January:

January was filled with many head-scratching moves.

The first of which was the signing of Chad Qualls, a man that had an ERA north of 5.00 at Citizen’s Bank Park.  That was along with a one-year contract to Kyle Kendrick (LFR).  I questioned theses moves a lot last winter, and then I remembered: Ruben Amaro Jr. and it all made sense.

One the flip side, Cole Hamels agreed to a contract for his final year of arbitration.  Many were hoping that his contract extension would occur here, but alas, it was not meant to be.

On what might have been the most under-the-radar signing of the offseason, Amaro signed Juan Pierre to a 1-year minor league contract.  That turned out to be a great move for the Phillies.   Pierre did a great job with the team over the summer, even if he couldn’t really throw.

To go along with the Pierre signing, Amaro turned Wilson Valdez into Jeremy Horst.

Grade: Optomistic

» Continue reading “Reflecting on 2012: Grading Month-by-Month”

Ruben Amaro was quoted a couple days ago as saying the Phillies need to and will go outside of the organization to look for outfield help. The specific concern is center field. The Phillies once had a strong commodity in the outfield with players such as Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell, Rual Ibanez, Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence.

Now that is an area that they are lacking in.

Photo Credit: Bj Wilson

The Opening Day outfield for the Phillies in 2012 consisted of John Mayberry Jr, Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence. By the end of the season, it looked completely different with all 3 spots being split as platoon roles.

With Howard and Utley out for the majority of the year, pressure was placed on the rest of the offense; especially Pence.  He was expected to provide the missing power to the lineup. As we all know, Hunter has terrible plate discipline. With the added pressure to swing for the fences, his discipline was worse.

Along with Pence, Victorino’s numbers dipped coming off his career high in 2011. The whole team suffered as a result of the lack of offense.  Both Pence and Victorino were set to receive more money either through arbitration or free agency. At the trade deadline, as the Phillies felt they were too far out of the standings, they traded Pence and VIctorino to the Giants and Dodgers respectively.

In return for Pence, they were sent left-handed outfielder Nate Schierholtz. With center and right field open, they called up Domonic Brown to start in right field and essentially split time between all three spots. Schierholtz ended up not producing much as he broke his toe, missing a lot of time and never really got a starting role back.

Laynce Nix was another piece that was suppose to help the outfield, but ended up being hurt quite a bit and never got

Photo Credit: BJ Wilson

into the “swing” of things. As a result, Charlie Manuel began to play speedy Juan Pierre a lot. Pierre got a lot of time after the trades because of his consistent bat as he finished hitting over .300.

As September rolled around the Phillies expanded their rosters and brought up minor league player of the year Darin Ruf. Ruf was a constant power threat in the minors hitting 38 HR in Reading.

Though Ruf is labeled as an infielder, he was mainly in left field during the limited time he received at the end of the year.  Ruf only played in 12 games but hit 3 long balls and knocked in 10 runs.

As the Phillies look toward the future, there is quite a concern in the outfield. Personally, Mayberry has never been anything to write home about and has a lot of room for improvement. With Pierre’s contract up, the Phillies could and should resign him for another year or two.  His age is a factor but, he is still a good role player. However, Darin Ruf looks like a viable option for the future.

After a long abysmal regular season, the outfield is a place of major concern for the Phillies. There are a couple ways the Phillies could go to fill the hole.  The main ones include B.J. Upton, Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, or Josh Hamilton (with subsequent moves).

As Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phils do need to and will go outside the organization to fill the hole. As we wait for the moves to be made, the question is, which is the right move to make?

The Vet during a rain delay.

Do you remember those awful 90′s teams?

Teams that you never expected to win.

Teams that had a very few bright spots.

Years of being on the bottom and the laughingstock of the National League.

Do you remember when you learned about “addition by subtraction?”

When Scott Rolen was traded,

And the entire city seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

The Phillies started to play under a lot less stress.

» Continue reading “Do You Remember?”

That’s right folks, the Phillies have clawed and fought their way back to the .500 mark.   They have done this with stellar pitching, good defense and timely hitting.

Photo Credit: BJ Wilson

You know, all the fundamental ways to win ballgames.

When the Phillies traded away Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence on July 31st, they were conceding that this year was not their year and they needed to build for the future.  And that was absolutely the right decision.

The thing is, no one told the Phillies players that the season was over.

After being 14 games below .500 at the trade deadline, the Phillies are finally even again.  They have gone 25-13 in that time-span.

Last night, on a night where Roy Halladay did not have his best stuff, everyone contributed.

Photo Credit: BJ Wilson

Jimmy Rollins hit a huge 2-run homerun after he was given an extra out.  He actually popped the previous pitch up behind homeplate, but the Marlins catcher dropped the ball.

Juan Pierre went 3-4 with an RBI.

Chase Utley was 3-3 with an RBI and two walks.  His batting average is sneaking it’s way back up.

Carlos Ruiz returned to the starting line-up for the first time since August 2.  He also went 1-3 with an RBI.

Domonic Brown, the Phillies big enigma, went 2-5 with an RBI.

John Mayberry Jr, Michael Martinez, Ryan Howard and even Roy Halladay all contributed with hits.

The bullpen tried to blow it, but they managed to keep it together.

This was a team that played together.  This is a team that has never truly believed that they were out of it and now, this is a team that is in the thick of it.

Will it continue?  I think so.

The Phillies have been playing great ball lately.   They look like the team that they were suppose to be all along.  A team that has dominated the NL East for the last 4 years and won the NL East title for the last 5.

Most importantly, the Phillies are playing with a mindset of nothing to lose and everything to gain.  And that is what is making them so dangerous right now.

Karilee Jeantet is Lead Contributor for A View From Section 116.  Follow her on Twitter @kjeantet and @viewfromsec116 and e-mail her AViewFromSection116@gmail.com.

Have the events of yesterday settled in with you yet? No, neither have I.  But it did change the Phillies roster… a lot, so let’s see who is in and who is out.

Out:

Hunter Pence was shipped off to San Francisco 367 days after he was brought to Philadelphia.

In:

Nate Schierholtz was brought in that trade.  He’s another 4th outfielder and should be serviceable.  He is not an everyday player, but he will be right now.  He likes playing at CBP though, so that should help some…

Out:

Shane Victorino was sent to Los Angeles.  Which, incidentally, is the same team that left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft…Twice.  The second time the Phillies liked him, but didn’t think he was ready for the Majors yet, so they offered him back.  The Dodgers didn’t want him.  The Phillies kept him and sent him to the minors.  He was a great Rule 5 pick.

In:

Domonic Brown is alive!  I know.  It’s kind of shocking.  I’m not sure which position he is going to be playing, but I am excited to see him back.  I truly believe in this kid, and no I don’t think I’m just fooling myself.  He might not always be the best outfielder, but he should make it up at the plate. (And let’s be honest, he can’t be any worse than we had this year in left field.)

» Continue reading “As The Phillies Roster Turns: Part 12″