Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training Preview: A Look at the New Guys, Part 2

**** This is Part Two of a two-part series.  This edition covers the pitchers.  Part One covered the hitters/fielders. ****

The Phillies went out and not only worked to improve their bench with old and new faces.  With upgrades like Jim Thome and Ty Wigginton, the days of seeing Ross Gload and Wilson Valdez under-perform are long gone.  However, they also improved the bullpen.  The jury remains out on whether all the decisions made were the right ones, but let's see what arms they got for their money.

The Lefty: Dontrelle Willis

The 2003 Rookie of the Year and two-time All-Star, D-Train, is now a Phillie.  With this addition, the Phillies filled a glaring need.  A lefty specialist that would allow Antonio Bastardo to focus on being a setup man. 

However, there is an added aspect of proficiency with the bat that comes with Willis, but we'll get to that later.  First, let's take a look at what we are getting from a pitching standpoint.

(2011 Season Statistics)

IP: 75.2 / ERA: 5.00 / WHIP: 1.52 / BAA: .271

Now, I know those numbers don't jump out and say star.  The definitely don't resemble someone who belongs on our vaunted pitching staff.  But there is something that D-Train is very good at, and these numbers should explain it a little better.

(2011 Season Statistics)

Vs. Right - BAA: .305 / OBP: .395 / SLG: .433 / OPS: .828

Vs. Left - BAA: .127 / OBP: .169 / SLG: .200 / OPS: .369

Obviously, there is a little bit of a difference there.  Willis eats up left-handed batters at an alarming rate.  We were looking for a left-handed specialist, and that is exactly what we got.  However, ol' Charlie has a nasty habit of misusing pitchers, so it remains to be seen if Dontrelle will be used to our advantage.  But the numbers look promising.

In addition to D-Train's dominance of lefties, he also handles the bat with surprising skill.  Actually, this guy can flat out rake.  Take a look at his batting statistics from last year, and keep in mind that he is a pitcher.

(2011 Season Statistics)

AB: 31 / AVG: .387 / OBP: .387 / OPS: 1.032 /  2B: 3 / 3B: 1 / HR: 1

I can barely contain my excitement as I type his stats.  Even crazier is the fact that he batted .500 against lefties last year.  So even if he completely fails as a pitcher, which doesn't seem likely, we got ourselves a proficient 6' 5" 225lb. hitting option off the bench.

Whatever use he serves, I could see the D-Train becoming pretty popular in the City of Brotherly Love.  We do love to watch pitchers hit.  Just ask Cliff Lee and Joe Blanton.

Price Tag: $850,000

Value: A

Career Reliever: Chad Qualls

A consummate relief pitcher, Chad Qualls has been around for a while.  Drafted in 2000 as a starting pitcher, Chad made the conversion to reliever before making his major league debut in 2004.  He has never started a Major League game, and doesn't look to break that trend with the Phillies.  What he will do is provide an extra right-hander in bullpen.

No fanfare followed the Qualls' signing, as has been true through his entire career.  Chad is the quintessential average pitcher, and the expectations of greatness we Philly fans have gotten used to with our pitchers needs to let go on this one. 

(2011 Season Statistics)

IP: 74.1 / ERA: 3.51 / WHIP: 1.251 / BAA: .263

The word that comes to mind is average.  But that's fine.  We didn't get Qualls to be the next Halladay, we got him to provide another competent right-handed option out of the pen.  Think Chad Durbin, hopefully without all the walks.

Price Tag: $1.15M

Value: C

Young Gun I: Justin De Fratus

Drafted in the 11th Round of the 2007 Amateur Draft, Justin has been one of the fastest rising pitchers in the Phillies organization.

He may not be new to the organization, but with his first invitation to Spring Training, he's new to the Majors.  Justin is following the path blazed by Cole Hamels or more recently Vance Worley.  He is an example of the home grown talent the organization says it still possesses. 

Let's take a look at what he brings to the table.

(2011 Minor League Statistics, Double-A and Triple-A)

IP: 75.1 / ERA: 2.99 / WHIP: 1.168 / SO: 99 / SO per 9IP: 11.8

The first thing that jumps out at you is the strikeout rate.  Averaging over a strikeout per inning is what you're looking for out of the Minor Leagues.  How will it translate to the Majors?  That remains to be seen.  It can't hurt knowing the vaunted "Baby Aces" in the forms of Jarred Cosart, Brody Colvin and Trevor May are right behind him nipping at his heels.  And he does seem to be saying and doing the right things.

Here's an excerpt from an interview with PhilliesNation's Jay Floyd:

"

"You never take for granted that you’re on the field with guys like (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels). That awe factor is just not there anymore. It can’t be if you want to be successful. In my situation, I am able to look at them more as teammates now, as opposed to them being some big stars."

"

I like the way that sounds.  And I can't think of an environment better suited to grow a pitcher than the Phillies organization.  Whether it's the work ethic of Halladay, the competitiveness of Lee or the calm of Hamels, there is plenty for Justin to learn in Clearwater. 

Let's just hope he is proficient at drinking from a fire hose.

Price Tag: Minor League Contract

Value: A

Young Gun II: Phillipe Aumont

Drafted the same year as Justin De Fratus, the expectations of Phillipe Aumont were quite a bit higher.  Originally drafted by the Seattle Mariners, he was traded to the Phillies in "The Trade That Shall Not Be Named".  But Cliff ended back up with us, and we got to keep Aumont too. 

Formerly MLB.com's 33rd Ranked prospect, Aumont brings a pretty good minor league resume to Spring Training.  Splitting time between the Phillies' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, Phillipe compiled a pretty good stat line for someone so young.

(2011 Minor League Statistics, Double-A and Triple-A)

IP: 53.2 / ERA: 2.68 / WHIP: 1.286 / SO: 78 / SO per 9IP: 13.1

Aumont is described as a typical "power" pitcher.  In addition to a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and tops out at 98 mph, with late movement, he also throws a power slurve that is clocked in the high 70s to the low 80s. 

It's impossible to know how his skill and deception will translate into the Majors, but we actually have a rare glimpse at how he matches up.  Playing for Team Canada against Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, the then 20-year-old Aumont faced off against three heavy hitters of the MLB.

(1) David Wright, New York Mets

(2) Kevin Youklis, Boston Red Sox

(3) Curtis Granderson, New York Yankees

How did Phillipe do against three of the top hitters from "The League"?  He threw a rising 96 m.p.h. fastball that shattered David Wright's bat.  Pop-up, one out.  He then followed that up with a nasty mix of fastballs and slurves, striking out both Youklis and Granderson.  Just to give you a view from Kevin Youklis's standpoint, here's what his at-bat looked like.

First pitch: 95 miles per hour fastball that breaks in.

Second pitch: Power slurve breaking away.

Third pitch: Another slurve.

Result: Strikeout

Now I'm not saying he's going to be challenging Halladay for his spot, but when your only experience against Major League batters was a resounding success, that can't be a bad thing.  

Price Tag: Minor League Contract

Value: A

Mr. Flexible: Joe Savery

I thought a long time on what to call Joe Savery. (And you're disappointed Mr. Flexible was the best I could come up with, right?)  The reason for the moniker is that Joe has moved around quite a bit in the Phillies organization.  Usually, for a pitcher, that means either moving between Single-A, Double-A or Triple A, or working in both a relief role and as a starting pitcher. 

For Savery, moving around also includes moving around the diamond.  Drafted out of Rice in the first round of the 2007 Amateur Draft, he was projected to be a starting pitcher.  In just two years, Savery advanced to split time between the Phillies' Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, Reading and Lehigh Valley.  In Double-A Reading, he had the best season of his career.  Going 12-4 while striking out 77 earned him a promotion to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

In Lehigh Valley, however, his control started to unravel.  In 39 innings he walked 24 while striking out only 19.  Even with that, he was again assigned to Lehigh Valley in 2010, and things only got worse.  He went 1-12 with his worst ERA of his professional career at 4.66, striking out 67 and giving up 51 walks in 127.1 innings.  During the following offseason, Joe was converted into a hitter.  A skill that he readily put on display while in college.

He impressed as a hitter at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, hitting .348.  The Phillies Organization was optimistic about him becoming a Major League hitter, but strangely enough, converted him back to being a pitcher.  This time out of the bullpen.  It seemed to be a good decision, as evident by his stats from 2011.

(2011 Season Statistics High-A, Double-A and Triple-A)

IP: 36 / ERA: 1.50 / WHIP: 1.056 / SO: 41 / BB: 6

The stat that excites me is the 41/6 strikeout to walk ratio.  Joe's biggest problem has always been his control.  Hopefully, working out of the bullpen, he can maintain his current success.  His road to the Majors may not have been long, but it sure was complicated.  Now let's see how bad he wants to stay there.

Price Tag: Minor League Contract

Value: B

The Money: Jonathan Papelbon

If you just became the highest paid closer in the history of baseball, you'd be grinning too. 

In what has become normal for Ruben Amaro, he brought us the big time closer from Boston, Jonathan Papelbon.  Before we take a look at the stats, I have to address something that I and my fellow Phillies' fans must let go.  I'm talking of course, about the last game of the Red Sox's 2011 season.

Let it go.  Closers, by their nature, are dramatic individuals prone to dramatic moments.  It can be dramatic wins, ala Brad Lidge vs. Eric Hinske, or, in the case of Papelbon in 2011, dramatic losses.  We've seen our share of both.  The aforementioned Lidge in '08, and who could forget Wild Thing and Joe Carter in 1993.  Even the great Mariano Rivera has blown big time saves.  It happens.  So let's just move on and look forward to having one of the best closers in the game in our bullpen.

You have to take a good look at his stats, both regular and postseason, to understand how good Papelbon is.

(Career Statistics)(Regular Season)

IP: 429.1 / ERA: 2.33 / WHIP: 1.018 / SO: 509 / BB: 115 / SV: 219

Pretty good, but it gets even better.

(Career Statistics)(Post Season)

IP: 27 / ERA: 1.00 / WHIP: 0.815 / SO: 23 / BB: 8 / SV: 7/8

I don't know about you, but those postseason numbers have me drooling over my keyboard.  As a little caveat to those postseason numbers, think about this.  Papelbon has been in seven postseason series and pitched 27 postseason innings.  In only one of those series, and in only one of the innings in that series, did he allow an earned run.  That means that 26 out of his 27 postseason appearances has been scoreless.  Removing that one inning, here's what his stat line would look like.

(Career Statistics)(Post Season -1 Inning)

IP: 26 / ERA: 0.00 / WHIP: 0.615 / SO: 22 / BB: 6 / SV: 7/7

That's just ridiculous.  Insanity, pure insanity.  While some of you may think we spent too much money on this guy, I offer the above as evidence to the contrary.  We've got ourselves a prolific closer, and we had to pay through the teeth to get him. 

But do you remember how you felt in '08 when we had a lead going into the ninth inning?  How the Yankees feel whenever Mo jogs out of the bullpen with a lead?  If you don't, at the end of the 2012 season, you will. 

Price Tag: 4 years, total of $50M

Value: A+

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