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Posts Tagged ‘Philadelphia Phillies’

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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.

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 – 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.

 

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Phillies Profile – Joe Blanton

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 15, 2012 at 6:27 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 7 we preview Joe Blanton.

Joe Blanton – Blanton has been somewhat of a mystery man for the Phillies since joining them in a trade with the Oakland A’s in 2008. He arrived with the reputation of being a guy that was a consistent starter that could pitch a lot of innings. Upon his arrival, Joe posted a 4-0 record with a 4.20 ERA in the regular season. He also started 3 playoff games, with the Phils winning all them, while he posted a 2-0 record and a 3.18 ERA while helping the Phils win the 2008 World Series. Joe bounced back with a solid, although not spectacular season in 2009. He won 12, lost 8, with an ERA of 4.05 in 31 starts while eating up 195.1 innings. Joe also pitched in 3 post season games in 2009 but didn’t fare as well, although the Phils won 2 of the 3. He was not the pitcher of record in any of the games while pitching 15.2 innings and finishing with a 5.40 ERA. 2010, again brought another solid but unspectacular season. Joe recorded 28 more starts in his 29 appearances. He finished with a 9-6 record, a 4.82 ERA, while throwing 175.2 innings. In 2011, for the first time in his career Blanton fought the injury bug. He only logged 41.1 innings on the mound while compiling a 1-2 record with a 5.01 ERA. He returned healthy fo the end of season and was added to the Phils playoff roster.

Personal Analysis:

As we stated earlier Blanton has been a bit of a mystery. If healthy, the 31 year old is a solid but unspectacular 5th starter that should pitch more than 175 innings for the Phillies. With that said, Joe could be a #3 starter on a lot of other teams that don’t have the starting pitching horsepower that the Phils have. Trading Blanton is possible but not likely. Joe is due $8.5m in 2012. We’re going to look for Blanton  to start the season in the 5th spot and to win 12 games in 2012. If he falters, Kyle Kendrick will be ready to fill that spot in the rotation and Blanton will move to long reliever in the bullpen.

Tomorrow we will preview 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 – Vance Worley

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 14, 2012 at 6:19 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 6 we preview Vance Worley.

Vance Worley – The Phillies had their eyes on Worley for a long time. He was drafted in the 20th round of the 2005 amateur draft out of high school but did not sign. The 24 year old was drafted again by the Phillies in the 3rd round out of Long Beach State in the 2008 draft. Before the end of the 2010 season Vance was in the big leagues. He made his big league debut on July 24, 2010 against the Colorado Rockies. Worley finished the season pitching in 5 games, 2 of them starts, totaling 13 innings. He won 1, lost 1 and had a 1.38 ERA.

Vance had an outstanding 2011 Spring Training but did not make the club coming out of Clearwater. He began the season at AAA Lehigh Valley. He was recalled by the Phillies and started his first game on April 29, throwing 6 innings of 2 hit, shutout baseball against the Mets. The “Vanimal” had arrived! Worley went on to pitch in 25 games, 21 of them starts, compiling an 11-3 record with a 3.01 ERA over 131.2 innings. He finished 3rd in the NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Personal Analysis:

There’s always a concern for a young player, especially a pitcher, coming off an outstanding rookie season of not staying focused entering their second season. Worley has been around town throughout the off season and has become a fan favorite because of his outstanding rookie season, his friendly personality and his nickname. All indications are that Vance reported to Spring Training very focused and ready to help the Phillies chase their 6th straight NL East title. The Vanimal has great examples around him in Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels on how to prepare and stay focused. Worley will be competing for one of the final two spots in the rotation with Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick. Our opinion is that Worley will win out and fit nicely in to the 4th spot in the rotation. It may be unreasonable to expect great improvement from Worley over his 11 wins in 2011 so we’ll stay close and predict 12-15 wins for him. If he exceeds 15 wins out of the 4th spot in the rotation the Phils will run away from the rest of the Eastern Division.

Tomorrow we will preview Joe Blanton.

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 – Cole Hamels

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 13, 2012 at 5:49 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 5 we preview Cole Hamels.

Cole Hamels – Cole is the pride of the pitchers in the Phillies organization. He was a 1st round draft pick, 17th overall, in the 2002 amateur draft by the Phils. He made his professional debut on May 12, 2006 throwing 5 scoreless innings against the Cincinnati Reds. He went on to start 23 games in his rookie year finishing with 9 wins, 8 losses and a 4.08 ERA. Hamels continued to improve in 2007 producing a 15-5, 3.39 ERA season and being selected to his first All Star team while increasing his innings worked from 132.1 in 2006 to 183.1 in 2007.  2008 was the year for Cole Hamels to break out! Again, Cole increased his innings worked, 227.1, while striking out 196 hitters on his way to a 14-10, 3.09 ERA season. The 24 year old lefty stepped up his game in the playoffs and the World Series. His playoff record was 4-0 in 5 starts with a 1.80 ERA. He was named the NLCS and the World Series MVP as the Phillies won their first World Series Championship since 1980.

2009 was a letdown for Hamels. His innings were down, 193.2, his strikeouts were down, 168, his ERA was up, 4.32, and his won-lose record was 10-11. His playoff numbers ballooned as well. He finished the playoffs with a 1-2 record and a 7.58 ERA. He gave up 5 runs in 4.1 innings in the Game 3 World Series lose to the Yankees. Coles struggles even had his work ethic and dedication questioned by the local media. In 2010, Cole was now pitching behind Roy Halladay in the rotation and he bounced back and continued his development. He finished with a 12-11 record, a 3.06 ERA and a career high 211 strikeouts. 2010 also included a 5 hit shutout in the clinching Game 3 NLDS sweep of the Cincinnati Reds.   In 2011, Hamels was now pitching behind Halladay and Cliff Lee in the rotation and settled in the #3 spot with his best statistical season. He finished 14-9 with an ERA of 2.79 and made his 2nd All Star team.

Hamels 6 season Phillies statistics read like this:

74 wins – 54 loses

3.39 ERA

1091 Strikeouts

2 All Star Teams

Personal Analysis:

The 28 year old lefty continues to improve each season. It is our feeling that this is the year that Hamels moves from “star” to” superstar” status.  As the #3 starter in the rotation behind Halladay and Lee he should always get a good matchup against the opposition and if the Phillies score some runs for him he will be very tough to beat. We’re looking for a career high 20+ win season from Cole. This will be his year and he will win the Cy Young Award.

 Tomorrow we will preview Vance Worley.

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 as well as any other shopping needs. Shopping made easy right from your home without ever missing an inning of the 2012 Phillies

 

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Phillies Profile – Cliff Lee

In Philadelphia Phillies on March 12, 2012 at 10:15 am

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 4 we preview Cliff Lee.

Cliff Lee – Cliff is in his second stint with the Phillies after being obtained at the trade deadline in 2009 and leading the Phils to the World Series before losing to the Yankees. He brought with him stellar statistics from the American League Cleveland Indians. Lee posted a 83-48 career record for the Indians, 4.01 ERA which included a 22-3, 2.54 ERA in 2008 in which he won the Cy Young Award. Once arriving in Philadelphia, Cliff finished with a 7-4 regular season record with a 3.39 ERA. In the playoffs Cliff showed his real value. He pitched two games in the NLCS and the Phillies won both of them. He threw a complete game in a Game 1, 5-1 victory. He came back and pitched 8 innings in the Game 5, 5-4 win. He continued his fine work in the NLDS throwing 8 innings in Game 3 and beating the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-0. Cliff continued his brilliance by winning two World Series games, Game 1, a 6-1 complete game and Game 5, 8-6. Lee threw 8 more innings.

Cliff was traded to the Seattle Mariners after the 2009 season and later moved on to the Texas Rangers before  returning  to the Phillies for the 2011 season and continued his dominate pitching. He finished the season with a 17-8 record and a 2.40 ERA while leading the league with 6 shutouts and finishing 3rd in the Cy Young Award voting. The season was going great for Lee until Game 2 of the NLDS when he was given a 4-0 lead after 3 innings but couldn’t hold it. He gave up 5 runs on 12 hits in 6 innings. The Phils offense didn’t help much getting only 1 hit against 6 Cardinal relievers after getting 5 hits off starter Cris Carpenter in the first 3 innings. Had Lee held on to win that game the Phils would’ve taken a 2-0 lead in the series by winning both of their home games. They did win Game 3 but lost Games 4 and 5. Lee did not pitch again in the series.

Cliff is a quality starter that’s as good as any #2 in baseball. His career record is 119-69 with a 3.65 ERA while average 221 innings pitched per season while making 3 All Star teams including in 2011 for the Phillies.

Personal Analysis:

We look for Lee to continue his dominance and add another 17-20 wins while continuing to eat up innings by pitching late into games. As mentioned earlier Cliff would be near the top of the list of #1 starters in baseball so the Phillies have a real luxury in having Lee as their #2. Just as he did last season Cliff could make a run for the Cy Young Award again in 2012.

Tomorrow we will preview Cole Hamels.

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