Phillies Nation

Back in 2008, Phillies lefty reliever J.C. Romero tested positive for banned substances and was subsequently suspended for the first 50 games of the 2009 season. Some felt the findings in Romero’s test tainted the World Series victory by Philadelphia that year. Romero contested that he had only used supplements purchased at local vitamin chains and the companies responsible for those items should be held accountable for mislabeling their products.

Romero took his issues to court, filing lawsuits in New Jersey Superior Court in early 2009 that named GNC and Vitamin Shoppe as defendants in addition to the manufacturing companies, Ergopharm and Proviant Technologies. According to the NY Daily News, testing done on the vitamins revealed that they were tainted with the banned substance, androstenedione, that Romero tested positive for. This month, nearly three years later, Romero has reached a settlement, which Romero hopes will clear his name and provide closure for Philadelphia fans. Continue reading Romero Settlement “Validates” Phils’ Title

LAKEWOOD, NJ- Right-handed slugger Jim Murphy knows that the first base position within the Phillies organization is cluttered. With former National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Howard signed with the Phillies through the 2017 season for big money, and names like Matt Rizzotti (.296 avg, 13 HR, 45 RBI in 67 games with Double A Reading this year), Cody Overbeck (.266 avg, 19 HR, 47 RBI in 66 combined games for Reading and Triple A Lehigh Valley), Joe Savery (.303 avg, 2 HR, 25 RBI in 57 combined games for High A Clearwater and Reading) and top Phillies positional prospect “The Boss” Jonathan Singleton (.244, 3 HR, 21 RBI in 57 games for Clearwater) all currently occupying spots ahead of Murphy within the Phils’ developmental system, there is limited room to advance, no matter how he performs.

This season Murphy is blazing through South Atlantic League pitching. In 67 games with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws, Murphy is batting .286 and is tied for the league lead with 17 homeruns and 53 RBI. The outstanding numbers have earned Murphy a starting spot on the SAL North division All-star team, slated to be played Tuesday night at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium in Salisbury, MD, home of the Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles affiliate).

Murphy was especially hot in the month of May, when he sported a .318 batting average, with 15 doubles, 6 homers and 23 RBI in 29 games en route to locking down a nod as Phillies Minor League Player of the Month. Continue reading Murphy a Leader For Class A Lakewood

Outfielder Domonic Brown has been playing with the Phillies’ extended spring training team in Clearwater, FL since Monday. In his debut there, Brown posted 2 hits in 3 at bats. In the games that followed, Brown merely reached base via a free pass, but he has steadily been hitting the ball hard and appears to be making progress.

Brown was sidelined in early March with a fractured hook of the hamate bone in his right hand that required surgery and kept him out of action for six weeks.

The 6-foot-5-inch, 200-pound Brown struggled in spring training, starting out on a 0-for-15 skid before recording his first hit in the same game that he suffered the injury to his hand.

Brown reported to spring training more than a month early and had adjusted his batting stance, lowering his hands. However, as can be seen in the above image, taken earlier this week, Brown is back to his old ways, with his hands positioned at cranium level.

Asked how his heeling hand feels, Brown stated, “Great, better than I thought it would. My first at bat (Monday) I hit an inside pitch up near the handle and I felt a little twinge but it was nothing more than the normal feeling of taking one off the handle. It feels really good.”

Word from within the organization seems to imply that Brown could be assigned to a full season minor league club, on a rehab assignment, sometime next week.  Brown himself indicated  on Friday that he expects to initially be activated for the High A level Clearwater Threshers.

**Update- Brown batted second or third in each inning of Friday’s extended spring training game for the Phillies.  In the contest, Brown reached base on an infield single, a high chopper to the pitcher that Brown beat out.  Brown also walked and reached base three more times on base hits.  In separate innings, he stole 2nd base and third base.

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PhoulBallz.com correspondent Joe Wombough contributed to this post.

It took the club 11 tries, but the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws finally won a home opener on Thursday night. Behind solid pitching from lefty starter Mario Hollands, Tyler Knigge and Eric Pettis, the two-time defending South Atlantic League champions locked down the 2-0 win over the White Sox affiliate, the Kannapolis Intimidators.

The offense for both teams was minimal, but Lakewood first baseman Jim Murphy got the ‘Claws on the board in the 2nd inning, when he led off the frame with a deep drive onto the left field berm off of Kannapolis right-hander, former Monmouth University stand out, Ryan Buch.

“Our pitching was the story. And obviously, Murphy coming up with a big hit, in his first at bat, just to get us on the board was key,” said first-year BlueClaws manager Chris Truby.

On an evening that began with the raising of the team’s second straight title banner, the BlueClaws didn’t get their second hit of the game until the 7th inning when third baseman Jeremy Barnes led off with a single and later scored on another single by 18-year-old outfielder Domingo Santana. 

“It was a slow start offensively,” Truby said. “I think that’s to be expected a little bit. Maybe some of the players had some first game butterflies and what not, but it’s good to get the first one out of the way and walk out of here with the W.”

Continue reading BlueClaws Record First Ever Home Opener Victory

I spoke with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. this week, prior to the Phillies Winter Tour stop in Lakewood. I asked Amaro about several things including his thoughts on how relievers like Scott Mathieson and Justin De Fratus might contribute to the big club in the coming season, about JC Ramirez’s recovery from off-season hip surgery, Charlie Manuel’s contract situation, about new BlueClaws manager Chris Truby and more.

Amaro also answers questions from Trenton newspaper reporter Josh Norris about Jon Singleton’s switch to the outfield from first base and his overall opinion on the state of the Phillies’ minor league system.

Check out the media player below to listen to excerpts of my time with Ruben Amaro Jr.

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Jay Floyd is PhilliesNation’s minor league contributor. You can read more from Jay on his site, PhoulBallz.com.

According to the numbers, Pablo Sandoval deserves to be an All-Star. If not for Charlie Manuel’s slight favor to Ryan Howard, Sandoval would have made the roster.

As an unbiased baseball writer, I cannot tell you that Shane Victorino deserves to be in the Midsummer Classic more than the Giants portly third baseman does, but there is no denying that Victorino has had a first half worthy of winning the final vote.

Simply put, Victorino is having the best season of his young career. He is experiencing career highs in on-base percentage (.369) and slugging percentage (.464.) He is on pace to set career marks in runs and RBI, as well, even in a season where the hitter in front of him has struggled to get on base.

The most evident signs of Victorino’s development, however, are his walk and strikeout rates. The Flyin’ Hawaiian is walking more and striking out less than he ever has, two necessities for a hitter in the two-hole. As a result of getting on base more in front of the power-packed middle of the Phillies lineup, Victorino has scored 60 runs, a number second to only Albert Pujols on the NL leader-board.

Not only has Victorino been putting the ball in play more than years past, but he has been making better contact. His line-drive percentage this season is 23%, by far his best figure since becoming a full-time starter. In 2008, it was 19%, and in 2007, it was 16.6%. Victorino has cut down on fly balls, too, going down from 36% in 2007-08, to 32% in ’09.

Think of the two things we always clamor for Jimmy Rollins to do – walk more and hit fewer balls in the air. Well, Victorino has indeed recognized the importance of plate discipline and putting the ball on the ground in order to utilize his blazing speed. He has 12 infield hits this season and is on pace to beat last year’s mark of 23. Victorino has improved his patience and the type of contact he makes every year. You can’t ask for much more than that.

In addition to improving every aspect of his game at the plate, Victorino is, as usual, playing tremendous defense. He is a vacuum in center field, always closing quickly on balls hit to the gaps and preventing singles from turning into doubles because of his speed. This is evidenced by his zone rating of 11.29%, tops among major-league center fielders. Zone rating represents the percentage of balls fielded by a player in his specific defensive zone. In Victorino’s case, he has the highest ZR in the most expansive zone on the field. The next highest center fielder is Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox, who’s zone rating is 10.89%.

All of these numbers are those of an All-Star center fielder. Victorino doesn’t have the sexy power numbers that Pablo Sandoval has, but he would be much more valuable to the NL All-Star team than Sandoval. Victorino could be a great late-inning pinch-runner/defensive replacement, and if this game really “counts,” he adds more to the team than a hard-hitting, weak-fielding corner infielder.

The All-Star game determines home-field advantage in the World Series, so we should be putting homers and RBI aside in favor of what’s best for the team.

In this case, that would be Shane Victorino.