Phightin' Phils Phorum

Holidays, Baseball and Food Coma’s…

To start with, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and did not lapse into a turkey coma!  I also hope no one got trampled attempting to enter Wal-Mart at 3am on Friday ;o)  Holidays can either be fun or hazardous to your health…I hope you went with “fun.”

Speaking of holidays and shopping, what would you like to receive this holiday season?  I would like for Mike Schmidt to age backwards and play 3rd base for the Phillies again.  I would also like the Giants to release Tim Lincecum for his bad, drug induced behavior so the Phillies can have him.  I also wish aliens would come down from outer space and give us back Cole Hamels: Version 2008.  Clearly, he was abducted and it is time to bring him back.

By the way, 3 years ago, current GM Ruben Amaro Jr., who was assistant GM at the time, asked a room full of female fans if they could sign any pitcher in the league to the Phillies, who would it be?  I shouted, “Tim Lincecum!”  Ruben looked at me like I was nuts and decided that the woman who suggested Brandon Webb had a better idea.  Webb went down with a shoulder injury in April 2009 and did not play the entire season.  Lincecum has now won 2 Cy Young’s in a row.  Hey Ruben, still think I am nuts?  Just a little holiday fun for you there :O)

Ok, so clearly we cannot sign Mr. Lincecum.  But the Phillies have a lot of work to do this off-season to improve the pitching staff.  It looks to be a quiet market right now.  Things should start to heat up when the Winter Meetings begin on December 7th.

The few moves made so far have not even made a small ripple in the atmosphere.  The signing of Juan Castro to replace Eric Bruntlett on the bench seems like a lateral move, rather than an improvement.  Castro hit .277 last year with the Dodgers but is a career .230 hitter.  This news is not exactly knocking Phillies fans out of their boots.  We hope bigger and better things will be coming soon…

In other news, Jamie Moyer was recently hospitalized and had surgery to remove an infected blood collection that may have resulted from his previous groin surgery.  It should not affect his Spring Training schedule and he appears to be recovering well.  I wish him luck!

From the long time veteran to the rookie, JA Happ has been named to the Topps' 51st All-Rookie Team, which is just one of many honors he garnered this off-season.  Happ is still up for the Rookie of the Year award in the This Year In Baseball awards.  Voting continues until December 11th and many Phillies like Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and others are in the running.

And finally, congratulations to Shane and Melissa Victorino who tied the knot earlier this month in Hawaii!  They are two really great people and I wish them all the best!

Lincecum & Happ photos by Jenn

Phillies Training Staff Wins Dick Martin Award

A big part of the Phillies success in the past few seasons has been their health. Much of this comes from good physical fitness and prevention while the rest of it comes from a training staff that manages players   injuries and get them back on the field quickly. 

Congratulations to the Phillies training staff. You deserve this award! Check out the story below from MLB.com.

PHILADELPHIA -- Back in February, when the Phillies still had highlights of the 2008 World Series running through their heads, the club talked about what it would take to win back-to-back championships.

They put health atop their list. The Phillies needed to stay healthy, because they knew they had the talent.

And they were mostly healthy in 2009. Baseball Prospectus said the Phillies lost 546 days to injury this season, which were the third-fewest days of any team in baseball. They also lost $11.523 million to injuries. Considering a payroll that finished around $140 million, the club did a good job of keeping its high-priced talent on the field.

That was why Baseball Prospectus recently gave the Dick Martin Award, which it presents to the best medical staff in baseball, to the Phillies: a staff that includes head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan, assistant athletic trainer Mark Andersen, strength and conditioning coordinator Dong Lien and team physician Michael Ciccotti.

In 2003, Baseball Prospectus established the Dick Martin Award for Best Medical Staff, named after the long-time Twins trainer who helped set the standards that today's athletic trainers and doctors aspire ...

via philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com

No Happ-Y Ending for the Rookie

What would have been the perfect ending to an outstanding season for rookie pitcher JA Happ went instead to Chris Coghlan of the Marlins.  The Rookie of the Year award is voted on by the Baseball Writers' Association of America and this year, it looks like they got it wrong. 

While it is difficult to compare a hitter like Coghlan to a pitcher like Happ, perhaps the deciding factor should be which player had the greatest impact on their team?  Happ filled the void left by starters Brett Myers and Jamie Moyer; without him, the Phillies would not have made the playoffs.  Coghlan’s resume is impressive, but his team did not go to the post-season.

To review, Happ went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA, topping all rookies in innings pitched (166), strikeouts (119), complete game shut-outs (2) and 3 total shut-outs.  Coghlan hit .321 with 9 homers, 47 RBI, 162 hits and a .390 on-base percentage.  Again, difficult to compare, but clearly good pitching beats good hitting as has been demonstrated by years of baseball past.

So while myself and probably a lot of people feel that Happ was snubbed having come in 2nd place, these awards are seldom fair.  But the second place finish does not diminish what was an amazing season for Happ, who has more than proved his worth to this team.  As a consolation prize, I hereby dub JA Happ the “Fan Rookie of the Year”!  Yes, complete with a photo montage:

In other news, the Phillies have removed the following players from the 40-man roster, making them free agents:  Eric Bruntlett, Tyler Walker, Paul Hoover, Andy Tracy and John Ennis.  Tracy will likely be back next year with the Iron Pigs (AAA) in Allentown as well as Ennis.  Hoover may find himself serving as a back-up catcher if not one fills that spot right away.  But it does look like Bruntlett and Walker will probably be gone.

Free agent signings will begin on Friday.

Photos by Jenn

Happ Snubbed: Chris Coghlan Wins N.L. Rookie of the Year Award

Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins won the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2009. Coghlin hit .321 with 9 homeruns in 128 games. The outfielder beat out J.A. Happ and Andrew McCutchen for the award.

While Coghlan had a fine rookie campaign, I believe J.A. Happ truly deserved the award. My last post explains why.

Andrew Bailey of the Oakland A's won the American League Rookie of the Year. The reliever from Voorhees, NJ had a tough task taking over as closer from Huston Street. He came through with flying colors posting an incredible 1.84 ERA with 26 saves in 30 save opportunities in 68 games.

Prediction: Happ to Be Overlooked For Rookie of the Year Award

 Should J.A. Happ win the rookie of the year award? As someone who never jumped on the bandwagon for Happ, I still believe he deserves this award. We can argue about his stuff all day, but his numbers are as impressive as any rookie pitcher in the last 30 years. 

Consider this: Happ was 12-4 with a 2.94 ERA in the era of the hitter through his rookie campaign. In 1995 Hideo Nomo was 13-6 with a 2.54 ERA. Dwight Gooden phenomenal rookie season in 1984 ended with him posting a 16-8 mark with a 2.84 ERA. What about Fernando mania in 1981. Valenzuela won both the rookie of the year honors and the Cy Young award with a 13-7 record and 2.48 ERA.

Aren't Happ's numbers as impressive if not even better? Again, consider the era. In Valenzuela and Gooden's day, if a starting pitcher had an ERA in the high 3's they were a third or fourth pitcher and in some cases traded or released. An ERA of arounf 4 these days gets you a multi million dollar contract and a spot towards the top of a rotation.

I am not trying to say that Happ is or will be a better pitcher than Fernando, Doc, or Nomo. What I am saying is that Happ should be the front runner for the Rookie of the Year Award in 2009. Sadly on MLB Tonight his name was not even listed among the top three candidates. They believed the front runners are Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, Chris Coghlan of the Marlins, and Tommy Hanson of the Braves.

Happ deserves the Rookie of the Year Award but it would be quite a shock if he were to win it. Another Phillies player overlooked. Look for the announcement later today at 2:00pm. 

Good As Gold

If all that glitters is gold, Phillies Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino have enough bling to go around.  Both players were awarded the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in their respective positions yesterday.  For the shortstop Rollins, it is his third Gold Glove in a row; for centerfielder Victorino, this makes two in a row.  Rollins had only 6 errors all year, which was the best among all qualifying players.  Victorino had a .997 fielding percentage, 2nd best in the NL among outfielders, and 5 assists.

On the injury front, Brad Lidge had surgery yesterday to repair his right flexor tendon as well as remove loose bodies from his elbow.  It was not known before the surgery if the tendon was damaged, but it appears Lidge was worse off that anyone let on.  That fact has caused quite a stir among fans who are very disappointed about the whole situation.  Tell me again why Lidge was pitching with serious injuries, especially in the World Series?

But everyone must look forward now and it appears that Lidge will not be ready for the start of Spring Training.  As a result, the Phillies have been reportedly looking for another / back-up closer.  They need bullpen help anyway, so this is no surprise.

As for the Roy Halladay / Cole Hamels rumors, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. insists this will not happen.  Again, not much of a surprise as such a trade was a long shot at best.  In fact, the Jays demands are still very high, so it is possible that Halladay may not go anywhere.

And to clarify, I have not given up on Hamels.  Odds are that he will rebound and have a better year.  However, the thought of a Cliff Lee – Roy Halladay combo, two proven veterans, is an exciting thought.  Think about it this way: The Phillies window to win another championship is closing.  We will probably have Lee only for 1 more year as he is going to command Yankees-type money, which the Phillies historically are unwilling to pay.  They may strike a deal with him, but do not hold your breath.  The core of the team is intact for a while, but the pitching overall has been shaky down the stretch.  If the Phillies can get a quality third baseman, improve the pen and add or develop a solid starter, they could be unstoppable in 2010.  In my humble opinion, they need to toss everything, including the kitchen sink, at this 2010 team.

But sadly, the Phils do not have the payroll of many other teams; the Phillies rank 7th, which is very high, but still $88,445,143 less than the Yankees, as an example.  That equals almost 4 CC Sabathia’s and nearly 8 Chase Utley’s.  I don’t know about you, but I would take 8 Chase Utley’s anyday.  And no, I am not jumping on the “buying a Championship” bandwagon which I hear a lot about the Yankees.  I believe they still have to play the game, regardless of income. And this year, the Yanks played better than anyone else.  But would an additional $88 million be a BIG boost for the Phillies or any other team…obviously, the answer is “yes.”

But that is just a dream and the Phillies will need to do the best with what they have.  Hopefully, that will include a few more quality pitchers.

Photo by Jenn

 

Rollins, Victorino retain Gold Glove crowns | phillies.com: News

 Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino each won the Rawlings Gold Glove award in 2009. Rollins won the award for the third time while Victorino won his second. 

Both players are complete deserve the award and I actually question why Rollins only has 3. 

The full story and list of 2009 National League gold glove winners is below complements of MLB.com.

2009 NL GOLD GLOVE WINNERS

Pos.	Player	Team	No.
C	Yadier Molina	Cardinals	2
1B	Adrian Gonzalez	Padres	2
2B	Orlando Hudson	Dodgers	4
3B	Ryan Zimmerman	Nationals	1
SS	Jimmy Rollins	Phillies	3
OF	Shane Victorino	Phillies	2
OF	Michael Bourn	Astros	1
OF	Matt Kemp	Dodgers	1
P	Adam Wainwright	Cardinals	1

PHILADELPHIA -- Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino found themselves in rare company Wednesday when they picked up Rawlings Gold Glove Awards.

Rollins is the first National League shortstop to win three consecutive Gold Gloves since Rey Ordonez in 1997-99, and the first Phillie to win three consecutive Gold Gloves at any position since Mike Schmidt won nine consecutive at third base from 1976-84.

Rollins also is the fifth Phillies player to win at least three Gold Gloves, joining Schmidt (10), Garry Maddox (eight), Manny Trillo (three) and Scott Rolen (three).

Victorino is the first Phils outfielder to win consecutive Gold Gloves since Maddox won eight consecutive from 1975-82.

Rollins led Major League shortstops with a .990 fielding percentage. He committed just six errors, which were fewest in baseball among qualifying players. He ranked second in the league in games (152) and innings (1,364 2/3), fourth in putouts (212), sixth in total chances (607) and assists (389) and eighth in double plays (72).

His career .983 fielding percentage is the second best in baseball history among shortstops. Only Omar Viz...

via philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com

Happ, Beckham named SN's MLB rookies of the year - Chris Bahr, Sporting News - MLB - Sporting News

Congratulations to J.A. Happ for winning the Sporting News Rookie of the Year Award in the National League in 2009. He certainly deserved it! Happ's numbers put him in rare company for a rookie. Happ went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 23 starts (and 12 relief appearances). He can now be mentioned in the same sentence with Hideo Nomo, Dwight Gooden, and Fernando Valenzuela.

Phillies lefthander J.A. Happ and White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham are Sporting News' 2009 rookies of the year, as selected by a panel of 338 major league players.

Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ

Happ, who moved from Philadelphia's bullpen to its rotation in late May, went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 35 games (23 starts). He struck out 119 batters in 166 innings pitched and had two shutouts. Happ pitched in relief in Game 2 of the NLDS against Colorado and started Game 3. He has pitched twice in relief in the NLCS.

"J.A. wasn't the typical pitching prospect because he didn't necessarily put the numbers up on the radar gun," Orioles scout Bob Szymkowski, who signed Happ with the Phillies in 2004, told Sporting News. "Most times, he threw 86 to 88. But Jay had very good mound composure and competed very well. His best qualities were a very deceptive delivery in terms of his arm slot and the ability to mix all of his pitches and locate them on the perimeter of the strike zone. While he didn't have a power approach, he still had a great feel for pitching."

Beckham, who didn't debut until June 4, hit .270 with 28 doubles, 14 homers and 63 RBIs in 103 games for the White Sox.

White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham

"We saw a guy who was going to be able to play shortstop but also with the ability to move over to second or third. And that's what he ended up having to do this year," Doug Laumann, Chicago's director of amateur scouting, told SN. "Offensively, we thought he would be a high-average guy with average big league power and the ability to knock in a lot of runs. He could take the ball the other way, but if the ball was on the inner half, he was able to turn on it and drive the ball. He is willing to learn and wants to get better."

via www.sportingnews.com

Ryan Howard Wins N.L. Player of the Month Award

Ryan Howard was called MR AWEgust. He was awarded as such. Howard won the National League Player of the Month presented by Sharp. Howard hit .299 with 11 homeruns, 6 doubles, a triple, 33 RBI's and 18 runs scored.

The 33 RBI's tied Kendry Morales of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim who won the American League Player of the Month Award. Howard's 11 homeruns led the National League.

Howard now sports a .275 batting average for the season and is fourth in the M.L. in homeruns with 37. His 31 doubles and 5 stolen bases are both career highs.

Ryan Howard Wins N.L. Player of the Week Honors

Ryan Howard has been red hot and now has been recognized for his efforts. Howard won Bank of America's Player of the Week honors for the week ending 8/30/2009. Howard hit .393 with 5 homeruns and 12 RBI's during that stretch which included 2 multi-homerun games. This was Howard's fifth time receiving the award.

Howard earlier in the month tied Chuck Klein's franchise record of four consecutive 30 homerun 100 RBI seasons. This is a feat that even the great Mike Schmidt never accomplished. 

Congratulations Ryan! And who knows, maybe he will win the Player of the Month!

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