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Archive for March, 2012|Monthly archive page

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Phillies Profile – David Herndon

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 31, 2012 at 10:12 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 23 we preview, David Herndon.

David Herndon – The 26 year old Herndon begins his 3rd season as a Phillie after being drafted from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as a Rule 5 selection in 2009. Herndon was originally selected in the 5th round by the Angels in the 2006 amateur draft. An explanation of a Rule 5 draftee is, “Any player selected under Rule 5 is immediately added to his new team’s 40-man roster; thus, teams who do not have an available roster spot may not participate in the Rule 5 draft. Players who are not currently on their team’s 40-man roster are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft. If chosen in the Rule 5 draft, a player must be kept on the selecting team’s 25-man major league roster for the entire season after the draft. He may not be optioned or designated to the minors. The selecting team may, at any time, waive the Rule 5 draftee. If a Rule 5 draftee clears waivers by not signing with a new MLB team, he must be offered back to the original team, effectively canceling the Rule 5 draft choice. Each draftee costs $50,000. If the draftee does not stay on the selecting team’s 25-man (major league) roster all season, the player must be offered back to his original team at half-price.”

Herndon was kept on the Phillies roster in 2010. He posted a 1-3 record with a 4.30 ERA in 47 relief appearances over 52.1 innings of work. Herndon improved in 2011, his 2nd full season in the big leagues. He posted a 1-4 record but lowered his ERA to a very respectable 3.32. He appeared in 45 games covering 57 innings.

David is a young player with a minimal amount of minor league experience who continues to improve as he learns at the major league level. He still has less than 100 big games of experience and only 109 innings under his belt. He will continue to improve.

Personal Analysis:

There were some real questions if Herndon would make the opening day roster in 2012. He has had a decent Spring Training, coupled with the arm problems of Michael Stutes and Jose Contreras, Herndon should be heading north this week. David will likely be the 7th inning man, when needed, to fill the gap between the starting pitchers and Antonio Bastardo and Chad Qualls in the 8th inning. Herndon is also capable of eating up “garbage” innings, when needed, when games get out of hand. We feel Herndon will continue to improve and continue to play an important role on the ballclub. It’s easy to lose sight of the fact that he is only 26 years old. We look for Herndon to contribute as he has over the last 2 years, very few decisions, but continue to lower his earned run average and eat up some bullpen innings as continues to improve his game.

Tomorrow we will preview Juan Pierre.

The series: Day 1, Charlie Manuel. Day 2, The Coaching Staff. Day 3, Roy Halladay. Day 4, Cliff Lee. Day 5, Cole Hamels. Day 6, Vance Worley. Day 7, Joe Blanton. Day 8, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz. Day 9, Ryan Howard. Day 10, Chase Utley. Day 11, Jimmy Rollins. Day 12, Placido Polanco. Day 13, John Mayberry, Jr. Day 14, Shane Victorino. Day 15, Hunter Pence. Day 16, Brian Schneider. Day 17, Jim Thome. Day 18, Kyle Kendrick. Day 19, Antonio Bastardo. Day 20, Ty Wigginton. Day 21, Chad Qualls. Day 22, Freddy Galvis

Feel free to click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Please check out the new trends for Spring Phillies baseball gear. http://www.shop.com/ul!52667!Spring+baseball-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 Also, check out the All Sports Philadelphia Team Jerseys on the following link. http://www.shop.com/ul!52674!Philly+Jersey:s-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795. Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.

 

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Phillies Profile – Freddy Galvis

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 30, 2012 at 8:40 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 22 we preview, Freddy Galvis.

Freddy Galvis – The 22 year old Venezuela native is going to get his first shot in the big leagues starting 2012. Galvis was expected to be the heir apparent to Jimmy Rollins at shortstop but the injury to Chase Utley has changed that. Galvis has never played an inning at 2nd base in the minor leagues, 523 games at shortstop and 1 game at 3rd base, but appears headed for the opening day lineup in place of  Utley. “The good thing about Freddy is that he’s such a heads-up player. He thinks in the game,” said Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, who managed Galvis after he was promoted to the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. “He has very good instincts, and I think that’s what allows him to be ready for all the plays that do happen at second base. And he’s a very creative player. Very good at improvising and making a play. Those are good traits to have playing the middle infield. I think he’ll have no problem at second base.”

The real question about Galvis is can he hit big league pitching. A switch hitter, his minor league experience has been at the lower levels, only playing 33 games at the AAA level. His career minor league batting average is .246, however, he did hit .298 in his 33 games at Lehigh Valley. He has also hit only 18 home runs in his minor league career. Now to keep this in perspective, it’s not unusual for players to struggle at the plate when they enter the minor leagues at 17 years old. It takes time to develop physically, understand the pitching and learn discipline at the plate. The important thing for such a young player is to continue to improve. The Phillies feel that Galvis has done that and is ready for his big league shot. GM Ruben Amaro added, “I like Galvis. Has Galvis done anything to warrant us not playing him? He’s been our best player this spring,” he said. “Can he hit enough? We’ll find out, probably. We’re going to give him a chance.”

 

Personal Analysis:

We don’t expect a great deal from Galvis to open the season. Hopefully he can be steady in the field and hold down the fort until Utley returns. Galvis will be hitting at the bottom of the lineup so anything above a .250 batting average will be a bonus. All indications are that Galvis works his tail off and has been willing to learn throughout his minor league career. Let’s hope he maintains that attitude at the big league level. The Phils will be keeping a backup middle infielder, possibly Pete Orr since Michael Martinez will be starting the season on the DL, who will push Galvis for playing time if he doesn’t hit but we expect the Phils will give Galvis every chance to be successful while Utley is out.

Tomorrow we will preview David Herndon.

The series: Day 1, Charlie Manuel. Day 2, The Coaching Staff. Day 3, Roy Halladay. Day 4, Cliff Lee. Day 5, Cole Hamels. Day 6, Vance Worley. Day 7, Joe Blanton. Day 8, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz. Day 9, Ryan Howard. Day 10, Chase Utley. Day 11, Jimmy Rollins. Day 12, Placido Polanco. Day 13, John Mayberry, Jr. Day 14, Shane Victorino. Day 15, Hunter Pence. Day 16, Brian Schneider. Day 17, Jim Thome. Day 18, Kyle Kendrick. Day 19, Antonio Bastardo. Day 20, Ty Wigginton. Day 21, Chad Qualls.

Feel free to click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Please check out the new trends for Spring Phillies baseball gear. http://www.shop.com/ul!52667!Spring+baseball-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 Also, check out the All Sports Philadelphia Team Jerseys on the following link. http://www.shop.com/ul!52674!Philly+Jersey:s-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795. Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.

 

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The Word of the Day – ALL-THE -TIME – Lombardi

In The Word of the Day on March 30, 2012 at 8:06 am

ALL-THE-TIME!!

“Winning is not a sometime thing, it’s an all-the-time thing. You don’t win once in awhile, you don’t do things right once in awhile, you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing”

Vince Lombardi

From “What it takes to be No. 1 Speech”

 

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Phillies Profile – Chad Qualls

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 29, 2012 at 10:23 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 21 we preview, Chad Qualls.

Chad Qualls – Qualls is another somewhat unknown off season free agent signee. Chad is an 8 year veteran relief pitcher that has filled all of the bullpen roles in his career, including closer. Qualls has pitched 4 years for Houston, 2 ½ years for Arizona, ½ year for Tampa Bay and 1 year for San Diego before joining the Phillies. During that time he has pitched in 537 major league games. He has posted a 38-34 record with a 3.78 ERA and 51 saves. Possibly the most important statistic about Qualls is that he has made more than 70 appearances in 6 of his 8 seasons. Qualls has also appeared in 17 post season games in his career, 15 with Houston and 2 with Tampa Bay. Chad was originally drafted out of high school, 1997, in the 52nd round by the Toronto Blue Jays but opted to attend college. It was a wise choice, as he was selected in the 2nd round of the 2000 draft by the Houston Astros out of the University of Nevada – Reno. Qualls is scheduled to make $1.15m in 2012 for the Phils.

Personal Analysis:

There’s uncertainty to what role Qualls will have in the Phillies bullpen but our feeling is he will be the righthanded 8th inning set up man for Jonathan Pappelbon. This could change based on the progress of Michael Stutes and the health of Jose Contreras, however, we don’t think so. Qualls will need to be as durable, and reliable, as he has been in the past. The 33 year old appears to have plenty left in the tank based on his performances over the last few seasons. We feel like this was a very good signing by the Phillies and that Qualls will play a large part in the success of the bullpen much like Ryan Madson was for Brad Lidge in 2008.  

Tomorrow we will preview Freddy Galvis.

The series: Day 1, Charlie Manuel. Day 2, The Coaching Staff. Day 3, Roy Halladay. Day 4, Cliff Lee. Day 5, Cole Hamels. Day 6, Vance Worley. Day 7, Joe Blanton. Day 8, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz. Day 9, Ryan Howard. Day 10, Chase Utley. Day 11, Jimmy Rollins. Day 12, Placido Polanco. Day 13, John Mayberry, Jr. Day 14, Shane Victorino. Day 15, Hunter Pence. Day 16, Brian Schneider. Day 17, Jim Thome. Day 18, Kyle Kendrick. Day 19, Antonio Bastardo. Day 20, Ty Wigginton.

Feel free to click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Please check out the new trends for Spring Phillies baseball gear. http://www.shop.com/ul!52667!Spring+baseball-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 Also, check out the All Sports Philadelphia Team Jerseys on the following link. http://www.shop.com/ul!52674!Philly+Jersey:s-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795. Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.

 

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The Word of the Day – EXCUSES – Franklin

In The Word of the Day on March 29, 2012 at 1:46 pm

EXCUSES

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else”

Benjamin Franklin

 

 

 

 

 

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Phillies Profile – Ty Wigginton

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 28, 2012 at 7:46 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 20 we preview, Ty Wigginton.

Ty Wigginton – Who is this Ty Wigginton you ask? Wigginton is a 10 year journeyman veteran who has bounced around the major leagues as much as he’s bounced around positions. The 34 year old former 17th round draft choice of the New York Mets in 1998 has been around and done his time. Wigginton has played at the big league level for 3 years with the Mets, 2 years with the Rays, 2 years with the Pirates, 2 years with the Orioles, 2 years with the Astros and 1 year with the Rockies since making his major league debut in 2002. The Phillies traded for Wigginton in the off season to add depth to the ball club. He will make $4m for the Phillies in 2012. Wigginton is the ultimate utility man from a position perspective; however, as recently as 2010 he played in 154 games and posted 548 at bats and was selected to the AL All Star team as a member of the Orioles. In his major league career he has played 1st base, 2nd base, 3rd base, left field and right field while posting a .265 batting average, 158 home runs and 548 rbi’s in 1190 games. Ty can add some pop to the lineup; he’s hit 20 or more home runs 4 times in his career.

Personal Analysis:

Wigginton is going to be called on to play a big role for the Phillies early in 2012. The righthanded hitter may split some time with Jim Thome at 1st base, however, we expect Wigginton to carry most of the load. As we’ve stated throughout all of our profiles it will be important for everyone to contribute until Ryan Howard and, most likely, Chase Utley return to the lineup. The Phillies expect Ty to be the man that can fill those shoes, thus the trade and the $4m contract. We also expect to see Wigginton provide an off day now and then for Placido Polanco at 3rd base as well. A lot is riding on Ty being successful in Philadelphia. Let’s hope the Phillies management is right.

Tomorrow we will preview Chad Qualls.

The series: Day 1, Charlie Manuel. Day 2, The Coaching Staff. Day 3, Roy Halladay. Day 4, Cliff Lee. Day 5, Cole Hamels. Day 6, Vance Worley. Day 7, Joe Blanton. Day 8, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz. Day 9, Ryan Howard. Day 10, Chase Utley. Day 11, Jimmy Rollins. Day 12, Placido Polanco. Day 13, John Mayberry, Jr. Day 14, Shane Victorino. Day 15, Hunter Pence. Day 16, Brian Schneider. Day 17, Jim Thome. Day 18, Kyle Kendrick. Day 19, Antonio Bastardo.

Feel free to click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Please check out the new trends for Spring Phillies baseball gear. http://www.shop.com/ul!52667!Spring+baseball-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 Also, check out the All Sports Philadelphia Team Jerseys on the following link. http://www.shop.com/ul!52674!Philly+Jersey:s-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795. Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.

 

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The Word of the Day – ADAPT – Bowman

In The Word of the Day on March 28, 2012 at 6:50 pm

ADAPT

“I found out that if you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt”

 

Scotty Bowman

Winningest Coach in NHL History

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Phillies Profile – Antonio Bastardo

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 27, 2012 at 7:26 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 19 we preview, Antonio Bastardo.

Antonio Bastardo – The 26 year old Bastardo quickly became the lefthanded ace of the Phillies bullpen in 2011, in his first full season in the big leagues. Bastardo was signed as a free agent in the 2005 amateur draft. He’s was being used primarily as a starter in the minor leagues until 2009 and he was good. In 2010 he was a combined 10-0 at Lakewood and Clearwater with a 2.14 ERA. Bastardo made his major league debut on June 2, 2009 and contributed a 2-3 record with a 6.46 ERA in 6 games for the Phils. He was also 3-2 with a 2.15 ERA between Rookie League, Clearwater, Reading and Lehigh Valley. In 2010, Antonio again split time between the minor leagues and the Phillies. He continued to contribute at the big league level as he gained experience. He had a 2-0 record with a 4.34 ERA in 25 appearances. In 2011 Antonio Bastardo arrived! He became the “go to” lefthander that the Phillies relied on throughout the season. He finished the season with a 6-1 record and a 2.64 ERA in 64 games. He finished 15 of those games and recorded 8 saves. The most impressive statistic for Bastardo was that in 58 innings of work he only gave up 28 hits while striking out 70 batters. Antonio has already pitched in 5 post season games for the Phillies, he’s yet to give up a run.

Personal Analysis:

Bastardo needs to be just as good if not better for the Phillies in 2012. He ran out of gas late in the season in 2011 but that can’t take away from his outstanding season. He pitched in big games and he pitched well. With a week of camp remaining the bullpen situation is still unclear, however, Bastardo may go north as the only lefthanded reliever again in 2012. We expect that Manager Charlie Manuel and Pitching Coach Rich Dubee will use Bastardo differently this year to keep him from overuse. When he got tired he lost the strike zone and struggled because of it. Big things are ahead for Bastardo as the youngster continues to mature in the big leagues.

Tomorrow we will preview Ty Wigginton.

The series: Day 1, Charlie Manuel. Day 2, The Coaching Staff. Day 3, Roy Halladay. Day 4, Cliff Lee. Day 5, Cole Hamels. Day 6, Vance Worley. Day 7, Joe Blanton. Day 8, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz. Day 9, Ryan Howard. Day 10, Chase Utley. Day 11, Jimmy Rollins. Day 12, Placido Polanco. Day 13, John Mayberry, Jr. Day 14, Shane Victorino. Day 15, Hunter Pence. Day 16, Brian Schneider. Day 17, Jim Thome. Day 18, Kyle Kendrick.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Please check out the new trends for Spring Phillies baseball gear. http://www.shop.com/ul!52667!Spring+baseball-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 Also, check out the All Sports Philadelphia Team Jerseys on the following link. http://www.shop.com/ul!52674!Philly+Jersey:s-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795. Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.

 

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The Word of the Day – CREATIVITY – Jobs

In The Word of the Day on March 27, 2012 at 7:56 am

CREATIVITY

“Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone, you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘Wow,’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of ideas”


Steve Jobs

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Phillies Profile – Kyle Kendrick

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 26, 2012 at 7:52 pm

Over the next 28 days Philly Pressbox (https://phillypressbox.wordpress.com) (@phillypressbox) will be doing a review and analysis of each Phillies player, Manager Charlie Manuel and the coaching staff leading up to Opening Day 2012.  On Day 18 we preview, Kyle Kendrick.

Kyle Kendrick – Kendrick has had an interesting career in the Phillies organization since being drafted in the 7th round of the 2003 amateur draft out of Mt. Vernon, Washington, High School. Kendrick spent from 2003 – 2007 working his way through “A” and “AA” ball. He posted a minor league record of 26-44. He never pitched at the “AAA” level before being called to the big leagues on June 13, 2007. Kyle immediately joined the Phillies rotation, starting 20 games and compiling a 10-4 record with a 3.87 ERA in 121 innings at the age of 22. 2008 was not as kind to Kendrick. He remained in the starting rotation and added 11 wins in his 30 starts but suffered from inconsistency that led to his 5.49 ERA. He also posted 57 base on balls, 14 hit batters and 23 home runs allowed in 155.2 innings of work. As a result Kyle was not included on the 2008 post season roster that won the World Series. 2009 brought more struggles until Kyle was finally sent to “AAA” Lehigh Valley to work on his game. He pitched in only 9 major league games in 2009. 2010 brought improvement; Kyle was back in the starting rotation for the Phillies. He started in 31 of his 33 appearances, compiling an 11-10 record with a 4.73 ERA. His command was better and all indications were that he was on the right track. 2011 saw Kyle take an entirely different direction. He was moved to the bullpen and was very effective. He came on in relief in 19 of his 34 appearances. He posted an 8-6 record with a career best 3.22 ERA working primarily as a long reliever. Kendrick seems like he’s been around for a long time, however, he’s only 27 years old. His best days are ahead of him. The Phillies organization has been very patient and continues to develop him. This off season Kyle signed a 2 year – $7.5m contract.

Personal Analysis:

Kendrick came in to Spring Training in a three way competition with Vance Worley and Joe Blanton for the last two spots in the rotation. With one week left before breaking camp it appears that Worley and Blanton will get those spots. We won’t go so far as to stay Kendrick lost the job in Spring Training. To date he’s pitched in 3 games, 8.1 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs 0 walks and 9 k’s. A pretty impressive Spring thus far.

Call me crazy but I see Kendrick possibly developing in to the 8th inning set up man and ultimately a closer if he continues in the bullpen much the same as Ryan Madson did. One of the biggest challenges in that role is being able to pitch often and having the mindset to put the last game, good or bad, behind you. It takes time and is easier said than done. In the meantime, Kendrick is a luxury as a 6th starter, if needed. In today’s baseball you can never have enough quality arms. We look for Kendrick to have a solid year and continue to improve. Depending how his role evolves he may not win a lot of games but could eat up some innings and not give up a lot of runs.

Tomorrow we will preview Antonio Bastardo.

The series: Day 1, Charlie Manuel. Day 2, The Coaching Staff. Day 3, Roy Halladay. Day 4, Cliff Lee. Day 5, Cole Hamels. Day 6, Vance Worley. Day 7, Joe Blanton. Day 8, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz. Day 9, Ryan Howard. Day 10, Chase Utley. Day 11, Jimmy Rollins. Day 12, Placido Polanco. Day 13, John Mayberry, Jr. Day 14, Shane Victorino. Day 15, Hunter Pence. Day 16, Brian Schneider. Day 17, Jim Thome

Feel free to click the FOLLOW button on the bottom right of this page, input your email address and receive your Philly Pressbox posts directly in your email.

We would like to thank our sponsor for their support. Please check out the new trends for Spring Phillies baseball gear. http://www.shop.com/ul!52667!Spring+baseball-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 Also, check out the All Sports Philadelphia Team Jerseys on the following link. http://www.shop.com/ul!52674!Philly+Jersey:s-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795. Lastly, click on the business card below to see all of their items.