Bleacher Report - Philadelphia Phillies

What the Doug Glanville Are the Phillies Up To?

Scott Eisenlohr — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:27:07 -0500

The latest out of the Philadelphia Phillies camp is that they want to feel out the market before they move in free agency.

That is better than the story the day before, where a source said that Mark DeRosa could land on the Phillies to fill the shoes of Pedro Feliz.

According to MLB.com, DeRosa hit .250 with 23 home runs and 78 RBIs last season with the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals. He hit .285 with 21 homers and 87 RBIs in 2008 with the Chicago Cubs. He had wrist surgery on Oct. 26, but his representatives said Tuesday that DeRosa should resume baseball activities before Spring Training.

According to the story by Todd Zolecki, there are reasons why DeRosa would make sense.

He is from the Northeast. He grew up in New Jersey and attended Penn. He has a reputation as a hard worker and good teammate, which the Phillies consider important attributes.

Ryan Howard is from St. Louis, Mo. Chase Utley and Cole Hamels are from California.

Former Phillie Doug Glanville, shown above, went to the University of Pennsylvania, too. He had a nice career for some pretty bad Phillies teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Hard work is an attribute that Phillies fans love. That much is true.

And guess what else? DeRosa made $5.5 million last year. That is the same money the Phillies would have paid Pedro Feliz if they picked up his option.

DeRosa is a nice player, but is he that much better than Feliz?

Their fielding abilities are about even. DeRosa has a better average than Feliz in the last two years.

But DeRosa is not an impact player. There are doubts whether he is an every day player.

So while the Phillies backed off from signing anyone Friday, they left the door open for future signings in the next few weeks or months.

They are probably waiting to see what the Angels offer Chone Figgins.

Figgins could well be off the board by Friday. The Phillies are willing to take that chance.

Or are they just posturing?

If they don't sign Figgins on Friday, then look for them to go after Adrian Beltre or DeRosa.

But don't cry poor.

While the Phillies paid $106.75 million for 12 players, which included arbitration-eligible players like Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, and Carlos Ruiz, they need help at third base, in the bullpen, and on the bench.

The Yankees? The 2009 World Champions? Their payroll is $192.35 million.

I don't mind if the Phillies wait, even if it mean they miss out on Figgins.

Just step up to the plate financially when the time comes, Phillies.

I don't care what region of the country the player comes from.

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For Philadelphia Phillies, Friday Looms As Fast Break from Past

Scott Eisenlohr — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:00:22 -0500

SI writer Jon Heyman stated that the Phillies are still the main suitors for the services of speedy third baseman Chone Figgins.

A growing number of people I have talked to favor a more traditional third baseman with power, such as Garrett Atkins of Colorado or Adrian Beltre of Seattle.

Figgins, with 101 walks, 42 stolen bases, and a near .400 on base percentage would make him a natural lead off hitter.

I know the Phillies had trouble leaving men on base, but conversely, hitters like Ryan Howard hit better with ducks on the pond.

I remember the Florida Marlins in 2003, with Luis Castillo and Juan Pierre at the top of the lineup. It drove other teams crazy.

And with Davey Lopes as the Phillies' first base coach, Figgins could return to his 62 steal season of 2005.

My mouth is drooling.

Why else would the Phillies let a great defensive third baseman Pedro Feliz walk for a relatively measly $5.5 million?

"That's what we've come to? Pedro Feliz is a $4 million player?" asked one agent incredulously, according to Heyman.

In other Phillies news, the team let five players off the 40-man roster, most notably Eric Bruntlett. Bruntlett was not great, but a good utility player.

This could open the door for the Phillies to sign the Cardinals Mark DeRosa. It could mean a platoon between Greg Dobbs and DeRosa. Also, DeRosa could spell Howard, Utley, and the outfielders from time to time.

But the Phillies might be more in love with Dobbs than I am. His .247 average was a significant drop from his .301 average in 2008. And he has done virtually nothing in the last two post season playoffs.

According to Heyman, DeRosa, Placido Polanco, and Adrian Beltre, along with a return of Feliz are the Phillies other options at third base.

Chances of bring back Feliz? 0.5 in my mind.

You know who understands the Phillies getting Figgins?

Yankees fans I meet in local Wawas, as I wear my Phillies gear.

In years past, Phillies fans waited months to hear of free agent signings.

Not now.

Something's gonna happen Friday.

I gotta believe that something is named Chone Figgins.

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Can Brandon Lyon Help the Phillies?

Tom Dougherty — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:41:49 -0500

The Phillies' top priorities this offseason are to upgrade the bench, find a new third baseman, and retool the back end of the bullpen which was so good in their World Series-winning season two baseball years ago.

On Monday, they made a huge step towards improving the bench when they decided to remove Eric Bruntlett from the 40-man roster, which means he will become a free agent.

I have already said that the Phils should get either Garrett Atkins or Adrian Beltre to replace Pedro Feliz as the Phillies' everyday third baseman, with Mark DeRosa being another guy that I wouldn’t mind picking up.

Yesterday, I said that the Phillies should take a chance on free agent starter Ben Sheets to solidify the starting rotation.

So how do you fix a bullpen which ranked ninth in the National League last year?

As a whole group, the bullpen posted a respectable 3.91 earned run average. However, they blew 22 save opportunities, led by closer Brad Lidge and his 11 blown saves.

While Ryan Madson had a strong season as the setup man, his identity wasn’t known for most of the season because of the uncertainly that Lidge was each and every night.

Scott Eyre also had a terrific year in his role as the left-handed specialist, but he is a free agent and had surgery last week to repair some loose bodies in his elbow. To boot, he’s pondering retirement.

Ruben Amaro Jr. will have a pretty solid group of guys to pick from to improve the ‘pen. However, I wonder if Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Brandon Lyon could help the Phightins in a setup role.

Lyon, 30, appeared in 65 games last year with the Tigers while posting a 6-5 record with a 2.86 ERA and 15 holds in 78.2 innings. It was his only season playing in the Motor City.

In 2008, Lyon spent most of the season closing games out for the Arizona Diamondbacks, in which he converted 26 of 34 save opportunities with a 4.70 ERA.

I think he’s a guy that the Phillies should target in free agency because his numbers from last year are impressive, and he is a guy who has closer experience, so if Lidge falters again, you have a guy to fall back on.

Lyon can retire both right-handers and left-handers as shown last year, when both hit .205 off him. What’s most impressive is that he only surrendered one home run to lefties while giving up six to righties.

In 21 save situations last year with the Tigers, Lyon allowed only 11 hits and four runs in 20 innings, which hammers out to a 1.99 ERA. He struck out 21 batters compared to just eight walks.

With two outs and runners in scoring position, opposing batters only hit .190 off him, which shows that he performs well when there are guys on second or third with one out to get.

The only disturbing stat regarding Lyon is that in three games played at Citizens Bank Park, he has given up two runs in 2.1 innings, which is a 7.71 ERA.

He has been pitching in pitcher’s parks the last five seasons while playing for the Diamondbacks and Detroit. Adjusting to a hitter’s haven like the Bank would be something he would have to do.

Another plus in signing Lyon for the Phillies is that he has proven to be a very good postseason pitcher. In five playoff games, Lyon has allowed only one hit and has five strikeouts to go with no runs allowed.

Lyon would be a solid option as a seventh or eighth inning guy for the Phillies depending on how they plan on determining the closer. Will Lidge be handed the job, or will Madson get a fair shot?

For more Phillies coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Not Happ-y With Rookie of the Year Award

Tom Dougherty — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:51:28 -0500

J.A. Happ was the favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year, however that wasn’t the case when the award was announced on Monday afternoon.

Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan beat out the Phillies left-hander by receiving 17 first place votes compared to Happ’s ten first place votes.

Final count: 105-94.

Coghlan hit .321 with nine home runs and 47 RBI in 128 games during his first season in the big leagues. After the All-Star break, the 24-year-old hit .370 with a MLB-leading 113 hits.

There are a lot of Phillies fans irate that Happ didn’t win the award, but his slow finish to the season didn’t help him out in the voting process. Awards are determined in late-September, not in June-July.

Happ finished the season with a 12-4 record with a 2.93 ERA in 166 innings. He led all rookies in innings pitched, strikeouts (119), ERA and complete games (5).

The 27-year-old didn’t have a strong finish to the season as he missed two starts in Sept. with a strained rib-cage, and had a 4.84 ERA in the last month of the regular season.

While I thought that Happ would come back down to earth, which he did, and that I would have parted ways with him to get Roy Halladay , he got snubbed with the Rookie of the Year voting.

I’m not taking anything away from Coghlan because he had a great season, and he was just as deserving, but Happ was arguably the Phillies’ best pitcher not named Cliff Lee .

Happ was a big part of the Phils winning their third straight division title, and making it to the World Series.

Okay, maybe he wasn’t that big of a piece during the postseason, but you get the point.

It stinks that he didn’t get it, but who really cares if he was given a trophy that is worthless. All that matters is that he pitches well on the field, and the Phillies win games. I don’t care about these awards too much.

For more Phillies' coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Phillies Should Take a Chance on Sheets

Tom Dougherty — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:17:23 -0500

It’s no secret that the Phillies are in need of another reliable starting pitcher, because you can’t count on Cliff Lee being as great as he was down the stretch and carry the entire pitching staff throughout a full season.

We all can hope that Cole Hamels finds a way to focus on baseball rather than the off-the-field issues and prove to everyone that last year was just a hiccup in what will turn out to be a brilliant career.

But how far does hoping get you in sports? It doesn’t get you far, I can tell you that. Being a Philly sports fan, I’ve hoped for a lot of things and more often than not, I’ve come out disappointed.

Is anyone comfortable going into spring training with a rotation consisting of Lee, Hamels, J.A. Happ , Joe Blanton , and Jamie Moyer or Kyle Kendrick ? I’ll be surprised if someone answered yes to that.

The Phillies will have to add some insurance to the rotation, even though their bullpen remains the top priority in the pitching department and bringing back Pedro Martinez isn’t a solution either.

I’m not calling for the Phils to sell the farm to acquire an elite pitcher like Roy Halladay; they’re not in need of an ace. Nor am I saying go out and sign John Lackey who is the best starter available to buy.

Considering the fact that the Phillies have $106.75 million committed to 12 players next season, they should take somewhat of a risk like they did with Pedro and there are a couple of guys out there whom I'd like to see them take a chance on.

What I am suggesting is the Phightens take a look at Ben Sheets who has been a free agent since last winter after opting for surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon in his elbow in February.

I don’t know the market for Sheets because he didn’t pitch last year and has a poor injury history, but I don’t see the harm in signing the former Milwaukee Brewers ace, at the right price, of course.

Sheets, 31, built a reputation of being one of the league’s premier pitchers strictly based on his stuff and his stuff alone. He’s like another free agent, Rich Harden , who has dominant stuff, but finds his way to the D.L. every year.

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana native has a career record of 86-83 with a 3.72 ERA, and made four All-Star teams in his tenure with the Brewers, who have been pretty bad except for the couple of the years Sheets spent there.

His best season was the 2004 campaign, when he posted a 12-14 record with a 2.70 ERA, five complete games, and 264 strikeouts to just 32 walks in 237 innings.

Sheets threw at least 200 innings in three of his first four years in the league, but then ran into arm and ear troubles, which forced him to hit the disabled list five times from '05 to '07.

In 2008, Sheets had a 3.09 ERA with a 13-9 record in 198.1 innings while striking out 158 batters and tossing five complete games, three of which were shutouts.

He lasted pretty much the entire season for Milwaukee, however, he did find himself getting hurt in late-September forcing him to pitch just 4.1 innings in his final two starts.

According to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, Ben Sheets’ agent, Casey Close, believes that there will be a decent market for his right-handed client. Close said that he already had a “number of teams inquiring” about Sheets.

It’s highly unlikely that the Phillies are one of those teams, but I think they should take a chance on Sheets and at least explore the option of signing him. Adding a healthy Sheets would strengthen the rotation easily.

For more Phillies' coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Pedro Feliz May Not Be Leaving Philadelphia Phillies After All

Shay Roddy — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:43:32 -0500

A lot of the talk around the Phillies right now is regarding who will replace Pedro Feliz as third baseman, after the team declined their $5.5 million option to bring him back next season.

The team will test the free-agent market but don’t be surprised if there is no new third baseman after all.

Feliz may just be the best option.

Names like Adrian Beltre, Chone Figgins, Mark DeRosa, Joe Crede, Troy Glaus, Melvin Mora, Placido Polanco, and even Miguel Tejada have arisen to compete with Feliz, but there are flaws just about everywhere you look in that bunch.

Though baseball has no salary cap, the Phillies do and they already have an enormous payroll. Players like Figgins and Beltre will command large dollar amounts for not much more production than Feliz provided the team with.

Feliz was certainly among the unappreciated members of the 2009 Phillies, doing so much good with his glove and holding his own from the right-hand batter's box.

His .266 batting average and 82 RBIs are just about all you can ask from the No. 7 hitter in your lineup. Feliz provides you with a vacuum around the hot corner making certain nothing gets by him.

Feliz would come affordably and willingly. He has been a contributor to the unbelievable team chemistry throughout his tenure here.

All this begs the question, why are so many people looking for a change at third. Step back, look around the market. It just doesn’t get much better than this.

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Send e-mail to sroddy@highhopesblog.com or go to HighHopesBlog.com for more of Shay Roddy's work.

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Lost in the Mix: Phillies Should Get Atkins

Tom Dougherty — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:29:26 -0500

While the big fish in the pool all seem like good fits for the Phillies vacant third base hole, the answer may be someone who could be had in a trade or become available via free agency in a couple of days.

And with all the Phillies faithful calling for the team to sign Adrian Beltre , Mark DeRosa or Chone Figgins to man the hot corner for the Phils in 2010 and beyond, I’m thinking they should go a different route.

The Colorado Rockies are exploring the market for third baseman Garrett Atkins , and if they fail to find a new home for him in the trade market, they’ll simply release him, and hand the gig to Ian Stewart .

Atkins had a miserable year last season after being one of the Rockies key run producers the previous three seasons. In 126 games last season, Atkins hit a lousy .226 with eight home runs and 48 RBI.

In 2008, however, he hit hit 21 homers with 99 RBI while batting a respectable .286, and 56 extra-base hits compared to just 22 hits last year.

The 29-year-old finished 14th in the N.L. MVP voting in 2006 when he hit .326 with 29 dingers and 120 RBI while having 78 extra-base knocks, and a .409 on-base percentage.

Atkins opens my eyes because he has a history of driving in runs for what has been one of the better lineups in the National League the past few years in Colorado, and he could be had for cheap.

Someone with his past history of producing runs in what used to be a hitter's friendly ballpark, and hitting for average while doing so, is quite intriguing.

On a plus-side with Atkins, he'll likely cost you under four million bucks because after a dreadful 2009 year, no one will give him close to what he made with the Rox last year, which was a little over seven million.

According to Patrick Summers of the Denver Post , one general manager said: "I know some guys who think he could be a bargain pickup, but other guys think he's lost his swing."

Summers also says that the same GM has concerns that his 2009 slump "was not an aberration."

With Charlie Manuel and Milt Thompson being hitting geniuses, I think Atkins could benefit from having them as his coaches. They would show him what not to do, and help him get out of the funk.

Baseball is all about having fun, and when players are in a bad way like Atkins was last year, having fun is the No. 1 way to get out of it. That's one thing this Phillies team knows, they know how to have fun.

Another positive for Atkins to the Phillies is that it would reunite him with his college teammate, roommate, and one of his best friends, Chase Utley .

Utley is a great leader, and he leads by example. He's the first one to the park each day, and players want to be like him. His hard work could help Atkins adopt the same work ethic, and get himself out of his slump.

The Phillies are in need of another right-handed power bat to add to their lineup, and Atkins would be just that. It's a riskier decision than signing Figgins, DeRosa or Beltre, but it could pay huge dividends.

For more Phillies' coverage, please go to my blog: Phillies Phandom

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Kyle Drabek: Baseball Prospect Report

Eric Stashin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:23:02 -0500

Kyle Drabek, the son of former NL Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek, has seen his name pop up in trade rumors quite a bit in recent months. With the Phillies angling to acquire Cliff Lee (which they did without parting with Drabek) and potentially Roy Halladay, it would make sense that teams would target the player who may be the best pitching prospect in the system.

Pitching between Single and Double-A last season, Drabek went 12-3 with a 3.19 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 163 innings in 2009. He showed excellent control, posting a K/9 of 8.23 versus a BB/9 of 2.76. Having undergone Tommy John surgery in 2007, it’s safe to say that he is showing no ill effects from the procedure.

His curveball is his calling card, with Padres prospect Mat Latos (who played with Drabek in 2005 at the “Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic at the Cal Ripken complex in Aberdeen, MD” according to this ESPN article), saying:

“I’ve seen a lot of curveballs and some nasty sliders, but not a curveball like that. All I could think was, ‘I’m glad I’m not a hitter.”’

He also features a fastball that sits between 88 and 93 mph, which “usually at the top end of that range, and has solid-average life according to Baseball America. Also in his arsenal is a changeup, though it is clearly his third pitch.

At 22-years-old, the right-handed pitcher has one major flaw, and that is his performance against left-handed hitters. Righties hit .185 against him last season—a spectacular number—whereas lefties hit .284. Part of it was poor luck, with a .351 BABIP, but it is a trend that has to be watched closely.

His overall BABIP of .305 is realistic, and even with an improvement against left-handed hitters, you cannot expect him to maintain a .246 mark against righties. At the end of the day, you could easily expect a .305 number overall, as his performance against lefties should improve, while he will not be quite as lucky against righties.

He did a tremendous job keeping the ball in the ballpark last season, posting a HR/FB of 4.8 percent.

Is it a number that he can maintain in the upper levels of the minors? At Double-A it was 7.2 percent (HR/FB of 0.82), so it is safe to assume that he is going to see a bit more of an increase there. That, in turn, will affect his ERA.

He also saw a significant decrease in his strikeouts as he moved up levels:

1) Single-A: 10.41 (64.0 IP)

2) Double-A: 6.82 (99.0 IP)

With the stuff that he has, I can’t see him falling any further than he did, even against more experienced hitters. Keep in mind that he very easily could have simply tired as the season wore on. Look at his innings pitched totals since his minor league debut in 2006, thanks in part to his serious injury:

1) 2006—23.1

2) 2007—54.0

3) 2008—32.1

While he is not likely to be a double-digit strikeout artist, I could easily see him maintain a seven plus K/9 range even in Triple-A or the Major Leagues.

With all that said, what do I see for Drabek in 2010? A lot is going to depend on the moves the Phillies make. Will they part with him? Will they acquire a starting pitcher? Sure up the bullpen?

There are some who feel that Drabek could transition well to the bullpen, but that just wouldn’t make much sense to me. I know they are in need of help, but it makes more sense for them to invest money there this offseason, keeping Drabek for when they are in need of a starting pitcher.

It’s only a matter of time before the Phillies are in need there, given the state of the rotation, so look for him to make an appearance at some point. There is some risk, especially given the falloff he had once promoted to Double-A, but do not be mistaken. He is a very good pitching prospect (ranked by Baseball America as the Phillies Np. 2 prospect heading into 2010) and is certainly worth owning in all dynasty formats.

What are your thoughts on Drabek? How good could he be? Will he make an impact in 2010?

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