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Phillies Profile – Jim Thome

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 25, 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 17 we preview, Jim Thome.

Jim Thome – What a treat it is to have Jim Thome back in a Phillies uniform. Thome brings a career of experience and success back to Philadelphia with him but most importantly he brings leadership to the ball club. Thome is a genuine nice guy and student of the game. He reminds us a lot of Jamie Moyer, always talking about the game and working with younger players. The 41 year old Thome enters his 22nd big league season. He played his first 13 seasons with the Cleveland Indians and the next 3 seasons with the Phillies. He was traded by the Phils to the Chicago White Sox for Aaron Rowand, Daniel Haigwood and Gio Gonzalez. He played for the White Sox until being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He later moved on to the Minnesota Twins and back to the Indians before signing as a Free Agent on November 4, 2011 with the Phils.

Jim brings with him 604 career home runs, 1674 runs batted in, along with a .277 batting average. He ranks #2 on the Active Career Home Run list behind Alex Rodriguez and #8 All Time. He is also #3 in the Active Career RBI list behind Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez.   He is the Active Career Leader in Strikeouts, 2,487 and Bases on Balls, with 1,725.

Interestingly, Thome has hit more than 50 home runs in a season once, 40 or more 5 other times and 30 or more 6 other times but has only won the home run title one time, 2003, with 47, while playing for the Phils. He has also had more than 100 RBI’s in 9 different seasons but has never led the league. He has made 5 All Star teams but never finished higher than 4th in MVP voting in any season.  

Personal Analysis:

It will be great if Thome can be a productive player for The Fightins’ at 1st base while Ryan Howard is on the Disabled List. As of this writing, Jim is scheduled to play his first Spring Training game in the field today. If Thome can play nearly every day until Howard gets back and be productive it will be a big boost for the Phillies lineup, while taking pressure off of Hunter Pence and John Mayberry, Jr. He’s proven he can still hit the long ball, 23, 25 and 15 home runs in the last 3 seasons but they were all as the Designated Hitter. The big question will be can Thome play in the field everyday and still be a productive hitter at age 41? Our opinion is Thome is the consummate professional and will do everything possible to be in the starting lineup on opening day. This is likely the final stop in Jim’s outstanding career as he makes one last push for that elusive World Series ring before making his final baseball stop in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Phillies fans should enjoy the true treasure they’re getting to see in the final year of his career.

Tomorrow we will preview Kyle Kendrick.

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.

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 – Brian Schneider

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 24, 2012 at 5:37 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 16 we preview, Brian Schneider.

Brian Schneider – The 35 year old Schneider begins his 3rd season as the backup catcher to Carlos Ruiz for the Phillies. Schneider will also be entering his 13th big league season. Brian is known for his ability to be ready to play at any time as well as to work with any pitcher on the staff as needed. Over his 2 season with the Phillies, Schneider has played in 47 and 41 games relieving Ruiz. He has produced just a .208 batting average with 6 home runs in his 250 at bats. Over Schneiders’ career he’s only played over 100 games 6 times. His career batting average is .247. He spent 5 seasons in Montreal, 3 in Washington and 2 with the New York Mets before joining the Phillies in 2010.  He’s made a nice career for himself as a quality journeyman catcher. He signed with the Phillies this offseason for another year at $800,000.

Personal Analysis:

Schneider does a nice job during his spot work as Ruiz backup. If Chooch can catch 110-120 games and Schneider handles the rest the Phillies will be in good hands. We would like to see a little more offense out of Schneider but that would be a bonus. If Ruiz were to go down to injury, the Phils would look for a veteran player to come in as the starter and Schneider would remain the backup. This is likely the final season of Brian’s career as he makes one last push for that elusive World Series ring.

Tomorrow we will preview Jim Thome.

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.

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 what www.shop.com has to offer.

 

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Phillie Profile – Hunter Pence

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 23, 2012 at 6:14 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 15 we preview, Hunter Pence.

Hunter Pence – It didn’t take long for Pence to become a favorite with the Phillies fans after he was acquired on July 29, 2011 for 4 minor league players. Pence moved in to the rightfield spot and delivered a .324 batting average with 11 home runs and 35 rbi’s in 207 at bats over 54 games for the Phils. If he can put up those numbers across a 162 games schedule you’re talking about an MVP candidate. The 28 year old Pence has been in the big leagues since 2007. He’s a career .292 hitter that has only hit less than 20 home runs in a season one time, his rookie season when he had 17. In 2011, playing 100 games for the Houston Astros and 54 for the Phillies, Pence had his best season. His combined numbers were a .314 batting average, 22 home runs, 97 rbi’s and 190 hits. He was selected to his 2nd All Star team. Defensively, Pence has led all National League rightfielders in assists three of the last four seasons. Pence is due to make $10.4m in 2012 and will become arbitration eligible after the season.

Personal Analysis:

If you’ve followed our profile articles to date, we’ve talked about how important each player in the lineup is to the team’s success. Pence is the last starter that we’re profiling and he is the most important player of all. Pence will be moved to the cleanup spot while Ryan Howard is on the disabled list and will have to produce big numbers. It’s not necessary for Hunter to hit 30-40 home runs but he needs to hit for high average and he needs to drive in a lot of runs for the Phillies to be successful and in position to win their 6th straight NL East title.  We feel that Pence is up to the task. He’s a very good player that brings fun and excitement to the ball park every day. His smile and hustle along with his big swing are what has endeared him to Phillies fans. Pence even became somewhat of a rock star in Philadelphia in 2011 with his very popular tee shirts with his quote, “Good Game, Lets Go Eat!”

We look for a big season from Pence, .310 batting average, 28 home runs, 105 rbi’s, and 200 hits and another All Star selection. If Pence can be “the man” in the middle of the Phils lineup until Howard returns the Phils will cruise to the playoffs and to the World Series.

We also look for Pence to sign a new contract that will keep him a Phillie for years to come.

Tomorrow we will preview Brian Schneider.

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.

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 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 what www.shop.com has to offer.

 

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Phillies Profile – Shane Victorino- “Flyin’ Hawaiian”

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 22, 2012 at 5:30 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 14 we preview, Shane Victorino.

Shane Victorino – The “Flyin’ Hawaiian” is another of the amazing stories that have helped make up the “Greatest Era in Phillies Baseball History”. Shane was drafted in the 6th round of the 1999 amateur draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. In December of 2002, the San Diego Padres drafted Shane away from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft. In May 2003, he was returned from the Padres to the Dodgers. In December 2004, he was again drafted as a Rule 5 player by the Phillies from the Dodgers. 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.” Based on the definition above you can see that Shane was having trouble sticking in both Los Angeles and San Diego. That’s what makes his story with the Phillies so amazing.

In 2006, the Flyin’ Hawaiian became a full time starter for the Phils and quickly became a fan favorite of the Philadelphia faithful. He hit .287 with 6 Home Runs and 46 RBI’s, while playing all three outfield positions. In 2007, playing almost all of his games in rightfield, Shane hit .281 with 12 home runs and again had 46 RBI’s and 37 stolen bases. 2008, was the breakout season for Victorino. As the starting centerfielder Shane won his first Gold Glove Award, hit .293 with 14 home runs, 58 RBI’s and 36 stolen bases as the Phillies won the World Series.

Shane continued to improve after the breakout 2008 season by making his first All Star team in 2009 and winning his second Gold Glove. He also led the league in Triples for the first time with 13. 2010 led to career highs in home runs, 18, and RBI’s, 69, but the lowest batting average of his big league career, .259. He did win his third straight Gold Glove Award. 2011 saw Shane make his second All Star game appearance as he bounced back with a .279, 17 and 61 season. He again led the league in Triples with 16.

As a result of his fine play Shane has been paid well by the Phillies. He will be paid $9.5m in 2012, the final year of his 3 year – $22m contract.

Personal Analysis:

Like all of the regulars, Shane is an integral part of the Phillies success and must have another one of his typical seasons. This is also a contract year for the 31 year old. Crazy things can happen in contract years! The key for Shane and the Phillies is for Shane to stay within himself and not try to be a power hitter. As pointed out earlier, the year he had the most home runs in his career is the year he had his lowest battling average. The Phils need guys on base so they can manufacturer runs rather than depend on the long ball as much. The Flyin’ Hawaiian still has plenty of speed and the ability to steal bases and the Phils will need that as well. Playing solid centerfield has become a given since Shane became the full timer there and that won’t change. With this being a contract year we’re going to predict a contract renewal type season for Victorino, .295 batting average, 190+ hits, 12 HR’s, 70 RBI’s, 35 stolen bases, a Gold Gove and another trip to the All Star game,

With that will come a new deal to keep the Flyin’ Hawaiian in Philadelphia for 3 more years!

Tomorrow we will preview Hunter Pence.

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.

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 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 what www.shop.com has to offer.

 

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Phillies Profile – John Mayberry, Jr.

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 21, 2012 at 5:46 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 13 we preview, John Mayberry, Jr.

John Mayberry, Jr. – It appears that Mayberry will be given every opportunity to be the full time left fielder in 2012, replacing Raul Ibanez. The 28-year-old was a 1st round draft choice in 2005 of the Texas Rangers. He never made it to the major leagues with Texas. He was traded to the Phillies on November 20, 2008. He finally made his big league debut on May 23, 2009.  He bounced back and forth from the major leagues to the minor leagues during 2009 and 2010, totaling 69 at bats in 50 games. In 2011, John finally got an opportunity to play more regularly in the big leagues and he took advantage of it. Mayberry turned his 104 games and 267 at bats in to a season with a .273 batting average with 15 home runs, 49 runs batted in and 8 stolen bases. Based on those numbers, the Phillies appear willing to hand the left field keys over to Mayberry, unless he ends up playing 1st base while Ryan Howard is on the disabled list. The bottom line is that Mayberry has to produce. The backup plan will be a platoon situation with a fourth outfielder trying to make the team, possibly Juan Pierre or Laynce Nix or a different combination at 1st base. Last season, Mayberry hit .250 with 7 HR’s against right handed pitchers and .306 with 8 HR’s against lefties. Statistically, Mayberry only has 336 career at bats on his resume.

Personal Analysis:

The Phillies need Mayberry to expand on last season’s numbers and become the full time leftfielder, and part time 1st  baseman that can provide consistent power in the middle of the lineup. With Howard expected to be on the disabled list until at least early June, it is likely that Hunter Pence will hit in the cleanup spot and Mayberry in the 5th spot, if he can produce. It will be critical for Mayberry to get off to a good start. There won’t be a lot of time to move Mayberry in and out of the lineup due to lack of production so he’ll need to settle in quickly and be the player the Phils think that he can be.

Tomorrow we will preview Shane Victorino

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.

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 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 what www.shop.com has to offer.

 

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Phillies Profile – Placido Polanco

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 20, 2012 at 8:54 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 12 we preview, Placido Polanco.

Placido Polanco– After being a 19th round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1994, Polanco has turned in to a high quality major league player. Polly made his big league debut in 1998, and in 2012 prepares to begin his 15th big league season. He played 4 ½ seasons with St. Louis before being traded to the Phillies in the Scott Rolen deal in 2002. He played for the Phillies for 3 ½ seasons until he was traded in mid-season, to make room for Chase Utley, to the Tigers. He played in Detroit for 4 ½ seasons, hitting .311, before returning to the Phillies as a free agent for the last 2 seasons. Although he’s bounced around a bit, Polly still holds a career .301 batting average.  The interesting thing about Polanco’s career is he’s gotten better with age. He didn’t win a Gold Glove until 2007 and has added two more since, 2009 and 2011. He’s also made 2 all star games, in 2007 and 2011. The most interesting statistic in Polly’s career is that he is currently the “All Time Career Leader in Fielding Percentage by a 2nd Baseman” at .992% and he’s also the “All Time Career Leader in Fielding Percentage by a 3rd Baseman” at .993%. Pretty impressive statistics! Polly is in the final year of his contract in 2012 with 2013 as a mutual option year.

Personal Analysis:

Each day as we write these profiles the Phillies are changing due to injuries. We knew Ryan Howard would start the season on the Disabled List and yesterday news about Chase Utley looks like it could put him on the DL for opening day and maybe much longer. The loss of Utley makes it even more important that Polanco stay healthy and have a solid season in the 2nd spot in the lineup. Polly, along with Jimmy Rollins, will need to set the table and score a lot of runs as the Phils try to figure out how to manufacture runs rather than depend on the long ball like they have the last few seasons. As a .300 career lifetime contact hitter, that doesn’t strike out much, Polly is a great fit for the #2 spot in the Phillies lineup. Our prediction for Polly in 2012 is a .285 batting average, 8 HR’s, 50 RBI’s and solid on defense, as always.

 Tomorrow we will preview John Mayberry, Jr.

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.

Fell free to click to 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 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 what www.shop.com has to offer.

 

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Phillies Profile – Jimmy Rollins

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 19, 2012 at 8:24 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 11 we preview Jimmy Rollins.

Jimmy Rollins – 2012 will mark the 12th season for JRoll as the starting Phillies shortstop. The 33 year old Rollins is a former 2nd round draft pick from 1996. He made his big league debut all the way back on September 17, 2000. Since that time, Rollins has done just about everything you can do as a Phillie. Although his style has never been that of your prototypical leadoff man he’s had great success. He has led the league in At Bats 4 times, runs scored once, triples 4 times and stolen bases once. He won the NL MVP in 2007, won a Silver Slugger Award for shortstops, he’s won 3 Gold Glove Awards, been named to 3 All Star teams and won a World Series and been to another. He has had over 200 hits one time, 212 in 2007. He has had over 190 hits in three other seasons.  The knock on JRoll as a leadoff hitter is that he doesn’t get on base enough and still strikes out too much even though his yearly strike out totals have decreased throughout his career. Last season he struck out 59 times. His On Base Percentage (OBP) is .329 for his career. As a comparison, New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter’s career OBP is .383 while former Phils great Larry Bowa had a career .301 OBP. Jimmy currently holds nearly all of the career hitting records by a Phillies shortstops. He trails Bowa by 103 games played in his career. Barring injury he will pass that mark this season.

Personal Analysis:

JRoll is still “The Straw that Stirs the Drink” for the Phillies lineup. When Jimmy puts the ball in play by hitting ground balls or line drives on a consistent basis he sets the table for the middle of the lineup. At age 33, the Phils don’t need a power hitting shortstop, they need a guy who hits for contact, drives the ball in the gaps and is a pest on the bases while stealing 25-30 bases. Jimmy also needs to be patient at the plate, work the pitchers, and get on base by walking. In 2011 he matched his career high with 58 walks. Exceeding that number this year should be a goal for Rollins and for the Phillies. I’d like to see that number be at least 75 but that hasn’t been Jimmy’s style. Rollins will be solid on defense, as always, teaming with Chase Utley or whoever ends up playing 2nd base. The Phils decision to sign Jimmy for the next 3 years means he will likely end his career in Philadelphia. He’s been a solid player throughout his career, the hope here is that it continues. We’ll predict a .270 season with 90 runs scored, 10 home runs, 55 RBI’s and 25 stolen bases.  

Tomorrow we will preview Placido Polanco.

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.

Fell free to click to 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 www.shop.com 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 what www.shop.com has to offer.

 

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Phillies Profile – Chase Utley

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 18, 2012 at 8:18 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 10 we preview Chase Utley.

Chase Utley – Chase is a former Phillies 1st round draft pick in 2000 out of UCLA. Utley made his big league debut on April 4, 2003 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He became the full time 2nd baseman in 2005. Since that time, Chase has had a 203 hit season, scored over 100 runs 4 times, driven in over 100 runs 4 times, hit over 30 home runs 3 times, led the league in hit by pitches 3 times, won 4 Silver Slugger Awards for 2nd basemen and made 5 All Star teams. His career batting average is .290 with 188 Home Runs and 694 RBI’s. Chase has also contributed 10 career post season home runs and 25 RBI’s.

Chase is a key part of the middle of the Phillies line up. The 3rd spot in the lineup is critical to protecting Ryan Howard or Hunter Pence in the 4th spot. Utley’s injuries over the last several seasons have directly affected Howards output as well. Howard hasn’t seen the quality pitches he was seeing. Part of the reason for that is Utley hasn’t been on base as much or been the feared hitter he has been in the past. The injuries have limited Chase’s games to 115 and 103 the last two seasons. Many of those games were played at less than 100%.

Personal Analysis:

The Phils need Utley to raise his game closer to the pre-injury plagued seasons of 2010 and 2011. Chase is absolutely critical to the success of the Phillies by getting on base and driving in runs. Utley’s numbers have declined drastically over the last few years. His average has dropped from .332, .292, .282, .275 to .259 in 2011. His home run numbers have also declined over that period, 22, 33, 31, 16, and 11, and with that comes RBI reductions, 103, 104, 93, 65 and 44.Chase has been given a pass because he has been injured and because he was such an integral part to the 2008 World Series Champions and to the return to the World Series in 2009. As of this writing, Chase is yet to play in a Spring Training game due to a knee problem. There seems to be no set time table on his return. There has even been some discussion that Utley could start the season on the DL along with Howard. That would be a big blow to the Phillies to start the season. Utley continues to say he will be ready to play soon and will be ready for opening day, however, Charlie Manuel doesn’t seem convinced: “His problem is not going away. More than likely it maybe never goes away. We want him to be at a real good percentage of playing. Will he ever be 100 percent? I don’t know about that. He might never be that.” We’re going to stay on the positive side with Utley’s health. We feel that Manuel will rest Chase on a regular basis, especially on day games after night games. We’re going to predict 130 games at 2nd base, a .290 batting average with 20-25 home runs and 90 RBI’s. The one thing that will be constant with Chase Utley is that if he goes on the field he will be giving 100%, whether he’s 100% healthy or not. The big question for the Phillies in 2012 is will that be good enough?

Tomorrow we will preview Jimmy Rollins.

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.

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Phillies Profile – Ryan Howard

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 17, 2012 at 8:02 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 9, we preview Ryan Howard.

Ryan Howard – “The Big Piece” is the key to the middle of the Phillies line up and the key to The Fightins reaching the World Series in 2012. Howard has hit home runs at a greater pace than any Phillie in history, including Michael Jack Schmidt. In his 6 seasons as the Phils regular 1st baseman Ryan has hit 58, 47, 48, 45, 31 and 33 home runs, leading the league twice. He’s also driven in over 108 runs every year while leading the league in RBI’s three times with over 141 each of those years. Howard won the Rookie of the Year award in 2005, won the MVP Award in 2006, finished 2nd in the MVP voting in 2008 and is a 3 – time all star selection. Interestingly enough if you take a close look at Howards statistics his best seasons came when the #3 hitter, Chase Utley, in the lineup had his best seasons and the #5 hitter, Jayson Werth, had his best seasons. It all works together for Howard. When Utley has been injured and missed games or not been up to his best, which means not on base as much, Howard doesn’t get the good pitches he used to get. The same can be said for the 5 hole in the lineup when Werth signed with the Nationals and Hunter Pence was not yet a Phillie. Look for yourself. Utley over the last 5 seasons has hit .332, .292, .282, .275, and .259. Howards RBI totals have been 136, 146, 141, 108, and 116 during the same period. These numbers are still awful good for any player, but not what we’ve come to expect from “The Big Piece.” With that said, it’s pretty clear that Ryan has developed some bad habits at the plate. He’s not getting the pitch selection he used to get. He’s seeing constant breaking balls away and is chasing them and striking out too much. The habits are bad, but the fact the table isn’t set by the top of the lineup results in Howard not seeing as many fastballs as he used to. A healthy Utley and the everyday presence of Pence in the 5 hole will help Howard in 2012.

Defensively, Howard continues to get better each season. After leading the league in errors 3 years in a row Howard finished with a career best .993 fielding percentage in 2011 with only 9 errors. This is down considerably from his career low numbers of .988 and 19 errors in 2008.

Personal Analysis:

The news out of Clearwater seems to be getting worse. The latest projection is that Ryan won’t be ready to play until late May or early June. GM Ruben Amaro said “When (the wound) gets healed over and we feel comfortable he can take the boot off, that’s what we’ll do, but he’s doing some more activities now, he’s doing some cardio stuff, he’s taking ground balls on the bucket. “I think he’s going to take throws … he’s doing stuff he can do when he’s in the boot that aren’t ridiculous, but things that will help him so he’s not too far removed from doing baseball stuff.” With that said the Phillies will err on the side of caution and not bring Howard back too early and risk not having him for the second half of the season. The Phillies will need to hold down the fort with their solid pitching, get good contributions from whatever combination of players they decide to use at 1st base and Pence will have to be solid in the #4 spot. None of that matters if the combination of Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco and Utley don’t set the table for Pence. We know Pence won’t hit the home runs that Howard hits but he could drive in the runs. Once Howard returns, we expect 18-24 home runs and 60 RBI’s down the stretch. The Phils will need “The Big Piece” to be healthy for the second half of the season to win the 2012 World Series.

Tomorrow we will preview Chase Utley.

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 7, Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz.

Philly Pressbox would like to welcome our Sponsor, Shop.com. www.Shop.com/BobSullivan .

Please click the following link  http://www.shop.com/ul!44451!Phillies+shopping-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 for all of your Phillies needs. Shopping made easy right from your home without ever missing an inning of the 2012 Phillies.

 

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Phillies Profile – Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 16, 2012 at 3:15 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 8 we preview Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz.

Carlos Ruiz – “Chooch” has turned in a truly unbelievable story. He was signed by the Phillies as a Free Agent in 1998 as a 2nd baseman. Early on he was converted to catcher due to his strong arm. He struggled through a good part of his minor league career in Low A ball at Clearwater and Lakewood. In 2003, he started off hot at Clearwater and was promoted to AA Reading and his career started to take off. Chooch spent 2 seasons at Reading and 2 more at AAA Lehigh Valley. He continued to prosper at the plate in Lehigh Valley, hitting .300 and .307 there. All the while honing his catching skills.  Interestingly enough, Chooch never caught more than 101 games in a season in the minor leagues.

Chooch got the call to the big leagues in 2006. He made his debut on May 6 against the San Francisco Giants. He played in only 27 games in 2006 but Chooch was about to arrive on the Phillies scene on a full time basis. In 2007, Chooch became the starting catcher. He has caught 111, 110, 107, 118 and 128 games each year since. Chooch has continued to be solid at the plate while doing an outstanding job behind the plate working with the pitching staff. His hitting high point came in 2010 when he hit .302. Another amazing thing about the 33 year old Panama native is when he arrived in Philadelphia in 2007 he was paid $380,000. In 2012 he will be earning $3.7m in the final year of his contract. The Phillies do hold a 2013 team option on Chooch for amazing $5m.

Chooch has had several personal highlights during his time as the full time catcher during the “Greatest Era in Phillies Baseball”.  He caught the last pitch of Game 5 of the 2008 World Series from Brad Lidge to let the celebration begin. He was the catcher for Roy Halladays Perfect Game against the Marlins and was also behind the plate for Halladays no-hitter against the Reds in the playoffs. Halladay said of Chooch, “He’s very good at in-game adjustments and feeling his way through the game. I’ve been fortunate to have some good catchers. But I think as far as a guy that takes pride in calling every pitch, I think he’s probably the highest on that list.”  Quite a compliment from the best pitcher in baseball! Former Phillies teammate Jamie Moyer added, “He gets a great deal of respect from his teammates, and as an athlete that’s what you hope to get. He’s earned it quite well. I think if you went across the field and ask any opposing team what they think of him, they would have a great deal of respect for him as a person and a catcher.” And lastly Phils starter Joe Blanton  commented, “He’s huge, I think if you ask any pitcher, they are going to tell you how valuable he is putting down the fingers, game-calling, his ability to handle us each differently.”

Personal Analysis:

“Chooch” has become a real fan favorite of the Phillies faithful and why not? He’s fun to watch, he gets key hits, he’s under complete control of the pitching staff, and he brings his lunch pail to work every day….Philly style! There’s no reason not to expect another solid season from Chooch, both behind the plate defensively and at the plate offensively. We expect another 120 games behind the plate and another .280 batting average with a handful of home runs and 40-50 RBI’s out of the 8th spot in the batting order. The big question for the Phillies could come at the end of the season. Do you sign Chooch for his option year at $5m, try to sign him for an additional couple of years or turn him lose?

Tomorrow we will preview Ryan Howard.

Philly Pressbox would like to welcome our Sponsor, Shop.com. www.Shop.com/BobSullivan .

Please click the following link  http://www.shop.com/ul!44451!Phillies+shopping-trends.xhtml?credituser=C9407795 for all of your Phillies needs. Shopping made easy right from your home without ever missing an inning of the 2012 Phillies.