Phillies Nation

While Upton is the center of the Braves attention, he may be in the center of the Phillies' field next year. Photo: AP

Slow news day today as we still wait for the dominoes to fall in the center field market, however, Danny Knobler of CBS Sports reported today that while B.J. Upton is the Braves top target, the Phillies are considered to be the favorite for the right handed center fielder.

The news that Atlanta is interested in Upton is not new and was reported here last week at Phillies Nation, however the fact that Upton is the club’s top center field target is. Carroll Rodgers of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution reported this news today with the tidbit that the Braves do not believe themselves to be contenders for Josh Hamilton but that it is too early to rule anything out.

Analysis: So far, we have heard that the Phillies’ top target is Michael Bourn, the Braves like Upton, the Giants are widely-favored to bring back Angel Pagan, and that Shane Victorino and the Reds may be a match. All it would take is one move to throw this carousel for a loop -  for instance Hamilton getting signed by any of them. Hamilton seems to be the most in play for Boston, Baltimore, and Philadelphia, with the Atlanta, Milwaukee, and Seattle biding their time to see if they could get a discount.

Collier is one of four added to the Phils' 40-man roster today. Photo: Jay Floyd

The Phillies announced today that outfielder Zach Collier and right-handed pitchers Ethan Martin, Trevor May, and Jonathan Pettibone have been added to the 40-man roster.

Collier, 22, was the Phillies’ supplemental first round pick, 34th overall, in 2008. The 6’2 lefty showed improved plate discipline in 2012, hitting .269/.333/.399 in his first year at High-A Clearwater. Collier had career highs in slugging and ISO and a near-career low in K%. Much of Collier’s improved power came in the form of his career high six home runs. Our minor league expert Jay Floyd just spoke to Collier on Sunday and the interview can be found here on PN.

Continue reading Phillies Add Four to 40-Man Roster

I love the Phillies because they are so down to earth and just very warm-hearted guys and I think Charlie Manuel is a great coach. I dont really hear anything negative about the players and when I went to the Ryan Howard Celebrities Servers event, all the players that were there treated me and my family so nice. Ryan Howard even let my son say a few words at his event, which I thought was really cool and John Mayberry gave me a hug like we were family. Also, Hunter Pence, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Chase Utley were so nice to my son that he still talks about his experience with meeting them all.

The Phillies are just genuinely nice guys and they contribute a lot to the community and that’s what I love about the Philles.

- Vanessa

Read more “Why I Love the Phillies” stories from Phillies Nation readers here.

Phils hurler Tyler Cloyd is one of many players that rely on superstitions

Baseball players are known for being some of the quirkiest of all athletes and, as such, they typically seem to be the most superstitious.

Many people feel that superstitions and sports go hand in hand. The habits and things players believe can bring good luck or serve up bad luck are embedded deeply in the game of baseball.

Some of the best known player activities based on bringing a positive vibe include kooky actions like Turk Wendell‘s oral habits, which involved the former Cubs, Mets, Phillies and Rockies hurler chewing black licorice while he pitched and brushing his teeth between innings. Some players are big believers in physical routines, like the manner in which Mike Sweeney would enter the batter’s box, touching his helmet and face multiple times, or how Nomar Garciaparra would unfasten and readjust his batting gloves between each pitch.

The superstitions that are widely known are those that belong to big leaguers, but there are surely guys in the developmental ranks that have rituals which are just as remarkable. Continue reading Superstitions in the Minors: Prominent and Prolific

Could Bourn be back? (Mlb.com)

Nestled away inconspicuously in an article about baseball’s general mangers’ thoughts on instant replay, ESPN’s Keith Law slipped in a hint as to where the Phillies stand in relationship to finding an everyday center fielder. Law notes that rival executives and agents believe the Phillies will move fast and aggressively target Michael Bourn. Bourn is a Scott Boras client and one of the largest drawbacks of pursuing a Boras client is the length of time needed to wait before making a move. Knowing that the Phillies may want to move aggressively and quickly, Law notes that rival executives and agents believe that while Bourn is their primary target, they are accelerating their homework related to B.J. Upton as well in the event that Bourn is not available, too pricey, or will not sign right away.

This year’s centerfield crop is among the deepest ever. In addition to Bourn and Upton, the Phillies have been linked to Melky Cabrera, who according to Joel Sherman has narrowed his teams down to six, a list that does not include the Mets or Yankees but presumably includes the Phillies, Torii Hunter, as reported by Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times, and two guys who are probably good enough to fake it in center: Nick Swisher and Josh Hamilton.

Thoughts: In addition to the folks listed about, Shane Victorino is still available, albeit linked to just about everyone but the Phillies, as well as low-first and second-tier options like Angel Pagan and Nate McClouth. Just about any of the available players would be an instant upgrade over what the Phils currently have in center. I would target Upton if I had to choose; his right-handed power and speed would be great in the number two spot in the line-up perfectly as a long-term solution.

Don’t sleep on Hunter as a short-term solution, though. Hunter had an All-Star caliber season last year that was overshadowed by an even better season by his younger CF counterpart. Hunter could be an impact player in left or right, as he hit .313/.365/.451 with 16 HRs and 9 steals in 10 attempts in 140 games. It is also worth noting that Hunter had his first elite defensive year since 2003, saving approximately 10.4 runs for the Angels. A Hunter/Upton dual-signing would have an instant impact and make the Phillies instantly better.

Domonic Brown needs to step up.

With Hunter Pence now in San Francisco and no one stepping in to take the full-time left field job in 2012, the Phillies are now desperately in need of two corner outfielders. Add on top of that the fact that, through the last four seasons, Ruben Amaro Jr. has traded away a boatload of offensive talent, all while refusing to budge on Brown, and the pressure on the young outfielder to become the player he was projected to be as a prospect is building fast.

The Phillies really need him to come through. To that end, they gave him his first true shot in the big leagues in 2012 (in 2010 he got a short look while Shane Victorino was on the DL and again as a September call-up and in 2011 he only had a month to prove himself before the plug was pulled).

For Brown, the results were mixed. He showed flashes of being the player everyone thinks he can be, but he was also plagued by long stretches of ineffectiveness, which leave his final numbers looking very bleak. He finished with a triple slash line of .235/.316/.396, while striking out 34 times and walking 21 times. He had five home runs and 26 RBI. Even more disheartening: he not only didn’t register a stolen base, he didn’t even make an attempt.

One plus for Brown was, of his 44 hits, 18 of them were for extra bases. He did show a fair amount of power, despite the anemic triple slash. He also got on base at a high rate, as the .316 OBP to a .235 batting average indicates.

However, what needs to be remembered about these numbers at the plate  is that they came over a very small sample size (212 plate appearances). He was also riddled by poor luck, posting a .260 BABIP. With an average BABIP of .300 (the league mean over the course of an entire season), Brown would’ve hit .272. Poor luck is not something to be ignored in this case, especially because the sample size was so small. Those things tend to even out and there are signs Brown can be a better hitter than the surface numbers this season showed. In the end, his .309 wOBA wasn’t atrocious.

In the field, it was more of the same from Brown. He exhibited fantastic athleticism and an amazing throwing arm (seven outfield assists in 51 games is a ridiculous number). But he also showed an inability to routinely track fly balls, coming up with more than a few misplays.

All and all, it seems like too short a viewing to truly evaluate Brown. Alas, that is what I have been tasked to do, so evaluate I must.

GRADE: C.  This grade probably should be lower. But I’m giving Brown a pass here because of the poor luck and the small sample. I think it’s also important to remember that, even though he seems older, Brown is still a very young player (This past season was his age 24 season). Many guys don’t get it figured out on the big league level until their mid-20s, and there’s enough here to suggest Brown will also reach a higher plateau of performance as he ages. That said, time is running out for him to become the player everyone expected.

Early Friday morning, Jon Heyman reported that the Phillies were early frontrunners to land B.J. Upton. The former #1 pick is a first-time free agent, and is generally considered the perfect fallback plan for teams that either miss out on, or don’t want to pay the hefty price tags of, Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn.

Upton has spent his entire career with Tampa Bay and combines solid centerfield defense with athletic baserunning ability and 20+ home run power. He is the youngest centerfield free agent, at 28 years old, and is expected to sign for $11-$13 million per season over four or five years. He is a very talented and valuable baseball player in his prime. The Rays made Upton a qualifying offer late Friday afternoon, but he isn’t likely to accept it.

Given how Ruben Amaro tends to operate, if the Phillies are serious about Upton, his signing could be imminent. Amaro’s modus operandi in his brief general managership has involved identifying a target and making the deal happen quickly. He let the market play out with Jimmy Rollins last offseason, but that was an exception, far from the rule.

While I extolled the virtues of one Peter Bourjos yesterday as a legitimate trade target for the Phillies, the situation is starting to have that ‘feel’ that Upton will be our starting centerfielder for the next several seasons. He was always a prime candidate for the Phillies, who love raw athleticism, and if these early reports are any indication Amaro has found his man.

There really isn’t a wrong answer when discussing Upton, Bourjos, Angel Pagan or Shane Victorino for the centerfield post, but Upton represents the best solution among those on the free agent market. His numbers have been deflated by the Trop, he still has untapped potential, and he is worth ~$12 million/yr even without developing further.

Continue reading Phils Considered Frontrunners For B.J. Upton

The Phillies have a few glaring holes heading into the 2013 season, the most important of which is centerfield. After trading Shane Victorino this summer, the team permanently installed John Mayberry up the middle, and the experiment didn’t work out. Mayberry proved that he was a platoon player in a corner outfield spot, not a regular centerfielder. Unfortunately, he was the closest thing to a longer-term solution on the Phillies roster.

Juan Pierre and Laynce Nix could have faked it, but the former was only signed for one season and the latter is a pinch-hitter. Neither saw any time in centerfield and for good reason. Tyson Gillies just completed his first season at Double-A and is at least a year away from seeing the big leagues. The Phillies currently lack a solution. Fortunately, this year’s free agent class and trade market are flush with competent centerfielders.

It isn’t often that a position as important as centerfield sees so much turnover — teams usually tend to lock these players up before they hit the market — but the Phillies enter the offseason with selectivity at their disposal. There are a number of players they could acquire, but Peter Bourjos of the Angels makes too much sense to not seriously pursue. He would provide the team with elite defense and baserunning, offensive potential, cost-certainty and team-control, all of which are extremely important for a team in the Phillies position.

Continue reading Phillies Should Trade For Peter Bourjos

Josh Lindblom has limited righties to a .191 batting average in two seasons.

The Phillies’ bullpen was a disaster in 2012, placing 21st in ERA (3.94) and 29th in eighth-inning ERA (4.89). The ‘pen blew 19 saves — 11 more than their 2011 total. And it lost 27 games after losing just 18 in 2011.

So it made sense that when the Phillies were set to unload Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence at the trade deadline, they would look for at least one young reliever who could come in to help a beleaguered unit. Victorino was dealt to the Dodgers for 25-year-old right-hander Josh Lindblom and 23-year-old starting pitching prospect Ethan Martin.

While Martin flourished at Reading, going 5-0 with a 3.18 ERA in seven starts, Lindblom didn’t have much success in a Phillies uniform. He had a 4.63 ERA for the Phillies, and while he struck out 27 batters in 23.1 innings, he also walked 17.

Lindblom has heat — his fastball ranges from 92-96 mph, but he has trouble keeping the ball in the park. He allowed 13 home runs in 71 innings this season, nine of which came on the first or second pitch of an at-bat. It’s a trend that makes you nervous going forward at Citizens Bank Park.

The 6-foot-4 Lindblom does have potential, though, and he’ll be cheap for a few more years since he has less than two years of major-league service time.

The Phils should use him as a righty specialist in 2013. Right-handed hitters are batting .191 with a .576 OPS off Lindblom in a career sample of 248 plate appearances. Lefties, though, are hitting .282/.396/.500.

Lindblom can still be a quality bullpen piece for the next two or three years if the home run trend changes, but he should not be the eighth-inning answer in 2013, whether it’s just him or a combination of he, Antonio Bastardo and possibly Phillippe Aumont. Lindblom’s propensity to hit the sweet spot of the bat and the control problems of Bastardo and Aumont would set the Phils up for another season of late meltdowns.

If the Phillies sign a veteran reliever with a track record of setup success — a Mike Adams, Ryan Madson or Brandon League — Lindblom can move into the complementary role he is better suited for at this point.

John Mayberry received more playing time this year, playing in 149 games with Domonic Brown in the minors, the mid-season trades of Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard‘s injury. His overall production was below average. He hit for power but didn’t reach base all that much and struck out 23% of the time.

His defense was solid at first base and in the corner outfield spots, but his athleticism didn’t translate into solid routes or range in center. All told, he tallied just 0.4 WAR this year, down from the very impressive 2.5 WAR he produced in 2011.

His 2012 campaign can be viewed one of two ways: it was an overall failure or it was an experiment that cemented the notion that he is only useful as a platoon player. The two are mutually exclusive, because buying into the latter means that this season was useful in determining his future role, which prevents it from being a total outright failure.

Maybe I’m a glass half-full kind of guy, but I choose to evaluate his production the second way. This was a largely disappointing season, but his lack of production against righties means the Phillies can use him strictly against the lefties he crushes moving forward. They don’t need to waste any more time giving him work against righties and can instead eke out more outfield production through the use of platoons. All along, we said that the one benefit to this waste of a Phillies season was that the team would get to try different players in various spots and really see what it had.

While that comment was primarily directed towards the bullpen, it was also true of Mayberry. Over the last two seasons, he embodied the common expression “He’s great as an extra man but if he’s a starter you’re not a very good team.” That expression comes in many shapes and forms, but it describes Mayberry and the Phillies. As a part-time platoon player that isn’t yet arbitration-eligible, he is a perfect fit for this Phillies roster. As an everyday starter, not so much, and the 2012 season helped prove that point.

Continue reading Phillies Player Review: John Mayberry