Smallwood: Big Bats Must Produce
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, August 22, 2008 11:04 AM | Comments: 71
Posts
In the Daily News today, John Smallwood writes the Phillies will only make the playoffs if Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell start hitting now and don’t let up until the end of the season. He writes:
Starting tonight, the Phillies have a stretch of 10 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mets and Chicago Cubs.
Unless they are counting on another late-September choke by the Mets, this is as close as they can get to “put up or shut up” time as it gets. It absolutely cannot happen unless Rollins, Utley, Howard and Burrell step up to the plate and start leading this club the way they are supposed to.
He’s absolutely right. I can write all I want about how the bottom of the order could be key to the team’s success, but they’ll only do so much. As Smallwood writes, you can’t keep relying on Shane Victorino to get on base and some combination of Greg Dobbs groundout/Carlos Ruiz single/Pedro Feliz hit by pitch or whatever to get him home.
We can say “move Vic up in the lineup,” but what good does that do when 3-4-5 ground out, strike out and ground out?
To be short, these guys need to produce. Rollins had a couple weeks of production back in May. Utley had two months of solid production earlier this season. Howard has produced in short spurts. Burrell has been somewhat consistent, but nothing dangerous since May.
If there’s no way these four can find some magic potion, or get conked over the head, or somehow stumble into their late-season 2007 selves, this team is not going to the postseason.
Posts: 0 TJ
Look at how he beat out Pujols two years ago..
Posted: 03:10 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Mike D.
Howard hit something like .310 when he was MVP.
Summer trade rumor I feel like starting: Rollins, Madson and Ruiz for Ellsbury and Bucholz/Lester
or
Howard for phil hughes, ian kennedy, and melky cabrera
Posted: 03:39 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Eb
I wouldnt touch Bucholz there is something seriously wrong with his arm/mind
Posted: 03:43 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Joe Durbin
I personally think Chad Durbin should get MVP.
I called him earlier and told him I got up from the computer to get a soda and missed his outing last night. 2 pitches.
Posted: 03:47 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Don M
Sox won’t trade Ellsbury and Lester for that… they wouldn’t give those guys up to add Johan Santana..
Howard for 3 prospects.. two of them pitching prospects??? no chance
Posted: 03:50 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Don M
I think Lester is awesome though, i’d LOVE for the Phillies to steal him away
Posted: 03:51 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 bull
rosenthal has an article on foxsports about the phils offense
Posted: 04:05 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
I really don’t think you’re going to get much for Howard.
Posted: 04:06 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Don M
IF you throw Howard in the mix with some young prospects, you increase his value that much more. And that fact that he is under team-control for the next 3 years is nice too… BUT… aren’t the Rockies trying to avoid paying people too much money.. With Garret Atkins possibly moving to 1st after Todd Helton leaves, Tulo at SS, and Ian Stewart at 3b.. they already have the making a solid infiled… I don’t see a match-up there at all
Posted: 04:27 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 fred
Howards value has gone downhill fast over the last 2 years. If you trade him now your selling low, same with Rollins. Oh fuck it just release them both, play Coste 1st base and Bruntlett shortstop :)
Posted: 04:27 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
Assuming Howard’s arbitration number will continue to jump by 5 mil per year, how may teams will be interested and could afford him? Yanks, BoSox, Angels, and maybe the Cubs. Doesn’t leave many trade options.
Posted: 04:49 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Don M
Rosenthal estimated a jump to $14 M for Howard.. and he thought that Burrell would get “between $14- $17 million” on the open market..
I’d be content with them resigning Burrell with a possibility of him moving to 1st base in a year or two, after trading Howard the year before he becomes a free agent..
Posted: 04:54 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Fred
Do you really think we’ll sign two players in $15 mil range? I have my doubts.
Posted: 04:56 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Don M
well you would be signing Howard for $4 M more than this year… Burrell already makes $14 M.. so its not like you are bringing new guys in with completely new contracts.. it would be a bump-up from this years payroll but not an unexpected one. Hamels and Victorino will make much more next year too.. thats just the way it is.
They should have enough money, and have said they are looking for a starting pitcher, so I would expect them to add a new player that makes $15 M per season.. if that is a trade, and the new guy is Matt Holliday, thats great.. if they go with the same guys they have now, but add Ben Sheets, or Sabathia, that would be great too
Posted: 05:06 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Dan R.
I know this wont be popular and I thought about not even writing it, but I think Jose Reyes is more deserving of MVP than David Wright is. Unfortunately Reyes’ numbers are great across the board this year, even after his first shitty month and a half. He is the one that gets that team going.
Posted: 05:41 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 J-Man
If the Phillies don’t come out of these next 10 games with at least a 6-4 record,they are done…The 07 Rollins was a one hit wonder and we will never see him have another season like that and i doubt he’s gonna get hot and lead this team to another divison title it’s gonna be up to the rest of the team…Charlie needs to drop him in the line up and put Vic or Werth in lead off because Rollins ain’t getting on base…
Victorino
Werth
Utley
Burrell
Howard
Rollins
Feliz
Ruiz/Coste
Pitcher
Posted: 05:47 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Greg B
MY PREDICTION:
J-Roll pulls his head OUT of his ass, trades in his vibrating bed for extra BP cuts and hustles out grounders. He also rediscovers his power stroke and front-running Phans everywhere start adoring him again.
Utley shaving cream pies Victorino after his walk-off GW hit tonight and then starts a 24 game hit streak in which he bats .430 tomorrow.
Burrell stays the course and ups the ante a little bit, hitting his periodic big Home Run but boosts his average back to .270ish.
Howard pulls HIS head OUT of his ass after he watches J-Roll tear up Dodger pitching and reverts to 2006 stomp toward MVP form.
Phils win 9 of next ten and 25 of remaining 35 games to hit 93 Ws and cruise to the division championship. They beat the piss out of the Cubs and Brewers (who beat LA) and then take the 7th game against LAA for a second glorious WS and an end to all Philly sports suffering.
Chew on that shit, ya negative Nancies!
Honestly, the biggest difference between this years O and last year’s is JRoll. Granted he played out of his mind last year, but we need this cat to screw his head back on straight.
Posted: 06:11 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Jimmy Rollins
Sorry guys, I was having a bit of a tryst with Kim Basinger, which was distracting me and I took a bullet to the side which has hampered my ability to run grounders out. Thats all over, now so I will stop my whining and start pounding out some hits and igniting this sleepy offense once again.
Posted: 06:21 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
I checked out rosenthals column. Im on board with that. that scenario was laid out a whole ago. These people dont open their mouths unless they get told something. this could be a backhanded attempt to motivate howard by saying theyll move him after this offseason if he fails to produce. or they couldve tipped to him that theyll consider overpaying for burrell if they can move howard and get matt holliday for one year. i think its half BS half truth like usual. BUT im ok with putting pat at first and moving ryan for something. ive said id be ok with trading or keeping howard. but if they trade him itd better be good and portent big changes. thats what rosenthal is saying there. someone mightve told him that theyre going to trade jimmy rollins and ryan howard if they dont make the playoffs and that theyre going to keep burrell and move him to first….ok, im fine with that. just make it good thats all i ask…..otherwise, theyll be damned if they do and damned if they dont from many more people than myself alone.
Posted: 06:37 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 KM
J-Man, I totally agree with your batting order. You have to seperate the lefties, and Rollins needs to get less at bats. The only thing I would change is, on days where Hamels pitches I would bat him 8th, because he is a better hitter then either catcher, haha.
Posted: 08:13 PM on August 22, 2008
Posts: 0 KM
Greg B – A little optimistic about the 93 wins, but I like your thinking.
About trading Howard, I would do it if we could somehow finagle acquiring a top flight pitcher. Trading him for an offensive player would defeat the purpose, unless you wanted to upgrade defensively, and add some depth.
About getting Holliday, I would love it, but I can’t see it being possible. One, they would only have him for a year, because you know they won’t pay him to stay; two, he would cost a lot in a trade. If we could get him for Myers*(to be their closer after Fuentes leaves), Werth (not Victorino), Carrasco and Donald I would do that, but I fear it would cost more.
Posted: 08:22 PM on August 22, 2008