As part of out 3rd Hall of Fame Class Philly Pressbox Radio is adding a new category, broadcasters. This first ballot is loaded with Philly broadcast legends. Bill Campbell, Gene Hart, Harry Kalas and Merrill Reese. You only get to pick one. Voting will last for 1 week. Attached is a link from our 8/10/16 show where Chet and Bill provide a thumbnail breakdown on each candidate. This review starts about the 30 minute mark. Enjoy!!!
With Spring Training 2014 quickly approaching the boys gathered at the Philly Pressbox for a few cold beverages and some baseball talk. We recently posted a note that it was Mike Lieberthals birthday and received both positive and negative comments about Lieby and him being honored on the Phillies Wall of Fame. That led us to the conversation of Who’s the Best Phillies Catcher of All Time. We quickly decided on the four finalists, Bob Boone, Darren Daulton, Leiberthal and Carlos Ruiz. This pretty much covers the last 40 years of full time Phillies catchers.
We’re going to provide some statistical information, as Phillies only, on each of the four and allow you, the fans, to vote on your favorite. The players are listed in alphabetical order.
BOB BOONE
Boonie was the Phillies full-time starting catcher from 1973-1981. He caught 100+ games in 7 seasons.
He ranks 2nd to Lieberthal in games caught in the modern day with 1125. He caught 100+ games 7 times
He is 3rd in Batting Average, .259, behind Lieberthal and Ruiz.
He is 3rd in Home Runs, 65, behind Lieberthal and Daulton.
He ranks 3rd in RBI’s with 456.
Boone struck out the least of the four with 365 behind Daulton, Lieberthal and Ruiz.
Boone won 1 World Series with the Phils, made 3 All Star Teams and won 2 Gold Gloves.
Defensively Boone led the NL in these categories during his Phillies career:
1978 – Fielding Percentage, 1973 – Assists, 1974- Putouts, 1973 – Runners Caught Stealing, 1974 & 1980 Errors Committed, 1974 & 1980 Stolen Bases Allowed.
Boone was traded by the Phillies after the 1981 season. He played 9 more seasons, making 1 more all star team and winning 5 more Gold Gloves. He actually played more games after he left the Phils than he did as a Phillie.
He was inducted in to the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2005.
DARREN DAULTON
“Dutch” was the Phillies starting catcher for the Phils for the most part from 1985-1995 although he only played more that 100 game 4 times in his career. His best 2 seasons came in 1992 and 1993 when he drove in more than 100 runs in both of those seasons helping lead the Phils to the 1993 World Series. 
Daulton ranks 3rd in games caught behind Lieberthal and Boone.
He ranks 4th in batting average, .245, behind Lieberthal, Ruiz and Boone
He ranks 2nd in Home Runs with 134 behind Lieberthal.
He ranks 2nd in RBI’s behind Lieberthal with 567.
Daulton struck out the most of the four with 709 career k’s.
Daulton went to one World Series, 1983, was selected to 3 All Star games and won one Silver Slugger Award.
Defensively, Daulton led the NL in the following categories during his Phillies career:
1990- Assists, 1993 – Putouts, 1990 & 1993 – DP’s by a catcher, 1992- Runners Caught Stealing.
Dutch was traded to the Florida Marlins in the middle of the 1997 season, his final one. The Marlins went on to win the World Series.
He was inducted in to the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2010.
MIKE LIEBERTHAL
“Lieby” started splitting time behind the plate in 1995 and 96 before becoming the full-time guy in 1997. He caught 100+ games 7 times before his last season with the Phillies in 2006.
He is the Phillies all time leader in games caught with 1174 games.
He leads in batting average with a .275 average.
He leads in Home Runs with 150.
He leads in RBI’s with 609.
He is 2nd in strikeouts to Daulton with 560.
“Lieby” made 2 All Star teams and won 1 Gold Glove Award.
Defensively, Lieberthal led the NL in the following categories during his Phillies career:
1999- Assists, 1999- Fielding Percentage, 1997, 99 and 2003 – Passed Balls, 2003 – Stolen Bases Allowed.
Lieby spent the final season of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Lieberthal was inducted in to the Phillies Wall of Fame in 2012.
CARLOS RUIZ
“Chooch” took over as the Phillies full time catcher in 2007. He has been a work horse ever since. He’s caught more than 100 games in 6 of his 7 seasons. The only time he didn’t was last season when he caught 92 games after being suspended. He signed a 3-year contract extension this off-season so his stats are a work in progress.
He is last of the four on the Phillies all time leader in games caught with 825 games.
He is 2nd in batting average to Lieberthal by .001, with a .274 average.
He is last in Home Runs with 57 which is 8 behind Boone.
He is last in RBI’s with 336. He is 120 behind Boone for 3rd.
He has struck out the 3rd most behind Daulton and Lieberthal with 325.
“Chooch” has won 1 World Series in 2008, made it to another in 2009 and made 1 All Star team. He has not won any Gold Gloves or Silver Slugger Awards.
Defensively, Chooch has never led the NL in any category.
Now you have some numbers to ponder. Now it’s time to cast your vote.
Philly Pressbox is proud of our association with the Kisses for Kyle Foundation. Please check out their link at http://www.shop.com/kissesforkyle Every purchase you make helps families battling childhood cancer in the Delaware Valley.
With all the hoopla going on about the Eagles and their upcoming trip to Dallas to win the NFC East title and make a trip to the playoffs we wanted to take a step back and take a winter look at the Fightin Phils. Spring Training is right around the corner!
Many feel that it’s time to rebuild the Phillies from the ground up, however, that doesn’t seem to be the approach being taken by General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. The resigning of fan favorites Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz to three year contracts indicated one of two things, the organizations feels that it can win now with the players they have or the minor leagues are so depleted that there won’t be anyone ready at those positions for several years. We’re favoring that they think they can win now.
Lets take a look at the roster as it stands today:
The projected outfield: LF – Dom Brown, CF- Ben Revere, RF- Marlon Byrd, Reserves – Darin Ruf and John Mayberry Jr.
Dom Brown is coming off the best season of his career. The 26-year-old hit .272 with 27 HR’s and 83 RBI’s. The question about Brown is this, can you trust him to duplicate or improve on those numbers? Brown has been given the job several times over the last few years and hasn’t been able to hold it. Is he for real?
Ben Revere got off to a terrible start while adjusting to NL pitching. He got hot and stayed hot, raising his average from under .200 to .305 with 22 stolen bases before his season ending injury. The 25-year-old has a lot of upside as a hitter and base stealer from the lead off spot.
Marlon Byrd comes over from the Pittsburgh Pirates as an off-season free agent signing. The 36-year-old is coming off the best season of his career, hitting .291 with 24 HRs and 88 RBI’s, while splitting time between the Mets and Pirates. As with Brown the question is this, can Byrd duplicate or improve on last season?
Darin Ruf is an interesting story. He seems to show serious Home Run power but seems to find his way out of the line up by striking out way to much. The 27 -year- old has hit 17 HR’s in 284 At Bats witch would equate to a 35 HR season if he played every day. He has also struck out 103 times in those 284 AB’s which would equate to 206 K’s. There are a lot of questions about keeping a player like Ruf around if he’s not going to play every day so he can continue to improve.
John Mayberry Jr just celebrated his 30th birthday. Mayberry is a career .245 hitter that has averaged 13 HR’s and 45 RBI’s as a part-time player for the Phillies over the last 3 seasons. Is he good enough to be a reserve or can the Phillies upgrade that position without spending a lot of money?
The projected infield looks like this: 1B – Ryan Howard, 2B – Chase Utley, SS – Jimmy Rollins, 3B – Cody Asche. Reserves – Kevin Frandsen and Freddy Galvis.
Will the Phillies get a healthy Ryan Howard back in 2014? That’s the question that another season hinges on. Prior to the injuries that ended the 2011 season, Howard had only hit less than 31 HR’s one time in his career and that was his rookie year in 2005 when he hit 22. Since his injury he has hit 25 in 2012 and 2013 combined. Howard is now 34 years old. Many fans are down on Howard but here’s a misconception, in spite of striking out way too much he has driven in 100+ runs every year that he’s been a full time player and was on pace to do it again in 2012 before being injured. His 2013 numbers project out to near 90. The hope is, that after nearly a year of rehab, the Phils get another chance to see the old Ryan Howard that can hit 30 HRs and drive in 100+ runs.
Chase Utley – Chase “You are the Man” looks like he will finish his career as a Phillie. Utley who’s now 35 years old, played in 131 games in 2012, his most since 2009. He hit a solid .284 with 18 HR’s and 69 RBIs without a legit clean up man hitting behind him. With Utley, what you see is what you get from here on out. His superstar days are behind him yet he’s a solid player who’s now healthy. Unless Howard comes back with a huge season that gives Utley some more fastballs to hit, .285. 20 and 70 is where he’ll be and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Jimmy Rollins – JRoll is also now 35 years old and entering the final year of his contract with the Phils. Rollins offensive skills have tapered off ever since his MVP season of 2007. He hit just .252 in 2013 and hit only 6 HR’s with 39 RBI’s while still playing in 160 games. This will likely be the swan song for the 3 time all star and 4 time gold glove winner UNLESS he buys what Ryne Sandberg is selling and changes his hitting approach at the plate.
Cody Asche – There is nothing but up side for the 23-year-old 3rd baseman. Asche showed he has a big league glove and arm in his 50 game audition in 2013. He hit just .235 but showed some pop with 5 HRs and 22 RBIs in just 160 AB’s. A full season in the big leagues should bring nothing but improvement to Asche. He’s got 20+ HR and 90+ RBI potential.
Kevin Frandsen – Due to all of the injuries in 2013 Frandsen was pushed in to a lot more duty than expected at 1B, 2B and 3rd base. He ended up playing in 119 games and batting 252 times, finishing with a .234 average well below his career .259 average. Frandsen isn’t going to hit for power but will provide depth at the infield positions.
Freddie Galvis – The 24-year-old Galvis has shown some great promise with the glove during several stints in the big leagues, his problem is that he struggles at the plate. Freddie currently has a career .230 batting average. The problem is that he’s never been a hitter in the minor leagues either. He’s presently on the depth chart as the back up at SS , 2B and 3B along with Frandsen. If Galvis gets enough work and can show he belongs he could be the front runner to replace Rollins in 2015.
The Catchers:
Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz – Chooch is a fan favorite who tested the free agent market and ended up right back with the Phillies for three more seasons. He will turn 35 prior to the start of Spring Training but has been a work horse behind the plate. He carries a .274 career batting average but his strength is working the pitching staff. With as many youngsters as the Phillies bullpen are likely to have in 2014 this phase of his game will again be critical.
Will Nieves – The 36-year-old Nieves has played parts of 7 seasons on a major league roster but has never had more than 224 At Bats in any of those years. He carries a career .242 average, although he hit .297 in 2013 for Arizona in 195 ABs, and has hit only 8 career HRs. Nieves will be expected to play in 40-50 games to provide rest for Ruiz. We will need to see if Nieves has the ability to work with the pitching staff.
Cameron Rupp – The 25-year-old Rupp is currently on the Phillies 40 man roster. He got his first sniff of big league life in 2013 appearing in 4 games and hitting .308 in just 13 ABs. Rupp appears to have climbed to the top of the Phils minor league system ahead of a couple catchers that were more highly touted entering 2013. It remains to be seen if Rupp will spend 2014 with the Phillies or spend another season in Lehigh Valley. Since he’s only had a half season at AAA the smart money says he spends a good part of the season there.
Starting Pitchers: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Roberto Hernandez, Kyle Kendrick and ???????
Cole Hamels is now a 30-year-old pitcher for the Phils. He pitched poorly at times in 2013 but mostly pitched through lack of run support. He is clearly the “ace” of the staff although he finished 8-14 last season. Hamels has now won 99 big league games as a Phillie while sporting a career 3.38 ERA. From 2007 – 2013 Hamels has pitched between 183 and 227 innings every season. Barring injury there’s no reason that another 220 innings won’t come his away again in 2014.
Cliff Lee – The 35-year-old Lee is coming off an outstanding 2013 where he won 14 lost 8 and had a 2.87 ERA while logging 222.2 innings and striking out 222 batters. Lee is a solid starter that would the #1 on many clubs and could be on the Phils as well. Lee is a workhorse that has thrown over 200 innings 8 times in his career. Expect him to be a solid winner again in 2014.
Roberto Hernandez – The 33-year-old Hernandez was signed as a free agent from Tampa Bay where he was 6-13 with a 4.89 ERA in 2013. In 2009 Hernandez won 19 games for the Cleveland Indians, however, has only won more than 10 one other time. His career numbers are 59-82 with an ERA of 4.67. The hope is that Hernandez can win 12-15 games as the #3 starter.
Kyle Kendrick – Kendrick started out strong but finished the season with 10-13, 4.70 ERA in 30 starts. Over the last four seasons, almost all as a starter, Kendrick has won 40 games and lost 41. The 29-year-old Kendrick is what he is a .500 pitcher. To expect any more than 10 -12 wins from him is expecting too much.
The 5th starter – This could be Jonathan Petibone, Ethan Martin, Miguel Gonzalez or someone who isn’t with the team yet. If Spring Training started today it would be the 23-year-old Petibone. Petibone was 5-4 in his first visit to the majors in 2013 before being shutdown with an arm injury.
The Bullpen: What we think we know right now.
The closer will be Jonathan Papelbon. There is a lot of speculation that Papelbon will be moved this off season but at this time it hasn’t happened. The Phils need to decide whether to eat his contract or keep him in the closer role. In his 2 seasons with the Phils he has a 10-7 record with a below 3.00 ERA while saving 67 of 78 opportunities.
Possible closer: Jake Deikman, Deikman has a live left arm that reaches close to 100 mph. The 6’4″ Deikman will turn 26 prior to the start of Spring Training. If Papelbon is moved, Deikman will have the first shot at the closer spot.
Set Up Men – Antonio Bastardo and Mike Adams are those guys. Bastardo has been a bit inconsistent at times, however the 28-year-old lefty has gotten the job done. He finished 2013 with 3-2. 2.32 ERA with 5 saves in 48 games.
Adams, the 35-year-old righthander, will be expected to fill the right side of the set up role. Adams was pitching fairly well before an injury shut him down in June. Adams can be a workhorse having appeared in over 60 games in a season 3 times.
Possible Set Up Man – Brad Lincoln. The 28-year old righthander was brought to the Phillies in an offseason trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. His role is undefined at this time. He’s been a reliever in the big leagues but a starter in the minor leagues. His career record is 9-11 with a 4.66 ERA in 97 games.
The remaining few spots, depending on the catching decision, is anybodys guess. We can be fairly sure that the spots will be filled by young players that we got a glimpse of in 2013. That list includes BJ Rosenberg, Ethan Martin, Justin DeFratus, Jeremy Horst, Michael Stutts, Joe Savery and Phillippe Aumont. All are young and all have potential to be big league pitchers.
All of the players above are on the present 40 man roster.
The most glaring questions are these:
Is this the roster that will come out of Spring Training?
Can Ryan Howard come back from his injuries and be the 30 HR and 100 RBI player he’s been in the past?
Will this be the end for Jimmy Rollins as a Phillie?
Nearly everyone on the roster is in their 30’s, can they stay injury free so the Phils aren’t running a AAA lineup out all summer?
Is this the year that Hamels and Lee can both avoid hard luck seasons and post 18+ wins each?
Most importantly, can this roster compete for a pennant under first year manager Ryan Sandberg and a partially new staff?
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The major league baseball All Star game is fast approaching and the question in Philadelphia is this, will any of the underachieving Phillies be part of the mid-summer classic?
There are only 3 possible candidates in our eyes with 1 outside chance.
First, Dom Brown has the best chance. As of July 6 he’s hitting .279 with 22 Home Runs and 60 RBI’s. He presently ranks second among leftfielders in the NL in HR’s and RBI’s behind Carlos Gonzalez. He should be selected.
Second, Cliff Lee. Lee is 10-2 with a 2.73 ERA after last nights win against the Braves. Lee also comes with a reputation that won’t hurt his chances. He should be selected.
Third, Jonathan Papelbon. “Paps” is 2-0 with a 1.87 ERA. He has converted 18 of 22 save opportunities. He’s currently 8th in the NL in saves.
The outside candidate is probably a long shot.
Ben Revere. Revere has been hot over the last 50+ games hitting over .325 and raising his average nearly 100 points. He went from hitting 8th or being benched to leading the team in hitting with a .293 average and 20 stolen bases. He presently has the 4th highest average of any everyday centerfielder.
There you have it from the Philly Pressbox. What do you think?
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Philly Pressbox would like to thank our trivia sponsor, shop.com/the furmans. Please help us support them back by clicking on the following link, www.shop.com/thefurmans and gain access to nearly 3000 stores for all of your on line shopping, comparison pricing and cash back on your purchases. Signing up is free with no obligation to buy. Type in nearly anything in the search bar and you’ll likely find it there.
My buddies and I are sitting around enjoying a couple cold beverages and talking Philly sports. What else is better than that? The following question led to some great debate.
What Philadelphia Non – Hall of Famer has had the greatest impact on sports in the city?
There were many names bounced back and forth, we tried to come up with one from each sport but it was awful hard to do so we agreed to settle on a few. We also talked about non-players like coaches, broadcasters, owners and general managers.
Now keep in mind that nearly everyones favorites are the HOF guys who are the best players, but this discussion/argument eliminates Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Harry Kalas, Dr J, Billy Cunningham, Wilt Chamberlain, Steve VanBuren, Chuck Bednarik, Reggie White, Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Ed Snider. You get the point.
The discussion left us with 4 Non – Hall of Fame men that we felt had the greatest impact on Philadelphia sports over their careers. Note, many may feel that Brian Dawkins may be on this list but we felt he was too current and he will be a Hall of Famer.
Dick Vermeil – Vermeil turned the Eagles from losers to winners and took them to the Super Bowl. The Eagles franchise, for the most part, has been above average ever since. It’s safe to say Vermeil turned Philadelphia in to a football town.
Dave Schultz – “The Hammer” of the Broad Street Bullies. Schultz brought the toughness to Philadelphia that has become the trademark of the city. He is still revered in the city while the Flyers have been one of the most consistently successful franchises since the arrival of “The Hammer”.
Pete Rose – We may be sneaking this one in since Pete should be in the Hall of Fame as a player. He taught the Phillies how to win like no one else. Without him the World Series championship of 1980 doesn’t happen. To this day Philadelphia fans are looking for the “Pete Rose kinda guy” that will kick teammates butts and get the most out of them.
Paul Owens – This was an interesting name, however, when you look at the facts you can’t argue that he belongs. Owens built the Phillies farm system by drafting Schmidt, Greg Luzinski, Bob Boone and Larry Bowa. He traded to get Tug McGraw, Garry Maddox and Bake McBride and pulled off the free agent signing of Pete Rose. Many forget that he made himself the manager in the middle of the 1983 season and led the “Wheez Kids” to the World Series. He was a member of the Phillies organization in some capacity from 1957 until his death in 2003.
There you have our 4. I’d like to say that’s all the beverages we had to come up with that list.
We’ve set up a poll to get your vote. Feel free to add the names of those that we missed. Click “other” in the vote box and add your choice by clicking on the “Respond” tab at the bottom and typing in your choice. Feel free to give your reasoning as well.
So who did I vote for?
My vote goes to Dave Schultz.
The toughness attitude that Schultz brought to Philadelphia is now known around the country and created the blue collar and tough guy attitude that the City of Philadelphia is know for. That attitude is being carried in to its 3rd generation. It’s carried in day-to-day life as well as by the fans of the other sports in the city. “The Hammer” gets my vote!!
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Philly Pressbox would like to thank our trivia sponsor, shop.com/the furmans. Please help us support them back by clicking on the following link, www.shop.com/thefurmans and gain access to nearly 3000 stores for all of your on line shopping, comparison pricing and cash back on your purchases. Signing up is free with no obligation to buy. Type in nearly anything in the search bar and you’ll likely find it there.
Philly Pressbox would like to thank our trivia sponsor, shop.com/the furmans. Please help us support them back by clicking on the following link, www.shop.com/thefurmans and gain access to nearly 3000 stores for all of your on line shopping, comparison pricing and cash back on your purchases. Signing up is free with no obligation to buy. Type in nearly anything in the search bar and you’ll likely find it there.
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