OT: Philadelphia Phillies (MLB): Offseason edition

[FLYguy3911]

Players handle the first year transition from college to pros differently, Kingery struggled, Martin started hot then fell off, Hoskins started slow then tore it up in August '14 and hasn't stopped hitting since. It's the year after they're drafted that's the key for college players.

I don't take the "#1" starter seriously, we had three in 2011, how did that work in the playoffs? Build a deep pitching staff, with a deep bullpen and all you need are #2 and #3s who can give you six solid innings, then bring in the heat. And a batting order that can build a lead. How many pitchers sustain excellence for more than a few seasons? Most tend to be up and down, great one season, decent the next.

3B is an organizational black hole, depends if Franco has the range to stay, or will have to be moved down the road. Asche is a fail, Harold Martinez is a long shot, then there's nothing until Williams in the GCL.

This team should be close to .500 in 2017 and a contender in 2018. 2016 will be the "shakeout cruise," with a lot of players in AAA and AA who will either step up or get shipped out. By 2017 they'll have a much better idea where they need to patch things (Williams in LF? Altherr in RF? Quinn? Cozens? Knapp at C/1B, Alfaro anywhere? Crawford at SS).

They were the best team in the league. A 5 game series doesn't change that. Look at the team's that are left now. Some of the best pitchers in the game still pitching.

 

[sobrien]

We won the WS with defense, speed, and a great bullpen. Players getting hot at the right time helped, but we had a rotation of Hamels, Myers, Moyer, Blanton.

Hamels and Lidge are legendary in 08, we win the WS.

Hamels and Lidge are downright bad in 09...lost the WS. You can certainly argue those are your two most important "losses," the backend of the 'pen and the top of the rotation.

It always perplexed me why Amaro tried to build the greatest pitching staff of all time in CBP, when pitching can be so touch and go and prone to significant injury

 

[FLYguy3911]

It's about sustaining success. You need luck to win one, but you need to have a solid foundation to be in the playoffs year after year like St.Louis.

 

[FatTugboatFlahr]

Apparently Kim Ng is in play for the GM position, would be the first female t be GM.

 

[Tankadelphia]

We won the WS with defense, speed, and a great bullpen. Players getting hot at the right time helped, but we had a rotation of Hamels, Myers, Moyer, Blanton.

Hamels and Lidge are legendary in 08, we win the WS.

Hamels and Lidge are downright bad in 09...lost the WS. You can certainly argue those are your two most important "losses," the backend of the 'pen and the top of the rotation.

It always perplexed me why Amaro tried to build the greatest pitching staff of all time in CBP, when pitching can be so touch and go and prone to significant injury

It also helped that the phillies had 4 players with more than 30 home runs. Only done 12 times in history.

 

[Halladay]

Cole pitching in a few minutes. Please dpnt get lit up.

 

[FLYguy3911]

I bet the Blue Jays in 3.

 

[Halladay]

I had the Jays in 4.

 

[JDinkalage Morgoone]

I won't lie, if the Jays get swept I'll have a hearty laugh about it.

 

[Hiesenberg]

Hamels not doing so hot today

 

[sobrien]

Hamels not doing so hot today

Fly ball pitcher against a team that just mashes the ball.


The Blue Jays are a lot of fun to watch

 

[Hiesenberg]

Fly ball pitcher against a team that just mashes the ball.


The Blue Jays are a lot of fun to watch

He's also a strike out pitcher.

I see there was an error.

 

[zarley zelepukin]

He's also a strike out pitcher.

I see there was an error.

Box score says only two of the runs were earned.

 

[Halladay]

Cole pitched well, considering how great Toronto is against LHP.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Toronto bout to choke this series away.

We can debate the wildcard all we want, but why the divisional round is only a 5 game series I will never know.

 

[Halladay]

Utley just broke Ruben Tejada's leg with a terrible slide. i guess it was considered legal, but it was late.

 

[Karma]

I guess Utley is the most hated guy in baseball for the moment

 

[Phileeguy]

I'm about as big an Utley fan as they come, and fully expected a takeout slide. But even I wonder why he didn't start it just a bit sooner.

 

[MrMajestyk]

I'm about as big an Utley fan as they come, and fully expected a takeout slide. But even I wonder why he didn't start it just a bit sooner.

Nothing to wonder about. He did it intentionally to break up a double play. Within the rules. Darling is a twofaced whiny homer. He's teamate Gary Carter did the same thing a 100 times and Ronnie cheered/high fived him everytime.

 

[Phileeguy]

Nothing to wonder about. He did it intentionally to break up a double play. Within the rules. Darling is a twofaced whiny homer. He's teamate Gary Carter did the same thing a 100 times and Ronnie cheered/high fived him everytime.

Not saying he did anything illegal, but when you start a slide that late the danger increases to both the fielder and the runner. That was my main reason for wondering why he started it that late. Take 1 or 2 steps less and he's still got a head of steam enough for a takeout.

 

[MrMajestyk]

Not saying he did anything illegal, but when you start a slide that late the danger increases to both the fielder and the runner. That was my main reason for wondering why he started it that late. Take 1 or 2 steps less and he's still got a head of steam enough for a takeout.

Probably because he was expected him to do what most second baseman would do and sidestep the base, not a spin move right on top of the base. Chase probably realized this at the last moment, said oh **** I have to do my job and takes this guy out, then bad things happened like a broken tibia.

 

[Phileeguy]

Spin or sidestep, to me that looked like a play that Tejada's momentum was gonna take him to just about to where he ended up, give or take a couple feet, and he'd be in range of a takeout slide no matter what. If anyone had the perfect view to see this unfold in real time, it would've been Chase.

 

[cheesesteakarmor]

Spin or sidestep, to me that looked like a play that Tejada's momentum was gonna take him to just about to where he ended up, give or take a couple feet, and he'd be in range of a takeout slide no matter what. If anyone had the perfect view to see this unfold in real time, it would've been Chase.

A perfect view of Tejada's knee, maybe.

I would not even call that a slide, and don't understand how Utley wasn't called out since it looks like Tejada got the bag.

Still love Utz, but that was a bad call.

 

[PHILOUDELPHIA]

i thought it was a legal slide by chase, also he almost got knocked out. of course the mets players are a bunch of winers.

 

[Halladay]

It was so late. Had he slide a foot or two before, it woldnt have been as bad. He basically tackled him.