Tagged: Vance Worley
An Emotional Offseason
A recent Sports Illustrated article graded the Phillies offseason moves a “D.” They summarized it by saying, “Though the trade for Revere gives the Phillies a cost-controlled centerfielder to grow on, they’ve taken steps backward with most of their other moves, and are more likely to repeat last year’s middling showing than contend in a division where the Nationals and Braves have upgraded in impressive fashion.”
Ouch.
This assessment, however, may or may not be totally off-base. I decided to rank some of these moves for myself using not grades, but my emotions about each event. Roger Ebert once said, “Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.” Let’s see if he is correct:
Happy: The trade for centerfielder Ben Revere. He is cheap, young and has room for improvement. My instinct says he will be a pleasant surprise.
Nostalgic Joy: Re-signing RHP Chad Durbin. Durbin is a solid human being and he had a great 2012 with the Braves. Plus he helped the Phillies collect their 2008 World Series championship.
Cautiously Optimistic: Signing Michael Young to play third base. Young seems like another solid human being with a true passion for the game. The question is whether or not he can still play defense. I feel that a guy with this much experience and motivation should be able to work it out.
Conflicted: Adding Chase Utley-hater and lefty John Lannan to the starting rotation. Obviously with the departure of Vance Worley, the Phillies needed a starter. Lannan is cheap, but how well he will perform and his attitude are, at least for me, big question marks.
Confused: Signing outfielder Delmon Young. This guy is a problem child who is also still recovering from offseason ankle surgery. His defense is awful and he has been, not without cause, labeled an anti-Semite with a bad temper. I get the low-risk, high reward school of thought here. What I do not get is why the Phillies would rather mess around with this guy than finally give Domonic Brown a full-time shot at one of the corner outfield spots.
Nervously Nauseous: I am just a wee bit sick to my tummy about the 2-year, $12 million deal the Phillies gave to RHP Mike Adams to be the 8th inning guy. I like Adams if he is healthy. However, he is recovering from thoracic outlet surgery. This is the same surgery that Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals had and his career looks like it may be over. That is a little scary.
Utter Disappointment: Carlos Ruiz’s 25-game suspension for using a banned substance. He did not use steroids, which is a relief. But still, getting caught with ADHD meds when he was forewarned about it after a previously positive test is very disappointing. He knew he’d probably get caught again and did it anyway. *Sigh.*
Sad: Losing Vance Worley in the Ben Revere trade. I wish him luck in Minnesota!
Indifferent: Everything else. A lot of minor moves were made, mostly involving minor league deals and guys past their prime. Unless someone makes a real impact in camp, I cannot imagine there will be much to say about these miscellaneous people.
And my final emotion of the day…
Elation! Spring Training starts tomorrow!
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Phillies Sign Pitchers Lannan and Adams
I am guessing that John Lannan and Chase Utley will never be BFF’s, but Lannan signing with the Phillies may at least prompt a truce. In 2007, Lannan threw the pitch that broke Utley’s hand, essentially ending his run for the MVP award that year.
In 5 plus years in the majors with the Nationals, Lannan has hit Phillies’ batter’s 11 times; 3 of those were directed at Utley. I would venture an educated guess that these two guys do not like each other.
Regardless, Lannan is on-board for 1 year and $2.5 million to take the place of Vance Worley, who was traded to the Twins earlier this month. It sounds like a low-risk, high reward situation, as long as Lannan can stop himself from whacking his new teammates with the ball. The temptation may linger until he gets used to his new location.
As for Mike Adams, this sounded like a good signing until I heard the terms. We will get to that in a moment. Adams is a very solid relief pitcher who has a lifetime 2.28 ERA over 8 seasons. However, he is 34 years old and coming off a surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition in which a rib bone presses against a nerve, causing pain and numbness in the arm.
Does this sound like a guy you would sign to TWO years and $12 million? Not so much. And yet, that is what the Phillies are giving him. While this is not fully in the range of a Freddy Garcia-type disaster (whom the Phillies gave $10 million to in 2007 to do basically nothing), the potential is similar. If Adams does not recover from surgery or comes back as a lesser pitcher, this deal is a huge bust.
But the Phillies are once again rolling the dice and praying for the best case scenario. Let us hope they come out on the winning end this time.
By the way, if you missed my 2012 Phillies Photo Tribute slideshow, here it is again for your entertainment. Enjoy!
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Lannan photo by Nick Wass (AP)
Slideshow photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Ben Revere In; The Vanimal Out
Right-handed pitcher Vance Worley was actually standing in Citizens Bank Park when he got the news that he was being shipped to Minnesota. He was as shocked as the rest of us that his time in Philadelphia was at an end. Sadly, the Vanimal is gone. Phillies’ top pitching prospect Trevor May will join him there as well.
In return, the Phillies got a young centerfielder. Ben Revere, 24, hit .294 last year for the Twins with a .333 on-base percentage. He also had 40 stolen bases and is being touted as a young Juan Pierre with excellent range in the outfield. The downsides include his lack of power, minimal walks and below-average arm. But he is under team control and therefore, very cheap.
It seems Revere’s skill set could make him the new lead-off hitter; he has speed and gets on base. While it is very sad to say bye-bye to the Vanimal and to May, this trade may pay dividends for the Phillies if they can use the money they are saving towards a bullpen piece or another outfielder.
Revere should fit in well in Philly. In fact, his name alone is a combination of two historical figures with Philadelphia ties: Ben Franklin and Paul Revere. I suppose then, it was fate that brought him here.
Welcome, Ben!
The Phillies are not done yet as trade talks still linger. The latest rumor has Michael Young, who is actually not so young at 36 years of age, possibly coming to Philly with half of his salary paid by the Rangers. Stayed tuned…
UPDATE: Just a few quick notes on the Ben Franklin and Paul Revere comments above. It seems we have some badly educated, wanna-be historians in the Twittersphere who question my references to the historical links of these figures in Philadelphia. First, Revere was born in Boston and made several rides to visit the Continental Congress in Philly to report on the impending revolution. Then, during the war in 1775, Revere was sent to Philadelphia to study the only powder mill in the colonies so that northern colonies could learn how to produce more gun powder. So yes, Revere does have ties to Philly. Look it up.
Even more shocking was someone questioning Ben Franklin’s relation to Philadelphia. No, he was not born there, but he lived there most of his life (around 67 years), died and was buried in Philly. Oh, and he signed that little document called the United States Constitution in Philadelphia. Anyone questioning that should be ashamed.
By the way, Ben Revere retweeted the photo I posted of him as Ben Franklin and Paul Revere. So clearly, he enjoyed it :O)
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Photoshopping by Jenn Zambri Photography
2012 Phillies Photo Tribute
Drum roll please….
Here is my annual Phillies Photo Slideshow! The slideshow includes all original photos that I took during the 2012 season; it includes players, coaches, fans, the Phanatic, and more. Enjoy!
The 2012 Phillies: A Season to Forget
The torture that was the 2012 Phillies season is finally over. And sadly, it ended just as I predicted before the season even began; without a playoff bid. I was hoping to be wrong about that.
Since the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, each year they have taken exactly one step backwards. So this year, missing the playoffs seemed like their destiny. They lost the World Series in 2009; lost the NL Championship Series in 2010; lost the NL Division Series in 2011; and now, the next logical step has arrived. The Phillies will go home early without even a sniff at a post-season run.
Remember happy days like these?:
For now, they are gone :O(
The first casualties of the 2012 disaster are already accounted for. Bench coach Pete Mackanin, hitting coach Greg Gross and first base coach Sam Perlozzo have all been given their walking papers. More fallout is probably on the horizon, but it will probably involve players, not coaches.
So who else should stay and who should go? Here are some thoughts, starting with the offense:
In 195 at-bats, Kevin Frandsen hit .338, which led the team. And for an entire month, he played with a stress fracture in his leg, yet he still kept hitting. I say put him at 3rd base and get a back-up in case of injuries.
If the Phillies do not re-sign Juan Pierre, they are insane. He hit .307 in 394 at-bats, led the team in stolen bases with 37 and he is the best bunter you can find anywhere.
Bring Shane Victorino back! After a depressing second half with the Dodgers, his price will go down, possibly to the point where the Phillies can afford to resign him. John Mayberry Jr. and Domonic Brown can platoon and then the Phils need another outfielder or two.
Needs to Go: Nate Schierholtz, Ty Wigginton, Michael Martinez. Martinez is good defensively, but hit only .174 in 115 at-bats. They can find a better utility guy. And we are stuck with Laynce Nix for one more year unless someone is willing to trade for him…not likely.
Back-up Catcher: In – Erik Kratz; Out – Brian Schneider.
Relief Pitching: Jonathan Papelbon stays and probably Antonio Bastardo. I will also put in votes for Jeremy Horst and Phillipe Aumont. The maybes are Jake Diekman and Justin DeFratus, although DeFratus needs to be 100% healthy, which I feel is still in question. Michael Stutes may return, but no one is sure in what condition.
Please Go Away: Josh Lindblom – trade him (if anyone wants him). He has been awful. This team needs some veteran help in the pen.
Please Come Back: Ryan Madson!
As for starters, unless someone’s arm falls off, stick with the usual 5: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay (pray he gets healthy), Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick.
And of course, all the usual suspects, like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, etc… will be back. But will they be healthy? That is the looming question.
To give an idea of how badly the injuries hurt the team this year, consider this: I may be missing some, but by looking at the team stats, at least 49 different players made an appearance for the Phillies this year, rotating in and out of the 25-man roster. Also, only 2 players of those 49 reached 400 or more at-bats; Rollins (632) and Mayberry (441). That is scary.
So the season is over and the healing (quite literally) shall begin. Do you have any thoughts you would like to share about this season? Feel free to leave comments below.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Cloyd’s Debut & Utley’s Big Idea
A very excited and nervous Tyler Cloyd took the mound for the Phillies last night. His major league debut would eventually end in a 3-2 loss to the Mets, but the rookie was still happy just to be there.
With Vance Worley finally put on the DL and expected to have elbow surgery, Cloyd will get a few more shots at a win. He told reporters, “It’s an awesome feeling that they’re going to let me stay up here and show what I can do.”
Cloyd allowed 3 runs in his debut over 6 innings and walked 2 batters. Much of his early struggle appeared to be nerves. But once he settled down, Cloyd looked pretty good, despite his lower than average fastball. His location was good and his breaking pitches had some nice, late movement on them.
The bad news is, the Phillies have now dropped 2 games in a row to the lowly Mets. Depressing.
There was some other near earth-shattering news yesterday as well. Chase Utley began taking ground balls at 3rd base and later told the media that he asked GM Ruben Amaro Jr. if he could give 3rd base a try. Amaro figured, why not?
Utley is apparently trying to help the team solve the current 3rd base issue. With Placido Polanco constantly having back issues and likely not returning next year, the Phillies need a 3rd baseman. They seem to view Kevin Fransden as a utility guy, although he has played very well at the hot corner.
As for Utley, we all know his is Superman already (except for those bum knees, of course). But he has not played 3rd base in 10 years, since his time in the minors. He told reporters, “I figured I’d give it a try just to get back over there, get my feet wet, just get a feel for the position again.”
This brings up many questions. Would 3rd base be less taxing on Utley’s knees? I doubt it. Does he have the arm strength for the position? Maybe, maybe not. Couldn’t the Phillies try Freddy Galvis there? He adjusted well going from short to 2nd, so maybe 3rd is not a huge leap.
It is nice to see Utley offering to take on something new for the better of the team. Whether or not that is a realistic option remains to be seen.
In the meantime, the Phillies have to try not to get swept by the Mets this afternoon. Game time is 1:05pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Rosenberg Gets Schooled Again / Cloyd Is Called Up
The Mets took Phillies rookie B.J. Rosenberg to school last night as they roughed him up for 4 runs in the 10th inning. The Mets went on to win and Rosenberg went back to the clubhouse sporting a 12.66 ERA.
As he entered the clubhouse, Rosenberg must have been given a “Baseball for Dummies” book as a gift. Because in his post-game comments, he told reporters, “Everything was up. It’s pretty simple, you make really bad pitches to good hitters and you’re going to get in trouble.” So it has taken 5 years in the minors, 13 games and 15 earned runs allowed in the majors and a beating by the Mets to figure that out? I really hope he reads the entire book…
Ok, I am picking on the poor kid, I know. He is still learning. But in the meantime, it is frustrating to see a kid with a 95mph fastball tossing it right over the middle of the plate when he knows better.
Vance Worley had a lot of trouble too, allowing 4 runs in only 4 1/3 innings. Why is Worley still pitching? He has bone chips in his elbow and needs surgery. Why not shut him down and get him healthy for next year. Because he is not helping the team right now.
Worley says the elbow is not the issue, but can that really be true? Anyone who has ever had an injury of any kind knows that if you play through it, you will inevitably compensate for that injury in some way. If my right knee hurts, I lean more on my left knee, even though I know in a week or so my left knee is going to hurt as a result. The only other option is not walking, which is not really a realistic option. But it is worse with pitchers because when they compensate, they develop bad habits which can lead to new injuries like shoulder soreness.
Logic then tells us, get Worley off the mound…now. Of course, I am not the GM so all I can give is my opinion. Maybe the Phillies need a new book too. Has anyone yet written, “How Not to Destroy a MLB Pitcher for Next Season for Dummies?”
So despite the Phillies starting this game with a Grand Slam from Ryan Howard and later, a home run from Chase Utley, they lost it 9-5 in 10 innings.
Now who will be the Mets next victim? That’s right…another rookie fresh out of Triple-A. Because Cole Hamels has a tummy ache (officially a “gastrointestinal illness”), Tyler Cloyd will make his major league debut tonight at 7:05pm.
Cloyd, named the International League’s best pitcher of the year, had a 12-1 record with a 2.35 ERA in Triple-A this year and a 1.80 ERA in Double-A over 4 games. Despite all the hype, many “experts” say Cloyd does not have major-league stuff. Well, we will find out tonight I suppose…best of luck to the kid!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Bullpen Bombs Again
It is difficult to imagine what must be going through Cliff Lee’s head these days. He has had his ups and downs, but certainly has pitched better than just the 2 wins on his record indicate. Last night, he had a quality start against the Brewers, allowing 3 runs in 7 2/3 innings.
But that good start was quickly wiped away in the Phillies cursed 8th inning. And once again, it was a bullpen guy doing the damage. You can see the reasoning behind why Lee was pulled with Ryan Braun coming up; Braun had already tagged Lee for 2 homers in this game. But with the bullpen performing like it has, maybe taking the chance on Lee was a better decision.
That did turn out to be the case as the game was blown wide open for the Brewers thanks to reliever Josh Lindblom, who was acquired from the Dodgers in the Shane Victorino trade. Lindblom walked the bases loaded and then gave up a grand slam to wipe away the Phillies 4-3 lead and turn it into a 7-4 loss.
And with that turn of events, I think Lindblom has earned himself a new nickname: How do you feel about LindBUM? Or even better, LindBOMB. There you go. LindBOMB has a nice ring to it…and bomb, he did. In a big way. Since coming to the Phillies, LindBOMB is 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA. Ouch.
Nothing personal against the guy; after all, most of the bullpen has sucked all year long. His name just happens to more easily lend itself to a little joke ;o) And we could all use a little humor right about now.
The real shame of it was that after being down 3-1, the Phillies battled back and score 3 runs in the 5th on a bases-clearing double from Kevin Fransden. Oddly enough, it was Fransden’s throwing error in the 8th that caused Lee to be pulled from the game.
So the downtrodden Phils will again try to beat the Brewers this evening at 8:10pm. Vance Worley will pitch. Hopefully, he can pick this team up…they need a lift in a big way.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Walk-Off In Extras Nails Series Win for Phillies
The Phillies annual Alumni Weekend came to an end today with a huge series win against the World Champion Cardinals. The 11-inning, 8-7 walk-off win was the cherry on top of a great weekend at Citizen’s Bank Park.
Vance Worley took the mound again, despite needing elbow surgery for bone chips. The injury appears to be taking a toll on the Vanimal who struggled again, going 5 1/3 innings with 4 runs allowed.
The Phillies offense started off strong with 3 runs in the 1st on a triple from Chase Utley. In the 4th, Ryan Howard added a solo homer. But each time the Phils scored, the Cardinals answered and they took a 4-4 tie into the 8th.
With 3 errors in the game, the Phillies still had some nice defensive plays, and others that fell short. The play at the plate below where Matt Holiday is called safe was a real bummer:
More disappointment was to follow as Michael Schwimer turned a 4-4 game into a 7-4 deficit for the Phils in the 8th, allowing the 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk.
But just when it looked like the game was over, Erik Kratz got up to his new-old tricks again. With 2 runners on and 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th, he smashed a home run to left to tie the game up again.
But Kratz was not done yet… In the 11th, he started off the inning with a double. Sadly, the double was erased when Jimmy Rollins, who had the day off prior pinch hitting in the 8th, hit into a fielder’s choice. J-Roll later redeemed himself by stealing 3rd, which turned out to be the key to winning the game. Juan Pierre hustled down the 1st base line to beat out an infield single which scored Rollins for the walk-off win!
Pierre has been one of the few bright spots for the Phillies this year. It is hard to imagine not resigning him in the offseason, but that drama will play out later…
As for the Alumni in attendance, they had a lot of fun, especially Mike Schmidt who shot hot dogs into the crowd. You will have to see it to believe it:
There were many other appearances as well, including John Kruk announcing the line-ups, Dick Allen and Tony Taylor changing bases, and eight former Phillies, including Larry Andersen, Gary Matthews, Ricky Jordan, Ricky Botallico and Von Hayes singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on the field during the seventh-inning stretch.
Botallico, always an amazing sport, even wore the Phanatic’s jersey to entertain the crowd.
Here is the full Photo Album from the game.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Sellout Streak Ends as Phillies Lose to the Braves Again
It was fun while it lasted, but we all knew it would come to an end sometime. The Phillies home sellout streak came to a close yesterday with a total of 257 consecutive games and 273 including the postseason. That means if you were at Sunday’s game like I was, you are now part of history: Game #257. It was the last day of a great era in Phillies baseball.
Jimmy Rollins told the media, “That’s a lot of baseball games. There’s been a lot of winning in that time. Hopefully, they enjoyed it as much as we did.” That last sentence has an air of finality to it, almost like a funeral. It is sad to see it end, although 41,000 people in attendance is still not too shabby.
But if the Phillies want behinds in the seats, they are going to have to show a lot more effort than they did last night in a 6-1 loss to the Braves. The only Phillies run of the game was a solo homer from John Mayberry Jr. The rest of the offense was mostly quiet.
Vance Worley did not have a good night either. Bothered by a tummy bug of some sort, the Vanimal was not his usual animal self. He was pulled after only 3 2/3 innings with 4 runs allowed. The bullpen tacked on 2 more runs later and with the way this team has played all year, there was no recovering from a hole that deep.
It was a fitting end to a game that marked the end of the sellout crowds. But the Phillies still have reasons to play hard this season. The first thing they should be playing for is pride. They should also be stepping it up for the loyal fans that have supported them all these years. No one wants to sit around in 95 degree heat to watch them sleepwalk through a game.
Finally, and sadly, they need to play for 2013 tickets sales. The bottom line, after all, is still the bottom line.
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