Phillies Nation

It’s been a hot topic of conversation and mirrors the Jayson Werth situation of a year ago. Will Jimmy Rollins return to the Phillies next season and into the future? He plainly stated that he wants a five-year contract, but that the Phillies are clearly first on his list of teams to play for. However, he is not limiting himself to just the Phillies and is not afraid to leave.

So, we asked all of our writers to chime in on this subject.

Q: Will Jimmy Rollins be a Phillie in 2012?

Pat Gallen: Can I cop out and say I really don’t know? Last year, Jayson Werth was not coming back and I think most people knew that. But both sides in this negotiation are in their own predicaments. The Phillies need a shortstop and have backed themselves into a corner because there are not many available. Jimmy is saying he wants five years, but has been prone to injury lately and may be pushing too hard for something he can’t get from many teams.

If you’re putting a gun to my head, and I’d rather you not, I’m leaning toward Jimmy coming back. But I give it a 55% chance. A guesstimate on a contract (wherever he goes) would be three years with an option for a fourth year that would be reached by incentives for about $38 million. Just don’t see anyone going five for J-Roll.

Amanda Orr: Yes. I think he will settle for less to stay in Philly. He says he wants 5 years, but that is smart of him. He wants the offers to say five years, but I think if he gets a reasonable offer to stay, he will take it. Plus, I can’t see Amaro not trying to re-sign him. He won’t let him go easily.

The only other teams I can see really trying to get Rollins are Boston and San Francisco. Boston hasn’t really had a big name shortstop in a while, and they would be a team to throw out the money. Being from the West Coast, a contract from San Fran could be tempting for JRoll.

Continue reading Writer’s Roundtable: Will Rollins Return?

Where will Jimmy be in 2012?

Almost a year ago to the day, Jayson Werth sat on the stage in front of the hoard of media in the Phillies press conference room in the bowels of Citizens Bank Park. He gave the answers you thought he would, proclaiming he’d had a wonderful time in Philadelphia and will always love the fans. But there was always a sense that Werth would take the money and run. The Phillies were not willing to overpay for an outfielder, so it was pretty well known he wouldn’t be back.

As Jimmy Rollins took the podium on Tuesday, for what could be the final time as a Phillie, there was much more uncertainty regarding the face of the franchise than there had been with Werth in 2010. Manning shortstop since 2001 on a full-time basis, the Phillies wouldn’t feel like the Phillies without J-Roll. That infectious smile, that rocket arm, that big mouth that ruffled some feathers, but was the catalyst for a playoff berth in 2007; Rollins will have some suitors once free agency begins.

At 32, it’s clear Rollins is no longer the guy he was at 28, the age when he won the National League Most Valuable Player award and led the Phillies to the playoffs for the first time in 14 seasons.

First off, his bat has slowed down. Rollins’ OPS took a leap this year, going from a career-low .694 in 2010 to .734 in ’11. The bad news: this year was the second lowest OPS of his career, although in fairness, numbers were down across baseball again this season.

On Tuesday, Rollins made it painfully obvious that he’ll test the waters in free agency and he won’t come out until he’s got cash the way he wants it.

Continue reading Rollins Straightforward in Free Agent Stipulations

The period from 2007-10 was incredible, but never did the Phillies experience a regular season like this. The Phils have been not only dominant but consistent.

Consistency is a word thrown around way too often in sports, and for the most part it doesn’t exist. Very few players — I’m talking less than ten — go through a season hitting .300 every month. Guys don’t do that. Teams don’t do it, either. Teams have good months, teams have bad months. Inconsistency and streakiness are more a part of sports — baseball in particular — than we would like to believe.

We call guys like Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez “streaky,” but in reality, Chase Utley is just as streaky. Only, Utley’s cold streaks are shorter in duration and his hot streaks are often more impressive. If you pour through Utley’s game logs, even in his best seasons he went through down periods.

Hell, Albert Pujols is the same way. If you go through each 10-game stretch of Pujols’ career, there are plenty where he hit under .200.

The 2011 Phillies, though? As a team, they have been unbelievably consistent, even in the short term. In their worst month (May), the Phils had a .552 winning percentage. The best has been August, in which the Phils are 14-5.

With today being August 23, let’s take a look back at the 23rd day of each month to prove this point more effectively.

The Phillies have only gotten better as the season has gone on, improving each month from May 23-to-August 23.

Four out of five months, the Phils have been the best team in baseball on this day. I could have chosen practically day and that would have been the case.

You don’t need me to tell you that the Phillies have been really, really good. If you’re at this site, you know it.

But here’s something I found remarkable, after thirty minutes of tedious research through game logs…

The Phillies have had 117 ten-game stretches this season. (Games 1-10 count as one, and then 2-to-11, 3-to-12, 4-to-13, etc.)

In only twelve of those 117 ten-game stretches (or 10%) have the Phillies lost more games than they won, and not once this season have they had such a stretch worse than 4-6.

This doesn’t happen too often.

Rain should of stayed. Phillies suffer tough loss.

Mother Nature tried to do it.  She rained and rained but gave after two hours before the Phillies and Nationals finally got back under way after two outs in the first inning.

Kyle Kendrick was called on for the ‘spot’ start after the rain delay.  Kendrick pitched well in his six innings of work allowing only two runs on five hits.  His ERA is actually down to a respectable 3.24 with over 97 innings pitched this season.

The Phillies scored their four runs in the third inning with a run scoring triple from John Mayberry and an RBI double from Chase Utley.  Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz added RBI singles to put the Phils up 4-0.

Continue reading Madson Owes Kendrick A Solid Next Time

Washington Nationals (56-61) at Philadelphia Phillies (76-40)

Livan Hernandez (6-11, 4.41 ERA) vs. Cole Hamels (13-6, 2.53 ERA)

Time: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park
TV: CSN
Weather: Sunny, 80
Media: Twitter and Facebook

Cole Hamels will look to continue to boost his Cy Young credentials tonight against the Nats. He has given up 2 runs or less in 13 of his last 14 starts. He missed a shutout by one pitch last weekend against the Giants. He’ll have another opportunity for one against the Nats offense that has a team OPS of just .688 on the season. And, they’ll likely be without slugger Mike Morse who is dealing with a bruised arm after taking a pitch off it.

On May 3, Hamels tossed a complete game against the Nationals, giving up just one run on five hits while striking out six. He owns them.

Continue reading Gameday: Nationals (56-61) vs. Phillies (77-40)

It seems like yesterday Jayson Werth sported red pinstripes. Philadelphia has many fond memories of Werth, but he has been placed in the rear view mirror. Losing Werth to free agency left many fans upset, the Phillies were without a strong right-handed bat. In addition, it left a gap in right field and questions as to whether Domonic Brown was ready for the everyday job. Brown got hurt, Ben Francisco did little with the job, and for two of the first three months of the season the Phillies got little from the corner outfield.

A drastic move at the trade deadline was necessary, even despite the Phils having the best record in baseball. Hunter Pence was acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for top prospects Jonathan Singleton, Jarred Cosart, and two minor leaguers.

The Phillies offense had been streaky all season, but Pence’s addition has immediately improved it. Batting fifth, he enabled Ryan Howard to see more pitches in the strike zone. He initially took over the role that Jayson Werth once had.

In any sport, there are ongoing debates as to which players are superior. Whether using stats or intangibles, there are several ways to measure those similarities and differences. That leads to the question: who is the better option? Hunter Pence or Jayson Werth?

Continue reading Hunter Pence and Jayson Werth

It’s been almost a full year since Milt Thompson was relieved of his duties as hitting coach and Greg Gross was called upon to fill his shoes. July 22 to be exact.

Since Gross took over, the Phillies have posted a record of 102-51, easily the best in the league. However, it could be just pure coincidence. Hitting coaches may or may not have any significance in offensive success, especially with a team stacked with veteran hitters like the Phillies.

Think of it like an established chain restaurant. If the ownership changes, does it really affect the quality of the food? There may be some subtle differences, but overall things would stay the same.

Both Thompson and Gross have been around the game of baseball for a long time. Thompson was drafted by the Braves in the 1979 draft, while Gross was drafted by the Astros in the free agent draft in 1970. Thompson began coaching in 1997, Gross in 1995. There is no doubt that both of these men know the game of baseball and are qualified for the job.

To figure out if the Phillies were a better hitting team under Milt Thompson or Greg Gross, or at least more responsive to one, let’s take a look at the Thompson era vs the Gross era in three areas. Of course, the Gross era is a significantly smaller sample size and has been mostly without Jayson Werth – one of the Phillies best hitters under Thompson.

Continue reading Head To Head: Milt Thompson Vs Greg Gross

For the Phillies Nation news report on Shane Victorino’s injury, click here.

Dear Shane Victorino,

I think I owe you an apology. I’ve got a lot of rage in this tiny little heart of mine, and a lot of it tends to be directed at ballplayers. For a long time, I’ve championed the cause of Cole Hamels because he was a lot better than the average fan seemed to think, and I’ve spent countless hours trying to convince anyone who would listen that Wilson Valdez was nowhere near the player they thought he was.

So Shane, while I’ve never really thought you were a bad ballplayer, I certainly thought that you made so many running catches not because you had the defensive ability of a young Andruw Jones, but because you would spend several seconds after the crack of the bat running aimlessly in circles almost at random, like a golden retriever chasing a frisbee. I thought your overaggressive approach at the plate was compounded by a stubborn insistence on trying to knock the ball out of the park, rather than beating the ball into the ground and running, the way Ichiro would. I thought your speed, perhaps unmatched in the game, was wasted by your rank inability to read pitchers on the basepaths, as you racked up the caught-stealing totals while Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth, and Chase Utley seemingly (and sometimes literally) went years without being caught.

I’ve always thought you were a decent ballplayer, if not a star, and I’ve caught a lot of flack for standing by that opinion. Like this time. And this time. And while I’m not quite ready to take back everything I’ve said, I will say this: I’m sorry, Shane, because you’ve been great this year.

Continue reading Dr. Strangeglove: On Pineapple Express

Which award was Jayson Werth nominated for? Find out below. (Photo: AP)

With 81 games out of the way, the Phillies Nation crew got together to vote on First Half Award Winners. We discussed Most Valuable Players, Least Valuable Players and Cy Youngs. Pat Gallen and I look to be in good shape with our preseason AL MVP selection, while the NL MVP has been a player nobody expected to leap so high from his previous level of production.

Let’s take a look.

NL MVP

1) Matt Kemp

Mike Baumann: Kemp and Jose Reyes have been the most valuable players in the NL, and it’s not even close, so no matter how overrated I think both of them have been over the years, the numbers don’t lie. I haven’t, and still don’t, buy into the Matt Kemp hype. Everyone talks about how great an athlete he is, how he was a basketball player until he came to baseball late, seems to realize that his sheer athleticism, which is impressive, has very little to do with whether he is or is not a great ballplayer. However, Rihanna’s former beau has, through 82 games, been among the best in the game, boosting his walk rate five percent and isolated power nearly 100 points, resulting in a .331/.415/.628 AVG/OBP/SLG line and a 40/40 pace.

Jonathan Nisula: Saying Kemp has been on fire this year in an understatement. He’s 2nd in the league in batting average, 1st in HR, 2nd in RBI, 4th in SB, and 1st in OPS. If he keeps this pace, he’ll have a 40/40 season (43 HR, 43 SB) with 124 RBI. He’s your NL MVP.

2) Jose Reyes

Corey Seidman: .350 batting average, on pace to set the single-season triples record, earned himself a $100MM+ contract. Leading an injury ravaged team to a respectable record no matter how much Phillies fans hate him.

Amanda Orr: You can debate that the MVP award should go to somebody on a winning team, but that doesnt apply here. When Reyes gets on base he is scary, and he’s been getting on base (.398 OBP) and wreaking havoc while there.

Pat Gallen: It is tough to vote for Reyes, who gets under the skin of Phillies fans like no one else. But give credit where credit is due. Without him, the Mets would be sinking like a brick. I’m actually looking forward to seeing him break the triples record, so long as it doesn’t come against the Phillies. He’s a special talent. Is he really THIS good? No telling.

Continue reading Phillies Nation Picks Midseason Awards

In a game obsessed with averages, the Phillies offense is averaging 3.97 runs per game through their first 62 games.  Yes, they’ve scored 3 or less, X amount of times, and that’s a problem… but when you score 4 runs a game, and your pitching staff allows less than 4 runs per game, you should win more than you lose.  And that is exactly what the Phillies have done thus far in 2011 (a team ERA of 3.17 combined with an offense that averages 3.97 runs per game).  Maybe that gap between ERA and Runs is too close… and maybe we are getting away with wins… but maybe that was the Front Office’s plan all along?

I also noticed that the Phillies trail only the St. Louis Cardinals for fewest strikeouts in the National League with 394, to the Cardinals’ 387 K’s.  When you look at our team batting average, it is… well, average… ranked 10 -of-16 in the National League at .247.   So we’re not making our outs via the Strikeout, which has been the impression of our offense in year’s past -I wonder what our “team batting average for ball in play” is?  My guess is that it would have to be low… or as some would say, “Unlucky.”  (*I checked Fangraphs.com and found that its 3^rd lowest in the NL at .281, ahead of only the Braves .279, and the Nationals .275)

How much does that have to contribute to our runs scored?  If the luck turns around a little, would we start to see a direct correlation to runs on the board?

Don’t get me wrong, we ALL want the Phillies offense to start clicking, and resemble the lineup that used to frighten teams and pitchers, but it seems they made a calculated risk to spend a large portion of payroll on starting pitchers instead of keeping Jayson Werth.  Neither Werth nor Cliff Lee is having great starts to 2011, but I would still imagine the majority of Phillies fans would rather have #34 than our old #28 come playoff time?  I know that I’m more than comfortable with that decision.

This is basically another one of my pleas to the Phillies phaithful to be happy with what you’ve got, a first place team, and realize that it’s still a long season.  We’ll have our ups and down, but the way this team is constructed, we were pegged as the National League favorites by most baseball executives, experts, and fans for a reason, and people shouldn’t forget that this early in June.  I would still pick us to win a 7-game series against any team in baseball that doesn’t play their home games in Fenway Park.