Phightin' Phils Phorum

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Spring Training Preparations

In anticipation of Spring Training which will be upon us shortly, I have put together some ideas for a few of the Phillies to get ready to play again.  For Brad Lidge and his bum knee and elbow, I suggest some remote control bionic body parts:

No more surgeries for Brad and now, with the fancy remote, he will have full control over his fastball spots.

Next, you may be aware that both Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino got married this off-season.  Now that the two of them have decided to cart along the old ball and chain, maybe they can help each other out with the extra weight so they will not be slowed down on the base paths:

I kid, of course :O)  Both Johari and Melissa are wonderful additions to the Phillies family and I wish all of them the best of luck in their new lives together.

So onto more serious issues…Ryan Howard needs to work on cutting back his strike outs.  Maybe we can get him some super awesome magnifying glasses that make the baseball look more like a bowling ball?

It is worth a try.

And then there is the case of Cole Hamels whose confidence has been battered after a disappointing 2009 season.  We all know the kid can do the job; we have seen him do it and go home with a 2008 World Series MVP trophy to prove it.  So what really needs restoring here is Cole’s faith in himself.  And for that, I found this special magic mirror for him to hang in his locker:

Cole may be young in age, but he is strong as a lion on the mound.  Go get ‘em, Cole!  We know you can do it!

Spring Training starts in 10 days!!

Player photos by Jenn

2010 Wing Bowl: Exclusive Pictures and Coverage

MTR has exclusive photos from Wing Bowl. Click Here to see the full show!

 

Phillies Off-Season Report on 6-ABC

Last night, 6-ABC Philadelphia aired a special report on the Phillies Off-Season.  The report covered the weddings of Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, Jamie Moyer’s charity work, Chad Durbin’s business venture, the Phillies Cruise and Charlie Manuel’s weight loss.  The Phillies Cruise coverage is about 3 minutes into the program and you can see five of my photos featured in that portion of the report with my name listed underneath:

And here are still shots of the photos as they aired in the report:

Special thanks to Scott Palmer and Scott Nickle at the Phillies and Beth Widhson at Holland America for including me in this project :O)

Earlier this week, there were a few very “minor” signings that occurred.  The Phillies picked up veteran outfielder Freddy Guzman on a Minor League contract.  He will not be invited to Spring Training.  And veteran right-hander Oscar Villarreal was also given Minor League contract on Thursday.  Villareal is coming off Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2009 season.  He was with the Astros in 2008, the Braves from 2006-2007 and the D-Backs three years prior to that.  With many question marks still in the bullpen, another in inexpensive, yet experienced arm hanging around is a good idea.

So the countdown to Spring Training continues…only 6 days until the truck rolls out and 13 days until pitchers and catchers report!

PSWA Banquet 2010

On Monday night, the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association held their 106th annual awards banquet in Cherry Hill, NJ.  The PSWA honors athletes in every sport around the Philadelphia area.  The event is usually hosted by the great Harry Kalas, but sadly, he is no longer with us.  This same event last year was the last time I spoke with Harry.  This year, the PSWA invited his son, Todd Kalas, who spoke with great affection and admiration about his father.  I have video of the speech that you can watch below. 

The photos below show the empty seat that was left in Harry’s honor right next to the podium, Todd Kalas speaking and a friend of Harry’s who sung “High Hopes.”

The tone of the banquet was still very upbeat and in usual PSWA style, many great athletes and coaches from the area were honored in grand fashion.  The Phillies were awarded “Team of the Year” which was accepted by Charlie Manuel and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. accepted the award for “Executive of the Year.”  Former Phillie and current advisor, Dickie Noles was given the “Humanitarian” award and Von Hayes was there also as a guest.

The next set of photos are of Charlie Manuel, Ruben Amaro Jr., me with broadcasters Scott Franzke and Tom McCarthy and Phillies PA announcer, Dan Baker.

The following video shows speeches from Todd Kalas, Amaro and Manuel.  Note the “jokes” about the Cliff Lee trade; Amaro playfully blamed it on Charlie.  Sorry Ruben, I fail to see the humor.  Ok, don’t get me started on that…here’s the video:

There were plenty of other sports icons in attendance, including the 76ers Willie Green who got the “Good Guy” award, Eagles head coach Andy Reid and Eagles player Brent Celek who was named the “Outstanding Professional Athlete” of 2009:

We also heard from Andrew Bailey who was given the “Native Son” award; Bailey grew up in the Philly area and won Rookie of the Year for the American League in 2009 as the closer for the Oakland A’s.  Ruben asked who his agent was and tried to steal him away…no success I’m afraid. 

The MVP of the Army Navy Game, Ricky Dobbs, was also honored as well as Jay Wright, head coach of Villanova basketball, Fran Dunphy of Temple basketball , the 1960 Eagles and many others.  The full list of honorees can be seen at the PSWA web site.  I also put together a Photo Album from the event which shows many of these people as well.

The highlight of the night may have been comedian Joe Conklin who does impressions of his favorite Philly sports figures.  His Cole Hamels impersonation is hysterical.  Take a look:

And finally, here is clip of a program that will air this Thursday at 11pm on 6-ABC Philadelphia.  The show is about the Phillies Off-Season and will include some photos that I took during the 2010 Phillies Cruise last month :O)   If you live in the Philly area, set the DVR or tune in at 11pm on 2/4/10:

Photos by Jenn

Amaro's Continues His Propaganda About the Lee Trade

Ruben Amaro continued his propaganda today about the Cliff Lee trade the Seattle Mariners as he was on Hot Stove on the MLB Network. He continued his sentiment about why he HAD to trade Lee because of the future. 

Yesterday Amaro spoke at the Philadelphia Sportswriters Association banquet saying, 'I'm not a dummy. I know what Cliff Lee means to our rotation in addition to Halladay and Hamels. It's a no-brainer.'

He went on to say, "We cannot be the New York Yankees. We have to have people that we can bring to the big leagues from our system. The guys who are our core players are guys from our system.”

 He then had the audacity to say, "Yes, I'd like to have a championship, but not at the cost of having our organization not be good for 10 years. Absolutely not. That's not the goal. The goal is to be a contender every year. And once you get to the World Series or get to the playoffs, it's really a matter of who's playing the best baseball, who's hottest, who has the karma."

Karma? Are your freakin' kidding me? Is that what it takes to win a championship? No, it takes starting pitching. it takes top notch talent. And sorry, it sometimes takes acting like the Yankees!

This whole public relations tour he is on is embarrassing. They traded Cliff Lee for nothing. Will Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, or J.C. Ramirez keep this team competitive four or five years from now? Will anyone even remember their names except as a punch line as to who we traded one of the team's best pitchers for? Probably not. Had Lee become a free agent the Phillies would have gotten 2 draft picks. A number 1 pick and a sandwich pick. They could have gotten just as good, if not better talent then a player that missed much of last year with a bad elbow in Aumont, a player that was looked over in the organization in Gillies, and a player that will probably be released inside of 2 years in Ramirez.

In addition, Charlie Manuel joined Amaro on the tour. After his initial comments disapproving of the trade, he must have been taken to the woodshed inside of David Montgomery's office and is now supporting Amaro's decision. We all know how Charlie really feels. Disgraceful!

Give me a break. I am just not buying all of Ruben Amaro's propaganda. He made a big mistake trading Lee and is now trying to justify it. When the Phillies lose the World Series because they have to start Joe Blanton against C.C. Sabathia in game 7, Amaro will be run out of town! 

Discuss this and all things Philadelphia sports on PhillySportsComplete.com's new discussion forum!

Introducing Bloomberg Sports

On Sunday, I attended a presentation from Bloomberg Sports in New York City.  Bloomberg is introducing a new set of fantasy / statistical tools for baseball enthusiasts.  Bloomberg has been a monster in the financial services industry since 1981.  Branching out into the sports world, they hope to bring the same innovation and analysis tools they use for finances to baseball.

   

Each person in attendance was given a one-year subscription to the new Draft Kit and In-Season tools which will officially roll out on 2/18/10.  You can pre-order the programs now on MLB.com; the Draft Kit is $19.95, the In-Season kit is $24.95 or the package with both is $31.95.  Both include the News Kit as well which will integrate news feeds from all over the internet to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive information available.

 

Here are some of the major advantages you will get with the consumer product:

 

The application runs straight from the internet; there is no software to download and it will not slow down your computer performance.  The statistics and data you are able to view are in real-time.  This means if a batter hits a home run, that data is available right away and loaded into that players file.

 

For Fantasy Sports players, there are major advantages to using this program.  You are not limited to the stats and comparisons previously available to you for drafting teams and making in-season changes.  The program is totally customizable and will work in conjunction with ANY fantasy baseball platform you are currently using.  You can control ALL options like points, roster spots and anything else specific to your league or fantasy platform.  The program will show you player information based on your specifications and needs, making it easier to draft players or make adjustments.

 

There are both "watch" lists and "exclude" lists you can add players or even entire teams to.  If last year, your fantasy team was held back due to a lack of home runs, steals or whatever, you can sort players to choose from based on criteria you select.  These searches can be saved to view later as well.  This program can even help you decide which players or positions to draft in which round based on a supply/demand calculation.

 

If you are not into Fantasy Baseball, you may not need the Draft Kit, but the In-Season kit is invaluable for crunching numbers for us bloggers or for the avid sports fan who wants to analyze the game on a deeper level.  Angry at your team's manager for making what you feel is a bone-head move?  Say they put a shift on a batter facing a left-handed pitcher throwing low and inside; go into the program, pull up the batters information and plug in the information about the pitcher and anything else pertinent.  You will get a spray chart of that batter's tendencies in that specific situation with percentages and actual numbers.  You can then make an education decision as to how that play was handled.  Were 75% or more of that batter's hits to the side of the shift under those circumstances?  If so, maybe it was not such a bone-head move by your manager ;O)

 

Think about proving your friends wrong; does your friend swear that a particular player can't hit the inside fastball?  Show him and have proof to back it up.  Imagine all the fun you can have with tools like these!  You can even track a player's performance by month, against certain teams, against certain pitchers, etc...  Basically anything you can think of is available with just a few clicks of the mouse.  And you do not have to open 5 or 6 internet windows to do it; it is all right there in one spot with color and shape coded graphics, charts, bar graphs and a variety of other views.

 

Have you ever gone to the stats page of MLB.com and been frustrated that you cannot run the comparison you want or have to do the math by hand or maybe the stats are totally not available at all?  Those days are gone.  This program does it all!  My only real concern with the consumer product is that the average computer user may find navigating the system difficult.  There are SO many options, it might be overwhelming.  The people at Bloomberg share my concern and are working hard to develop solid help files, video demonstrations and other educational tools to help make it easier to use for everyone.

 

I had a similar concern with the Professional product which all MLB teams will be receiving a free 6-month trial of this season.  Will all of these old-school managers and coaches take the time to learn how to use this to their advantage?  At the Winter Meetings, most of the feedback from the teams was very positive, as it should be.  This tool can provide teams with, literally, a statistical advantage over their opponents.

 

Teams already scout their opponents, but the level of detail this system provides is beyond your everyday scouting report.  The spray charts on batters can be put through as many filters as they want; for example, if you want to know how a batter will perform against a right-handed pitcher, during the day in June with an outside curveball thrown, this will tell you.  It can be that specific.  It can even be specific to the exact pitcher.  Can Manny Ramirez hit a Cole Hamels low, inside fastball?  And what percentage of the time will he strike out or ground out on that pitch?  This will give teams that information, which can be printed out and used during the game to advise the pitcher what to throw or tell fielders where to stand.

 

Add to all this space-age technology the Biometric security which features fingerprint access to the Pro-system and my mind is officially blown.  Some people at the meeting mentioned that they were so excited about the pro-system, they might be willing to sell body parts to have access to it.  While I do not recommend this course of action, I can see where the avid baseball fan would be tempted towards drastic measures.

 

So my suggestion is, give the consumer product a try.  I will begin using it as soon as it rolls out and give you additional feedback at that point.  I also hope to have some screen shots available soon to give you an idea of what it will look like.  The staff at Bloomberg says improvements and additions to the system will be on-going; any and all feedback will be considered.  As I have more information, I will be sure to pass it on!

 

Phightin' Phils Phorum Hall of Fame - Pete Rose

There would be no World Championship in Philadelphia in 1980 if it were not for Peter Edward Rose. Rose may have only spent 5 years with the Phillies but his impact can not be understated. Pete not only belongs in the Phightin' Phils Hall of Fame, but in Baseball's Hall of Fame.

Rose's major league career began during a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox in 1963. The Reds' regular second baseman Don Blasingame pulled a groin muscle giving Rose a chance to show what he could do. Later that Spring against the New York Yankees, Whitey Ford gave him the nickname "Charlie Hustle" after Rose sprinted to first base after drawing a walk. Despite the manner in which Ford intended it, Rose adopted that nickname as a badge of honor.

Rose made his major league debut on April 8, 1963 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. After going hitless in his first 11 at bats, Rose got his first Major League hit on April 13, a triple off Pittsburgh's Bob Friend. He hit .273 for the year and won the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

On April 23, 1964, in the top of the ninth inning of a scoreless game in Colt Stadium, Rose reached first base on an error and scored on another error to make Houston Astros rookie Ken Johnson the first pitcher to lose a complete game no-hitter. However, he slumped late in the season, was benched, and finished with just a .269 average. Rose came back in 1965, leading the league in hits (209) and at-bats (670), and finishing sixth in NL MVP balloting. It was the first of his ten seasons with 200-plus hits, and his .312 batting average was the first of nine consecutive .300 seasons. He hit a career-high 16 home runs in 1966, then switched positions from second base to right field the following year.

In 1968, Rose started the season with a 22 game hitting streak, missed three weeks with a broken thumb, then had a 19-game hitting streak late in the season. He had to finish the season 6 for 9 to beat Matty Alou and win the first of two close NL batting-title races with a .335 average. He finished second to St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Gibson for the NL MVP award earning six first place votes.

 Rose had his best offensive season in 1969 setting a career high in batting with a .348 mark and tying his career best 16 homeruns. As the Reds' leadoff hitter he had 218 hits and led the league in runs with 120. He hit 33 doubles, 11 triples, drove in 82 runs, and had a .512 slugging percentage. His OBP was .432 and beat out Roberto Clemente for the batting title with a bunt base hit in his last at bat of the season. On July 14, 1970 Rose was involved in one of the most infamous plays in All Star Game history. Leading off against the California Angels' Clyde Wright in the 12th inning, Rose hit a single and advanced to second on another single by the Los Angeles Dodgers' Billy Grabarkewitz. The Chicago Cubs’ Jim Hickman then singled sharply to center. Amos Otis' throw went past Cleveland Indians catcher Ray Fosse, but Rose still barreled over Fosse to score the winning run. Fosse continued to hit for average but with diminished power. He had 16 homers before the break but only two after. He played through the 1979 season, but never approached his first-year numbers. The collision also caused Rose to miss three games with a bruised knee. Fosse did not miss any games immediately after the incident. As can be seen in a replay of the event, Rose initially intended to slide headfirst, but when Fosse blocked the plate prior to the throw reaching home, Rose came back up and knocked Fosse out of the way, clearing his path to home as the throw went by. In 1973, Rose led the league with 230 hits and a .338 batting average and won the NL MVP award leading "the Big Red Machine" to the 1973 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. During the fifth inning of game three of the series, Joe Morgan hit a double play ball to Mets first baseman John Milner with Rose on first. Rose's slide into second attempting to break up the double play incited a fight with Mets shortstop Bud Harrelson resulting in a brawl. The game was nearly called off when, after the Reds took the field, the Shea Stadium crowd threw objects from the stands at Rose, causing Reds manager Sparky Anderson to pull his team off the field until order was restored. Mets Manager Yogi Berra and players Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Cleon Jones and Rusty Staub were summoned by NL President Chub Feeney out to left field to calm the fans. The Reds ended up losing the game and the National League Championship Series despite Rose’s .381 batting average in the series. The Cincinnati Reds of the 1970s earned the nickname "the Big Red Machine," and is one of the greatest teams ever. On a team with many great players, Rose, along with Hall of Famers Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan and Tony Pérez, was viewed as one of the club's leaders.

In 1975, Rose earned the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year and Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportsman of the Year" award. The following year, he was a major force in helping the Reds repeat as World Series champions. The 1976 Reds swept the Phillies 3–0 in the 1976 National League Championship Series, then swept the Yankees 4–0 in the World Series. The 1976 Cincinnati Reds remain the only team since the expansion of the playoffs in 1969 to go undefeated in the postseason. On May 5, 1978, Rose became the 13th player in major league history to collect his 3,000th career hit off Montreal Expos pitcher Steve Rogers. On June 14 in Cincinnati Rose singled in the first inning off Cubs pitcher Dave Roberts and proceeded to get a hit in every game he played in until August 1. When the streak reached 30 games the media accompanied Rose and the Reds to every game in mass. On July 19 against the Philadelphia Phillies, Rose was hitless going into the ninth. He ended up walking and the streak appeared over. The Reds managed to bat through their entire lineup giving Rose another chance. against Ron Reed. Rose laid down a bunt single to extend the streak to 32 games.

He would eventually tie Willie Keeler's single season National League record at 44 games but on August 1, the streak came to an end as Gene Garber of the Atlanta Braves struck out Rose in the ninth inning. The competitive Rose was sour after the game blasting Garber and the Braves for treating the situation "like it was the ninth inning of the 7th game of the World Series" and adding that "Phil Niekro would have given me a fastball to hit."  The Philadelphia Phillies had won the National League East in 1976, 1977, and 1978. Despite winning 101 games twice in that period, they were unable to make it to the World Series. In 1979, believing that he was the player who could bring them over the top, the Phillies temporarily made Rose the highest-paid athlete in team sports when they signed him to a four-year, $3.2-million contract as a free agent. With future Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt at third base, Rose made the final position change of his career to first base.

Although the Phillies missed the postseason in his first year with the team, they earned two division titles, a first half title, two World Series appearances and one World Series title.

The worst season of Rose's career was in 1983 when Phillies played in their second World Series in four years. Rose batted only .245 with 121 hits, and found himself benched during the latter part of the '83 season appearing periodically to play and pinch hit. Rose did blossom as a pinch-hitter, with 8 hits in 21 at bats for a .381 average.

Rose rebounded in the Postseason batting .375 during the N.L.C.S. against the Los Angeles Dodgers and .312 in the World Series . Pete collected only one hit in his first eight at bats in the first two games in Baltimore against the 1983 A.L. Champions. He found himself benched for game three back in Philadelphia ground out in a pinch hitting appearance. To make matters worse Rose showed some unsportsmanlike attitude toward's Phillies manager Paul Owens complaining about his benching. He did, however, collect four hits in his last seven at bats. Sadly the Phillies lost decisively to the Baltimore Orioles in the 1983 World Series, 4 games to 1 and the Pete Rose era in Philadelphia ended. Pete was granted an unconditional release from the Phillies in late October 1983. Phillies management wanted to retain Rose for the 1984 season but he refused to accept a more limited playing role. He signed a one year contract with the Montreal Expos later that offseason. On April 13, 1984, 21 years to the day after Rose's first career hit, Rose doubled off of the Phillies’ Jerry Koosman for his 4,000th career hit joining Ty Cobb to become only the second player to enter the 4000 hit club. Rose was traded to the Reds for infielder Tom Lawless on August 15, 1984 and was immediately named player manager. He only batted .259 for the Expos but his average jumped to .365 with the Reds as he managed them to a 19–22 record for the remainder of the season.

On September 11, 1985, Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all time hits record with his 4,192nd hit, a single to left-center field off San Diego Padres pitcher Eric Show. According to MLB.com, Major League Baseball continues to recognize Cobb's final hit total as 4,191, though independent research has revealed that two of Cobb's hits were counted twice. Because of this, it has been suggested that Rose actually broke Cobb's record against the Cubs' Reggie Patterson with a single in the first inning of a Reds' 5–5 called game against Chicago on September 8. Because Rose broke Cobb's record, ABC's Wide World of Sports named Rose as its Athlete of the Year that year. Rose accumulated a total of 4,256 hits before his final career at bat, a strikeout against San Diego’s Rich Gossage on August 17, 1986.

Phillies Magazine Flashback: 1992

Earlier this month, I showed you highlights from a 1982 Phillies Magazine.   Flash forward ten years later and here are bits from a 1992 Phillies Magazine for you.  Curt Schilling is on the cover and the price of the publication (seen on the bottom, left hand side) is only $2.00.  In 1982, the same publication sold for $1.00.  Today, the magazine / program sells for $4.99.

Inside the magazine are pages very similar to the 2009 editions; team rosters, a score sheet and several informative articles about the team and happenings around Major League Baseball.  One page of interest in the 1992 edition is the player fact section, which includes the current Phillies General Manager, Ruben Amaro Jr.  Here he is, then and now:

And here is the 1992 roster from inside the magazine; a very solid team that won the NL Pennant the following year:

And my favorite part of the old publications is being able to compare ticket prices over the years.   The chart to the left shows prices from 1982, 1992 and this coming year, 2010.  The highest priced regular (non-premium seating) ticket in each year were as follows; 1982 - $7.00, 1992 - $12.00, 2010 - $60.00.  Ouch! 

I was in college in 1992 and remember always buying the cheapest ticket they had; then I was able to sit pretty much wherever I wanted.  The Vet was huge and always had plenty of open seats.  I miss those days.  Now to attend a game, I need to break the bank unless I want to sit all the way up top, where players look more like ants that people.  And that still costs $20.00.  However, vertigo from sitting in the super high, steeply sloped seats is totally free. ;o)

 

Amaro photo by Jenn

 

 

The State of The Phillies for 2010

The Philadelphia Phillies seem poised to enter the 2010 season as favorites to win another pennant. Predictions are on paper though and as a fan, you have to ask yourself what else they need to ensure success again this season.

Starting pitching is the foundation that championships are built on. The Phillies improved the top of their rotation by adding arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Roy Halladay. He will anchor a staff that will include Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, and J.A. Happ. The number 5 spot is still up in the air. With Jamie Moyer's age and recent injuries, he is far from a sure thing. Kyle Kendrick and newcomer Jose Contreras will both be given a shot, but Kendrick's inconsistency and Contreras lack of success in recent seasons leave a hole at the back end of the rotation that the Phillies will still need to figure out. More depth is needed in the rotation. In addition to the number 5 spot, no one can be sure the Happ can continue to dazzle, that Hamels will return to form, or that someone will suffer an injury. Add one starting pitcher to the wish list.

The bullpen is the team's biggest area of concern. While publicly Ruben Amaro and Charlie Manuel say they are happy with it, behind closed doors there is no way that they can be. Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero both began throwing programs this week. That is far from a guarantee that either will be ready or effective come April 5. If Lidge can get healthy, do we see the guy from 2008 or 2009? If Romero can not return healthy, is Danys Baez the right guy to complement Ryan Madson in the set up role. Contreras and Phillippe Aumont could be other good options for the Phillies, but the team never really replaced Chan Ho Park and will go into 2010 with a less certain bullpen then in 2009. Add a quality set up man to the wish list.

The Phillies did a good job solidifying the catching situation. The Carlos Ruiz contract was a no brainer and Brian Schneider as a back up was a great addition. I question the team's depth at the position in the minor leagues, but barring injury, the Phillies have catching taken care of for the next few seasons.

The Phillies infield is one of the best in baseball. Take away the Yankees and in my opinion it is the best. Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins all have the ability to be All Stars in 2010 and one of them could bring another MVP award back to Philly. While I am not thrilled about the Placido Polanco signing, he adds a versatile bat to the lineup and gives the Phillies a very solid hitter in the number 7 spot in himself or more likely Shane Victorino. Greg Dobbs can play the corner infield positions as well as the corner outfield spots and gives the team a nice left handed bat off of the bench. Juan Castro can play all four positions and is a slight upgrade from Eric Bruntlett.

The outfield could once again have three All Stars. Raul Ibanez will be healthy coming into the season while Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth enter the prime of their careers. Could Werth hit 40 homeruns this season? It is certainly possible. Ben Francisco and Ross Gload give the team two more solid bats off of the bench. Francisco plays solid defense at all three positions while Gload plays the corners and can play first base.

The Phillies enter the 2010 season with perhaps their best roster in franchise history. They have six players in their starting lineup that could make the All Star team and three that could win an MVP award. Their rotation is led by one of the best pitchers in the game who could win the team's first Cy Young Award since Steve Bedrosian in 1987. If the Phillies can figure out the back end of their rotation and bolster their bullpen, this could be the year that they win 100 games in the regular season and bring the City of Brotherly Love another World Championship!

Why Phillippe Aumont Belongs In The Bullpen

MLB.com announced the top 50 prospects in baseball. Outfielder Dominic Brown was ranked 14th while newly acquired Phillippe Aumont was 47th. Aumont may have ranked higher but a sore elbow caused him to miss two months last season. How should the Phillies continue Aumont's development in 2010? He should be given a chance to make the major league roster as a bullpen arm.

Why put Aumont in the bullpen? The elbow issue is reason enough. In addition, Aumont is a hard thrower that can reach 95 or higher on the radar gun. He throws a decent curveball but his change up needs to be improved to compete as a starter at the major league level. While sending him to Triple A could prepare him to be a big league starter, he could get on the job experience at the big league level in a bullpen where the Phillies need all of the help that they can get.

Very much like the Yankees have used Joba Chamberlain, the Phillies could do the same with Aumont. Keep him on a strict innings count for the season to help ensure his elbow is OK. The "Joba Rules" seem like the perfect answer here. He is a hard thrower which lends itself to success in the pen. He can work on his off speed pitches without over exposure as he would only have to pitch an inning or two. Throwing an occasional curveball and change up, he can learn to master the pitches easier in the pen and on the side.

If he were successful, Aumont would get the confidence needed to move into the Phillies rotation next year or perhaps in 2012. He could also prove to be a great bullpen pitcher and work his way into a closing role where he could dominate the ninth inning for the Phillies. Just remember, even Mariano Rivera was a starter as a rookie. This kid seems to have the makeup of a guy that could be a solid big league set up man or closer. 

Why not see how Phillippe Aumont performs in a bullpen role while filling the needs of the bullpen and giving him a role where he can develop and gain confidence at the big league level. If Aumont can help the Phillies the way Joba Chamberlain helped the Yankees, the trade for Cliff Lee may be a little easier to swallow. Your thoughts?