Phillies Draft Pitchers Gueller, Watson In Amateur Draft

New Phillies pitcher Shane Watson (Philly.com)

Monday night was the 1st night of the First Year Player Amateur Draft, and the Phillies had the 40th and 54th overall pick.


They decided to revamp their pitching with both picks.


Ruben Amaro Jr. and Company used the 40th pick on SP Shane Watson from Lakewood HS in California. In his Junior season, Watson went 10-2 with a 1.16 ERA for Lakewood, which is ranked in the top 10 HS baseball programs in America. Watson himself was also rated very highly, the 35th best HS baseball player in the US, according to ESPN.com


Watson boasts a Fastball which tops out at 93 mph, his scouting report notes. Earlier in the year, Watson committed to play baseball at the University Of Southern California.


The Phillies used their second and final selection on RHP/OF Mitch Gueller. Gueller attended W.F. West HS in Rochester, WA. In his Junior season, Gueller hit .506 and drove in 47 runs, while also holding a 8-0 record and amassing 67 strikeouts in 41 IP.


Gueller's Fastball hits 96 mph and has great location on his Curveball. He does have a Changeup, but does not throw it much. Like Watson, Gueller will have the hard choice of choosing between College or signing a pro contract, as he is committed to play at Washington State University.


The Phillies have now selected HS baseball players 5 years in a row in the first round, with current Phillies RP Joe Savery being the last College player selected.


The MLB draft continues Tuesday, and wraps up Wednesday night.

Phillies Must Move Hamels

The 2012 season has been a year the Phillies have not been used to dealing with: failure. Until this year, the Phillies had not had a losing April since 2007. They went 11-12 in the first month of the season. Also, it was the first time Philadelphia started the year without key pieces Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Howard has been rehabbing a ruptured achilles, while Chase Utley is trying to regain whatever strength is left in his chronically hurt knees. 


Philadelphia has opened their checkbooks to build around Howard and Utley, bringing in pieces like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Hunter Pence, and others. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has spent his money freely, and with no issues.


That was, until this season, a year with challenges around every bend. The Phillies wild spending has finally caught up with them, and has completely handcuffed Amaro this offseason. 


Philadelphia will payout Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jonathan Papelbon, Jimmy Rollins a combined $104 million. The San Diego Padres entire payroll in 2012 is $55,244,700. And in the 2012 offseason, two key pieces to the Phillies success, SP Cole Hamels, and OF Shane Victorino, are set for Free Agency.


Victroino is making $9.5 million, while Cole Hamels is making $15 million this year. 


The Phillies have spent the past few years revamping their Starting Pitching. Now, they must turn their focus to the Offense. The Phillies are hitting a very modest .261 this season. However, they have only been able to push across 151 runs, 17th in the MLB. 


Their team is filled with many stopgaps, veterans who were brought on just to fill a hole. Ty Wigginton and Juan Pierre are by no means the future of the Phillies. Placido Polanco and Jimmy Rollins' offensive production is decreasing, and Howard and Utley will be health question marks for the rest of their careers. 


If Philadelphia wants to continue to be World Series contenders, bringing in Offensive help is a must. B.J. Upton and Melky Cabrera are two possible Outfielders the Phillies could look into, and All-Star 3B David Wright has been tied to the Phillies for the past two seasons. 


However, to bring in a big name Free Agent like David Wright, the Phillies will have to free up some cash.


That could come in the form of trading away Cole Hamels. 


After signing a one year tender at the end of the 2011 season, the Phillies and Hamels have yet to come to an agreement on a long term agreement. And with Cole Hamels agent reportedly asking for a 7 year deal, there is good reason for that. 


Further complicating the process, the Giants and SP Matt Cain, who has a career record of 72-75, agreed on a 5 year deal worth $112.5 Million. Do the math, that's 22.5 million a year.  Hamels, who has a better win-loss record and ERA than Cain, can now come to the bargaining table and demand way north of that. 


Plenty of big name teams have already expressed interest. The Los Angeles Dodgers under new ownership are willing to shell out big bucks this offseason, and the Red Sox and Yankees are always players when it comes to big names. 


Over the past few years, the Phillies have traded away the future for a chance now, and rightfully so. Highly touted prospects, SP Kyle Drabek, OF Michael Taylor, 1B Travis d'Arnaud, 1B Jonathan Singleton, OF Anthony Gose, and SP Jarred Cosart were shipped out in trades for Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Hunter Pence. Once a farm system filled with talent ready to break into the bigs, now a holding cell of veterans over 30 and the self destructing Domonic Brown.


If you haven't gotten the point yet, I'll spell it out for you: trade Cole Hamels, reload the farm system. 


If Philadelphia decided to dangle Hamels at the trade deadline at the end of July, he would easily be the hottest guy on the trade market. Playoff contenders like the already mentioned Dodgers and Red Sox could be intrigued by Cole Hamels, especially if he signed a multiyear contract. Teams such as the San Francisco Giants or St. Louis could use a starter like Hamels to put them over the top come October, even if just for a half year rental.


In any negotiations, the Phillies would hold all the cards, and could get away with holding out for that extra top prospect. 


When the Phillies built their championship team in 2008, they did it from within. Rollins, Utley, Howard Victorino, Hamels, Ruiz and more all came from within the Phillies farm system. It is time for them to do so again. 


If the Phillies decide not to deal Hamels and hope to sign Hamels after the 2012 season, they could come up completely empty handed. Ruben Amaro Jr. would be playing with fire in a bidding war over Hamels. 


Philadelphia's financial situation is already tight, and the likelihood of them getting outbid is extremely high. 


The Phillies have spent the last few years acquiring pieces, now it is time to get rid of one. Cherish the next few Cole Hamels starts in a Phillies uniform. It may be the last.

Vance Worley Out, Kyle Kendrick In

Vance Worley will miss his start Wednesday vs. Chicago Cubs with "arm soreness", according to CSN's Jim Salisbury. To take his spot in the rotation, Kyle Kendrick will start against the Cubs. He was placed on the 15 Day DL on May 16th, but his stint will be retroactive to May 12th.


Worley has a 3-2 record with a 3.07 ERA, and 45 Strikeouts, good for 8th in the Majors. Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick would be lucky to pitch himself out of a paper bag.


His stat line: 0-3, with a 7.32 ERA only Adam Eaton could be proud of.


The Phillies also called up RP Joe Savery from AAA Lehigh Valley.

Cole Hamels Is a Badass

Better watch out, Cole Hamels is one baaad, baaad man. At least he is trying to be.


It all started with the Phillies-Nationals game on Sunday Night Baseball. The Nationals started a systematic plan to kick Phillies fans out of Nationals Park with their Take Back The Park initiative. Essentially, it was a big middle finger up to the Phillies organization and their fans.


And now, the Nats are led by their good (but extremely douchey) Outfielder Bryce Harper. In 7 games with the Nationals leading up to Sunday, he hit  .261 with 3 RBIs, and was crowned Rookie Of The Year, NL MVP, a first ballot Hall Of Famer, and has been knighted by the Queen of England.


Slight exaggeration, but only on the knighting part. A lot has been said about Harper and his "intangibles", and it all boiled over on National Television.


Quick, close your eyes. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Cole Hamels? Is it getting mani-pedis and owning poodles? Yes, that is exactly what went through my mind.


Anyway, it seemed as though Hamels was tired of his rep of being a major wuss, and probably sick of all the attention Harper was getting. The first chance he got, Hamels beaned Harper with a 93 mph fastball square in the back.


It was funny, it was cool, and more importantly, it was great seeing Bryce Harper doubled over in pain. But Harper would get Hamels back.


Later in the inning, Harper advanced over to third. Hamels didn't seemed to care about Harper on third, and made a pickoff attempt at the runner on first. Well Harper took off for home, and scored before Laynce Nix could get the ball in to home. 


All of a sudden, Cole Hamels looked pretty stupid for plunking the kid in the back. His first steal in the Majors was home plate.


So maybe it was his pride, or maybe Hamels wanted the last laugh, but he got very cocky in a postgame interview. 


In what I'm sure was a deep, manly voice, Hamels professed “It’s just, ‘Welcome to the big leagues,’” Hamels bragged in the clubhouse. “I was trying to hit him. I mean, I’m not going to deny it.”


Hamels will most likely face suspension for his blatant confession.

Oh Cole, you are one bad dude. Soon enough, Cole Hamels will be getting barbed wire tattoos across his arm, and "I HEART MOM" on his shoulder. Spittin chaw in the dugout. Drinking beer and eating chicken on off days. Maybe he'll leave that one to the Red Sox.


But that's who he is now, Cole "Old School" Hamels. 


Today, Nats GM called Hamels' actions "gutless", and "fake tough." Ding ding ding on the latter, Rizzo. 


Hamels has no reputation for playing "beanball", and looks even sillier for telling everyone.


Maybe he didn't get the memo: Cole, we all know you intentionally beaned him. We all know Jordan Zimmerman intentionally beaned you. But what you don't do, is go in the clubhouse and tell a bunch of beat writers who have had nothing to talk about a story about you hitting America's favorite 19 year old. 


The only reason Rizzo made his comments was because Hamels tried to look big, and Rizzo had every right to retort.


So Cole Hamels may be trying to change is rep, but I'll always think of him as the somewhat flamboyant, whiny, never really finished going through puberty Cole Hamels we've come to love. And then hate. And then love again.


He'll end up in Los Angeles after this season, where the LA breeze can blow through his hair. In a very manly way, of course.


UPDATE: Cole Hamels has been given a 5 game suspension and a fine. 

Roy Halladay Has Left The Phillies

Roy Halladay is leaving the Phillies to deal with "personal family reasons".


He had informed the team on Tuesday of his decision.


One can only wonder if whatever is going on in his personal life affected his pitching last night.


He allowed 8 Runs in 5 1/3 Innings. Hopefully Doc can take care of his issues quickly and get back to being the Cy Young pitcher we know he is.


Matt Gelb reports Roy will rejoin the team in DC.

Jim Thome, David Herndon to The DL

Bring out your dead.


Jim Thome and RP David Herndon are the latest Phillies to be placed on 

Thome is dealing with a lower back injury, and has been placed on the 15 day DL. Hopefully laboring for a back injury is why Thome is hitting .111 this season. C Erik Kratz has been called up from Lehigh Valley.

Yes, David Herndon does pitch, and he has been placed on the 15 day DL with an elbow injury. Herndon is 0-1 this year with a 3.18 ERA. RP Brian Sances has been called up in his place.

Phillies Injury Updates On Pence, Howard, Utley

Good news on the Phillies front today. Well considering how the Phillies have been playing, I guess there is no such thing as good news right now.


Nonetheless, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has announced Ryan Howard's wound is closing quicky, and "We’ve been advised to limit his activities for one more week to allow it to continue to heal.  We hope that he will be able to re-start his baseball activities thereafter."


Easy, anxious Phillies fan dying to see one run on the board before the 9th inning. The wound Amaro is addressing is from a procedure Howard got back at the end of February to clean out an infection.


That was minor. He happens to still be a long way from returning to play because of his Achilles Tendon Surgery he had in November. 


Chase Utley also took ground balls at 2nd yesterday, but Amaro said there is still no timetable for his return. He has been in Arizona rehabbing whatever remains of both his knees.


If you want to call that "good news", now here is the bad news. 


Hunter Pence will be undergoing an MRI on his left shoulder. He injured while diving for a ball. Pence is hitting .258, and on this Phillies team, that batting average looks heavenly. 


Sigh.

Cliff Lee to the DL

In what comes as some of a surprise, Cliff Lee is headed to the DL. He is listed as having a left oblique strain. The DL stint is retroactive to April 19th. In his place, Joe Slavery will replace him.

With the injury to Lee, Kyle Kendrick is forced to move into the starting rotation, a place he has shown he is not to confident in. 

I can only assume he injured it when Charlie Manuel left him out there to pitch 10 innings in a 11 inning loss to the Giants on April 18. Manuel has relied heavily on few pitchers to carry the load, and it usually ends in time on the DL. Manuel has been criticized for his use of pitchers last year.


With the Phillies having no hitting, Manuel has overused his starters early in the season, and Cliff Lee is on the DL after just his second start of the season.

Lee was 0-1 this season with a 1.96 ERA. He will absolutely be missed in the rotation.


The injury was first reported by 6ABC's Jeff Skversky.


UPDATE: Howard Eskin is reporting Ruben Amaro Jr. said that Lee suffered the oblique injury during the 10th inning. 0-0 game or not, there is no reason Lee should be in the game at that point. Mismanagement at its finest right there.

Phillies To Sign Infielder Fontenot

Phillies new infielder Mike Fontenot.

The Phillies are getting a little infield help.


ESPN's Jim Bowden is reporting Utility IF Mike Fontenot will sign a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.


Earlier today it was reported Fontenot was deciding between the Braves and the Phillies.


The 31 year old is a career .263 hitter with 26 HRs and 155 RBIs.


He spent 4 years with the Chicago Cubs, and spent last year with the San Francisco Giants.


Fontenot will definitely provide some depth, because he can play second, short, and third base.


Freddy Galvis is not ready to handle the load entirely on his own at Second Base, and Fontenot will be able to give him a day off or two.

Pat Burrell To Retire As A Phillie

Pat the Bat is back.


Well, sort of. 


Burrell is planning to retire due to a chronic issue with his foot.


However, Pat Burrell will sign a 1 day contract with the Phillies in May and retire as a member of the team.


He will be honored prior to the Phillies-Red Sox game on May 19th. 


He spent 8 season with the Phillies from 2000-2008, and was a fan favorite for a very long time. 


Mostly remembered for his off the field, er, antics, he ended his career with 292 career Home Runs and 976 RBIs. 


If there was anything to take away from his time with the Phillies, it was that he always destroyed the Mets. His 42 HRs against the Mets is his highest total against any team.


Burrell's career with the Phillies was not always great, but he will come out on top in May.

Jeopardy Contestant Bing Has No Idea Who Roy Halladay Plays For

As every weeknight, a new episode of Jeopardy aired tonight. One of the questions asked was "In 2010, Roy Halladay of this team threw 2 No-Hitters, one in the regular season and one in the postseason."

Contestant Bing decided to take a guess. Bing's guess would be totally incorrect, as he guessed the Detroit Tigers. Poor Bing, never had a chance. 


Nobody ended up getting the question right, and sports fans everywhere hung their head in shame.

Phillies beat writer Ryan Lawrence has a video here.

Phillies Season Preview

No matter which team you root for, everyone can agree: the start of baseball season is absolutely incredible. 


After waiting out a Winter which feels like an eternity, Opening Day really marks the first day of Spring.


And for the Philadelphia Phillies, this past Winter felt like an eternity and then some. If the Phillies ever had a chance to win it, 2011 was the year to do it. Phillies fans were ready to hang up the World Series Champions banner even before the first pitch was throne.


This year, the aura surrounding the Phillies this year, a feeling of desperation and nervousness, shared by both players and fans alike.


For veterans like Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton, and aces Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, the 2012 season could be "win or forever be ringless." In the case of Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins and others, the hunger to win another World Series is still there.


In order for this Phillies team to make a deep run in the playoffs, they cannot rely on starting pitching alone. 2-1 wins are great, but they cannot expect to win that way every game.


Even with the losses of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley (for the time being), the offense will have to hold their own.


Early in the season, the Phillies have been given the chances to do so. They open their season with the Pirates, Marlins, Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks and Cubs. 4 out of 6 of those teams had losing records in 2011. 


If the Phillies want to give themselves breathing room come September, the month of June would be the time to do it. 


They are also being given the chance to smack around some poor pitching. In 2011, the Pirates, Marlins, Diamondbacks, and Cubs had team ERA's around 4.00, and none of those team ERA's were good for better than 14th in the MLB.


In May, the Phillies play host to the Boston Red Sox, but travel to Atlanta and St. Louis, to take on the Braves and Cardinals, respectively. Atlanta are strong contenders this year to take the NL East crown from the Phillies, and beating them 2 out of 3 would do wonders for team morale.


16 of their 28 games that month are at home, and at CBP is a place where the Phillies can get into a groove hitting wise. June also brings Inter league play, where the Phillies will take on the Twins, Blue Jays, and Orioles.


Picture a truck running over roadkill. Picture that truck putting the car in reverse and running over the roadkill again.


The Phillies are the truck. You can guess who the roadkill is. 


July brings about the trade deadline, as well as the All-Star break. Although they always find a way to be, do not expect the Phillies to be active during the deadline. 


The All-Star break will be much more important because, well, the Phillies are that old. The four days off will allow the Phillies to re-cooperate, and play strong versus the Dodgers, Giants, Brewers, and Braves.


For the month of August, the Phillies will make themselves quite comfortable at Citizens Bank Park. But it will be no easy task, as they will play the Braves, Cardinals, and Brewers (who could be a first round matchup for the Phils), among others. 


For every team in playoff contention, the Phillies need to put the "pedal to the metal" in September. The most important series of the month is against the Braves, from the 21st-23rd. If the Phillies want to win the division, they are gonna have to put away the Braves at home.


Regular Season Record: 90-72 (1st in NL East)
The Phillies will edge out the Braves to win the division, and by the slimmest of margin. Pitching is key down the stretch for any team, and the Phillies happen to have 3 of the best in the league (and Vance Worley). Sorry Joe. 


Playoffs: Phillies Lose To Brewers In First Round
The homer in me wants to see the Phillies make a deep playoff run, and win the World Series. Sadly, I just do not believe the Phillies will make it out of the first round. Injuries, age among other things are major factors that will definitely affect the Phillies. 


However, anyone can beat anyone come playoff time. Do not fret yet about October, just be happy baseball is finally here.


It was one long offseason. 

Contreras To DL, Phillies Sign Blanco

Ruben Amaro Jr. has announced today that RP Jose Contreras is likely to start the season on the DL, as he is still recovering from elbow surgery that he had in September. Amaro also went on to say Contreras is improving, but needs more time.


A more important part of the bullpen, Mike Stutes is suffering from shoulder inflammation, which may land him on the DL as well. With two pieces possibly missing the beginning of the season, pitchers Raul Valdes, Joe Savery, and David Herndon are now fighting for a bullpen spot.


Phillies also signed INF Andres Blanco to a minor league deal today. Last year with the Rangers he hit .224 with 2 HR and 3 RBI in 36 games.

Papelbon, Bullpen Key To Phillies Success

Over the past five seasons, Phillies fans have known what to expect from their beloved team. Each year they were able to make deep runs into the postseason, and won the World Series in 2008. 


However, with 2012 MLB season right around the corner, nobody has any idea what this season will bring. With Ryan Howard and Chase Utley missing (at the bare minimum) a month or two of the season, the Phillies offense are missing the centerpieces of their offense. 


The Phillies are by far the oldest team in the MLB so much so, 90% of the team are AARP members. Granted, that is an exaggeration, but you get my analogy...I hope.


Nonetheless, this Phillies team is older veterans, and did nothing to change the trend this offseason. 


The Phillies signed Jim Thome (41), Ty Wigginton (34), and Juan Pierre (34), among others.


There is no doubt the Phillies will still be able to put up a lot of runs. Hunter Pence, and Shane Victorino will carry the load of the offense, and the emergence of John Mayberry Jr. will help a lot. Carlos Ruiz and Rollins will still be able to contribute, although their numbers may not be as great as in past years.


Even with a few faces missing from the Phillies offense, the bullpen will be the most crucial factor this season. 


As much as we hope, it is not realistic to think Hamels, Lee and Halladay can throw complete  games every night. 


That is where the bullpen, who were 8th best in the MLB in 2011, come in.


With Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson moving on, younger relievers like Mike Stutes and Antonio Bastardo will be relied on even more heavily this season.


That is concerning, because after pitching 58 and 61 innings respectively, both Bastardo and Stutes showed strong signs of arm fatigue at the end of the season.


Manager Charlie Manuel will have to use them wisely if he wants the duo to play well the entire year.


With one full season under their belts, the Phillies are hoping the tandem can carry the load once again in 7th and 8th inning situations. 


Two more key factors, as well as new faces: Chad Qualls and Jonathan Papelbon. 


Qualls pitched 74 1/3 innings with San Diego last year, with a 3.51 ERA. Not great, but it is a hell of a lot better than his 7.32 ERA with TB/ARZ in 2010. Quite frankly, the Phillies have put a lot of weight on a guy who has not had a good season since 2008.  


I think the Phillies would be better off with Ryan Madson right now than Qualls. Yes, I know Ryan Madson needs Tommy John Surgery....I stand by my statement.


Ruben Amaro Jr. better hope his Magic 8 ball is right, and Qualls turns out to be a good signing.


Even more risky of a signing than Papelbon (and a hell of a lot more likely to pay off), the Phillies signed Pap to a 4 year, $50 million contract. $12.5 million per year is a lot for a closer who has not had an ERA under 2.00 since 2009 (3.90 in 10, 2.94 in 11). 


The Phillies can never afford to blow a save, and in a division that becomes more and more competitive each year, every win counts.


No matter what, the former Red Sox closer for sure is a better option than Ryan Madson. But if Papelbon, who does a fantastic Terry Francona impersonation, can hold it down in the 9th consistently, he will be worth every penny. Still though, Madson > Qualls. 


This could be the final run for this Phillies dynasty, and the bullpen will have to play well the entire season if they even want to consider a World Series run. 

Juan Pierre Makes Roster

The Phillies have purchased the contract of OF Juan Pierre (according to ESPN's Jayson Stark), meaning he will make the team's 40 man roster.

Pierre, 34, signed a minor league contract with the Phillies on January 27th. In 23 games this Spring, Pierre hit .313 with 2 RBI's. 

The 12 year vet will join the likes of Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, John Mayberry Jr., and Laynce Nix as the Phillies outfielders.

Chase Utley Talks To Media About Knee Injuries

Chase Utley called a press conference today in sunny Clearwater, to address the issues he has been having with both knees this spring:


The good news: He is not retiring (although nobody really expected him too), and it is not bad enough to need microfracture surgery.


The bad news: Utley has said he will definitely miss the start of the 2012 season, and he will be taking the process "slow". He also went on to say that his "left knee is hurting more than the right knee, which is opposite from what was going on last year."


Not the best news ever, although it is very good to know he will not need surgery. Until Utley returns, Freddy Galvis will have the start at second base.


*Quotes come from Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Ryan Madson To Have Tommy John Surgery

Ruben Amaro 1, Cincinnati Reds 0.


This offseason, the Phillies decided to let Madson walk, and opted to sign Jonathan Papelbon.


That turned out to be a very smart decision.


Reds beat writer John Fay is reporting Madson will undergo Tommy John surgery.


Madison's ligament tore right off the bone. Lovely, isn't it?


$8.5 million down the toilet for the Reds.

Man Down: Michael Martinez In Walking Boot (UPDATE)

It seems every day comes with gloomy Phillies news. Yesterday, it was announced Chase Utley will not be able to play on Opening Day due to cartilage issues in both knees.


Today, Michael Martinez was seen with a walking boot. Martinez was hit with a pitch on the top of his right foot.


X-rays were taken, but the severity of his injury is not yet known.


(UPDATE): David Hale reports Martinez has a broken bone in his foot. 

Freddy Galvis To Start Season At Second

If anything, I imagined I would be writing to say Galvis will fill in at shortstop. However, Ruben Amaro Jr. has announced the 22 year old will most likely be the starting second baseman come Opening Day. 


The good news: Galvis is an extremely talented prospect, and a guy who will get on base a lot. 


Defense is a different story.


Galvis has always been a shortstop, so the transition could get a little interesting. Galvis played strong in AAA ball, but could definitely use more time at Lehigh Valley. At this point, the situation is out of his hands.

Chase Utley Leaves Camp, Sees Specialist

Chase Utley just cannot stay healthy. Last year, he missed 46 games after an injury suffered at Spring Training last year. This season, he is not even able to take the field.


GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said this is a "step in the right direction."


With an offense that is already depleted, this by no mean is a good sign. Could this be the beginning of the end?


Some names to keep in mind as possible trade options: Blake Dewitt, Alberto Callaspo.