Phillies Nation

Rays, Burrell Agree To 2Y/$16M Contract

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Mon, January 05, 2009 03:43 PM

UPDATE (3:50 p.m.): We have an agreement. Burrell is a Ray. Buster Olney of ESPN reports it’s two years, $16 million.

***

Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports is reporting the Rays are near a deal with Pat Burrell for two years and $16 million.

The Phillies signed Raul Ibanez earlier in the offseason for three years and $31.5 million.

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100 Greatest Phillies: 81 - Jim Lonborg

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Mon, January 05, 2009 01:00 PM

Jim Lonborg
Starting Pitcher
1973-1979

Career w/Phillies: 1142.1 IP / 75-60 / 3.97 ERA / 548 K

Jim Lonborg picked up where Wise left off, filling the right-handed void behind Steve Carlton once Lefty established himself in Philadelphia. “Gentleman Jim” had a banner year in 1967 for the Red Sox, winning the Cy Young award off a 22-9, 3.16 ERA, 246 strikeout season. But a skiing accident in the offseason injured his knee, curtailing his power. He had to reinvent himself as a pitcher, and finally found a groove with the Phillies in 1973. While he recorded a 4.88 ERA, he racked up the innings, setting up a strong 1974 campaign. Then, he went 17-13 with a 3.21 ERA. He fared just as well in 1976, winning 18 games with the high-octane Phils. He finished his career a Phillie, and after retiring, became a dentist.

Comment: Like Wise, Lonborg was a second-tier arm who had his best success in Boston. Still, the Phils scored some quality out of him. Another throwback from the early Vet days, Lonborg had a couple solid years in powder blue.

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8 Players Can File For Arbitration Today

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Mon, January 05, 2009 12:56 PM

It’s filing time.

Players can file for arbitration starting today, and seven Phillies are eligible to make more in 2009 through this process (Eric Bruntlett and Clay Condrey have already agreed to extensions). The heavy seven are Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Ryan Madson, Greg Dobbs, Joe Blanton and Chad Durbin. And each of the seven can write his case on why he deserves the money he seeks.

The lower three (Dobbs, Blanton, Durbin) can probably be re-signed for an agreed-upon amount. But the higher five can strongly stump for long-term contracts. Madson, Werth and Victorino are expecting significant raises in 2009, so the Phils might be wise to come to an agreement with them, possibly resulting in a long-term deal for at least one of them. But Howard and Hamels are the real question marks - their gifted abilities and performance show they deserve big money. And as we saw last year, Howard won’t go down without a fight, if at all. He won $10M in the most significant arbitration victory in baseball history last year.

Howard will get a raise somehow. I stand by my claim, however, that it shouldn’t be via a long-term deal. Howard hasn’t shown to be a consistent three-dimensional player; in fact, he’s more of a 1.5-dimensional player most of the time. Yes, he drives in runs like nobody else, but the realistic consequences of a big, non-versatile power hitter make him a case for yearly raises. He’ll likely take the Phils back to war, and he could easily win something like $16M this season.

Hamels, however, completely deserves a long-term deal. He met all the necessary criteria in 2008, staying healthy, posting ace numbers and showing no sign of a young slump. He then reached new territory by becoming a big-game pitcher, winning both the NLCS and World Series MVPs. There’s little doubt Hamels can’t duplicate his already great success. Factor in his age (25) and the fact that pitchers aren’t getting big money right now, and locking Hamels up to a long-term deal is a no-brainer.

For the next week or so, Ruben Amaro Jr. will have a lot of decisions to make, but it isn’t at complex at it seems. Here’s hoping he sees the simplicity through the trees.

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MLB Network: Not Too Shabby

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Mon, January 05, 2009 10:00 AM

If you’ve lived under a rock the past few days, here’s the news: The MLB Network launched Thursday on cable (Comcast has it, as it owns a share of the network). In its first four days, it’s featured Jimmy Rollins, classic baseball, documentaries and hot-stove talk. So far, not bad.

Of course, the network itself is something to salivate about: 24/7 baseball on television. Hardcore fans like myself wait all night for “Baseball Tonight” to air, even if the show could use a complete reconstruction. So now that there’s a whole network devoted to the game, I’m keeping it on my TV almost all the time, just to keep updated. For casual fans, the network will provide opportunities to learn more about the game. All in all, it’s a victory no matter what.

Here’s what I’ve thought so far, from what I’ve seen:

• I like “Hot Stove,” which will become “MLB Tonight” during the season. It seems less rockstar than “Baseball Tonight,” with more focus on the inner-workings of the game. This is mainly because of Jon Heyman and Tom Verducci. The former is SI.com’s respected insider, the latter is SI.com’s best pure writer (and one of the best writers out there, period). Heyman’s rundown of free agent talk was like reading MLBTradeRumors.com in five minutes. Great stuff.

• Still, “Hot Stove” might suffer from its over-abundance of former players. I like Mitch Williams playing the John Kruk, “grizzled straight-shooter” role, and I like Harold Reynolds as the veteran analyst. Joe Magrane takes a more intelligensia role. Barry Larkin and Al Leiter gel well together. But I’d like more expert analysis. Adding one more expert might do the trick.
• Living in New England for six years, I got a healthy dose of Hazel Mae. Yeah, she’s easy on the eyes, but she can be a tad grating. It hasn’t come out much so far, so that’s good. Hopefully she’ll hold back and let the other bouyant personalities around her handle the camaraderie.
• Watching Don Larsen’s perfect game was pretty cool, and watching Yogi and Don talk about it was even cooler. But coolest of all? Bob Costas. I’ve always thought Costas was the best studio guy, and hopefully he’ll get more time at the Network.
• The Larsen showing sheds light on another amazing thing: That the entire MLB library is wide open. I really, really hope they milk it for all its worth. Show a classic game every day.
• At some point, I hope the Network dips into further original programming, but with the idea of enriching its fanbase. One of ESPN’s better show is “The Top 5 Reasons You Can’t Blame …” Hopefully the Network does something like this, investigating storylines throughout the years and using its footage to its advantage.
• I also hope they don’t forget the minor leagues. One thing casual baseball fans usually lack is great knowledge of the minors, farm systems, etc. Maybe a weekly hour-long show devoted to prospects (with a guy like Baseball Prospectus’ Kevin Goldstein) could get slotted in once we get closer to April.
• When “MLB Tonight” premieres, they’ll show live look-ins because the network has installed a special camera in each stadium. Awesome.
• Finally, and maybe I’m pandering, but I hope MLB Network thinks about incorporating fans into programming. And yes, I’m thinking about blogs. A weekly roundtable show? Video reports to “Hot Stove”? I don’t know, but open the network to the fans, and the fans will stay tuned.
• Oh, and one more thing: I love seeing Carlos Ruiz hug Brad Lidge repeatedly.

So what do you all think? Like the network? What do you think it can do better? So far, I dig it.

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The 2008 Phandom 25: Mixing It Up Near The Mississippi

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Mon, January 05, 2009 12:48 AM

Last year I wrote a series of posts chronicling 2007’s 20 greatest moments in Phillies Phandom. Each game had a special “wow” factor, whether it was an insane comeback, an awesome feat or a trademark moment. And each game was a Phillies win, of course.

For this year, clearly, you know the top moment. But ranking the rest was very difficult. Do I rank the NLCS second just because? Is the NL East clinching victory as important as other postseason moments? I used some heavy discretion, but I believe I came up with a pretty solid list.

Each moment has an attached video link, if you’d like to go back and reminisce.

Like the 100 Greatest Phillies countdown, I’ll be posting one per day. I swear, you won’t get any more countdowns this offseason.

***

19. Playoff baseball!
Date: August 3, 2008

During a regular season, playoff teams play games that, naturally, feel like playoff games. Two teams take sides, exercise clutch hitting, superb defense, gutsy putching, even solid managerial skills. It happens very rarely — there are about a dozen or so of these games each season in the entire league. The Phils happened to play two of these games. One we’ll get to later. But this one, now.

ESPN was in Saint Louis for its Sunday Night Baseball telecast, as the Phils readied against the Cardinals under the Gateway Arch. Brett Myers was set for his biggest test since returning from the minor leagues. The Cards boasted a fine offense, and Myers was coming off a solid start against Washington. Previously in the series, the Cards bashed Cole Hamels, but Joe Blanton tied the set with a solid game-two performance. Game three had all the potential to be a great game.

The Cardinals skated to an early lead off Myers, as Troy Glaus singled home Ryan Ludwick, on a tear at the time. Need proof? He homered in the fourth, making it 2-0 Cards. Other than those hiccups, Myers pitched well, throwing 46 of his 64 pitches for strikes in a six-inning, no-walk performance. He’d need some help, however.

And he got it, thanks to the team’s best player. Chase Utley knocked his 28th home run off St. Louis starter Todd Wellemyer (remember him?) in the sixth inning. But the Cards would keep the Phils at bay.

That’s when it got hot. Between the seventh and ninth innings, Tony LaRussa used six pitchers. Once Wellemyer walked Pat Burrell, Ron Villone came in and got Shane Victorino to fly out. But he walked Greg Dobbs. In came Kyle McClellan, who struck out Chris Coste and induced a groundout by So Taguchi to end the seventh.

After Chad Durbin worked a scoreless seventh, the Phils started the eighth with a sembelance of a rally. With one out, Jayson Werth singled. LaRussa went back to the phone, bringing in Jaime Garcia. He got Utley to ground into a fielder’s choice, but couldn’t’ retire Ryan Howard, who singled to keep the inning alive. With Pat Burrell on deck, LaRussa went to righty Russ Springer.

Bad move. Burrell singled to tie the game.

Next came Shane Victorino. And he made LaRussa pay even more for bringing in Springer, bashing a homer to right field for the 5-2 lead. Suddenly, the Phils were a Romero-Lidge six-inning parlay away from a big Sunday night victory.

But Charlie Manuel elected to stick with Durbin, who let up a leadoff single. Then came Romero, who this time, couldn’t fulfill his role. He balked, moving the runner to second. After a groundout to move the runner to third, Nick Stavinoha grounded one to Howard. What do you think happened? Run in. 5-3. After Romero hit John Mather with a pitch, he was finished, bringing in Ryan Madson. After walking Albert Pujols, the bases were sacked for the dangerous Ryan Ludwick.

And in one of the biggest plays of the year, Madson induced the 5-4-3 double play from Ludwick, ending the inning and eighth-inning threat.

But that wasn’t the end. With nobody out in the ninth, Brad Lidge faced Troy Glaus, and Glaus beat him. Home run to deep left. 5-4.

With one out, Lidge started to unravel. Aaron Miles singled. Rick Ankiel singled. Cezar Izturis hit by a pitch. Bases jacked. One out. One run down.

But in the highest-tension save of the regular season, Lidge buckled down, centered his chi, found his groove, and sat down a green Stavinoha, then made Mather look silly to end the game. When we finally recovered, we saw the Phils had won, 5-4, in one of the best games of the year. Truly a playoff-type game.

The video: Shane Victorino takes it out

From the comments:

Greg V.: This game is crap! The Phils must be on their way to a record when it comes to leaving runners in scoring position!

NEPA: I hate LaRussa’s over management bullshit.

keith: fucking victorino, who thought it would be good to trade him, he has been awesome the last month or two

Greg V.: I need a shot! Jack Daniels all around!

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100 Greatest Phillies: 82 - Rick Wise

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sun, January 04, 2009 10:42 PM

Rick Wise
Starting Pitcher
1964-1971

Career w/Phillies: 1244.1 IP / 75-76 / 3.60 ERA / 717 K

Forever known as the man who the Phillies traded for Steve Carlton, Wise was a pretty good pitcher in his own right. Signed as an amateur free agent in 1963, Wise made his pro debut a year later with the ’64 Phils, at age 18. He became a regular fixture in Philadelphia in 1966, throwing a few solid seasons until the trade in 1971. During that time, Wise is probably best known for his heroic one-man show. On June 23, 1971 in Cincinnati, Wise tossed a no-hitter, while just walking one. But that wasn’t all — Wise hit two home runs, accounting for three of the team’s four runs. One of the greatest one-man performances in sports history. After leaving Philadelphia, he’d put up a string of great seasons for the Cardinals and Red Sox, helping the 1975 Sox win the American League with a 19-12 record.

Comment: Wise didn’t quite hit his stride with the Phillies (his ERA is actually high for the era), but definitely pitched enough to be a true fixture in those late Connie Mack Stadium days. A workhorse with a clear great moment, Wise will always be remembered in Philadelphia. Of course, sometimes it’s for the wrong reason.

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The 2008 Phandom 25: Swinging In St. Louis

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sun, January 04, 2009 04:43 PM

Last year I wrote a series of posts chronicling 2007’s 20 greatest moments in Phillies Phandom. Each game had a special “wow” factor, whether it was an insane comeback, an awesome feat or a trademark moment. And each game was a Phillies win, of course.

For this year, clearly, you know the top moment. But ranking the rest was very difficult. Do I rank the NLCS second just because? Is the NL East clinching victory as important as other postseason moments? I used some heavy discretion, but I believe I came up with a pretty solid list.

Each moment has an attached video link, if you’d like to go back and reminisce.

Like the 100 Greatest Phillies countdown, I’ll be posting one per day. I swear, you won’t get any more countdowns this offseason.

***

20. XX II: Gateway Gore
Date: June 13, 2008

How could the Phillies top the demolition of the Rockies in May?

Do it again against a better team in their park.

The Phillies came to Saint Louis clicking offensively, and facing right-handed Todd Wellemeyer, it seemed possible the Phils could bash the birds a bit for an easy victory. Heck, I even wrote “the Phils could bash this guy into next week” in the preview. And that they did.

It started with a triple shot of longball. Chase Utley knocked one out. Then Ryan Howard lined to the fair pole. Then Pat Burrell slammed one. It was the first and only back-to-back-to-back set for the Phils in 2008, done by the best boys for the job.

Armed with the 3-0 lead, the Phils started hitting the ball as if it was a beach ball. Carlos Ruiz doubled home a run in the second. Utley plated two with a single in the fourth. Wellemyer out. Ron Villone in. Damage continued. Howard singled to plate another. Geoff Jenkins drove one in with a sacrifice fly. Ruiz — again — hit a one-hopper over the fence to score two. Then even Kendrick got one in: a single that scored two. After Shane Victorino doubled in Kendrick, the scoreboard worker at Busch Stadium probably collapsed. Nine runs in the fourth. A 13-1 score.

The Phils weren’t finished. Pedro Feliz doubled in a run in the fifth. Villone’s line mercifully ended an inning later. But Howard responded to the change, rocking a second home run, this time off Mark Worrell. Jenkins got back in on the act during the eighth, and game star Ruiz singled him home to end the scoring. Breathe in, breathe out. 20-2.

The kudos, again, go to Carlos Ruiz, who went 4-for-6 with four RBI, his best offensive day in his career. But don’t overlook Kendrick, who had two hits in an inning and, really, pitched superbly against a pretty good Cardinals offense.

And for this writer, who ramped up his drinking as the game progressed, this one was a drunken celebration.

The video: Burrell makes it back-to-back-to-back

From the comments:

Keith: I had a feeling they were gonna go back to back. I dont know why but i just thought it was going to happen.

Phil: They are up by 2 touchdowns but missed the extra point.

Rob O: Damn fellers you got it right. An old fashiponed butt kickin’ And it could not happen to a nicer guy in Tony LaRussa. I jsut wish scottie Rolen was still here to enjoy it.

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Safe Approach Might Just Work

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sun, January 04, 2009 03:43 PM

While a herd of players remains unsigned league-wide, the Phillies have already inked a few players during this offseason. The three notable signings, of course, are Raul Ibanez (3Y/$31.5M), Jamie Moyer (2Y/$13M), Chan Ho Park (1Y/$2.5M) and Scott Eyre (1Y/$2M). They’ve committed $17.5 million in 2009 money to these four players. Considering I anticipated the Phillies having about $20 million in free agent money to spend, there’s room for probably another low-level signing.

Compare this group of four to the group I outlined in my offseason blueprint (Milton Bradley, Moyer, Odalis Perez, Eyre) and it’s not too far off, but a bit safer.

No-Risk Raul

A glance at Ibanez’s numbers show he’s the safety school of MLB free agents. He has amassed 480 at bats every season since 2002, holding a very consistent average around .290 with an even more consistent on-base percentage of .350 and slugging percentage of around .475. Twenty home runs? Ninety runs batted in? I’m all in. Compare those numbers to Pat Burrell’s somewhat-as-consistent numbers of .260, .370, .490, 30 and 90, and the Phils basically did what they wanted to do: Acquire a left fielder who can hit better, but with less power, for about the same price. That last part, of course, is still undetermined. If Burrell signs for less than $10M per season, will the Phillies look stupid? Slightly, yes, but only to sacrifice risk.

The risk, of course, was losing out on their priority (higher average, consistency). As much as I wanted Bradley, nobody could be even remotely certain he’d remain healthy and obedient. Juan Rivera’s flash-in-pan potential is very high. Rocco Baldelli, as well. Forget the Corey Pattersons of the world — it was evident Ruben Amaro Jr. wanted an everyday force in the outfield, considering Geoff Jenkins didn’t quite work out the way they expected, and you can never be safe with the broken history of Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino.

With that in mind, Ibanez wasn’t a bad pickup. On the surface, it’s a lateral move for a team that just won the world championship. That’s a good thing. But again, it is a safe move.

Pitching Plays

Moyer and Park are also safe moves. Instead of putting loads of money on Derek Lowe or loads of risk on Brad Penny, the Phils took the stable Moyer and well-defined Park. Amaro knows they can plug Moyer into the middle of the rotation, and for a while at least, he’ll perform amicably. And Amaro knows Park could be the No. 5 starter, or the No. 7 guy in the bullpen, and it might work. Or it might not. But it’s not the end of the world. Safe, safe, safe.

Lowe, of course, is like Ibanez in his recent consistency, but the money he demands is nowhere near the chump change they’re turning for left field. Lowe rejected a Mets offer of $12M per season, and there’s rumblings the Phils might make another offer. (Yes, the Phils have always been interested. Don’t think they haven’t.) But will the Phils offer Lowe his desired $16M per season? Phillie history says no, and judging by the safe moves the Phils have made so far this offseason, it doesn’t look as if the Phils will extend that sort of offer to Lowe.

What will Lowe get? I’m thinking $15 million per season, very possibly from the Mets, or maybe from the Red Sox. If the Mets acquire Lowe, he’ll be added to an offseason stockpile that includes Francisco Rodriguez and JJ Putz, necessary acquisitons for New York. The Phils, meanwhile, had no necessary acquisitions, but they had goals, they met those goals, and will very probably work with what they have.

Safe Is Good?

Is the safe approach wrong? Hard to say. But the safe approach will likely open more windows for the current Phils awaiting bonuses or extensions, which to me, is much higher of a priority. I’d rather secure Cole Hamels for five seasons and gamble with Carlos Carrasco and Kyle Drabek, than gamble with Lowe for three or four years. What about having both? Okay, but that makes securing Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth more difficult. And we’re back to square one.

We know the Phils don’t have bottomless pockets. Heck, the Yankees don’t even have bottomless pockets. What New York is doing, however, is risking their farm system and their ability to make moves during the season. And the farm system and midseason deals are the things that usually count most. Sure, the Phils won by acquiring Brad Lidge, but they couldn’t do that without Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo. And they couldn’t get Joe Blanton and Matt Stairs without Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, Matt Spencer and Fabio Castro. And they couldn’t win the whole thing without their homegrown talent — maybe the best collection of homegrown talent in baseball.

So while the Phils are playing it safe on the free agent level, they haven’t been afraid to throw in their chips on their homegrown talent. They’ve drafted for talent, and while most times the talent doesn’t work, they also got Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Ryan Madson, Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell by focusing on the farm. Last time I checked, that philosophy worked.

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100 Greatest Phillies: 83 - Hans Lobert

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sat, January 03, 2009 08:00 PM

Hans Lobert
Third Baseman
1911-1914

Career w/Phillies: .292 AVG / 19 HR / 212 RBI / 125 SB

John Bernard Lobert was nicknamed “Hans” because of his German origins. Another “Hans,” Honus Wagner, nicknamed Lobert “Hans Number Two.” Being second behind Wagner is nothing to sneeze at, however, Lobert never came close to possessing the kind of skill that made Wagner a no-doubt Hall of Famer. The local boy (born in Wilmington) played for the Phils between 1911 and 1914, becoming a coach in 1934 and manager in 1942. He wasn’t a really great manager (42-111) but was a really fast guy. He stole 125 bases in his four seasons in Philly, maxing out at 41 in 1913. He was also devilishly hard to strike out, finishing in the top 10 in K/AB four times.

Comment: A pretty underrated player during the early days of baseball, Lobert was a steady speedster with some pop. He rates well with a guy like Dave Cash, just below him on the list.

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The 2008 Phandom 25: Memorial Day Blockbuster

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sat, January 03, 2009 07:13 PM

Last year I wrote a series of posts chronicling 2007’s 20 greatest moments in Phillies Phandom. Each game had a special “wow” factor, whether it was an insane comeback, an awesome feat or a trademark moment. And each game was a Phillies win, of course.

For this year, clearly, you know the top moment. But ranking the rest was very difficult. Do I rank the NLCS second just because? Is the NL East clinching victory as important as other postseason moments? I used some heavy discretion, but I believe I came up with a pretty solid list.

Each moment has an attached video link, if you’d like to go back and reminisce.

Like the 100 Greatest Phillies countdown, I’ll be posting one per day. I swear, you won’t get any more countdowns this offseason.

***

21. XX: Sweet Redemption
Date: May 26, 2008

Memorial Day 2008. “Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was the big show in theaters for the summer kickoff weekend, but the Phillies put on their own blockbuster on the cinema known as Citizens Bank Park.

It seemed like an innocent enough game. The Phillies and Rockies traded early runs, and by the end of the third, the score was tied at four. A little high, sure, but nothing would prepare us for what came next: A 16-run outburst by the good guys.

Picking it up in the fourth, it started with Chris Coste, who doubled down the right field line to make it 5-4. Then So Taguchi lined a double down the left field line, making it 6-4. Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley then drove in runs, before Pedro Feliz ended the fourth with a two-run single. 10-4 Phils. Game over, right?

Not yet.

In the sixth, against Josh Newman, the Phils decided more teeing off was in order. With two on, Coste delivered again — a three-run bomb to left field. Then Utley singled to drive in his fifth of the game (three came on his league-leading 16th homer in the first inning), before Howard brought two more with a single. 16-4 Phils. Now we’re done, right?

Nope.

In the eighth, Utley drove home his sixth of the game — a personal record — to make it 17-4. Then TJ Bohn collected his first RBI. 18-4. Finally, Feliz brought home two more. 20-4.

Fine. There’s your game.

Actually, it finished 20-5.

Whatever.

The video: The Phillies plate six in the sixth.

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