Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.
Cole Hamels was roughed up in his last long outing of the spring Thursday.
Hamels took the loss as the Phillies lost to the Twins 7-3 in Clearwater.
All eyes continued to be focused on Luis Castillo, who again went 0-4 with two strikeouts. Castillo is competing for a chance to be the team’s starting second baseman while Chase Utley opens the season on the disabled list.
Hamels took a beating, giving up six runs on nine hits (including five extra base hits, two homers), in 6 2/3 innings pitched. The silver lining is that he struck out seven batters, but as Jayson Stark points out, “16 Ks in 14 IP in last 3 starts. The bad news: 16 runs & 23 hits.” Hamels has an ERA of 6.75 in the Grapefruit League this year.
Closer Brad Lidge pitched in his first big league game since he was diagnosed with soreness in his right bicep tendon last week, and allowed a solo home run to the Twins’ Dustin Martin. Lidge pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowed one run on two hits, and walked two, leaving the bases loaded for Mike Zagurski, who struck out the lone batter he faced to end the top of the ninth.
Driving in the only runs of the game for the Phillies were Dane Sardina (1) and Delwyn Young (2). Ross Gload ended his day going 2-3 before Ben Francisco took over right field duties for the remainder of the game. Gload is currently the heavy favorite to platoon in right when the season gets underway.
Placisdo Polanco is expected to return to the lineup Friday.
After the game, Charlie Manuel expressed some of his frustration with the challenge laid out before him to fill the remaining roster spots.
“We’re missing two big run producers right in the middle of our lineup and I don’t see nobody out there of the guys we’ve got. We’ve got guys who have to step up and prove they’re better big-league players than they have been.”
Joe Blanton faces the Braves tomorrow at Bright House Field in Clearwater. The game will be broadcast live on MLB.tv and ESPN.
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Thursday, March 24, 2011
How Replaceable Are the Phightins?
Originally published by NBC Philadelphia.
A blurb in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday played with the theory that Chase Utley, while not the best player in baseball, is certainly the most irreplaceable one in the game.
Utley is currently faced with his third serious injury in as many years and had the Phillies so concerned that they scooped up Luis Castillo about as fast as the Mets could drop him off the back of the truck.
With Wilson Valdez being groomed for just about every field position there is (he’s seen time everywhere except for first base, on the mound and behind the plate this spring), and a handful of wide-eyed Spring Training invitees vying for one lone spot on the 25-man roster, did Ruben Amaro, Jr. & co. really feel that uncomfortable filling the four-time Silver Slugger’s shoes with anything less than a veteran of Castillo’s caliber?
Perhaps, but it’s not just Utley the Phillies should be worried about replacing.
On paper, it may seem like the Phils have it all figured out -- Castillo will fill in for Utley should he pass his eight-game trial run, Ben Francisco will probably spend the most time in right field until Domonic Brown’s hand is healed (despite what anyone says about Ross Gload getting a solid shot at it), John Mayberry, Jr. can take the reins in left field should Ibanez need a day off here and there (and he will). So what’s the big deal?
In 2010, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez were the only starting fielders to remain free from the disabled list. Charlie Manuel isn’t taking any chances in 2011 and has played guys all over the field, getting a feel for not only how well players like Valdez handle different positions, but other semi-standouts like Josh Barfield, Michael Martinez and Delwyn Young as well.
It isn’t likely we’ll ever see Roy Oswalt catching fly balls in left field again (as fun as that was to watch), and we’ll have Charlie’s preparedness to thank.
But just how deep do the depth charts run in Philadelphia this year? Above is the Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric for the preferable starters and likely replacements should the injury monster rear its ugly head again in 2011:
Not surprisingly, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz join Utley as some of the most difficult position players on staff to replace. Futhermore, it becomes painfully obvious just how shallow the pool is for Charlie to pick from to claim that last roster spot or two, depending on how many pitchers the squad chooses to carry.
Sound off on how you feel about how replaceable the Phils really are barreling towards the start of a new season. Who would you pick to fill the gaps should "roster roulette" become a necessary evil again in 2011? Pin It Now!
A blurb in the Wall Street Journal Wednesday played with the theory that Chase Utley, while not the best player in baseball, is certainly the most irreplaceable one in the game.
Utley is currently faced with his third serious injury in as many years and had the Phillies so concerned that they scooped up Luis Castillo about as fast as the Mets could drop him off the back of the truck.
With Wilson Valdez being groomed for just about every field position there is (he’s seen time everywhere except for first base, on the mound and behind the plate this spring), and a handful of wide-eyed Spring Training invitees vying for one lone spot on the 25-man roster, did Ruben Amaro, Jr. & co. really feel that uncomfortable filling the four-time Silver Slugger’s shoes with anything less than a veteran of Castillo’s caliber?
Perhaps, but it’s not just Utley the Phillies should be worried about replacing.
On paper, it may seem like the Phils have it all figured out -- Castillo will fill in for Utley should he pass his eight-game trial run, Ben Francisco will probably spend the most time in right field until Domonic Brown’s hand is healed (despite what anyone says about Ross Gload getting a solid shot at it), John Mayberry, Jr. can take the reins in left field should Ibanez need a day off here and there (and he will). So what’s the big deal?
In 2010, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez were the only starting fielders to remain free from the disabled list. Charlie Manuel isn’t taking any chances in 2011 and has played guys all over the field, getting a feel for not only how well players like Valdez handle different positions, but other semi-standouts like Josh Barfield, Michael Martinez and Delwyn Young as well.
It isn’t likely we’ll ever see Roy Oswalt catching fly balls in left field again (as fun as that was to watch), and we’ll have Charlie’s preparedness to thank.
But just how deep do the depth charts run in Philadelphia this year? Above is the Wins Above Replacement (WAR) metric for the preferable starters and likely replacements should the injury monster rear its ugly head again in 2011:
Not surprisingly, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz join Utley as some of the most difficult position players on staff to replace. Futhermore, it becomes painfully obvious just how shallow the pool is for Charlie to pick from to claim that last roster spot or two, depending on how many pitchers the squad chooses to carry.
Sound off on how you feel about how replaceable the Phils really are barreling towards the start of a new season. Who would you pick to fill the gaps should "roster roulette" become a necessary evil again in 2011? Pin It Now!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
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!
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!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
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.
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!
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| 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!
Friday, March 4, 2011
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.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
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.
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