Chase Utley Injury: Phillies Are Doomed Without Star Second Baseman
March 20, 2012 by Adam Wells
Filed under Fan News
Chase Utley‘s career is going to be more about what could have been instead of what was, and the Philadelphia Phillies are going to suffer as a result.
In what has become a common theme with Utley, it was announced by Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. on Monday that the All-Star second baseman is doubtful for Opening Day due to chronic knee problems that sent him to a specialist.
“I worry about Chase because it’s a chronic knee problem. About his career? I don’t know…The guy’s got bad knees. We know it. That’s a fact. We’re just trying to limit and make sure he’s ready to go and feeling comfortable for the bulk of the season.”
The Phillies had enough problems to worry about on offense this season, adding Utley to the list only makes things worse.
When healthy, Utley is a game-changer. He was one of the best all-around second basemen in baseball, showing the ability to hit for average and power while playing Gold Glove defense. There was a time when he was one of the 10 best players in the game.
Even though he has fallen off that perch due to the injury problems, Utley is still the most important player in the Phillies’ lineup. He brings the power and patience to the lineup that no one else can match; not Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, et al.
Yes, the Phillies are going to be carried by their pitching staff. Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels can hide a lot of other problems that a team has, but they are only going to get you so far.
Last season, the Phillies lost to St. Louis in the National League Division Series because they couldn’t score runs.
Utley’s presence in the lineup and on the field changes what the Phillies are able to do. Losing him for a significant amount of time is going to destroy any hopes they have to get back to the World Series, let alone win it.
The Phillies need Utley to figure out a way to remain healthy for 110-120 regular-season games and be in top condition when the playoffs roll around. He is their most valuable player when healthy, but right now, it doesn’t seem like he is going to be anytime soon.
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Jorge Soler Would Save the Philadelphia Phillies’ Future
February 16, 2012 by Adam Wells
Filed under Fan News
The bidding for 19-year-old Cuban hitting sensation Jorge Soler is about to heat up.
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, the two teams with the most interest in the outfielder are the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies.
Considering how highly Soler is thought of in baseball circles, the fact that an intense bidding war will break out for his services is, to use Passan’s phrase, no surprise.
We just saw the Oakland A’s give another Cuban star, Yoenis Cespedes, $36 million over four years. Soler should eclipse that figure because of the fact that he is seven years younger.
The Yankees are in on him because they are in on every highly-touted player. The Phillies are in on him because they desperately need a player like him to build their future around.
If you aren’t familiar with Soler’s skills, he has tremendous bat speed that gives him the potential for huge power and a great throwing arm that will easily play in right field. He is very raw and will need a few years in the minors, but he can be a star.
While the Phillies have enjoyed their most successful five-year stretch in franchise history, winning one World Series and five division titles, they have done it by trading away almost all of their impact prospects.
That is not a bad thing, especially since they are winning, but it does make their long-term future bleak. Most of their best players—Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino—are over the age of 30.
Cole Hamels is just 28 years old, but there are serious doubts about whether they will be able to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent after the season. He is not going to give them a hometown discount.
Domonic Brown, at just 24, has the most potential of any young player on the Phillies, but they have mismanaged him to the point where a change of scenery would be in his best interest.
Soler is the best chance that the Phillies have to get a young, impact player into the system right away. He can be the piece that secures their long-term future.
It is going to cost a lot of money to get it done, but if they have $50 million to throw at Jonathan Papelbon, they should be able to find a way to make this work.
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Philadelphia Phillies: Breaking Down the Phillies’ Top 5 Prospects
January 26, 2012 by Adam Wells
Filed under Fan News
A flurry of trades over the last three seasons have done a number on the Philadelphia Phillies‘ farm system. It does speak to how well the front office has drafted that they have been able to acquire Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence.
While the major league team is still competing for championships, the system is as weak as it has been in years. There is some quality in the lower levels of the minors, but not a lot of impact right now. That will likely make it difficult for them to trade for an impact player this year to fill any potential holes.
Nevertheless, here are the top five prospects for the Philadelphia Phillies entering the 2012 season.
1. Trevor May, RHP, 22
May elevated himself to the top of the Phillies’ system thanks to a combination of his projection and the trade of Jarred Cosart and Jonathan Singleton last year. He has a lot of question marks surrounding him right now, but the upside is there for him to be an impact starter at the major league level.
Strengths
Combining great size—May is listed at 6’5″, 230 pounds—and power stuff, May has the makings of a top-of-the-rotation starter. His height allows him to throw on a downhill plane, which will limit the number of home runs the opposition hits against him.
Weaknesses
His two biggest problems are below-average command and his secondary pitches. The command hurts everything else that he does, and could prevent him from reaching his full potential.
Report
The raw stuff is good enough that it is possible to envision a scenario in which he develops into a No. 2 starter in the big leagues. If the command doesn’t improve, he will likely be a back-of-the-rotation pitcher.
ETA: 2013
2. Sebastian Valle, C, 21
The Phillies have Valle slotted in as their future starting catcher, and it is easy to see why when you watch him play. He has solid all-around tools, though the results on the field have not always been there for him. He hit just .284/.312/.394 in class High-A last season.
Strengths
Valle is an athletic catcher who already shows good defensive skills. He has a solid arm to go with good blocking and receiving skills behind the plate. He shows tremendous bat speed, which provides hope that his offense will pick up as he gets more comfortable playing full-season ball.
Weaknesses
Impressive bat speed aside, Valle does not have a lot of patience at the plate. He also has a big leg kick that makes his swing take longer than it should to get through the zone.
Report
Valle is still learning the catcher position, but by the time he reaches his peak he should be above average behind the plate. For him to live up to his potential, he has to improve with the bat. He needs to get a better feel for the strike zone and use his bat speed to hit for more power.
ETA: 2014
3. Jonathan Pettibone, RHP, 21
Pettibone has gotten better every season in professional baseball. He finished the 2011 season with career highs in innings pitched (161), strikeouts (115) and had the lowest walk rate of his career (1.9/9 IP). He also allowed five fewer home runs than he did in 2010 despite throwing 30 more innings.
Strengths
As evidenced by his numbers from last season, Pettibone already displays good command and a solid understanding of how to pitch. His delivery is very easy with no extraneous movement of stress on his shoulder.
Weaknesses
Pettibone is still trying to find a third pitch to complement his fastball and changeup. He has implemented a slider into his repertoire, though he has to start throwing it more often to get a good feel for it.
Report
He is the best bet of all the Phillies’ top prospects to live up to his potential. He is going to be a mid-rotation starter if he can find a consistent third pitch to throw for strikes.
ETA: 2013
4. Jesse Biddle, LHP, 20
While the Phillies are trying to figure out how to develop hitters to plug into their lineup, you can see based on the first four prospects on this list that their strength lies in pitching. Biddle is another young, projectable arm that could crack the rotation in a couple of years.
Strengths
Despite being just 20 years old and having one full season of professional baseball under his belt, Biddle has a good feel for all of his pitches. He will throw them at any time in any count, challenging hitters to beat him.
Weaknesses
One major concern for Biddle is the inconsistent velocity he showed with his fastball in 2011. There were times when he has been clocked in the low-90s, but last year it fell down to the high-80s and touching 90. He also doesn’t have command of his pitches yet, as evidenced by his 4.5 walks per nine innings pitched.
Report
There is a lot of projection left in Biddle, so if he can get his velocity back into the low-90s and figure out how to command his pitches, he will be a mid-rotation starter. But he has to get back the heat that he lost for that to happen.
ETA: 2014
5. Freddy Galvis, SS, 22
By re-signing Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies told Galvis that they still need to see some improvement in his bat before they are ready to hand the reins over to him. There is no work left for him to do on defense, so he could be a trade chip if the Phillies don’t find a spot for him.
Strengths
Speaking of the glove, it is impossible to watch Galvis play and not love what he does at the shortstop position. His two best skills at the position are his range and instincts. He has an incredible understanding of how to play the position.
Weaknesses
His offensive upside is limited. He doesn’t have good plate discipline, nor does he project to have a lot of power.
Report
As long as Galvis doesn’t get amnesia and forget how to play the shortstop position, he should at least be an average major league shortstop. If he can give anything offensively, it is a bonus.
ETA: Late 2012
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2012 MLB Free Agents: Roy Oswalt Is Perfect Fit for Red Sox Rotation
December 21, 2011 by Adam Wells
Filed under Fan News
You know that it is a strange offseason when the two superpowers in the American League East—New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox—sit on the sidelines while other teams make all the noise. But there are a few small moves that could put either one of those teams over the top, like adding Roy Oswalt.
The Red Sox have a deeper rotation than the Yankees as presently constructed, so they don’t have a burning need for Oswalt right now, but he is making it hard for any team to completely ignore him.
The reason for that is because according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com, Oswalt is no longer looking for a multi-year contract.
According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are not pushing hard for Oswalt, but they could get involved in the negotiations.
The Red Sox problems in 2011 stemmed from injuries and no depth in the rotation. They have three starting pitchers who, when healthy, give them exactly what they need: Quality innings and bullpen relief.
Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz are good enough to lead the Red Sox to a championship, but you have to have good depth. And right now the Red Sox don’t have any depth. John Lackey is a disaster and moving Daniel Bard to the rotation is not going to end well.
Oswalt does have injury concerns of his own. He missed most of last season due to a back problem, but he is looking for a cheap deal to re-establish his value. The Red Sox can afford to take that risk because they have the money and don’t need him to be a pillar of the rotation.
They need him to be a No. 4 starter that can make 25 starts and throw 175 innings. That would be quite a feat for him since he only threw 139 innings last season, but considering where he is in his career, that would be the perfect scenario for him.
Plus, the Red Sox are going to contend for a division title and possibly a World Series. Oswalt can prove his value in the middle of a pennant race.
So while the Red Sox may not be aggressively pursuing him right now, Oswalt should become an object of their desire because he fills a huge need for them.
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