The Phillies also posted a video of the truck leaving CBP on it’s way to Florida to the Twitters. What I want to know is where is the Phillies’ customized truck for going to Spring Training? Hell, even the lowly Pirates have their own truck.

- Roy Halladay also made the cover of the latest Sporting News magazine.

Roy sure does look good in red pinstripes…

Not much else to throw in there. Just wanted to get out a Phillies post after a few off days from work.

With five days to go until pitchers not name Roy Halladay and catchers report, baseball will be back again soon. It’s about time.