Batting in the Billions

Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.

We’ve all been there: scouring StubHub for somewhat reasonably priced tickets, forking over $15 for parking, hailing beer man (after beer man, after beer man), grabbing some crab fries, maybe ducking into the Majestic Clubhouse store -- oh, and watching a baseball game -- all with 45,000 of your closest friends.

And if you’re like me, you deliberately held off on adding up how much money you spent on a summer at Citizens Bank Park. (And you got a little queasy that night you convinced yourself it wouldn’t be as much as you thought, and then learned it was in fact much, much more.)

Forbes published their annual “Business of Baseball” rankings Wednesday, which lists each Major League Baseball organization by their team value. This year, the Philadelphia Phillies were ranked No. 6 with a team value of $609 million.

Not a bad return for David Montgomery and company, who bought the team for $30 million in 1981.

While the Phillies may trail the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs and Mets in “team value,” they have something none of those teams have (well expect maybe the Sox): an overflowing stadium full of people lined up to see one of the fiercest organizations this side of the millennium.

It’s no surprise that Ruben Amaro, Jr.’s Smug Level™ gets a hearty boost each time he sneaks a new headliner into town. When he inked Ryan Howard’s multi-million dollar mega-deal he said there was no more money. When he pried Roy Oswalt from the Ed Wade’s grasp he said there really wasn’t any more money. And when he rocked the baseball world by luring Cliff Lee back to Philadelphia he said there was absolutely no more money.

And how do the fans respond? We spend more money.

It’s amazing how a baseball team can move a unionized, blue collar city to stuff ballparks to almost 104 percent its capacity game after game. Even the corporate, Wall Street, white collar Yankees can’t say their fans do the same.

Just how much money are the fans shelling out?

According to Forbes, the average ticket price at Citizens Bank Park is $33. This is probably a low estimate since it’s based on paying face value for a seat (which, let’s face it, rarely happens). So let’s figure in the third party processing fees and markups and call it an average closer to $45 per ticket. Most lots are $15 to park in, and if you’re coming from the other side of the river you can add a $4 bridge toll to your travels. (And if you’re me, you’re driving the 300 miles from Virginia Beach, buying a tank of gas, and paying closer to $25 in tolls -- one way.)

Once inside the park, it’s not unlikely to grab (at least) a drink and a hot dog before heading to your seat, and that’s going to run you another $10 or so. If you can hold out for the whole game without flagging down the pistachio girl or heading over to Chickie's and Pete's for some crab fries, or if you don’t bring the kids who will want a stuffed Phanatic souvenir or ice cream in a helmet or SillyBandz or whatever it is the kids like these days, you might make it back to the parking lot having only spent approximately $70 on the entire experience (per person). Multiply that by the average 45,027 paying fans that attend the game and we’re talking about a cool $3.1 million exchanging hands each and every day, and that’s probably a gross underestimate.

Baseball revenue is more than just what gets spent at the game, though. On top of everything there’s merchandise, merchandise, merchandise!

The Phillies were ranked fourth in MLB licensed product sales in 2010. Of the Top 10 player jersey sales, the Phillies also have Cliff Lee (No. 5), Chase Utley (No. 4) and Roy Halladay (No. 3) topping the list.

I’ve already spent 10 percent of my annual salary on Phillies tickets. I don’t think I can bring myself to figure out how much I’ve contributed to the merchandise sales, too. Feel free to give me all the credit for single handedly donating Luis Castillo’s potential salary, though. Pin It Now!

Castillo is a No Show

It was announced this week that Luis Castillo had agreed to an unusual deal with the Philadelphia Phillies: he would report to camp essentially for a 9-game try-out. If the club liked what they saw, he would be the squad's starting second baseman and be paid approximately $400,000 for the year; if the Phils weren't so impressed, he would be cut before opening day and the team wouldn't owe him a penny.

Sounds fair for a guy that only played 86 games last year and was placed on waivers by the Mets just this past Friday, doesn't it? Who wouldn't take full advantage of a team groomed for championships taking a chance on you to fill one of their biggest star's shoes?

The lineup for today's game was announced earlier this morning and within minutes it was being reported that Castillo was already scratched because he hadn't arrived in Clearwater yet. Games left to try-out: eight.

A few minutes after that, the lineup for tomorrow's game was posted sans Castillo. Down to seven games.

Then, ESPN's Enrique Rojas tweeted that Castillo was en route from Miami to Clearwater and that there was a mistake with the hotel reservations that prevented him from being at camp for today's game. Ruben Amaro, Jr. followed up by saying he expects Castillo to arrive at the park by 1 PM and should play tomorrow. Games left: back to eight.

Personally, when the Philadelphia Phillies are giving me a chance (deserved or otherwise) to fill Chase Utley's shoes for even ten minutes, I'm on the first plane to Tampa International and I'm sitting outside Bright House Field in my uniform at 3 AM the next day. Period. I don't care about a hotel room at that point.

Secondly, if you're not nearly as insane as me to be waiting on the steps to the ballpark in the middle of the night, you still make sure you're going to be where you need to be on time and ready to go. You don't leave the organization in limbo. And you certainly notice if you're in Miami and not Clearwater. Take matters into your own hands and just get there.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I've never gotten a job by not showing up to the interview.

With a very limited amount of time to work with as it is, Castillo is sacrificing one, maybe two days to show that he deserves to be the starting second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. I can only hope that he leaves everything he has on the field in the time he has left, as Wilson Valdez has been ready to go since day one. If I were running a multi-million dollar organization, I would be taking all of this into consideration before taking a spot away from someone who maybe isn't the best player in the world, but at least comes to work. Pin It Now!

Castillo is a Go

As fast as it was tweeted, the Phillies community started buzzing about New York Mets second baseman Luis Castillo rumored to be on his way to Philadelphia. And almost just as fast as it took to type that sentence, it was confirmed by Jim Salisbury that the Phillies offered the 35-year-old a minor league deal and that Castillo agreed.

Photo: New York Times

The two-time Gold Glove winner made his MLB debut in 1996 with the Florida Marlins. He has a career .290 batting average, .368 on-base percentage, and .758 OPS. His best offensive years were arguably 2000, when he went .334/.418/.806 over 136 games, and in 2003, going .314/.381/.778 in 152 respectively. Castillo played only 86 games in 2010, sidelined with injuries and posting career low numbers (.235/.337/.604).

Another former Met, Wilson Valdez, spent some time at second base last season in Utley's absence and batted .258/.326/.664 over 111 games - the best numbers of his career.

Castillo was at the end of a 4-year/$25 million contract with the Mets when he was placed on waivers Friday, and could become a cheap, quick fix for The Chase Utley Situation of 2011 should none of the current Phillies catch the organization's eye, either as a shoe-in for a spot on the opening day 25-man roster, or as a call-up should things not work out with the crapshoot that's laid before Charlie heading into the last few days of Spring Training.

And if he doesn't work out? Well, then you eat the $400,000 he's owed and cut him loose.

It doesn't need to be said that by the Phillies assessing their options, especially in the Luis Castillo of Present Day category, it shows just how concerned they really are about Chase Utley's recovery and that they are taking zero chances after being so badly bit by the injury bug in 2010. Pin It Now!

Game Recap: Phillies 7 Pirates 4

It was a back and forth battle between the two clubs, but exactly three hours after it began, the Phillies beat out the Pirates 7-4, boosting their overall record to 4-3 in the Grapefruit League. Dan Meyer secured the win, Antonio Bastardo the save. Here are some notes:

• Joe Blanton took the hill for the second time this spring and fared well allowing 4 hits, 2 earned runs, walked one, and struck out two over 3 2/3 innings. He had retired 8 in a row before allowing a walk in the third, and was only pulled once he reached his scheduled pitch count. Big Joe also showed some defensive flair by snagging a ball hit behind his legs.
• Danys Baez worked a respectable 1 1/3 innings of relief allowing only one hit, but an inherited runner did score. Still an impressive showing for him all things considered.
• Ryan Howard went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs on a single and his first homer of the spring. Jimmy Rollins showed some pop ending his days going 2 for 3. Valdez flaunted some of his versatility by starting in right field, giving Ben Francisco some well deserved time off. He finished 3 for 4 with two steals and a run scored.
• The starters were mostly done by the sixth inning, and that’s when Freddy Galvis, Brandon Moss, Matt Rizzotti, Pete Orr and Dane Sardinha turned it on combining for four hits and four RBIs.
• In an inning of relief, Andrew Carpenter pitched himself into a bases loaded jam before he settled down and fought his way out of it by striking out the last two batters he faced. He allowed 2 hits, 0 runs, and walked one.
• Antonio Bastardo made his spring debut earning the save by shutting the Buccos down in order.

Roy Halladay takes the mound tomorrow against the Pirates at Brighthouse Field at 1:05. The game’s radio feed will be available online at MLB.com, via the MLB At Bat app on your mobile device, and on WPHT 1210. Pin It Now!

Game Recap: Phillies 2 Red Sox 0

The Phillies took a road trip to Ft. Myers today, one-hitting the Boston Red Sox en route to a 2-0 win over the best team in the majors (on paper). Most of the starters were out of the game letting some of the youngsters stretch their legs a bit, but it was Cole Hamels and the pitching staff that really stole the show. Here are some quick notes:

• Hamels was slated to throw 45-50 pitches today and he did just that with a final line of 4 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 50 pitches (29 for strikes). The rest of the squad combined for just two more walks and five strikeouts. Check out this video on Phillies.com for Cole's thoughts on his performance.
• Jeff Larish smoked a 2-run double in the second inning, driving in the only two runs of the game.
• Ben Francisco had another impressive game as he gears up for more responsibilities in the outfield this season, going 2-3 and scoring a run in four innings of play. He is batting .308 with 1 homer and 5 RBIs so far this spring.
• John Mayberry, Jr. continued to make his case for a spot on the 25-man roster as he played the role of the DH today. He went 1-3 with a hit, a walk, and a strike out, but made a statement with a hard steal of second in the sixth.
• Domonic Brown remains hitless this spring, and reached base on a walk in the eighth. It’s still entirely too early to make any predictions about the future of Brown as the Phillies’ every day right fielder, but it was speculated over the winter that he would spend some more time with the Iron Pigs working out the kinks before taking over right field full-time. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see an Ibanez/Victorino/Francisco/Mayberry outfield team when the regular season rolls around, but there is still a lot of baseball to be played before then.

Joe Blanton takes the mound against the Pirates tomorrow at 1:05 PM. You can listen to the game on MLB.com or with the MLB At Bat app on your mobile device. Pin It Now!

Game Recap: Phillies 5 Yankees 4

The Phillies took the field for their first official Grapefruit League game of the season against the Yankees at Steinbrenner field this afternoon. After a twenty-minute long tribute to the late George Steinbrenner, Spring Training was finally officially underway in front of a packed house. Cole Hamels and Bartolo Colon took the mounds first for their respective teams.

Both Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriquez ended their halves of the first inning with long shots to the outfield walls, but the Phillies struck first in the top of the second inning as Ben Francisco led off with a triple and later scored as Jeff Larish grounded into a double play. The Phils would end the top of the inning with a 1-0 lead, but it wouldn’t last for long.

Robinson Cano led off the bottom of the second by reaching first on a fielding error by Wilson Valdez and would later score on a ball smoked into the left field corner by Francisco Cervelli, evening up the score 1-1. Hamels responded by walking Brett Gardner on four pitches but was able to get Derek Jeter for force out to end the inning. Cole ended his day with a line of 33 pitches, 18 strikes, 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HBP.

Vance Worley came on in relief of Hamels to start off the third inning allowing only one hit and no runs on four pitches. He led off the fourth by walking Andruw Jones (yes, the very one) on four pitches, but worked quickly got out of the inning by getting a fly ball to center and a routine double play on his next two pitches. He would end his day with 10 pitches, 6 strikes, 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K.

The Phillies brought both their bats and their hustle to the fifth inning, as Valdez beat out a throw to the plate and scored on a Pete Orr double. Ross Gload immediately responded by smacking a double of his own down the line to drive Orr home and just like that the Phils were up 3-1.

Twenty-five year old lefty Ryan Feierabend, who was signed to a minor league contract by the Phillies in November, made his debut for the Phillies in the bottom half of the inning. Feierabend spent the first few years of his career in Seattle, but was sidelined by Tommy John surgery in 2009, and posted a 5.14 ERA over 122+ innings in triple-A last season. He was taken for a little bit of a ride as he allowed two hits and one earned run in his first inning of work but the Phillies went into the sixth inning still leading 3-2. He looked like he was going to have a better showing in the sixth as he started led off the inning by striking out Kevin Russo with three straight (nice looking) changeups, but he immediately followed that up by walking the next two batters and then balking to put runners on first and second with one out. He managed to get out of the inning without giving up any runs, but it was a bleak outing nonetheless.

Hey, kids. Liz here, to write the rest of the recap. So if you see a marked drop off in things like stats and “knowledge”, that’s your explanation.

Next up for the Phillies pitchers was Brian Schlitter, who was drafted by the Phillies in 2007, but was traded to the Cubs later that year for Scott Eyre. After the 2010 season, Schlitter was claimed off waivers by the Yankees, who then cut him on Valentine’s Day. The Phillies claimed him off waivers the next day. Schlitter got knocked around a little bit, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. Jorge Vazquez hit a monster two run home run over the screen in center field, which gave the Yankees back the lead. Brandon Laird hit a two out double down the left field line before the inning finally ended.

The Phillies regained the lead in the 8th inning, off of pitcher Eric Wordekemper. John Mayberry, Jr. and Robb Quinlan both reached on singles. Two outs later (from Delwyn Young and Michael Martinez), Jeff Larish worked a walk to load the bases. Dane Sardina was up next, and he dropped a hit into left, scoring Mayberry and Quinlan. Brian Bocock hit one right back to the pitcher to end the top of the 8th. Mike Zagurski came into the game to pitch the bottom of the 8th. Zags allowed one hit, otherwise making quick work of the Yankees.

Luis Ayala pitched the 9th for the Yankees. Josh Barfield broke his bat on an infield hit, his second of the day. Ross Gload reached on a fielder’s choice, which sent Barfield back to the dugout. Mayberry struck out, and Quinlan hit a comebacker to Ayala to end the top of the 9th.

In to pitch the bottom of the 9th was Jason Grilli, who was chosen by the Giants in the first round of the 1997 draft. Grilli pitched a bit of a nail biter in the 9th, allowing a one out single to Justin Maxwell, followed by a line drive into left from Jorge Vazquez. Maxwell advanced to third, but a smart throw to second by Delwyn Young kept Vazquez – the winning run – at first base. Two batters later, the game was over. The Phillies won, 5-4.

In all, a nice, if lengthy, showcase for the Phillies minor leaguers and bench players. The Phillies take on the Yankees at Bright House Field tomorrow at 1:05, and I (Liz) will be bringing you in-game tweets and the recap. Join me, won't you? Pin It Now!

Game Recap: FSU Seminoles 0 Phillies 8

Polanco taking a swing during today's game (photo courtesy of the Phillies)

In what most people are going to call the most meaningless match-up of the season, the Philadelphia Phillies kicked off Spring Training by beating the Florida State University Seminoles 8-0 in the annual exhibition game.



Most of the regulars were on hand for the club today with only Rollins and Utley absent from the starting lineup. Rollins will be attending a Motown tribute for Black History Month at the White House this evening and Charlie wanted Utley to rest after experiencing some soreness from training.

It’s virtually impossible for me to break down this game any further than “this is who played and this was the score,” but that’s OK because none of that stuff really matters today anyway. What’s important is that baseball unofficially, unofficially (unofficially?) began again when the Phillies (er… Seminoles) tossed out the first pitch of Spring Training, whether it counted or not. And you know what? It counted to me.

The Phillies trotted 21 different batters up to home plate today and sent seven pitchers to the mound. The team got off to a hot start by posting 4 runs on 5 hits in the first inning. Seminoles pitchers Benincasa, Waugh, Buckly, and Simmons did a bang up job giving up just one hit combined in the middle innings. The Phillies bats woke up again in the sixth, however, and the Fightins tacked on four more runs in the sixth and seventh to round out their day at Brighthouse Field.

Bringing the RBIs today: Michael Martinez, Howard (2), Ruiz, Schneider, Pete Orr, and Freddy Galvis. Polanco, Ibanez, Francisco, Mayberry, Brown, Delwyn Young, Josh Barfield, and Valdez all had hits while Ibanez, Francisco and Schneider worked walks as well.

Phillies pitchers held the Seminoles to just four hits during the game and combined for 11 strikeouts and four walks. Drew Naylor came away with the win, and Justin De Fratus had arguably the best outing of the bunch who got his first two batters on three swinging strikes each, and his third batter grounded out to end the inning on his first pitch. Michael Schwimer tweeted his reactions after the game:



Tomorrow we’ll bring you an extensive guide to the Spring Training, with schedules, projected pitchers, broadcasts, and who to follow on Twitter to get you through until Opening Day, or at the very least until Hamels takes the mound against the Yankees on Saturday at 1:05 in Tampa. Pin It Now!