Phinally Philly

Let’s face it: Twitter is effing awesome, especially when it’s used in the most irresponsible/controversial way possible. Case in point…Vikings Tight End and future adult film star Visanthe Shiancoe…

Gotta love his brutal honesty because you know probably half the guys in that meeting were dozing off. This is just the beginning though. Chad Ochocinco has already talked about tweeting DURING games, and just a few weeks ago he “twit-pic’d” hot half-naked models from a party at the Playboy Mansion.

The big part of the future of sports marketing for both teams and athletes appears to be on Twitter, but there is a remarkable lack of Philly athletes on there. Just check out the “Philly Athletes on Twitter” link at the top of our site if you need future proof…Riley Cote? That’s the best the Flyers can do? I wanna hear first hand accounts of the crazy s*** Richards, Hartnell, and Carter are up to! I want to hear Danny Briere whine about breaking another nail! (Sorry Dan, I had to.)

To the Sixers credit Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young are active in the Twitterverse, and there is actually an awesome story about how one fan got to meet up with AI9 and Rudy Gay at a Cheesecake Factory in Vegas through a Twitter post. There is a lot of potential here for athletes to get their names out there (in both good and bad ways) and interact with their fans.

Sample McNabb Twitter Post: "Sitting on the couch watching some Wayans Bros. reruns! Those guys are so craaaazy!!"

That being said, obviously some Philly athletes would be more entertaining than others. As much as I’d love to hear some trash talk from Desean Jackson, or the latest shenanigans Danny Carcillo got himself into, I can’t say I’d have too much interest in anything Donovan McNabb might have to say (all due respect to #5, but have you read his yardbarker blog lately? Me neither.)

Now I pose the question to all of you: which Philly athlete would you most like to see on Twitter? Maybe if we get enough feedback we can send this post to the winner’s team and see if we can get them on there.

He may not be Roy Halladay, but hats off to Ruben Amaro for making a terrific trade to not only bring on board a former Cy Young winner, but also a good, young right-handed bat. In the blink of an eye the Phils addressed their two biggest needs and kept their best prospects in the process.

THE PHILS GET:

SP Cliff Lee

CF Ben Francisco

THE INDIANS GET:

SP Carlos Carrasco

SP Jason Knapp

C Lou Marson

SS Jason Donald

From a Philly perspective, this is a great deal. Needless to say my faith in Ruben Amaro Jr. is restored…sorry I ever doubted you!

Lee may not be on quite the same level as Halladay, but he’s no slouch either. His 7-9 record and 3.14 ERA may not scream dominance, but over his last three starts he is 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA and a 14:0 K:BB ratio. Needless to say he is showing the same form from last season where he won the Cy Young en route to an incredible 22-3 record on a bad team.

That really is the key thing to remember here: Lee is moving to a league he has dominated in his career (12-2, 3.18 ERA against the NL) where there is no designated hitter, and he will be playing in front of one of the best defenses in the majors. Compare that to the situation he was in before in Cleveland, and we could see a Raul Ibanez-esq rennaissance from Lee. Granted our rotation is now very lefty-heavy (Hamels, Lee, and Happ are all lefties) but it’s worth it in this case.

Ben Francsico won’t get much attention in this deal, but he will add a lot to this team off the bench. I can give a bit more insight on the guy considering I just watched him play the Angels last night (and hit a home run.) He has pretty good range in center and definitely has a more than adequate arm, and while his batting average is nothing to write home about he has some pop (on pace to match his career high of 15 homers) and some speed as well (13 stolen bases this year.) He’s only in his second full season in the Majors and while he may be in a bit of a sophomore slump, his best baseball is in front of him. He’s also hitting .302 since the All Star break.

As for the package of prospects the Indians got, Lou Marson may end up being the best player out of the bunch. I really wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the Majors before the season is over considering he had been raking in Lehigh Valley (batting .294.) Carlos Carrasco at one point was at one point considered the gem of the Phillies farm system, but his struggles in AAA (5.18 ERA) seemed to kill some of the hype surrounding him. The fact that the Phillies promoted Andrew Carpenter and Rodrigo Lopez before him for spot starts really says a lot about how they viewed Carrasco. Knapp is still a ways away from contributing in the Majors but is a solid prospect, and Jason Donald is yet another name that slipped in value over the past year.

It’s not a bad haul by any means for the Indians, but the fact that the Phillies made such a big deal without giving up Kyle Drabek, J.A. Happ, Michael Taylor, or Dominic Brown is amazing.You also have to consider the fact that several of these prospects were expendable: there was no place in the infield for Donald to play, and the Phils seem content with a Ruiz-Bako catching duo. They also managed to avoid losing any pieces off the big league roster in the trade, which is always a plus.

THE VERDICT:

I really try not to judge trades before we get a better idea of how the prospects involved are developing (see: the Gavin Floyd for Freddy Garcia swap from a few years back) but you have to be pleased with what Ruben Amaro did here. He brought on an outstanding starting pitcher with a very reasonable contract and a solid right-handed bat with some upside in exchange for a group of expendable prospects.

Not to say any of the four won’t develop into fine ballplayers, but Marson, Donald, Carrasco and Knapp weren’t going to help the Phils repeat. Lee and Francisco absolutely will…that makes this a great trade for the Phillies. Ruben Amaro gets a very favorable grade in his first major move as the Phillies GM.

**UPDATE** KingGeorge was right! Who woulda thunk it?!? **

How ridiculous is all this trade deadline rumor business getting? One commenter on ESPN.com seems to have a scoop no one else does about the Phils interest in Cliff Lee…

KingGeorge53 says:

July 28, 2009, 2:26 PM ET

Roy Halladay HAS to end up in red pinstripes: it only makes sense. He’s still in the prime of his career but doesn’t have a ton of time at the top left, and he wants to play for a contender. The Phillies for the first time in a long time have the farm system to make a big splash to dramatically improve their chances at a repeat. Not to mention Halladay is a ground-ball pitcher; a perfect fit for cozy Citizens Bank Park.

On paper it would seem like a no-brainer move that could ultimately benefit both sides. The Phils get an ace, and the Jays restock their system and give their fans some hope for the future. There’s only one problem…J.P. Ricciardi is a greedy snot-nosed ten year-old. If only I had a dime for every time he swayed back and forth from “it’s 50-50 Halladay gets moved” to “we’re probably keeping him” over the past few weeks. He is essentially an immature brat who cannot accept that fact that he has to do something, stomps his feet on the ground, folds his arms, and refuses to move an inch regardless of how neccessary said action is.

Despite all J.P.’s bullshit I still think this deal will happen, and here’s five reasons why it’s something the Phillies have to do:

1.) Ideally we don’t want to rely upon Jamie Moyer, Rodrigo Lopez, or Pedro Martinez in the Postseason.

All due respect to Jamie, but he was a liability in the playoffs last season (excluding his WS start) and that was before he struggled mightily this year. I will always love the guy for what he’s done for this franchise and how he’s coached up our young arms, but I don’t want him anywhere near the mound in the playoffs. Period. As for Pedro, he is a complete unknown and I’d feel better bringing him in out of the pen in the playoffs. Lopez has pitched admirably, but it isn’t going to last.

Without picking up another pitcher the Phils four-man playoff rotation would probably have to include one of those previously-mentioned elder statesmen (Hamels, Blanton, Happ, Moyer/Martinez/Lopez.) That won’t get the job done in October.

2.) Adding a certifiable ace will take the pressure off Cole Hamels.

I don’t know Cole Hamels personally (although I did shake his hand after a game in San Diego this season) but it’s obvious to any outside observer that something just isn’t right with him. While he’s shown signs of his dominant self from the playoffs last season for the most part he has looked pretty ordinary. Adding a Roy Halladay to the club would take a lot of pressure off his back to the “the” stopper, and he and Roy could become the 2009 version of Curt Schilling-Randy Johnson circa 2001. Without acquiring Schilling the D-Backs probably wouldn’t have won the World Series, and the I see the Phils being in a very similar situation.

3.) Adding Halladay will give the rest of the team confidence.

I usually write John Kruk off as batshit crazy, but he actually had a good point *gasp* on a recent Baseball Tonight. He and another analyst (Dave Winfield?) were discussing the mental benefits of adding a star to your pitching staff at the deadline. Winfield talked about some guy the Yanks brought in a long time ago (he is old as hell, after-all) and it gave them the confidence to know they had the support of the front office and were going all the way. Kruk talked about how in 1993 the Phillies had a chance to get Randy Johnson and didn’t, and how it completely deflated the clubhouse.

I wouldn’t expect the Phils to just roll over if they didn’t get Roy, but you have to admit the players are fully aware of the rumors and could be letdown at the prospect of not bringing in one of the game’s best starters.

4.) The Phillies wouldn’t want Halladay going to another contender.

If J.P. Ricciardi is smart (still very much up in the air) he’ll realize Halladay’s value will never be any higher (Roy is going into the final year of his contract next season) and he’ll make a move before the deadline. If the Phils drop out of the running, how tough would it be to see Halladay go to a team like the Dodgers or the Angels (two of his other rumored destinations) and be a difference-maker for them in the playoffs?

5.) There is not guarantee Joe Blanton or J.A. Happ will continue to pitch this well.

Blanton and Happ have been on a roll lately, but say one or both hit a bit of a rough patch? That leaves Hamels as the lone “sure thing” on the staff, which won’t be even close to enough to repeat.

Allow me to take a minute though to give some big time props to Blanton. Since Myers went down with an injury he has steadily taken over that #2 spot in the rotation. Just take a look at his record and his ERA/Opp. batting average each month since the start of the season:

April: 0-2, 8.41, .371

May: 3-1, 4.65, .238

June: 1-1, 3.62, .267

July: 2-0, 0.83, .176

God-forbid Halladay doesn’t end up in Philly, here are five other options for the Phils to consider…

1.) Dan Haren, Arizona

There haven’t been a ton of rumors surrounding Haren which is surprising given how well he’s pitched for the lowly D-Backs. He’s somehow managed to fly below the radar despite the fact that he has a 0.84 WHIP, which is flat out sick (Just to give you an idea, that is the best WHIP in the Majors. Guess who’s in second? Roy Halladay at 1.05.) Haren is also four years younger than Roy, which would be another benefit of going after him.

2.) Cliff Lee, Cleveland

Lee may not be as flashy as Halladay or Haren, but he’d be a solid addition to the Phils rotation and it would probably take less to get him as well. While his season long stats are respectable, he has been lights out lately (3-0, 1.44 ERA, 14:0 K:BB ratio over his last three starts.)

Remember last season at the deadline? The Brewers may have landed the big name (C.C. Sabathia) but the Phils managed to acquire Joe Blanton, and last time I checked that’s worked out just fine. Getting Lee over Halladay would be a similar (although not ideal) situation.

3.) Zach Duke, Pittsburgh

The fact that Duke has a .500 record (9-9) on a team as miserable as the Pirates is a testimate to his talent. He won’t come in as an ace, but he’d be a solid #2 for the Phils and he is just entering his prime at 26 years-old.

4.) Justin Duchscherer, Oakland

The Phils added one arm from the A’s last season, and might do it again. Duchscherer has been hurt all season and is just getting back now, but his strong numbers last season (10-8, 2.54 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) in 22 starts were outstanding. Obviously there are health concerns over whether he’d be ready to make a late season impact, but if he looks good in his upcoming rehab assignments he’d be a great addition to the staff.

5.) Jarrod Washburn, Seattle

I’m not a fan of Washburn’s but he has been a big surprise for the Mariners this season (8-6, 2.71, 1.06.) At the same time he is clearly on the downside of his career at age 34 and his postseason ERA (4.91) leaves a lot to be desired, so I’d probably steer clear unless the price was right (as in dirt cheap.)

In a few weeks, 3 time Cy Young Award winner Pedro Martinez and his 214 wins will join the Phillies’ rotation. He will bump someone, and up until now, it has looked like that would be Rodrigo Lopez.

He’s filling the 5th spot in the rotation that has been like a revolving door with pitchers. They just haven’t seemed to find a consistent starter there.

All of that has changed with Rodrigo Lopez. He’s started 4 games for the Phillies and improved to 3-0 with the 14-6 win over the Cardinals. After being out of the majors last year, he signed with the Phillies and has been a very pleasant surprise being an injury replacement. 

I’m sure it’s going to be a difficult decision to bump someone from the rotation who has done more than what he was asked to do, but it seems as if Lopez is going to be the one to go. Hamels, Happ (assuming he’s still here), Blanton and Moyer aren’t going anywhere. That leaves Lopez as the odd man out. 

I don’t think the Phillies knew they’d be getting these kinds of performances from Lopez when they went out and signed Pedro Martinez. When you can add a Cy Young winner and future HOF’er on the cheap though, you do it, current rotation be damned. 

I think Lopez will stick around with the big club in the bullpen in case a spot start may be needed and just to help in the ‘pen. The bullpen can use the help, so I think he’ll stick around at least. 

By the end of the season, it could end up being Martinez in the bullpen and Lopez back in the rotation, but Pedro needs a shot at least. All he needs to do is be an effective 5th starter, which he is more than capable of doing. He was asked to do too much last season as a #1-2 in New York last year. 

The pitching staff is getting a lot of attention right now, and this is just one small thing that needs to be decided. I think I’ve heard something about a Doctor being added to the rotation as well?

-KK

Dear J.P. Ricciardi,

As general manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, you are put in the unwanted place of having to trade your best player before he walks for nothing.

I understand that Roy Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball, but you need to face reality. Halladay is gone. Not after next season when his contract expires, but now. He has already checked out mentally. All of this talk has just made Roy accept the fact that he is going to be dealt. Do him a favor and send him away.

I know you realize that his value will never be higher than it is this week. He still has a year and a half left on his deal, so he won’t be a half season rental. That is key in getting the top prospects for him.

With that, quit being a jackass and get moving on this deal. Stop saying “the ball is in their court.” No it’s not. Tell the Philliws what you want and they’ll let you know. There is no way in hell you’re stealing Kyle Drabke, J.A. Happ and Dominic Brown. That’s highway robbery. We’ll gladly substitute Carlos Carrasco for one of those pitchers and give you the other. I’d prefer you take Happ, but hell, if you need Drabek, go ahead, as long as you take Carrasco.

Get this deal done. It will be better for everyone. The Jays aren’t going anywhere in the AL East the way you built them. Tear them up and rebuild. Give the Phillies the top of the order pitcher they need and we’ll all be better off.

The ball isn’t in the Phillies’ court. It’s in yours. No one else has the prospects and money it’s going to take to take to take Halladay from you. You either take what the Phillies are offering now or take a drastically lower package in the offseason or next season, or even lose him altogether after next year.

Get it done. I’m sure you have Ruben on speed dial, so spend today talking.

I look forward to your response.

-KK

P.S.- Need a bench player? We have a great one. Eric Bruntlett. His beard will fit right in up there.

In what could end up being J.A. Happ’s last start as a member of the Phillies, he pitched five strong innings before getting roughed up in the sixth inning.

In picking up his first loss of the season, Happ went 6 innings and gave up 5 runs on 10 hits. That’s not going to get it done, especially when your offense only scores one run, which came after Happ was lifted from the game.

Just for comparison, Roy Halladay went 9 innings, giving up 1 earned run along with getting 10 strikeouts in a no decision for the Blue Jays. I’m just saying, for comparison.

Highlight of the game? Easily Matt Stairs’ steal of 2nd base late in the game without even a throw. Clearly they respected his ability and speed enough to not even try and throw him out.

Simply put, the offense just didn’t get it done tonight. Happ held them in the game for 5 innings, but fell apart in the 6th. He can’t be asked to do much more than that. With the offensive power that this Phillies team possesses, there is no way they shouldn’t be scoring runs against the likes of Joel Pineiro. That’s ridiculous.

Another point of failure was the bullpen.You can’t be trotting out players such as Tyler Walker and Andrew Carpenter and expect to win. They just aren’t ready to be put into that position. Once the bullpen gets back to full strength, maybe they regain their 2008 form. They’ve only been together as a whole for a few days, and then something happens to one of them. 

If the trade for Halladay is going to happen, it needs to be soon. J.A. Happ is pitching well over his head at this point and his value will never be higher. Include him in a deal and get Doc to Philly.

-KK

Clearwater Threshers

Future stud Dominic Brown

Advanced-A, Florida State League
44-47 (1st Half – 32-34, fourth; 2nd Half –12-13, sixth (last) in North Division), 3-7 in last 10 games
Manager: Ernie Whitt
Best Ranked Pitching Prospect: P Michael Cisco — Honorable Mention by Baseball America (Best Control)
Best Hitting Prospect: OF Dominic Brown #1
I Can’t Believe He’s on the Roster: RHP Scott Mathieson

I feel the minor leagues as I know it are all scattered — or at least the minor leagues I grew up with. Last week, I praised Reading for its gigantic talent pool and the team’s status as major-league man-makers. But, before, that was AAA’s role. Sure AAA possesses talent, but it’s more about washed-up players.

When it comes to the single A Clearwater Threshers, I get a AA vibe: some prospects who need seasoning and long-term injured potential major leaguers (cue Mathieson). Clearwater just gets more street cred (as much “cred” as a minor league affiliate can get) than it used to. Maybe because when I was a kid, the idea of multiple short-season A ball leagues was in its infancy. Sure Clearwater is just another necessary step on the ladder, but people are getting noticed here more than before.

Additionally, there’s a bunch more dudes on the 40-man roster than I would have thought. OK, it’s only two, but I’m still surprised that P Drew Naylor and C Joel Naughton — not Brown or Mathieson — are a call-up away from the major league roster.

Let’s talk about Brown. Surely someone who is ranked as the best organizational prospect must be awesome. Well, yeah he is. Only in his second pro season, Brown’s attributes and stats are pretty good. He’s six-foot-five, for starters, but only weighs 200 pounds. He’s one of those fancy — and precious — five-tool players you hear about: hits for average (.309 combined AVG), power (9 HR in 61 games), possesses speed (14 SB), and has decent range and strength (Baseball America says he has the Phillies best OF arm) in the field.

The best part: he can’t even drink yet. At this rate, the 20-year-old outfielder will get to the bigs by age 22 or 23. That’s a lot of time for him to roam Citizen’s Bank Park and may coincide perfectly with a Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, or Raul Ibanez departure. Currently, Brown mans right field. Picturing him and Michael Taylor side-by-side is a nice thought.

Who are these other dudes I’ve name-dropped? I know Naylor, Naughton and Cisco aren’t household names, but they could be soon. Naylor, a 23-year-old Australian, needs to get over the single A hump. He’s struggled (5-9, 4.47 ERA), but also shown flashes of brilliance — two complete games in single A are nothing to sneeze at.

Naughton’s name sits on the 40-man roster because he’s a catcher, but his upside might be higher than Lou Marson. The lefty-hitter has struggled with injuries recently (on the seven-day-DL — yes seven), but he was a South Atlantic League All-Star in 2008.

The Cisco Kid, though, definitively has the best upside of the three. Last season — his first professional one — Cisco’s ERA hovered around 1.00 and ended up at 0.99 in 17 games with the Threshers and Williamsport. Starting nearly all his games in 2009, Cisco’s shown consistency — 6-3, 3.66 ERA. And, oddly, he performs better against lefties (.234 AVG) than right-handers (.285). Interesting side note: He’s the son of former Phillies pitching coach Galen Cisco.

Clearwater is also a place for coaches to find their niche. Utility-man Kevin Jordan battled in seven years with the Phillies. Jordan now serves as the Threshers batting coach. Former Phillies bullpen coach Ramon Henderson fell hard last year and missed the Phillies World Series run while battling alcoholism (a great Daily News piece details his struggles). Like Mathieson, Henderson is just trying to get back to the majors.

Speaking of Mathieson, the pitcher required Tommy John surgery in 2006 and then again in 2008. He began rehabbing earlier this season with the Gulf Coast Phils, and has made it back up to Clearwater. These are the sad baseball stories, but Mathieson — now exclusively a reliever — has enjoyed a little success. In seven games, he’s yet to let up a run, and has held batters to a .157 AVG.

There are a lot of bright spots in sunny Florida, and, despite the team’s mediocre record, they are definitely worth keeping an eye on.

—Sam Fran Scavuzzo

***follow me on twitter @samfrans ***

The Fightins’ swept yet another series tonight. OK, it was only a one game makeup of an earlier rainout, but they did win, so I’m calling ti a sweep.

The 9-4 win over the Whale’s Vagina Fathers came with our supposed ace Cole Hamels on the mound. Hamels hasn’t really gotten it together so far this season, and yet the Phillies are still on a tear.

The win tonight was their 11th out of 12 and 15th out of 17. They are now 54-39, a whopping 15 games over .500. The win also closed out the season series with the Padres, winning 5 out of 7 with them.

The thing with Hamels is that he hasn’t really been getting consistent run support. In his six wins, the Phillies average 9.5 runs a game. They’ve scored a total of 7 runs in his 5 losses. That’s crazy. I understand that opposing aces usually match up against each other, but this offense needs to be putting up more runs in support of their ace.

They definitely came out in force tonight. Jayson Werth and Pete Happy had three hits apiece and Carlos Ruiz hit a solo HR.  Every Phillies starter besides Hamels had at least one hit with Ribbie leading the way with 2 RBIs. 

This Phillies team is scary good. They don’t seem to be clicking on all cylinders, and yet they’re still piling up the wins. Now San Diego is a bad team, but good teams are supposed to beat bad teams. Once this team starts getting everything going at the same time, watch out.

Maybe Hamels will start to pitch like he did last year if some pressure is taken off of him. How can Ruben Amaro do that? Acquire another ace. I think there’s someone available up in Toronto. Maybe we should call Rube and let him know.

-KK

The Random Phillies Gear Sightings have been on a bit of a break recently, but I got a submission from someone on Twitter, so here it is.

Today’s sighting comes from Miss Bee. She put up the picture on Twitter, but I’ll just post it here.

Miss Bee tells me that this bench is located on SEPTA bus route 40, across from the Please Touch Museum, which is one of Philly’s best museums. Definitely get yourself there, especially in it’s new location in Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park.

Now I know I took a big break with these sightings, but forgive me, I just haven’t seen many out there and had a chance to grab it. So, I’m asking you guys to help me out.

If you see a Random Phillies Gear Sighting, take and pic and send it in. You can either email it in here, or you can TwitPic it and mention either @Phinally or myself, @kierankelly.

I’m looking to enhance the community interaction here, and this is a perfect opportunity for you guys and gals, the readers, to get involved with Phinally Philly. I look forward to seeing what you’ve got.

-KK