Phillies Nation

Terry Mulholland
Starting Pitcher
1989-1993, 1996

Career w/Phillies: 1070.3 IP / 62-57 / 3.80 ERA / 570 K

Terry Mulholland won half of his major league games as a Phillie, playing his prime with the pinstripes while helping to guide the 1993 Phils to the World Series. That season was maybe his best, recording a 3.25 ERA with a 12-9 record, earning his only career all-star berth. He came to the Phils with Charlie Hayes and Dennis Cook in a trade with the Giants, who wanted former Cy Young winner Steve Bedrosian in return. In his four full seasons as a Phillie, Mulholland started 120 games, keeping his ERA below four each year despite not getting great run support. He also possessed a wicked pickoff move. And of course, he recorded the first no hitter in Veterans Stadium history, a slashing of his former team in August 1990.

Comment: One of my earliest Phillies memories was sitting in the 600 level that warm August evening as Mulholland sat the Giants down. My biggest memory of the night wasn’t Mulholland’s no hitter, but the discovery that my mug got on SportsChannel. Harry Kalas remarked about my scorekeeping, evidently. All zeros for Terry — at least in the hits column. The third greatest post-Lefty pitcher in Phillies history.

Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports (Insider) the Phillies have strong interest in left-handed reliever Will Ohman.

Ohman, 31, went 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA for the Braves last season. Before that he pitched for the Cubs, so a signing would rejoin him with fellow lefty Scott Eyre. Ohman was seeking a 2Y/$8M deal at the top of the offseason.

The Phils are still searching for a reliever, and one who can fill JC Romero’s gap with Eyre until June is most desirable. Lefties recorded just a .571 OPS off Ohman in 2008, while righties recorded a .700, so Ohman would be used in late situations with some caution against righties.

I don’t clearly understand this need, however; while it’s nice to have two lefties in the bullpen (and help for Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson), it’s not as important as having guys up front who can minimize the bullpen, especially early in the season. If you remember, the April-June Phils thrived on six-inning outings and a heavy dose of Chad Durbin. Ohman’s original asking price was also a bit off, though the Phils haven’t shied from giving relievers $4M per season. If the Phillies can sign Ohman for about half his asking price, it would be a fine signing, but he’s nothing to get tremendously excited about.

Earlier in 2008 I was finding Citizens Bank Park was — numerically — playing less like the ridiculous hitters park most players claimed it was. Now that the season is finished, we can see if the Vault really is that great a hitters park, or if we’re just getting blown smoke.

First is ESPN’s Park Factor, which compares home stats to road stats:
Citizens Bank Park:
Runs: 1.029 [Slightly favors hitter] (15th)
Home runs: 1.022 [Slightly favors hitter] (11th)
Hits: 1.036 [Slightly favors hitter] (8th)

Park factor shows the Vault is not particularly a doubles or triples park. When runs are scored, it’s via the home run most prominently. According to ESPN, the only parks that seem to be higher hitters parks since 2004 are Wrigley Field, Coors Field, Rangers Ballpark, Comerica Park, Fenway Park, US Cellular Field and Great American Ballpark. Then, we can say Citizens is one of the better hitters parks in the league, but it’s impact is somewhat overrated.

Second is Baseball Reference’s Park Factors. Since opening, Citizens Bank Park has carried a factor of 105, before dipping slightly to a 103 in 2008 (over 100 favors hitters). This rating shows the Vault is more of a hitters park than ESPN says — only Fenway Park, Coors Field and Wrigley Field have higher or comparable overall factors since 2004.

So what’s the answer?

There are two major factors to thank for the idea that the Vault is a ridiculous hitters park.

One is the division. Shea Stadium, Turner Field, Dolphin Stadium and RFK Stadium/Nationals Park are four of the more pitcher-friendly parks in baseball. Shea last had a favorable hitter’s season in 1990; Turner started as a hitters park but has become more pitcher-friendly; Dolphin is notoriously pitcher-friendly; RFK was also a cavern, though Nationals Park showed to be a slight hitters park in 2008. Compared to rival parks, Citizens is excruciatingly hitter-first.

The other factor is Veterans Stadium. In its final years, the Vet was a haven for pitchers. The transition from Vet’s 2003 park factor of 0.900 runs (93 PF) to Citizens Bank Park’s 2004 factor of 1.024 runs (105 PF) is jarring.

Of course, between Baseball Reference and ESPN, you can say Citizens Bank Park is likely one of the top five hitters parks in baseball. It’s not Coors, Fenway and Wrigley, but these are three notorious longtime hitters parks that have become accepted in their extremities. (Vinny Castilla would not have hit 40 homers as a Phillie.) Sadly, we have to agree Citizens is a hitters park, but it’s not extreme, as some would like you to believe. It’s just simply a good place for home run hitters.

Andy Seminick
Catcher
1943-1950, 1955-1957

Career w/Phillies: .243 AVG / 112 HR / 411 RBI / 20 SB

A 22-year-old Andy Seminick joined a 1943 Phillies/Blue Jays team that won 64 games, finishing seventh of eight in the National League. Seven years later, he was the leader of the Whiz Kids, the team that took the National League in surprise fashion before losing to the Yankees in the World Series. Before that, he was a solid if unspectacular offensive player, and a pretty good defensive backstop. In 1949 he won an All-Star berth and accomplished a rare feat, hitting two home runs in an inning. He hit three in the game. But 1950 was his big year, swatting 24 homers and hitting a career-high .288. He returned to the Phillies in a trade in 1955, before being released in 1956. The Phils signed him for the final month of 1957, retiring at season’s end. Seminick died in 2004, the final living everyday player of the Whiz Kids. First one in, last one out.

Comment: One of the great longtime Phillies whose reputation came more for his leadership than stick. In his prime he was a good hitter, but not for too long. What remains is his loyalty to the Phils (many years as a coach) and passion for the game.

Sorry I’ve been away all day — I’ve been hobnobbing in Woodstock, NY without computer access.

Anywho, open thread to continue the day: David Murphy had the report from Chase Utley’s appearance on “Hot Stove.” Time to appreciate that Utley played most of 2008 on a bad ankle and still had the best season of any second baseman in baseball.

I am without a doubt the biggest Phillies fan to ever draw breath, and I think my lifetime of accomplishments speaks for itself. I have written in Mike Schmidt for president in every presidential election since I was old enough to vote.

The 1980 World Championship means so much to me that I’m able to forgive Tug McGraw not only for playing for the Mets, but for fathering Tim McGraw. In fact, I’d likely forgive him for Pearl Harbor and the Irish Potato Blight. I have dressed as the Phanatic every Halloween since 1989. When a friend pointed out that it was getting a little small on me I called the CIA and had him arrested for being a terrorist. I once started a bar fight with Daryl Strawberry just because. As a teenager I attempted to break into the Vatican and repaint the saints on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the image of the Phillies championship team. I was discovered and kicked out of the Vatican before I was halfway through.

I used to be an astronaut, but I got kicked out of the space program when NASA discovered my plan to plant a Phillies pennant on Mars. Betsy Ross originally intended the U.S. flag to be beige, teal, and salmon, but I built a time machine, traveled back to 1777, and kicked her in the stomach until she saw reason and changed it to Phillies Red, White, and Blue.

I have devoted my life to the Phillies and I have only one regret; not selling my left kidney for World Series Tickets when I had the chance. Please Phillies Nation, help me keep my organs and fulfill my dream by voting me the biggest Phillies fan.

Johnny Moore
Outfielder
1934-1937

Career w/Phillies: .328 AVG / 55 HR / 303 RBI / 14 SB

An expert hitter, Moore came from Cincinnati in a midseason 1934 trade for Ted Kleinhans, Wes Schulmerich and Art Ruble. Considering the Reds got only one season from Kleinhans and Schulmerich out of the trade, it was a steal for the Phillies. Moore was hitting .190 when he came to the Phils, then struck a .343 average the rest of the way. He continued with a .323 in 1935, a .328 in 1936 and a .319 in a minimized 1937. He struck out only 176 times in his career — that’s 23 less than Ryan Howard’s entire 2007 total. He also approached 100 RBI twice.

Comment: For some reason, Moore was amazing with the Phillies. His career before Philadelphia was mediocre, but once he hit the City of Brotherly Love, he became one of the game’s best hitters — a top 10 swinger for three consecutive seasons. He easily deserves his placement here.

Last night I stopped and thought: How did the Phillies get here? How did the Phillies become the best team in baseball? It didn’t happen overnight; this team has been on an upswing for years.

The story itself starts in 2004, as the gates to Citizens Bank Park opened for the first time. Larry Bowa had been removed as manager of a team that closed Veterans Stadium with an 86-76 record. Charlie Manuel entered, leading his team to the same record. That book read like the 2003 edition — great offense, OK bullpen, bad starting pitching. Youthful energy gave the 2005 team a spark, but an 88-74 record wasn’t enough to win the division. The team constructed by Ed Wade just didn’t have it — Wade was relieved, Pat Gillick came in.

The 2006 Phillies ended July with a paltry 49-55 record. That’s when Gillick pulled his trigger on a couple deals that dissolved the Wade era. The largest, of course, was the trade of Bobby Abreu to the Yankees. That was the beginning — the true beginning of the world championship run.

The first game after the Abreu trade was July 31, a 15-2 drubbing by the Marlins. With that series out of the way, the Phillies traveled to Saint Louis, and the team started to fly. One player took the reins hard: Jimmy Rollins.

Aug. 1, 2006-Oct. 1, 2006: .303 AVG / 16 2B / 5 3B / 13 HR / 47 RBI / 14 SB

And there was another big contributor: Ryan Howard.

Aug. 1, 2006-Oct. 1, 2006: .365 AVG / 23 HR / 62 RBI / 58 BB

Together, Rollins and Howard willed the 2006 Phillies to a respectable finish, though they lost out on the Wild Card. But their run three years ago was the indicator of what has made this team so good. The Phillies go as far as Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard take them. They’re different in their mannerisms: Rollins runs his mouth, makes flashy plays on the field and swaggers around like he owns the joint; Howard keeps quiet, makes flashy plays at the plate and uses a soft trot to show his power.

I still find it amazing that despite Rollins’ admission of fans as “frontrunners,” he wasn’t really booed that badly. And after a couple games of abuse, the fans completely ended the jeers. After making the comment, Rollins’ team went 24-12 to win the National League East. And Howard backed his leader, slowly building to a terror run that began in Chicago and ended with the 2008 flag in his beastly hand.

Rollins’ first days in Philadelphia signaled the start of a promising career and the start of a potential playoff run. He was the first piece in a foundation that took a decade to become a skyscraper. Howard, meanwhile, was the first piece of the post-Wade era, the new blood that usurped Jim Thome and began a new, thrilling period for the Phillies. Both men have desired to be jaw-droppingly elite players, and both have hit their goals. Together, they’ve brought a title to Philadelphia.

Back when Rollins made his immortal comments, I nicknamed Rollins and Howard “The Frontrunner Bros.” Pop red and green overalls on these guys and watch them stomp on flowers and throw fireballs at Venus fly traps. They’re joined at the hip — the teddy-bear and the rat, the George and Lenny, the big kid and the little kid. In late 2006 they solidified their correlation to the team’s success. And in 2008, the Frontrunner Bros. stormed the castle, beat that last level and became legends. Together.

Randy Wolf
Starting Pitcher
1999-2006

Career w/Phillies: 1175 IP / 69-60 / 4.21 ERA / 971 K

His first and final seasons in Philadelphia weren’t good, but everything in the middle was pretty good. Randy Wolf spent eight seasons with the Phillies, making one All-Star team while establishing himself as one of the team’s best arms since Steve Carlton. His best season was 2002, when he finished 11-9 with a 3.20 ERA. He rushed off to a great start in 2003, making that All-Star team with a 10-4 record. He finished 16-10, struggling at the very end to raise his ERA over 4.00. But injuries derailed Wolf, and he never rebounded as a Phillie. He finally came back to his past self with a strong second half in 2008.

Comment: If not for his many arm injuries, Wolf would’ve probably had a better Phillie career. As it stood, Wolf had a solid run with the Phils, throwing more than 150 innings four of his first six seasons. Of course, it was probably that overuse that did him in.

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