Hunter Pence Phillies: Philly Now Has Everything It Needs to Win World Series
July 29, 2011 by Zachary D. Rymer
Filed under Fan News
If ever there was a day to be Philadelphia sports fan, let the record show that it was Friday, July 29, 2011.
On this day in sports history, the Philadelphia Eagles shocked the world by signing Pro Bowl cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, who was widely considered the gem of the 2011 free agent class.
A few hours later, the Philadelphia Phillies completed a trade for Houston Astros right fielder Hunter Pence. And as if that wasn’t good enough, the Phillies got him for their price.
According to SI.com’s Jon Heyman, the Phillies were able to acquire Pence in exchange for top first base prospect Jonathan Singleton, top pitching prospect Jarred Cosart and two players to be named later.
Thus, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was able to do the seemingly impossible by holding on to Domonic Brown, the Phillies’ ultra-talented 23-year-old outfielder. He was the player everyone wanted, but he’s staying in Philly until further notice.
But never mind the youngsters. This trade is all about Pence. After much speculation, he is finally coming to the City of Brotherly Love. And not a moment too soon.
As we should all be well aware by now, the Phillies lineup is not the same offensive force it used to be. It still boasts names like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez, but the thump that these names have provided in the past couple seasons just hasn’t been there in 2011. The Phillies are currently seventh in the National League in runs scored, and their .248 team batting average is 11th.
Assuming he doesn’t forget how to hit on the flight from Houston to Philadelphia, Pence will provide a much-needed boost to Philly’s sagging offensive production. He’s hitting .308 on the season, with 11 homers and 62 RBI. He will automatically become the Phillies’ leading hitter, and he will also take over the team lead in doubles (26) and total bases (188).
As far as Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is concerned, however, the best part about Pence is that he swings it strictly from the right side. A good right-handed bat is something the Phillies have been lacking ever since Jayson Werth split for Washington this offseason, and it is a shortcoming that has come back to bite the Phillies time and again this year.
Well, that problem is gone now. In fact, it’s safe to say that that particular problem has become a strength. And now that it has, the Phillies have fewer true weaknesses than any team in baseball.
Indeed, we’ve known all along that the Phillies can pitch. They are second in the major leagues with a team ERA of 3.11, and they are tied with the San Francisco Giants for the major league-lead with a grand total of 69 quality starts.
That naturally speaks volumes about Philly’s stacked rotation, which is of course led by Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, and Cole Hamels. The news only gets better when you hear that Roy Oswalt is on the comeback trail.
If you wanted to, you could gripe about the Phillies bullpen being less than spectacular. That’s because it is, which could very well be the Phillies’ undoing before all is said and done. At the same time, it’s not like Philly’s pen is awful, as it has a 3.37 ERA. Believe it or not, that’s good for seventh in the NL.
All told, the Phillies are pretty well set when you go down the checklist of what it takes to win in baseball. They have an outstanding starting rotation, a solid bullpen and the Pence trade makes their lineup actually quite formidable.
Not bad for a team that many people already had pegged as the favorite to win the World Series. In fact, there should be no doubt whatsoever that the Phillies are the favorite to win it all.
And make no mistake, now the Phillies won’t have any excuses if they don’t win it all.
No pressure.
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