Future Of The Phillies

The picture above (if you need to click on it to make it bigger please do so) is a little preview of how I think the Phillies lineup will look come 2012. A lot of youth in both the bullpen and outfield and a strong veteran presence in the infield and the starting rotation. The young speedy outfield of Mayberry, Victorino and Brown excites me and and is bursting with potential. Providing the Phils get a deal done with Rollins the great Phils infield will stay in tact. And if the Phils don't exercise their mutual option with Oswalt and use that money for Hamels, the big three of Halladay, Lee and Hamels will still give the Phils one of the best starting staffs in all of baseball. The only thing that really worries me is the youthful bullpen. The only veterans are Madson and Contreras and the Phillies will have to sign somebody during the offseason.

Overall the Phillies have a great window of opportunity both this year and definitely next year where they can win another World Series title. The nucleus of Rollins, Utley, Howard and Victorino will be in tact along with most of this dominant starting rotation. This team is going to be great for a very long time and will contend for a World Series title this year, next year and hopefully many years in the future.

Future Of The Phillies: The Bullpen

The bullpen is our final stop in our analysis of the Future Of The Phillies. For next year I expect the Phils to go young and rely heavily on some of their younger arms.

Brad Lidge 2012: ?

He is in the final year of his contract, and he will get 11.5 million this year. The Phils have a club option for 2012.

Ryan Madson 2012: ?

Madson is in the final year of his contract and could want the big bucks come next season.

JC Romero 2012: ?

JC signed a 1 year 1.35 million dollar contract before the beginning of this year.

Jose Contreras 2012: Philadelphia

Contreras signed a 2 year 5.5 million dollar contract in 2010 that will keep him a Phillie through 2012 with a team option for 2013.

Brad Lidge and JC Romero are gone. They were both a vital part of the Phils 2008 World Series run but it's time for the club to part ways with both of them. (After today Romero really is gone.) Lidge is aging and injury prone and Romero is a head case who can't throw strikes. As for Madson if he asks for 10 million plus I don't think the Phils will re-sign him. Although Madson has had a great season so far there is no way he is worth that much money. The Phillies would be better off giving the job to Contreras or a younger guy like Stutes or Bastardo. I think that Madson won't ask for 10 million plus and the Phils and Madson should be able to work out a deal somewhere around 32 million over 4 years. The rest of the bullpen could be a mixture of a lot of young guys like Antonio Bastardo, Michael Stutes, Mike Zagurski and Scott Mathieson. With so much money devoted to the starting rotation the Phillies can afford to pay less to their relievers. Still the Phillies need at least one more veteran arm in their pen and I expect them to sign someone in the offseason.

Hot Homestand

This Phillies team is scary good and is beginning to resemble the World Series team of 2008. In the recent homestand the Phils went 9-2 as the bats finally came to life. The Phils combined strong starting pitching with explosive offensive performances to catapult themselves to a 44-26 record and 5.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East. Most recently the Phils 4 game swept the Florida Marlins to extend their winning streak to 7 and cap off an extremely successful homestand. Let's take an in depth look as to how the Phils went about sweeping the Fish out of town.

In the series opener on Tuesday Cole Hamels improved to 9-2 on the season as he pitched 7 strong innings only surrendering 1 earned run. The Phils provided a ton of run support for Hamels as they roughed up Marlins starter Chris Volstad for 8 earned runs. It was a homerun party as Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Domonic Brown all homered off Volstad. Brown even added another homer off of Edward Mujica in the 7th. It was a very impressive outing from Hamels and the offense, and a great way to open the 4 game set.

Wednesday was a day night double header and it would be a great opportunity for the Phils to put more distance between themselves and the rest of the NL East. In the day game Kyle Kendrick got the start against Elih Villanueva. At first it looked like it was going to be one of those games where Kendrick would absolutely self destruct. Kendrick gave up a solo homerun to Logan Morrison in the first and it looked like the beginning of a very long afternoon. But after the first Kendrick settled down and through 6 consecutive scoreless innings. He had great command and did a good job of keeping everything in front of him. The Phils gave Kyle a ton of breathing room as they tacked on a run in the first and then another in the second followed by a 6 run explosion in the third. The two key hits of the third inning were Wilson Valdez's bases clearing triple and Jimmy Rollins' 3 run homer. The Phils would go on to win by another lopsided final of 8-1.

In the night game Roy Halladay took the mound in search of his 10th win of the season. Unfortunately Halladay got into trouble in the first inning and surrendered 2 quick runs. He then proceeded to give up 2 more runs in the 4th and the Phils quickly found themselves in a 4-1 hole. The Phils tacked on a run in the 5th but still trailed 4-2 going into the 9th inning.

In the 9th Carlos Ruiz and Ross Gload hit back to back singles to put runners on first and second with 1 out for J-Roll. Michael Martinez came into the game to pinch run for Ross Gload so a solid double would easily tie the game. Rollins smoked a hot shot up the middle that careened off the shin of Marlins pitcher Leo Nunez and rolled directly over to first baseman Gaby Sanchez who stepped on first for the second out of the inning. The unlucky bounce did however advance the runners to put men on second and third for Shane Victorino. Victorino then ripped a 2-1 pitch just past the second baseman to score Ruiz and Martinez and tie the game at 4. After Chase Utley flew out to end the inning the game headed to extras.

In extras Madson pitched a scoreless top of the 10th to give the Phils a chance to win. The bottom of the inning started with a bang. Marlins pitcher Michael Dunn drilled Ryan Howard in the back and the Phils had a leadoff baserunner aboard. But after Placido Polanco and Raul Ibanez both got out, the once promising inning didn't look too bright. Dom Brown was up next and he had an incredible at bat in which he forced a walk to put runners on first and second for Carlos Ruiz. Mr. Cluth, Chooch whatever you want to call him came through in a big way and singled to score Ryan Howard and give the Phils an exciting 5-4 walkoff victory. Chooch always seems to come through in the clutch and he continued that streak last night.

The Phils rode the momentum of the walkoff victory into today's series finale. Cliff Lee came out and absolutely dominated the Fish as he pitched a 2 hit complete game shutout. Cliff had great command and was putting the ball exactly where he wanted to. He also had his curveball working and even stated after the game that his curveball is a big reason he has been so successful in his last few starts. Lee also opened up the scoring as he nailed a double to the wall in the 4th to score Michael Martinez. For insurance Ryan Howard hit an opposite field solo homerun in the 5th and Jimmy Rollins continued his hot hitting by doubling in the 6th to score Domonic Brown. The Phils went on to win 3-0 as Lee improved to 7-5 on the year and the Phils capped off their homestand with a 7 game winning streak.

Overall the Phils have consistently played great baseball all year but during this recent homestand they showed everyone just how dangerous they can be. When the offense and pitching are both clicking at the same time nobody in either league stands a chance. The Phils are playing great baseball right now and I expect them to get even hotter as the year progresses. Cliff Lee is starting to settle in, Howard looks phenomenal, Rollins is finding his swing, and Utley is almost 100%. The Phils will look to carry the momentum of this homestand with them as they embark on a 6 game roadtrip in which they will face the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals. Stay updated to the blog for a complete Phillies Mariners preview.

Future Of The Phillies: The Infield

In this segment of Future Of The Phillies we take a look at the infiled. As of this moment the Phillies currently have 3/4 of their infield under contract for 2012. The only guy not signed for next year is Jimmy Rollins. Are the Phils willing to possibly pay Rollins 10-13 million dollars a year? Or will they give the spot to a younger less expensive minor leaguer? Let's take a look.

Jimmy Rollins 2012: ?

The Phillies exercised their club option for Rollins before the beginning of this year and this could be Rollins' final season in Philadelphia.

Ryan Howard 2012: Philadelphia

Howard signed a 5 year 125 million dollar extension that will keep him in Philly through 2016 with a club option for 2017. Howard will make $20 million each in 2012 and 2013 and $25 million annually from 2014-16. The option for 2017 is 23 million and a 10 million buyout.

Chase Utley 2012: Philadelphia

Utley signed a 7 year 85 million dollar deal that will keep him a Phillie through 2013. Utley will get 15 million in 2011, 2012, and 2013.

Placido Polanco 2012: Philadelphia

Polanco signed a 3 year 18 million dollar deal last year so he will be a Phillie through 2012.

The big question that everyone wants answered is will the Phils re-sign Rollins. With an already steep payroll the Phillies may decide not to give Rollins an extension. According to phillysportsdaily.com "An agent guessed J-Roll could wrangle himself a three year, $39 million contract from a willing suitor." 13 million a year could prove to be too expensive for the Phils. But at the same time I think Rollins understands the importance of winning another a World Series and he may possibly be willing to take a paycut. I expect the Phillies to work something out with J-Roll. A 2 year 25 million dollar contract is a definite possibility. As for the rest of the infield Chase and Ryan are here to stay long term. And if Polanco continues to produce he could find himself with a nice new contract sometime in the near future.

Phillies Need To Sign Hamels

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels is proving in a contract year that he is worth a big investment.  Hamels has been brilliant this year, arguably the best pitcher out of the four aces this year.  He was expected to get a big contract, but with the way he is pitching this year that contract could be even bigger.  With that said Hamels is still young and is a top priority for the Phillies when the time comes to sign him. 

Hamels has been brilliant throughout his career even though his record does not show that.  He probably gets some of the worst run support in the league, which has hurt his chances of being a 20 game winner.  This might be the year though, Hamels is 8-2 with a 2.58 ERA and has just been excellent every time he takes the mound.  If the run support continues which doesn't seem to be a lot with a 2.58 ERA Hamels should reach that 20 win mark. 

With three other veterans on the staff as well, it seems that Hamels has learned a lot.  He seems to be working harder and seems to have a comfortable routine throughout the year.  His offseason workouts seem to be better for him now, maybe because he is actually doing them, but he realizes how important they are.  He also seems to be more comfortable on the mound.  When something bad used to happen it seemed like Hamels would lose his cool, but that is all in his past. 

He has taken his game to the next level over these past two years and with that said he is a core piece to the Phillies.  Fans were starting to get frustrated with Hamels, but that doesn't seem to be the case either.  Hamels led this team to a World Series Championship in 2008 and seems to be ready to led them again to another one this year.  Hamels deserves a big contract and the Phillies seem ready to give him one.  The Phillies must sign Hamels and the sooner they do the better everyone will feel about his future. 

Lee Starting To Find His Groove

When news started surfacing that Cliff Lee wanted to pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies, Phillies fans started to get really excited.  Lee took less money, something a player rarely does to give him a chance at a World Series title and to play where he wants to play.  Everyone surrounding the MLB was talking about the Phillies now having the best rotation ever as they posted four aces out of their five pitchers.

In the beginning of the season though Lee has not seemed to pitch like everyone expected him too.  He wasn't pitching bad, but he wasn't the same pitcher everyone expected to see.  He had a game where he looked dominant and then he would have a game where it seemed like he wasn't going to record an out.  It seems like he is heading to a more consistent dominate side as the season ages.

Lee has been titled as a second half player.  He is still very good early on, but when the season starts to get older he starts to get better.  He has proved that the past two seasons when he was acquired late in the year by the Phillies and the Rangers.  He led both of them to the World Series, dominating opponent after opponent.  It seems to be that he is ready to turn it on again after two dominating performances in his last two starts.  In his last two starts he has only given up one earned run, while pitching fifteen innings and striking out seventeen.  That is what an ace is supposed to do.

Early on it was just some inconsistency issues, that was all.  Now that seems to have been fixed and he is ready to help this team win another World Series.  Lee has not won a World Series just like Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt, so they are going to do everything possible to get that done this year.  You know that these guys want it badly and with Lee starting to dominate the road to a title only gets a little easier.  

Phils Win Series Against Chi-Town

The 4 game series that occured this past weekend between the Phillies and Cubs was probably the most interesting and wacky stretch of games I've ever seen. 2 rain delays, a 5 run inning by the Cubbies, a homerun call reversal, and a Charlie Manuel ejection on Sunday all added up for a very interesting National League matchup.

In the series opener on Thursday Rollins got things started with a 3 run homer in the bottom of the second. On the mound Kyle Kendrick looked solid through 3 innings and was doing a good job of keeping his pitch count down. Unfortunately the weather didn't hold off and midway through the bottom of the third the heavens opened up. After over an hour rain-delay, Kendrick was replaced by Danys Baez who pitched 3 innings and only surrendered 1 run in the 6th.

The bullpen was doing a solid job of containing the Cubbies but the Phils couldn't get anything going at the plate. Aside from the Rollins homerun the Phils failed to produce and extend their lead. Jose Contreras gave up an RBI double to Carlos Pena in the 8th and the Phils clung to a slim 3-2 lead heading into the 9th.

In the 9th Ryan Madson surrendered a 1 out solo homerun to Giovany Soto and the game was knotted at 3. Madson then gave up a solo homerun to Tyler Colvin and the Cubbies found themselves on top. Or did they? Charlie Manuel waddled out to the umpire and asked for the homerun to be reviewed and after what seemed like an eternity, the umpires returned and reversed the homerun and ruled it a ground rule double. Madson eventually worked his way out of the jam and the Phils were given an opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the 9th.

The Phils went down in order in the 9th and the already long game was extended even further with extra innings. David Herndon came onto pitch the 10th and did a good job of pitching a scoreless inning. In the bottom of the 10th Chase Utley and Ryan Howard led off the inning with back to back strike outs. After Shane Victorino walked and Raul Ibanez singled it was runners on the corners with 2 outs. Dom Brown stepped to the plate and the Cubbies elected to intentionally walk him to get to Herndon. In my opinion, Charlie made the right decision in batting Herndon. They had nobody left in the pen, and if you pinch hit for Herndon in that spot you are then forced to pitch Wilson Valdez. Herndon would go on to strike out and the game headed to the 11th.

In the top of the inning Herndon surrendered a lead off single to Tyler Colvin, and Colvin eventually advanced to 2nd base on a past ball. Herndon then struck out the next 2 batters and with 2 outs and a runner on second Darwin Barney stepped to the plate. Here's where things get really wacky. Barney hit a weak 3-2 ground ball to third basemen Placido Polanco. Polanco fielded the ball cleanly and instead of turning around and tagging Colvin who was running from 2nd to 3rd, Pauly fired a ball into the dirt and Colvin scored to give the Cubs the lead. In the 11th, Ruiz hit a lead off single but Rollins, Polanco and Utley all flew out to end the game. It was an ugly and extremely frustrating defeat but fortunately it would be the only loss of the weekend.

On Friday the Phils offense turned things around and exploded for 7 runs. The Phils scored a quick run in the bottom of the first and then tacked on two more runs in the second thanks to a Dom Brown 2 run homer. From there the Phils didn't score until the bottom of the 7th when Placido Polanco hit a grand slam to give the Phils a 7-0 lead. With a 7 run lead Manuel elected to give pitcher Roy Halladay some rest and pulled him after 7 innings.

But in the top of the 8th the wackiness that I talked about in the beginning of the article continued. Jose Contreras surrendered 2 runs and was replaced by JC Romero who surrendered 3 more runs to make it a 7-5 game. In the blink of an eye the 7-0 lead had vanished. Luckily Michael Stutes came in and got the final 2 outs of the inning. Stutes then got the first 2 outs in the 9th and Antoni Bastardo got the final out to secure a 7-5 Phillies victory.

The game on Saturday got off to an extremely weird start. Literally seconds before Cliff Lee through the opening pitch it began to rain and the game was delayed once again. Once play resumed Lee dominated the Cubs and went on to pitch 8 innings surrendering only 1 run. The Phils offense exploded for 7 runs once again with Chase Utley leading the offensive surge. Utley went 2-5 with 4 RBI's and is quickly returning to his regular self. The Phils would eventually win by a final of 7-1.

Sunday was the Ryan Howard show. The big man went 3-3 with 3 rbis and helped to provide run support for Roy Oswalt. Oswalt who had a rough first inning in which he gave up 3 runs, settled down nicely after that and didn't surrender a run in his final 6 innings. Stutes and Madson pitched a scoreless 8th and 9th and the Phils went on to win the game 4-3.

After the dissapointing road trip last week the Phils have responded nicely and have now won the first 2 series of this homestand. Looking ahead the Phils will host the Marlins in a 4 game set beginning on Tuesday.

Future Of The Phillies: The Outfield

In this segment of Future of the Phillies we will be taking a look at the outfield and how it will look not only next year but in the next few years. The Phils outfield has a very bright future with a lot of youth and potential ready to usher in a new era of Phillies baseball.

Raul Ibanez 2012: ?

Rauuuul is in the final year of his contract. He signed a 3 year 30 million dollar deal after the 08 season.

Shane Victorino 2012: Philadelphia

Shaner signed a 3 year 22 million dollar extension that will keep him a Phillie through 2012.

Ben Francisco 2012: ?

Francisco avoided arbitration and signed a 1 year deal before the beginning of this season.

Domonic Brown 2012: Philadelphia

I searched around to find how long Dom Brown will be in Philadelphia and came across this article HERE

John Mayberry Jr. 2012: Philadelphia

Mayberry is arbitration eligible in 2013 and if the Phillies don't sign him will be a free agent in 2016.

It is highly unlikely that the Phillies will re-sgin the 39 year old Ibanez. He is currently making 10 million a year and the Phils would be foolish to re-sign him. The Phils may re-sign Francisco depending on his asking price. But I see the Phils outfield of the future consisting of Shane Victorino in center, Brown in right, and Mayberry in left. That is a young, fast, athletic and extremely dangerous outfield. They can all hit and they can all make great defensive plays and cover a lot of ground in the outfield. The outfield of Brown, Victorino and Mayberry has the potential to be one of the best outfields in Phillies history.

Future Of The Phillies: Starting Rotation

The Phils are on track to make the playoffs for the 6th straight year. And as the Phils continue their streak as one of the best teams in baseball I begin to wonder, how long is this great team going to be around? For how much longer will the Phillies be one of the elite teams? This current nucleus of players won't be around forever but here is a quick look at some of your favorite Phillies and their contract statuses. In this segment of Future Of the Phillies we will be taking a look at the legendary starting rotation.

Roy Halladay 2012: Philadelphia

Roy Halladay's contract with the Phillies started this year. Halladay was still under his Toronto contract last year, and his 3 year 60 million dollar deal with the Phils will keep him in Philadelphia through 2013 with a vesting option that could keep in Philly through 2014.

Cliff Lee 2012: Philadelphia

Cliff Lee's 120 million 5 year contract will keep him in Philly through 2015 with a vesting option that could keep him in Philly through 2016.

Roy Oswalt 2012: ?

He is due 16 million this year and the Astros will pay 7 of that and the Phils will pay 9. His contract will be up after this season, but there is a mutual option that could keep him in Philly through 2012 with a 2 million dollar buyout.

Cole Hamels 2012: ?

Hamels was given a 3 year 20.5 million dollar contract after the 08 season. Hamels is due 9.5 million this year in the final year of his contract.

Joe Blanton 2012: Philadelphia

Blanton was given a 3 year 24 million dollar contract that will keep him in Philly through 2012.

Kyle Kendrick 2012: ?

Before the beginning of this season the Phils signed Kendrick to a 1 year 2.45 million dollar contract.

The future of the Phils starting rotation has many question marks. Will they re-sign Oswalt and Hamels? What is the deal with Blanton? First off for next year I predict that the Phillies won't exercise the mutual option for Oswalt. Oswalt is going to want a lot of money and at 33 years of age with back problems I simply don't see the Phils bringing him back. Blanton although he is dealing with elbow problems right now should be healthy later this year and will be back next year. Halladay and Lee will obviously be back for next year, no need to worry about them. The Phils top priority heading into this off season will be resigning Cole Hamels. He is going to want the big bucks and the Phils have todo everything they can to keep him in Philadelphia. With a lot of big salaries coming off the payroll I expect the Phils to take care of Hamels.

For next year I predict the Phils starting rotation to be Halladay, Lee, Hamels, a healthy Blanton and Vance Worley as your fifth. The Phils would be foolish to give Kendrick 2.45 million again and aside from one bad outing Worley has also looked pretty good and would be a great 5th guy on this staff. Although your 4th and 5th will be a combo of Blanton and Worley if the Phils sign Hamels, the big three of Hamels, Halladay and Lee is really all you need.

Phillies Forget Bats After Rain Delay; Fall To Cubs In 11

Can mother nature be charged with a loss?

As crazy as it sounds, that question has to be asked as the Phillies seemed to forget that they had a game to finish after a one hour and seventeen minute rain delay that began one out into the bottom of the third inning. Before the delay, the Phillies seemed to be cruising behind a solid three scoreless innings from starter Kyle Kendrick and a three run home run by Jimmy Rollins in the second. After the delay, the pitching continued for the most part but the bats when silent. The Cubs climbed back run by run, scoring once each in the sixth, eighth, and ninth innings to tie the game and send it to extras. Ryan Madson blew his first save of the season as he allowed the Geovany Soto solo shot that tied the game. After Madson left, the Phillies were down to only one reliever, David Herndon, due to the long rain delay and some interesting decisions by manager Charlie Manuel. Manuel used four different relievers for less than one inning, a decision that short-changed the Phillies in extras.

In the top of the eleventh, it was the Phillies defense that would let them down. Ryan Howard misplayed a ball hit by the Cubs Tyler Colvin that put the leadoff runner on first, and a Carlos Ruiz passed ball would move him to second with none out. Herndon was able to strike out the next two batters, but his efforts went unrewarded as Placido Polanco's poor throw to first following a grounder ended up an error and allowed Colvin to score. Herndon would get Starlin Castro to ground out to end the inning, but the damage had been done. Carlos Ruiz singled to start the bottom of the eleventh, but the ever-impatient Jimmy Rollins swung at closer Carlos Marmol's first pitch and flied out. Polanco and Chase Utley would fly out soon after to end the game and any hope of a Phillies comeback. The Phillies send ace Roy Halladay to the mound against the Cubs Carlos Zambrano tomorrow night as the Phillies look to even the series in game two of this four game set.