What Philadelphia Phillies Should Do with Dave Bush Following Halladay’s Injury

Roy Halladay’s injury has taken the Philadelphia Phillies from a team whose starting rotation was the one constant in a season full of ups and downs, to an area in which depth is now an issue.

At least for the next six to eight weeks.

The Phils entered the season with their starting rotation intact and with a spot-starter in Kyle Kendrick available from the bullpen.

However, for the next six to eight weeks while Halladay recovers from soreness in his shoulder, the team’s spot-starter must turn into a consistent starter.  Meanwhile, the Phils must also determine who is the best available candidate for filling a spot in the rotation should yet another injury arise.

Which leads to another decision the team must soon make.

Current minor league pitcher Dave Bush has not only pitched well at Triple-A this season, but the 32-year-old also has an opt-out clause in his contract that he can exercise beginning on Friday, June 1st.

In 10 starts this season in Triple-A, Bush has gone 4-3 with 34 strikeouts and a 2.61 ERA.  In 58.2 innings, Bush has walked just eight batters and has also pitched a complete game shutout for the team.

Bush has also held left-handed batters to a .225 batting average so far this season.

After finishing the month of April with a 3.05 ERA and 10 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .284 batting average, Bush has posted a 2.37 ERA while striking out more than twice as many batters and holding opponents to a .247 average.

Bush made three starts for the Texas Rangers last season, and has 56 wins in 187 career major league starts to go with 767 strikeouts.

Bush also pitched for the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate last season, going 1-2 with a 3.91 ERA in four starts.

Although Bush’s last major league stint eventually led to his release by the Rangers, the right-hander has seemingly pitched his way into a position to receive a major league call-up once again.

But for which team?

The Phillies have had a cushion for their starting rotation so far this season with Kendrick being available to pitch in place of both Cliff Lee and, currently, Vance Worley.  Although Kendrick began the season 0-4, his most recent performance may have been one of the best of his major league career.  The former starter-turned-reliever needed just 94 pitches in a complete game shutout against the St. Louis Cardinals as he earned his first victory of the season.

But with Kendrick’s spot in the rotation seemingly cemented for the near future, pitchers such as Bush, Scott Elarton and even Tyler Cloyd may be called up at some point should another Phils’ starter suffer an injury.

If Bush is the player the Phillies have their eye on under such a circumstance, the team may have to make a decision relatively soon before Bush potentially opts out of his current contract.

Bush’s 2.61 minor league ERA this season could make him an attractive option for another team in need of a fifth starter for their rotation, or even a spot-starter who can also pitch out of the bullpen.

In his major league career, Bush has made 23 relief appearances.

Would the Phillies call up Bush to become the long-relief option out of their bullpen?  Bush could also become the team’s spot-starter while Kendrick occupies a place in the rotation.

If Bush continued his success from Triple-A, he could even swap roles with Kendrick and remain in the rotation until Halladay returns.

Whether as a spot-starter or bullpen option, Bush could find a role in the Phils’ pitching staff.

Of course, that’s if he receives a call-up in the near future.

The Phillies could decide to call-up Elarton or Cloyd, or hope that Worley returns in time so that no call-up is immediately needed.  Both Elarton and Cloyd have enjoyed success at various levels of the team’s minor league system this season and could also fill some type of need at the major league level.

But it’s Bush’s future with the team that may need a decision soon.

The Phils may have a need that Bush can fill over the next few weeks.

He is not, however, the only option for filling such a need.

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Roy Halladay Injury: 6 Potential Replacements in Phillies Rotation

With the news that Phillies ace Roy Halladay will miss 6-8 weeks with a right latissimus dorsi strain, the Phillies will need to address his rotation spot moving forward if they hope to compete in 2012.

Vance Worley is already on the disabled list and his rotation spot is currently being filled by swingman Kyle Kendrick, so for the time being the Phillies will need a stop gap option.

Long-term, however, they will need to decide if Kendrick is the answer for two months or if they will look to fill Halladay’s rotation spot with someone else.

They’re unlikely make a blockbuster move, with the team already struggling due to so many other injuries and the farm system somewhat depleted after trading for Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence the past two seasons.

However, they have some decent in-house options and some low-cost veterans on the trade market that they could look to pursue. Here is a look at some of the possible replacements.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Is Carlos Ruiz Starting a Push Towards the Hall of Fame?

Philadelphia Phillies‘ catcher Carlos Ruiz has long been one of the most talented under-the-radar players in all of baseball. 

Often overshadowed by Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals and Brian McCann of the Atlanta Braves, Carlos Ruiz has rarely received the attention he deserves.

People around the Phillies knew that “Chooch” was special. But not until the Phillies acquired pitching talents like Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt, along with Cole Hamels, did the national media begin to recognize.

Perhaps the praise these pitching greats gave Ruiz helped the media and the casual fan pay closer attention. Perhaps the biggest plug for Ruiz was when Roy Halladay threw a perfect game and publicized how important Chooch was and is to his performance.

Via Phillies.com: “I can’t say enough about the job that Ruiz did tonight, really. I felt like he was calling a great game up until the fourth or fifth, and at that point, I just felt like I’d let him take over and go with him. He did a great job. Like I said, it was kind of a no-brainer for me. I’d just go out, see the glove and hit it.”

Chooch was then on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

I’m not sure I know who is the better defensive catcher between Yadier Molina and Carlos Ruiz. But I do know that if it weren’t for Molina’s long-standing “acceptance” by the media as the best defensive catcher, before Ruiz really came into his own, this would have been much more of a debate.

I mean, I would think Ruiz is deserving of at least one gold glove at this point.

Chooch had always been known as a guy who would bring it defensively, and anything at the plate would be a bonus.

But Ruiz became one of the more clutch batters for the Phillies, especially in the playoffs. And we all know how much postseason lure can catapult a player in the eyes of fans and media. His overall numbers in the playoffs aren’t spectacular, .254 average with a .380 OBP though. But he showed what he could do in the Phillies’ run to the World Series in 2009, batting .341 with a .491 OBP.

That postseason undoubtedly invigorated his career from the plate.

In the 2010 regular season, Carlos Ruiz had a career year. He hit .302, got on base at a .400 clip and he added 53 RBIs from the bottom of the order.

If you thought that was the best he had in him, think again.

It may be early, but a third of the way through the 2012 season and Ruiz has an average of .366 and OBP of .419, and he already has 7 homers and 29 RBIs.

It’s safe to say he will play in this year’s All-Star Game.

As of now, Ruiz’s career average is .272, and that is certainly on the rise.

Of the 14 catchers in the Hall of Fame, Ruiz’s average is already above four of them. Let’s guess that he finishes his career hitting .282. He would have a better average than half of them.

Obviously this is not the only criteria, but it’s good for reference in terms of where he stands in a position that is given a pass on hitting because of the rigors of being behind the plate.

The man may be 33 years-old, but it seems like he’s got plenty left and his offense sure isn’t on the decline.

Thanks to Molina, he may not have the hardware and he may not have the accumulation of All-Star appearances. But if Molina is a Hall of Famer, and I think he is, we’ve got to give Ruiz a look too.

It’s a long shot, but he’s got a chance.

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Roy Halladay Injury: Phillies Are Doomed Without Ace Hurler

The Philadelphia Phillies have been dominating the National League East for the past several MLB seasons thanks to names like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay leading the way. With all of those All-Stars far from returning from their various injuries, the Philadelphia faithful shouldn’t expect a postseason run this year.

Cole Hamels put together a string of gems before facing the rival New York Mets this past Monday, and Cliff Lee is back from the disabled list, but this injury mountain is just too high for these Phillies to climb.

Halladay is gone for six to eight weeks, and that’s if everything goes right during his rehabilitation. While that may have some fans hoping for an early July return for Doc, guys like Brett Gardner and Carl Crawford can attest that things don’t always go as planned during rehab.

Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock echoed this sentiment during an interview with Tyler Kepner of the New York Times, stating, “There’s a lot of things that can happen one way or another in that time frame.”

With Halladay joining the already endless list of Phillies starters and backups on the disabled list, the team finds itself with little depth and starting less-than-stellar options.

Despite a solid year with the Baltimore Orioles back in 2010, Ty Wigginton isn’t someone a team can rely on to get a hit all too often. His current batting average of .256 is actually higher than what he posted in the past two seasons. Wiggy and current second baseman Freddy Galvis just don’t offer the same type of production that Howard and Utley do.

While Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel is trying to rally the healthy players he has, that’s easier said than done in a tough division like the NL East.

Behind young sensations Bryce Harper, Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg, the Washington Nationals are currently atop the division and appear to be primed for a playoff push, while the Mets continue to defy the odds and find themselves tied for second place in the NL East with the Miami Marlins.

“Our division’s going to be very tight,” Manuel told Kepner before Tuesday’s game against the Mets. “That’s why it’s very important for us to kind of keep our head above water…we’ve got to stay alive.”

Delaware County Daily Times writer Ryan Lawrence believes that starting pitcher Vance Worley could make his return to the Phillies rotation next Monday, which allows the team to easily replace Doc’s spot in the rotation. That being said, the rotation is still a shell of itself with arguably the best pitcher of the last decade unavailable.

The issue the Phillies face is that there’s no real timetable for the return of Utley or Howard, and it’s six to eight weeks at best before Doc takes the mound again.

This means their offense will continue to struggle to consistently score more than three runs or so, while their opposition no longer have to prepare for their dominant ace until July at the earliest.

Philadelphia is a resilient unit headed by one of the best managers in the game in Manuel, but this time around, there just seems to be too many hurdles for it to jump in order to make the playoffs.

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Why Roy Halladay’s Injury Will Be Phillies’ Final Blow to a 2012 NL East Chase

The Philadelphia Phillies (26-25) are no longer contenders in the NL East after learning that Roy Halladay will miss 6-8 weeks with a strained right latissimus dorsi.

Halladay leads the National League in wins (44), innings pitched (556.2) and complete games (17) since being traded from the Toronto Blue Jays prior to the 2010 season. It will be impossible to replace that lost production.

Re-signing 34-year-old Roy Oswalt would have been a major consolation. However, that opportunity passed when he officially agreed to a one-year contract with the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

Conveniently, second-year stud Vance Worley feels pain-free as he recovers from elbow inflammation. Still, his return won’t be enough to salvage the club’s dwindling playoffs hopes.

Minus Halladay, Kyle Kendrick becomes a fixture on the starting staff. Fans shouldn’t be too excited about his recent performance. A lack of swing-and-miss stuff won’t allow him to keep dominating.

Manager Charlie Manuel simply doesn’t have enough offensive talent on the active roster to support the weakened five-man rotation.

Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino are carrying their own weight. Carlos Ruiz (.366/.419/.592) is carrying everyone else’s.

Let’s be realistic, though—”Chooch” will inevitably cool off. Moreover, the wear and tear of catching prevents him from contributing every night. The Phillies are 3-5 when he’s absent from the lineup.

Ryan Howard (Achilles) and Chase Utley (knees) could be valuable reinforcements, but according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, “there is no timetable for their returns.” It can’t be assumed that either will be in pre-injury form upon activation from the disabled list.

Aside from a six-game winning streak in mid-May, the Phillies have been inconsistent, especially against divisional opponents. Following Tuesday night’s 6-3 loss to the New York Mets, their record in the NL East stands at a mediocre 8-12. And all four rivals—the Atlanta Braves, Miami Marlins, Mets and Washington Nationals—are poised to remain in contention.

They cannot afford to continue struggling in those matchups. There are another 52 of them left on the schedule!

To prove my prediction false, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. would need to acquire legitimate players from other franchises. Presumably, this would be achieved by taking on salary from cellar-dwellers who are looking to cut costs.

Already with the NL’s largest payroll, the front office doesn’t have the expendable resources to consummate such deals. No group of attainable individuals matches Halladay’s value, anyway.

With this discouraging news, the Philadelphia Phillies should shift their focus to the future.

Cole Hamels ought to be dealt in the coming weeks lest he depart in free agency and deprive the team of the MLB-ready compensation a desperate team might offer. Bringing Howard and Utley along slowly will have them better prepared for 2013.

As of May 29, I’m sticking the proverbial fork in their 2012 season.

 

Follow @MrElyminator

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Philadelphia Phillies: Do the Phillies Know How to Evaluate Their Own Talent?

Dominic Brown: Untouchable.  Jake Diekman: Off the radar.

As the Phillies try for a sixth consecutive NL Eastern Division crown, it’s obvious this season will be more challenging than the previous divisional crowns. Injuries and age are starting to take their toll and the latest blow, a shoulder strain to ace Roy Halladay, might be too much to overcome.

The Phillies aren’t the only team battling injuries this season. Most franchises dip into their minor league system for help. Seeing that some of the bigger surprises this season have been Freddy Galvis and Jake Diekman, it makes you wonder if the brass of the Phillies know what they are doing when evaluating talent.

A couple of outfielders were deemed untouchable midway through the 2009 season when the Phils went shopping for a pitcher. Those two outfielders were Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor.

Taylor, 6’5″ 255 lbs, was a fifth-round draft pick in 2007. He was eventually included in the deal that brought Roy Halladay to the Phillies. The Blue Jays quickly flipped him to the Oakland A’s, where he appears to have turned into a “quadruple-A” type player. He’s flashed plenty of power and speed in the minors, but that hasn’t translated well at the major league level and now he’s just another 26-year old in AAA. 

Brown was the real prize. It was thought that the Phillies wouldn’t include Brown in any deal; Not for Halladay, not for Roy Oswalt, not for Hunter Pence. Brown has done nothing but regress since last season. He’s actually living up to being a 20th-round selection of the 2006 draft and at 25, has the five-tool prospect to a one-dimensional

In 259 AAA at-bats since the start of the 2011 season, Brown has hit .259 with just three home runs.  Yes, it appears injuries have derailed him, but even in his brief call-up in 2010 when he appeared to be on top of his game, Brown looked extremely raw, both at the plate and in right field.

How about Greg Golson, who  was traded straight up for John Mayberry following the 2008 season.  After the 2007 season, Golson was listed as the Phillies minor leaguer with the following attributes: best power, fastest baserunner, best athlete, best defensive outfielder and best outfield arm.

 

Check out the Baseball America 2012 Projected Lineup from an article in early 2009:

C- Lou Marson (dealt to Cleveland in the Cliff Lee trade)

1b- Ryan Howard

2b- Chase Utley

SS- Jimmy Rollins

3b- Jason Donald (dealt to Cleveland in the Cliff Lee trade)

LF- Michael Taylor (dealt to Toronto in the Roy Halladay trade)

CF- Shane Victorino

RF- Domonic Brown

 

SP- Cole Hamels, Carlos Carrasco (Lee), Kyle Drabek (Halladay), Brett Myers, Joe Blanton

CL- Brad Lidge

 

Yes, these are rankings based from a publication, but they’re basically from evaluators within the organization.

Freddy Galvis is arguably making a case for “Rookie of the Year” in the National League.  His defense at second has been spectacular and he has held his own offensively.  Why was there any hesitation this spring in making him the guy?

Lefty Jake Diekman was so far off the Phillies’ radar he didn’t even make the Phillies “Top 10 Prospect” list. That’s after this 6’4″ leftty struck out 83 hitters in AA last season in 65 innings of work while allowing just 47 hits. How is a tall lanky lefty who throws 95 MPH dismissed like that?

The answer is simple. The gang in charge of evaluating young talent within the Phillies’ organization are struggling to evaluate their own, and others for that matter. The jury is still out on the three they received from Seattle in the Cliff Lee deal. JC Ramirez, Phillippe Aumont and Tyson Gillies have not done anything to set the world on fire, and that goes back to the evaluators as well.

Maybe I’m being a little harsh, but the Phillies are nearing a critical stage of the 2012 season. The timetables on Ryan Howard and Chase Utley’s return are still way up in the air, while Halladay is gone until mid to late July. It’s times like these when other parts of the organization need to show their value. Understanding exactly what they have in the minors can’t be blindfolded “wins” like Diekman or blatant fails like Brown.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Roy Halladay’s Injury and 5 Reasons the Phils Will Manage

Philadelphia Phillies ace Roy Halladay thought there was no reason to worry. Everything that was happening was precautionary. Phillies fans were still holding their breath, but let a little bit of air out to hear that everyone in and around the team thought everything would be OK.

Turns out they aren’t, according to FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal.

“#Phillies: Halladay will be shut down for 3 weeks with strained lat (shoulder). Out 6 to 8 weeks,” he wrote on Twitter.

After Philadelphia was led to believe that things would OK, this news comes as a shock.

The knee-jerk reaction is to panic, but I’m going to give you five reasons why the Phillies will survive this injury.

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Roy Halladay Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks with Strained Lat Muscle

Uh oh.

The Philadelphia Phillies have placed ace Roy Halladay on the 15-day disabled list with a strained lat muscle in his pitching shoulder, reports Jayson Stark.

He is expected to miss six to eight weeks.

It is Halladay’s first trip to the DL since 2009 (groin) and first arm-related DL trip since 2004 (shoulder).

Halladay had clearly been struggling so far this season. He owns a 3.98 ERA through 11 starts, but his 4-5 record leaves much to be desired.

He’s tossed a league-leading 72.1 innings, but he’s struck out just 56 batters.

His 4.00 SO/BB ratio is his lowest rate since 2008.

This trip to the disabled list should be enough to get Halladay back on track, as there are currently no reports of any structural damage.

The Phillies, who are now in a last-place tie with the Atlanta Braves in the NL East, are still two games over .500 and just four games back in the division.

Halladay’s injury doesn’t just impact the well being of the team in the short-term—the long-term could be effected as well.

If this DL stint really hurts the club, then general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. could look to deal Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino to stock up his farm system.

For now, the Phillies will have to deal with the loss of their ace.

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Philadelphia Phillies: When Chase Utley Returns, What Will Galvis’ Role Be?

With an injury depleted team, the Philadelphia Phillies have had one very pleasant surprise early this season, rookie Freddy Galvis. When Galvis was moved to second base following Chase Utley‘s injury, many criticized the move.

His defense has been spectacular, but that was never the main question. He was said to be a quadruple-A player: too developed for the minors but not ready for major league pitching.

Some of the concerns with Galvis such as his plate discipline have shown. He is hitting .236 with only six walks. What has been unexpected is the “pop” in his bat. Galvis leads the Phillies in doubles with 13, and is fourth on the team with 23 RBI.

Now, when Chase Utley returns from the DL, where does Galvis fit into the Phillies lineup?

Just by looking at the early season stats, it would be easy to say Galvis should start at shortstop over Jimmy Rollins.

However, there are 33 million reasons why that won’t happen.

Galvis leads Rollins in every hitting category besides walks, hits and OBP. Jimmy’s stats may also be deceiving because of his 192 AB to Galvis’ 165.

Galvis’ defense and recently discovered power is too valuable to the Phillies lineup to keep him on the bench. Rollins will be the starting shortstop, but with his age he cannot play everyday. His range decreases with age, as Galvis’ will only increase as he matures.

Charlie Manuel has no choice but to keep him in the lineup consistently, especially with the love he has endured from the Philly Phaithful. It takes many years for some players to win over the hard-nosed Philadelphia fans. Galvis has managed to become a fan favorite in just a quarter of a season. Alongside the usual “Chooch” chants, “Freddy” has became a very popular chant at Citizens Bank Park.

Galvis will be an essential backup, spelling both Utley and Rollins, both of whom are not fit for playing everyday. As the season progresses, Galvis will mature as a player and continue to see the field.

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MLB Draft 2012: Ranking Top 20 Draft Steals in Philadelphia Phillies History

As an organization, the Philadelphia Phillies haven’t had much success with the amateur draft.

There are plenty of reasons for that little factoid, but none of them are overly important. The fact of the matter is that, throughout this club’s history, when it came time to show some results through the draft, they’ve had far more failures than successes.

But that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been a few good stories buried in that landfill that is a draft history.

The Phillies have had their fair share of “steals” in the draft over the course of time, and for the sake of this slideshow, we’ll be defining a “steal” in this manner.

A “steal” is a player that you never thought would wind up with your organization. It is a player that has had a certain degree of success at the MLB level, but was passed over by other teams for some reason or another. They’ve had to overcome adversity to excel, but if you had to go back and re-draft certain years, they’d be right at the top.

That’s a “steal” in the draft, and the Phillies have had a couple of those, despite their inefficiencies.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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