Recliner GM

Phillies Off-Season: What Are The Needs?

Pete — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:53:45 +0000

As the Phillies embark on the off-season, the first thing we have to look at is the status of the 25-man roster and then we can get around to talking about specific players.

Right now, it’s safe to say that barring any trades, these players will be on the opening day 25-man roster:

Those are the definites in my opinion, but there are many other options in-house not set in stone.

There are 4 players who are ours if want them, either with contract options or arbitration…

Pedro Feliz
Chad Durbin
Clay Condrey
Eric Bruntlett

There are also 6 minor leaguers who will / should have a fair shot to make the team out of camp…

Kyle Drabek
Antonio Bastardo
Scott Mathieson
Sergio Escalona
Drew Carpenter
John Mayberry Jr.

Of the first four, I expect Condrey to be back and I’m pretty sure Durbin will be too. Of the bottom six, I expect (and will be angry if this isn’t the case) that Bastardo and Mathieson, two young very live arms, will both make the squad.

One player I did not mention, Jamie Moyer, is under contract and could be our 5th starter, but I don’t expect that he will be fully healthy by spring training.

So where do that leave us?

If all 4 of those relievers are added to the chart, that fills up all the relief roles unless Charlie carries 13 pitchers, which I am going to assume he will (or Mathieson or Bastardo won’t make the team).

That means the holes that have to be filled are…

5th starter
Third Baseman
Middle Reliever
Back-up Catcher
Utility Infielder

A quick look at the available free agents yields the following options to keep an eye on. I’m not going to get into exactly what I think Ruben Amaro should do, but I will bold players that particularly interest me.

5th Starter: Justin Duchscherer, Doug Davis, Jon Garland, Bradan Looper (there is very, very little in the FA market that would be a good value)

Third Baseman: Miguel Tejada, Placido Polanco, Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, Chone Figgins, Melvin Mora

Middle Reliever: Luis Ayala, Joe Beimel, Rafael Betancourt, Kiko Calero, Scott Eyre, Kevin Gregg, Bob Howry, LaTroy Hawkins, Brandon Lyon, Chan Ho Park, Jose Valverde, Rafael Soriano

Back-Up Catcher: Josh Bard, Jason LaRue, Jose Molina, Mike Redmond, Brian Schneider, Gregg Zaun

Utility Infielder: Ronnie Belliard, Kevin Millar, Chad Tracy, Adam Everett, Geoff Blum, Jerry Hairston Jr., Ryan Freel, Frank Catalanotto

So you can see we have a lot of free agents options for third base and middle relief, but not as many for the other areas, particular a reasonably priced 5th starter.

So there is your jumping off point for the 2010 off-season. What do you think and what players do you want (or not want) to see in red pinstripes as we defend our NL pennant next year?

Sixers vs. Nets: Bounce Back Game

Dannie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:13:05 +0000

0-5 Nets should be an easy target for the the Sixers coming off the drubbing the Celtics put on them.

There is really NO reason to over analyze this game. The Nets will be without:

Devin Harris
Yi Jianlian
Keyon Dooling
Chris Douglas-Roberts
Jarvis Hayes
Tony Battie

This team is easily the least healthy team in the NBA right now and it will stay that way for a couple weeks. The expected starting line?

Rafer Alston
Courtney Lee
Terrence Williams
Eduardo Najera
Brook Lopez

Am I overlooking the Nets? Damn straight. This unequivocally should be a win. This should be a blowout. Period.

Now I fully understand what “should” happen doesn’t always follow true. And with this team that’s even more the case. Let’s see of they come out and take care of a severely undermanned team that wasn’t even that good to start with.

Phillies Rumors: Lee Back, Myers Out, Feliz… Maybe?

Pete — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:40:37 +0000

Everyone over the World Series? Yeah? OK, good.

The off-season moves quickly and I’m going to write a post about the Phillies’ needs and the options out there this weekend, but there is already some news to report.

Cliff Lee’s option was picked up (about as suspenseful as the Cavs extending LeBron’s rookie deal)
Brett Myers was told he would not be back next year. This is a lot more surprising to me. All along I had thought that Myers would come back on a 1-year deal to prove he can be a good starter and then get paid somewhere else next year. We need a 5th starter (I’m not counting on Drabek or Moyer) and I thought he would be perfect. Unlike Rollins, Utley and Howard – Myers never really came close to what we thought he would be. But like Burrell, he played a big part in our title last year, and will be remembered in a relatively positive light by the fans.
The Phillies have not yet decided on Pedro Feliz’ option, and appear to be looking at other options first. Those other options are plentiful, and include free agents Chone Figgins, Placido Polanco (if he’ll switch), Miguel Tejada (if he’ll switch), Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre. Like the outfield market last year, that appears to be more 3B than teams that really need them – so there is a chance of getting a Bobby Abreu-type discount. I know I’ve said I’d love Figgins, but if his price is too high, I would love Polanco or Tejada on a 2-year deal.

Nova Kicks Off Season With Exhibition Romp

Pete — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:31:23 +0000

I’m going try, I really am, to do a lot more Villanova stuff this year. I only got a post or two in last year. I’ve been a huge Nova fan for a very long time. They are down the street from my high school, I went to Rollie Massimino and then Steve Lappas camp every year, and in high school my friends and I would constantly sneak in to the pavilion and play on the main court (one time being chased out by Lappas himself).

This is a very exciting time for Villanova basketball. They are coming off their first final four trip since 1985, they are bringing in the #1 recruiting class in the country (with several elite players already committed for 2011 and 2012 as well) and they have a man at the helm, Jay Wright, who is very capable of turning Nova into a perennial championship contender the likes of UConn, Kansas, Duke and North Carolina.

Nova’s season began last night with an exhibition match-up against Kutztown. Usually in these match-ups you aren’t looking at the final score, but rather how the new players are doing, and which players are getting what kind of minutes.

Here are some quick takeaways from the game…

Mouphtaou Yarou is going to play early and often. Nova’s most heralded freshman since Jason Fraser (hopefully he has better knees) started beside Antonio Pena last night and played 26 minutes, the same as Corey Stokes and Corey Fisher. Yarou scored 8 points, grabbed 6 boards and had 1 block. Jay Wright’s teams have always been guard-heavy, but the 6′10”, 205 lb Yarou will add an elite size and toughness element they haven’t had in the past.
Taylor King did not forget how to shoot. King, the high school All-American transfer from Duke, sat out last year due to NCAA rules and played his first game in a Nova uniform. The result? 17 points on five shots. 5-5 from the field, 4-4 from 3-pt range and 3-4 from the line. With Fisher and Reynolds penetrating, he and Corey Stokes are going to have some serious fun behind the arc this year.
The other frosh will play as well. PG Maalik Wayns (17 minutes) and SG Dominic Cheek (14 minutes) also got significant time in the exhibition. Neither put up huge numbers (Wayns had 8 pts and 3 assists while Cheek had 2 points, 4 boards and 2 steals) but it’s clear Wright thinks they are ready to play right away.
This team has TALENT. I’m going to a more in-depth post about this later, but last night, 9 players played more than 9 minutes for the Wildcats. Of those 9 players, 3 were 5-star prospects coming out of high school and 6 were 4-star prospects. By comparison, this year’s pre-season #1, Kansas, played 9 players in their opening exhibition and the break-down was 3 5-stars, 5 4-stars and a 3-star. Bottom line? Nova is stacked, and is going to be stacked for several years.

That’s all for now – like I said, I plan on doing a breakdown of the talent on Nova’s current squad going forward compared to the teams of the past and other big-name programs in the country.

If you have interest in reading more Nova stuff – please speak up! (even if you don’t usually comment) I’ll have a lot more motivation to write stuff if we have a good conversation going with it.

So what are your expectations for this season? Do you think this team is capable of winning it all despite losing Cunningham and Anderson?

Fantastic Phillies Season Ends in the Bronx

Pete — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:00:37 +0000

First, let me get all things Yankees’ related out of the way…

They won this series fair and square. They were the better team, and this was the first time in the last 2 years, despite what experts might have thought, that we played a team better than us.
Certainly people will bring up the Yankees “unfair” payroll advantages. Take away the $70 million separating them from the rest of the pack and you take away 4 players from this group of FA (Damon, Sabathia, Texieira, Matsui, Burnett). But, take your issues up with Major League Baseball, not the Yanks, who are playing by the rules.
One piece of solace I take away from losing to my most hated team in professional sports is that unless a Yankee fan is under the age of 18, this championship won’t bring them even close to the elation we felt last year. I think that this is clear in the fact that the vast majority of Phillies’ fans are content the season we had, while a good amount of Yankees’ fans would have found losing in the World Series unacceptable. This team to us is one we’ll remember the rest of our lives. For Yankees’ fans, it’ll just blend in with the rest.
The other positive piece I take away is that no Yankee fan can ever again tell me their fans our better than ours. The atmosphere at their games was pathetic. This is not just me talking. Writers, players and fans all said the same thing.
I wouldn’t trade our 25 for their 25 in a million years. Not because we are better, but because I love our guys. I love that our core is home grown and we’ve watched them through the minors. I love that we only have 1 big name free agent (Ibanez) on our entire team. I love the style of Howard and Rollins, the grit of Utley and Werth, the craziness of Victorino, the determination of Ibanez and cool of Lee. They are so easy to root for in a way that guys like A-Rod are not.

OK – that was more than I thought I would write about the Yanks, but I’m done now. On to the Phils.

At the beginning of the season, we didn’t know what we were going to get from Cole Hamels after an insane amount of innings in 2008, Brett Myers after a renaissance late in the year, Jamie Moyer at age 46 or Joe Blanton in his first year in the NL. We had no clue whether Ibanez would be an improvement over Burrell or whether Jayson Werth could handle a full time role and being the only power RH in the line-up.

Given all this, I set my expectations at winning the division. Just keep the Mets (who fixed their horrible bullpen, and were the trendy pick to win the division) at bay and I would be happy.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure we could do it. I didn’t like our rotation depth, I didn’t think our bullpen could repeat their ridiculous performance of 2008 and I wasn’t sure Ibanez and Werth would be able to get it done.

But here we sit at the end of 2009, and not only did win our 3rd straight division title, but we won our 2nd straight pennant, and joined the ‘75-’76 Reds and ‘94-’95 Braves as the only NL teams in the NLCS era to win back-to-back pennants while winning at least one World Series. Along the way, the team gave us some moments that we will never forget.

Sure, losing the World Series was tough, but there are 28 teams that would do anything to be in that position. After so many years of being one of those 28 teams, there is no way I’m not going appreciate what this team did.

So where do we go from here? Obviously our core is in tact for next year and there are some moves that could be made. There is also another season of playoff revenue and a likely increase in ticket sales next year that could result in another payroll increase. That will be for another day, and I don’t plan on slowing down the Phillies’ posts during the off-season. If anything, I will be ramping them up.

Among the things I will have for you…

Rumors and what they mean to the Phils
Top-20 prospects updates, including individual posts on the top-10
More Top-20 all-time seasons
Payroll analysis and organizational depth chart – updated as moves are made
Who is the best Phillies team ever? (a real tournament run through whatifsports.com)
My own potential off-season plans and targets
and much more…

It’s been a great season and it’s been great seeing our readership grow here and I hope to continue to spark intelligent, well-researched Phillies’ discussion all off-season. Thanks to you guys, and thanks to the Phils.

World Series Game 6 Chat

Pete — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:50:46 +0000

Once again the Phillies’ backs are against the wall. They have thrived in these kinds of situations during the regular season and post-season over the last 3 seasons. Can they do it one (or two) more times?

Here are my thoughts heading into Game 6…

Pedro vs. Pettitte on 3 days rest. I personally would prefer our position here. We beat up Pettitte on 4 days rest (overshadowed by Hamels’ meltdown) and Pedro’s off-speed pitches have shown so much movement in the playoffs that I think he will continue to be effective.
It is vital that we have the lead heading into the 8th inning. Otherwise we see Mariano for 2 innings, and while he’s not impossible to get to, he’s as close as it gets.
Can Jayson Werth get to Pettitte again? Can Ryan Howard, who bats between Werth and the red-hot Chase Utley, make it impossible for Pettitte to pitch around both hitters?
Speaking of Howard. HE’S GOING TO THROW YOU SLIDERS, RYAN. LOTS OF THEM. PREPARE YOURSELF AND TRY TO HIT THE BALL TO LEFT.
Should Victorino be out there? I don’t think there is any way he is going to be able to handle a bat tonight, yet he insists he is playing. However, if he doesn’t, are there better options? Francisco would play center (downgrade defensively and CF and LF, where Raul would have to play over Francisco) and who would DH? Stairs? Dobbs? Bruntlett? I think a Victorino who can’t bat might still be an upgrade over those guys.
Can we see Scott Eyre, please? You would think with how awful our bullpen has been in this series, we would see more of the guy who led our bullpen with a 1.50 ERA during the season. Not saying he should close, but at least for Matsui or something.
If we lose, can it please not be in some sort of walk-off fashion, Joe Carter style. Can it please just be a normal loss, not a comeback against our horrible bullpen that ends with Jeter or Centaur-Rod hitting a walk-off HR that causes ESPN to halt all programming for a month to just show the replay over and over?

Feel free to discuss the Game here, before, during and after. We’ve had some great dialogue through the first 5 games.

GO PHILS!

Sixers vs. Celtics: Let’s See What We Are Made Of

Dannie — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:17:36 +0000

One could argue the first game against Orlando was this season first test. But being that it was the first game I wouldn’t.

Tonight on the other hand IS. Even if it’s only the 4th game of the season.

You hear it all the time.

“This game is a measuring stick for the Sixers.”

“This is a barometer game.”

“The Sixers will be tested.”

But tested on what – specifically?

For me here are the top 5 things the Sixers will be tested on.

Offensive execution – For me this is actually the top concern for this game in particular. Yes, that sounds odd considering their defense has been horrible. BUT, we will be facing one of, it not the best defensive team in the NBA so more pressing test for me is can they score points consistently on strong defensive teams – aka elite teams and playoff teams? Boston held the Bobcats to 59 total points. Now the Bobcats are not even close to as good as the Sixers but still, you see that Boston isn’t playing down to their competition either. They are looking to embarrass people and make a statement of their own – and it starts on the defensive end for them. Can we score?
Thad Young, what are YOU made of? – Thad hasn’t been bad at all this season offensively. He is averaging 15 ppg on 51% shooting and his assists and free throw attempts are both slightly up. But really, has anyone been bad offensively thus far? No, what I am looking for is can he defend really good players? He’ll have to contend with either Ray Allen or Paul Pierce tonight, likely both. And two, can he start helping out on the boards. He is averaging a paltry 3.7 boards per game playing 38 minutes a night so far. Guys that’s a 11 boards in 3 games.
Lou, are you for real? – Lou’s offensive game has been near perfect. He ranks 11th overall in the entire NBA in PER as well. We know he isn’t going to shoot 63% from the field all season. But he only has 2 turnovers in 3 games, is averaging 5 boards, 5 dimes and 1.7 steals to go along with his 20 ppg. I do care how weak he is defensively but those numbers from your starting point guard are pretty damn good. Tonight he has Rondo. So not only will he have to deal with Rajon getting all up in his ass, but he will need to keep Rondo out of the lane and from doing what he has been doing beautifully so far this season – dropping dimes like they are playing 5 on 0. Rondo isn’t scoring (he isn’t taking shots either) but he is averaging 13 assists and only 2.5 turnovers per 36 minutes. He got his payday and immediately got a big head demonstrated by him yapping at Chris Paul. Lou will have his hands full and I just want to see him start making strides towards being a total player.
Elton, are you worth it? – The money that is. The answer is probably no. But at least do something that makes us all think twice about it. I need more boards, more defense and more efficient scoring – period. And I need to see it against some real defense. Tonight is the night to really proving yourself as you have been saying since you got here.
Defense – OF COURSE - Did any of you watch Boston dismantle the Bulls? Offensively they were flawless. They scored every way possible and Rondo was running the show perfectly. He got the right guys shots, at the right time, in the right spots. House is hot from three. Ray is hot from three. Pierce is draining threes. Our perimeter defense will be tested in every way tonight. Scary thought.

Ok, that’s all I have. What’s your take? I’ll be chatting during the game, feel free to join me.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-paulhornets110309&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Random Phils Stats: Playoff Performance 2007-2009

Pete — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:55:51 +0000

I put this together because I was curious, and since I have a blog, I figured I’d share it with people who may or may not be interested as well.

These are the hitting stats for the 7 Phillies regulars who have participated in each of the last 3 post-seasons. Obviously there is at least 1, hopefully 2 games left this year, but like I said, I was curious. I sorted by OPS.

Now I was also curious how their OPS would compare to their regular season. Here are the rankings based on who has hit better, or worse, than average in the playoffs.

1. Carlos Ruiz (0.685 OPS in regular season 2007-09, 20% increase in playoffs)
2. Jayson Werth (0.870 OPS regular season, 19% increase in playoffs)
3. Shane Victorino (0.792 OPS regular season, 11% increase in playoffs)
4. Chase Utley (0.931 OPS regular season, 1% increase in playoffs)

5. Ryan Howard (0.928 OPS regular season, 2% decrease in playoffs)
6. Pedro Feliz (0.701 OPS regular season, 12% decrease in playoffs)
7. Jimmy Rollins (0.796 OPS regular season, 14% decrease in playoffs)

#’s 6 and 7 are big reasons for my “sign Chone Figgins to replace Feliz at 3rd and Rollins at the top of the line-up” campaign this winter.

World Series Game 5 Chat

Pete — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:56:34 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is it.

If we win tonight, we regain some hope and start talking about how if we can get to Pettitte on 3 days rest in NYC we can force a Game 7 and anything can happen in a Game 7 and so on and so forth.

If we lose, I start preparing all my off-season stuff, we find people to blame, ways to bash the Yankees and their fans, and I get on my soapbox and start my “sign Chone Figgins” campaign.

If the former can’t happen with our ace on the mound at home, then we don’t deserve to send it back NYC anyway.

I don’t want to talk about Game 4, as I will be discussing it with my therapist for years to come, so here is what I am looking for in Game 5.

Will the talented Yankees line-up be able to adjust to Cliff Lee after seeing him in Game 1, or is Lee just that good.
Will the talented Phillies line-up be able to adjust to A.J Burnett after seeing him in Game 2.
Will Burnett continue his career success on 3-days rest (2.33 ERA in 4 starts) or will he be rattled by the fans or over-hyped by the prospect of winning the clincher?
It would certainly be a good time for Ryan Howard to join the party, wouldn’t it?
Does Lee have to pitch all 9 innings for us to have a chance to win as our relievers not named Ryan Madson have allowed 6 runs in 6.2 IP?

World Series Game 4 Chat

Pete — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:25:11 +0000

Regardless of what happens tonight – it was at least nice to watch the Eagles paste the Giants today, hopefully the Phillies can do the same to the Yankees.

I believe whoever wins tonight will win the series. Obviously that is not a stretch if the Yankees win, but if the Phillies win, I am confident they can win tomorrow with Lee on the mound and Burnett on 3-days rest on the road, and then I am also confident they can win 1 of 2 in NYC.

Here is what I’m watching for tonight…

We beat CC in Game 1, but we didn’t really hit him all that hard with the exception of Utley. I think it’s time that Rollins and Victorino made their mark on the series, and if they are going to do it, it has to be tonight.
I have to be honest, I’m not sure Joe Blanton’s start is going to be much better than Hamels’ last night. The Yankees’ starters have a career .291 average against him and most of that was playing in Oakland’s pitchers park.
It would be nice if the bullpen can hold down the Yankees when they come in. Every time it seemed like we might be able to make a comeback last night, the bullpen gave up a run.
Our offense needs to break out – each playoff series’ we’ve had a game or two where we score 10 runs or so. We did it the last time Blanton pitched in the World Series, let’s do it again tonight.

I’ll be around chatting tonight. No rain delays and throwing back HR balls for me tonight.