Summertime

Last week of summer... enjoy it!

Victorino for MVP???

A "celebrity guest" post today while I'm out of town. Despite the uncanny resemblance, I can assure you that Matt Stairs has not joined our ranks. No, instead, today's post comes to you from one of the foremost Jimmy Rollins experts on the planet (perhaps the only one): Jeff Bennett (no, not the former Braves pitcher either). He enjoys painting his head like a baseball, screaming at anyone who swings at the first pitch, and long walks through the CBP parking lot. Most importantly, ladies... he's single!

Being a sports fan you always want your favorite team to win any award they possibly can.  For the Phillies this year it would be nice for them to win the World Series, Halladay or Lee win the NL Cy Young and Worley to win the ROY.  But what about the NL MVP????  Does Shane Victorino have a shot?

Victorino’s numbers are pretty impressive this year.  According to Baseball-Reference.com  Victorino is batting 0.308 with 21 doubles, 14 triples, 15 home runs, 53 RBIs, 79 runs, and 17 stolen bases this year.  He has a shot of having career highs in most of these categories.  But how does he stand up to the other league leaders in the NL?

Well first let’s compare Victorino with last year’s NL MVP Joey Votto.  This year Votto is batting 0.323, with 29 doubles, 26 home runs, and 87 RBIs, while leading the NL with an OBP of 0.438.  These numbers are defiantly good but what is hurting Votto this year is the fact that the Reds are 13.5 games out of first place and 12.5 games out in the Wild Card.   Yes Pujols won MVP in 2008 while the Cardinals didn’t make the post season and Howard won MVP in 2006 while the Phillies didn’t make it either.  But both of those teams were still had a chance up until the last week or so of those seasons.  So I’m going to say Joey Votto will not win NL MVP even though he is having a very good season at the dish.

Same could be said about LA Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp.  The Dodgers are 19 games out of first place and 16 out in the Wild Card.  Kemp is batting 0.319 with 26 doubles, 100 RBIs, 35 stolen bases, and leads the NL with 31 home runs.  He is right up there with the league leaders in OBP, SLG, and OPS. 

Let’s take a look at Prince Fielder.  He is batting 0.295, with 30 doubles, 29 home runs, and leads the NL with 102 RBIs.  These are some great numbers to have but Fielder isn’t even the best player on his own team this year.  Enter Ryan Braun.  This year Braun is batting 0.334 with 35 doubles, 25 home runs, 88 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases.  He leads the NL with 92 runs, 0.593 SLG%, and 0.999 OPS.  The Brewers are up 10.5 games in the Central and look to lock up a postseason bid soon.

I’m a huge fan of the Phillies and would love to see Victorino or another Phillies player win the NL MVP.  But the numbers don’t lie Victorino is going to have to have a huge September to keep his name in the MVP discussion.  Without a doubt this year with the numerous amounts of injuries to the Phillies and not taking anything away from the great pitching, but Shane Victorino is defiantly the Phillies MVP of 2011.

Lunch Time Link Dump

• 33 Games in 31 Days, including 2 double headers. The good news: No more 10pm West Coast start times! Take a breather now because baseball is non-stop until the season ends. Playoff magic number is right around 16.

• With so much free time on his hands due to his DL trip, Jimmy Rollins has been very active on the internets lately. He keeps his status updated on Facebook, engages his fans on Twitter, and hocks a crap load of merchandise on his own webpage. Now of course the money probably all goes to charity, but damn Jimmy Rollins' fans must have some deep pockets (they do, I know one). $750 for a game used bat? $1,250 for a batting practice jersey? Cmon Jimmy, your contract situation isn't that bad! Someone will give you at least $40M guaranteed this offseason. No need to sell cheesy t-shirts with your face plastered on them! The show will go on!

• Of all the stories in baseball, the one that is most surprising, and perhaps most overlooked is just how pathetic of a season Adam Dunn is having in Chicago. I was never a big fan of his in Cincinnati or Washington. His swing is a bigger hack than even Ryan Howard's. But his ability to draw a walk and consistent 40HR/100RBI approach made his value relatively close to the 4yr-$56M that the White Sox paid him. But dear god, who in their right mind could have predicted that he'd only have 60 hits in 400+ ABs? The Flagrant Fan puts it into historical context. No one in the history of Major League Baseball has ever had a season in which they batted under .170 for the season and only twice has someone batted under .180. Dunn would need to have an MVP caliber final 5 weeks just to see his BA creep over the mendoza line. Even Dan Uggla feels bad for Dunn. 

• Matt Gelb wrote a couple of awesome articles on Vance Worley over the past few days (lots of free time with all that rain, I suppose!). Includes the story behind his Oakleys, the origin of the mohawk, and plenty of details about his journey to the majors.

• Equally hard hitting journalism is this Philly.com piece on baseball socks! In all honesty, though, Michael Vitez is spot on with his analysis of the changes in footwear in baseball over the past 30 years or so. The long socks look is all but dead. Most baseball purists will tell you that they love the high socks look, and while I agree, stirrups were just stupid. I remember having to wear those over regular socks in little league and I never understood the purpose. They dryrot easily and they're always falling down. Then they tried to replicate the look by just having regular socks with a colored stripe on the side. Who do they think they were kidding? And, I'm sorry but the ones that the Phillies wore with the liberty bell on the side were super cheesy. Did stirrups ever serve a purpose?Am I missing something here?

• Quietly having one of the greatest seasons of any player in recent memory, Curtis Granderson is putting himself in position to be a virtual lock for AL MVP. Back in 2007 when Granderson became the 3rd player to ever hit 20 doubles, 20 triples, 20 homeruns, and steal 20 bases. When Jimmy Rollins got his 20th triple on the final day of the season, he used his stats to earn himself an MVP award. Granderson finished a disappointing 10th that year in AL voting! Today, he leads all of baseball in runs scored, RBI, and HRs. His batting average has hovered around .280 most of the season and the speed is still there. And he's putting up all these numbers while being something like the 11th highest paid player on his team. That's less money than Raul Ibanez.

Vance Worley Won't Win ROY, But Should He?

While baseball pundits may be calling this year "The Year of the Rookie," it seems to me like all of those rookies are in the American League. Eric Hosmer, Dustin Ackley, Mark Trumbo, Ivan Nova, Jordan Walden, Jeremy Hellickson, etc... The AL ROY race is destined to be a good one and it would not surprise me if more than a few Hall of Famers come out of this class. Not so much with the NL. The odds on favorite at the outset of the season seemed to be Giants 1st Baseman Brandon Belt, but after disappointment and injury, he's all but dropped off the radar. As have a lot of other potential NL candidates. The good news for Vance Worley is that there are only three serious contenders for the NL ROY award this season. The bad news is that he's probably still third on that list. With a 9-1 record and a streak in which the Phillies have won each of his last 12 starts, Worley really couldn't be doing much more to get himself into contention. He's pitched well in both the minors and majors this year, often on odd days rest and in a multitude of situations. But he falls behind the Braves duo for a couple of reasons.

First of all, his cumulative stats just aren't there. Since 2000, only three starting pitchers have won the ROY award in either league. The worst collective season among those pitchers was Dontrelle Willis' 14-6 record with 142 Ks and a 3.30 ERA in 160.2 innings in 2003 for the Marlins. If everything goes perfectly and each starter throws on a regualr schedule for the remainder of the season, Worley will get 5 more starts. The best record he could accumulate would be 14-1. That might do it, but at 98 IP right now, I think he'd have to mix in a couple of complete games to accumulate the innings and more importantly strikeouts to get in the right ballpark. On the season, Worley is averaging just under 6IP/start, but assuming he's as lights out the rest of the way as he's been for the past few months, the best he can really hope for is 33 more IP and maybe 28 more strikeouts. So being optimistic, let's project Worley at 13-2, 2.65 ERA, 131IP, and 111 strikeouts. While the ERA is impressive, the rest of the stats rank well below the other three ROY winners (Willis, Justin Verlander, and Jason Jennings). 

Looking for a more accurate comparison? Look no further than the Phillies of the last few years. Kyle Kendrick finished 5th in 2007 voting with a 3.87 ERA, 49Ks, a 10-4 record and 121 IP. JA Happ finished 2nd in 2009 voting with a 2.93 ERA, 119 Ks, a 12-4 record and 166 IP. Worley will likely fall somewhere in between.

But with a weak crop of rookies in the NL, those numbers are almost enough to get the job done. Almost. Enter, Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman and closer Craig Kimbrel. Freeman has rebounded from a tough start to the season by putting up a line that currently sits at .291BA/18HR/63RBI. He fell right into the Braves every day first base role and at times, held the offense all by himself while Dan Uggla and Jason Heyward struggled, and Chipper Jones and Brian McCann spent time on the DL. His rookie numbers are on pace to eclipse Ryan Howard's of 2005 to put it into perspective.

But even Freddie Freeman pales in comparison to Craig Kimbrel. Just how good is Kimbrel this year? Take a look at what MLB Dirt has to say:

"Kimbrel has appeared in 65 games and logged just 63.2 innings, or less than one inning per outing, something I hate. But what he has done in those 63.2 innings is nothing short of historic. He has already eclipsed 100 strikeouts and has a K/9 rate of 14.56 which stands as a record for rookies with at least 60 innings of work and ranks 6th all-time among any pitcher with at least 60 innings of work in a season and is one of only 8 pitchers to accomplish this feat. Billy Wagner is the only one to accomplish it more than once and he did it three times.
What is even more remarkable is that he also has a 1.70 ERA and 1.21 FIP and has allowed only one homerun. Only two other pitchers have had a K/9 greater than 14.0 and an ERA lower than Kimbrel’s 1.70. Eric Gagne is one, and he won a Cy Young award, and Billy Wagner is the other and finished 4th in Cy Young award voting."

But if we look at comparable recent ROY winners the same way we did for Vance Worley, the contest isn't even close. Since 2000, there have been three other closers who have won ROY honors (all in the AL: Kaz Sasaki, Andrew Bailey, and Neftali Feliz). Kimbrel has already converted more saves than any of them (tied at 40 with Feliz), K'd more batters than any of them (103 to Bailey's 91), and is on pace to throw more innings with a lower ERA than any of them. Kimbrel benefits from the fact that he won the starting job out of Spring Training and the fact that his setup man Jonny Venters is probably the best in the business right now. He's a pedigree pitcher who was bred for this role.

Worley is a nice little story of a pretty decent minor leaguer who wasn't on anyone's radar or prospect lists, got the call with some real big shoes to fill, and filled those shoes admirably. He won't win NL ROY, but he's been invaluable to the Phillies this year.

37 Players Have Worn A Phillies Jersey This Year. 25 Make The Post Season Roster. You Do The Math.

With 35 games left in the season, the Phillies need only to go 18-17 to tie their franchise high of 101 wins. That would mean than nearly 30% of their losses on the season would need to come in the final month. In their worst month this season (May), the Phillies still managed to go 16-13. At no point in the season have they lost more than 4 games in a row. If they were to go 18-17 and lose the division to the Braves, the Giants would need to win EVERY GAME (33-0) in order to TIE the Phillies in the Wild Card. I guess what I'm trying to say is that a fifth straight post season trip is pretty much a forgone conclusion.

That said, there are some very interesting decisions to be made in the coming weeks regarding the roster. Nagging injuries to guys like Polanco and Hamels have kept the Phils from having to make the tough call on a lot of fringe players, but come September 30th, you can be that the sore groins and bruised heels will be played through while the Phillies make their post season push. As the title states, 37 players have donned the pinstripes this year. While that may seem like a lot, it's actually less than the 42.25 player average the Phillies have had during their 2007-2011 run of success. It's also less than the Brewers (44), Diamondbacks (46), Braves (41), and Giants (40) have used this year. And it's also a number that in all likelihood will change with September call ups and the potential for a waiver claim in the coming days.

But still, focusing on the post season lineup is far more interesting than previewing a Kyle Kendrick versus Mike Pelfrey afternoon matchup where the Phillies go for the sweep and the Mets just try to avoid falling behind the Marlins and into last place in the division...

The Starting 8:

1. Carlos Ruiz
2. Ryan Howard
3. Chase Utley
4. Jimmy Rollins
5. Placido Polanco
6. Raul Ibanez
7. Shane Victorino
8. Hunter Pence

Already a bit of controversy as John Mayberry Jr has earned himself at least a platoon position with Ibanez in left field. But Charlie is a veteran loyalist and so long as he is healthy, Raul should start Game 1 of every playoff series. What Mayberry has done since his latest recall is impressive, but he may actually hold more value as a bench player anyway.

The Rotation:

9. Roy Halladay
10. Cliff Lee
11. Cole Hamels
12. Roy Oswalt
13. Vance Worley

There isn't likely to be an opportunity for Worley to start a post-season game, but he's locked down a roster spot with his play. He's shown an uncanny ability to wiggle his way out of tough positions so his role could very likely be as the guy who comes in an early tight game where the starter is laboring with runners in scoring position.

The Bench:

14. Brian Schneider
15. John Mayberry Jr
16. Wilson Valdez
17. Michael Martinez
18. Domonic Brown
19. Ross Gload / Other (Jim Thome?) / Ben Francisco

The Bullpen:

20. Ryan Madson
21. Antonio Bastardo
22. Kyle Kendrick
23. David Herndon
24. Brad Lidge / Michael Stutes
25. Juan Perez / Joe Blanton

MAJOR question marks right here, though I've placed them in the order that I prefer for each spot. First off, I'm establishing that the Phillies will not go with a bench deeper than 6 bats. There are just too many question marks in the bullpen to go with 6 arms (Worley really counts as a 7th bullpen guy). I can gripe about them as much as I want and the existence of each of them makes the other expandable, but injury concerns at 3 of the 4 infield positions make Michael Martinez and Wilson Valdez both a necessity. One wrong move early in a game could send Utley. Rollins, or Polanco to the shelf for a game or two and you cannot afford to only have one utility infielder with such risk. Schneider is your obvious backup catcher and Mayberry is your obvious power bat from the right side who could play 1B or OF.

That leaves you in need of a left handed bat and another capable outfielder. The obvious solution for that dilemma is Domonic Brown. He's had a tough go at it since his return to the minors to say the least. But the raw tools are still there and he fits the bill better than anyone in the organization. Ross Gload has shown no power and has become an absolute liability on the base paths. He'd also make a terrible defensive outfield option. Ben Francisco is only on the Phillies at the moment because Domonic Brown needs every day playing time in the minors and there are no other major league ready outfield options available. Brandon Moss is a name that I've heard tossed around due in part to his 22 HRs at Lehigh Valley this year, but it would take a pretty epic September for him to fully get his name on the radar. The best option available for the last spot on the bench might just be someone who isn't currently on the roster. Jim Thome is a pipe dream because the Phillies would be 29th in line for a waiver claim (The White Sox may have already made such a claim). The only hope for a reunion would be for the Twins to outright release him and let him choose his next destination, though there is no real incentive to do so. Most other major league veteran options would require a hefty over-payment for a rental job with the Phillies. If I were thinking COMPLETELY outside of the box on this one, I might consider former supplemental 1st round pick Matt Mangini who was just released by the Mariners. He's not exactly a household name, but he was tearing up the Pacific Coast League to the tune of a .336/.399/.409 line this season. Come to think of it, Ben Francisco might be a better option after all...

And finally, the bullpen... Madson, Bastardo, Kendrick are all locks. Brad Lidge is next on the list of probables due to past performance and pedigree if nothing else. Next, I look to David Herndon who since his return from the minors has been relatively solid. His numbers have been moving up, while fellow right hander Michael Stutes' have been going down. Whether he's experiencing dead arm or if batters are just becoming wise to his arsenal of pitches, Stutes simply cannot produce a clean inning anymore. Now the Phillies currently carry both of these guys on the roster, but for the post-season I think I would prefer to see a 2nd lefty added to the mix. Bastardo has settled in as one of the top setup men in the league, but a playoff run requires a situational left-hander. The Phillies have been missing this guy since the departure of JC Romero and the best option at their disposal right now seems to be Juan Perez. I don't love it, but unless another lefty falls through the cracks, he's probably better risk than the loser of the Herndon-Stutes battle. The other guy that could possibly weasel himself into the mix is Joe Blanton. While still recovering and suffering some setbacks, Blanton appears desperate to return to pitching sometime before the end of the season. If granted a trial run towards the end of September, he could potentially add his name to the mix for the final RHP job.

With a little more than a month to go, these questions are only going to become more pertinent. 

Pat, Where Do You Get Those Awesome T-Shirts? Part 3: Revenge of the Shirt!

Okay, we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel here. Not to say that these shirts aren't equally as awesome as the previous ones (which some of them certainly are), but that I just haven't been coming across new websites at the same blazing pace I had before. Maybe if you guys start sending me some free swag, I wouldn't have to spend the gross domestic product of a small African nation on T-shirts every year!

What you will not find in this installment is anything Hunter Pence related. I love the guy as much as the rest of you, but if you want a "Good Game, Let's go Eat" shirt, you can Google about 450 different options in .2 seconds. (Here) (Here) (Here)

These first guys focus on Philly more than the Phillies, but that's okay because their styles still work. I don't know how I stumbled upon Aphillyated Apparel, but I feel like my wife would really like the styles that incorporate all of the different city boroughs. They have some cute stuff for the ladies and some unique stuff for the fellas.

Veterans Shirtium has a little bit of everything from the Philly sports scene. Most of their stuff is simple, yet clever. Anyone who can combine Carlos Ruiz and some classic Wu Tang gets a thumbs up in my book! Their Flyers, Eagles and Sixers gear is equally as nice.

I'm a big fantasy baseball geek (though not a very successful one so far this year) so I went out searching for some fantasy related apparel. Big Awesome Company has a handful of Fantasy Sports related T's that fit the bill. Plus, I appreciate a place that offers the extra soft, pre-shrunk cotton so the shirts don't feel like cardboard after the third wash.

I have no idea where I found this last company from, but I bookmarked it like 2 months ago. Fan Sports has a simple name and simple designs, but they cater to fantasy players so I'm a fan. Plus, standing at 5'5 I have a little Sparky Anklebiter in me...

Now that I've completely pumped the well dry on places to find t-shirts, I'm hoping that you, the reader(s?) can help me come up with some ideas for Volume 4. Let me know what you got!

Polanco to the DL, But Perhaps a Day Too Late?

Okay, so maybe the guy they called up is really Michael Schwimer, (@mschwimer) and not Ross from Friends. He's the guy with the 9-1 record at Lehigh, an ERA that would make Roy Halladay blush, and a career 12+ K/9. Not bad, and likely necessary with Kendrick moving to the rotation this weekend to cover for Cole Hamels for a start or two.

But when the news came down immediately after the game that Placido Polanco would be hitting the DL retroactive, I couldn't help but wonder why the move wasn't made prior to the game in any one of those previously mentioned 48 hours of downtime. When the Phils came up in the bottom of the 9th, it sure would have been nice to have another option to pinch run instead of wasting John Mayberry Jr... I understand the situation: Michael Martinez lays down the bunt to move Ruiz. So you want to pinch run for Chooch so a single can tie the game, but your only option is Mayberry because you have to save Valdez for later. You're then stuck with Ross Gload in what would normally be a favorable Righty-Lefty matchup were it not for his decrepit body and .307 SLG. Mayberry may be the better hitter in that situation, but missing that extra bat off the bench really limits what you can do and 10 times out of 10 a manager like Charlie is going to play the handed matchup. But if Polanco had been shelved a day earlier an extra bat/set of legs brought up in his place, maybe you're looking at Pete Orr standing on 2nd base as the tying run with one out. Let him run, let Mayberry hit, and let the chips fall. I don't think you'd have nearly as many people playing Wednesday Morning QB... then again, with two outs in the bottom of the 9th  Jimmy Rollins shouldn't be made to look so foolish by a guy like J.J. Putz who hadn't been a regular closer for almost 3 years coming into the season.

It's just one, but it stings a little.

Baseball Musings

With Sunday's washout, we're going on 48 hours without Phillies baseball. Combine that with the fact that Yahoo's fantasy site has been acting up, and I'm going on almost 3 days of not really paying much attention to the game. That said, I'm shooting off the cuff this morning with some thoughts on a few recent baseball stories...

Carlos Zambrano Retires?

In his latest in a long history of hissy fits, Carlos Zambrano gave up a handful of homeruns on Friday night, got himself ejected for throwing at Braves slugger Chipper Jones, then packed up his toys and went home. Feel like you've heard this story before? This time around, however, it seems as though Zambrano is finally being held accountable for his actions and has been placed on the disqualified list for 30 days. While he came out publicly on Monday saying that he has no desire to retire and that he's saddened by the "harsh" punishment that he has received, this move has been a long time coming. My take in professional sports is that no one player can ever make themselves bigger than the team. Zambrano was having a terrible night and lost both his temper and his control of the ball. It happens to everyone, and it's magnified by a personality as competitive as Zambrano's. But to walk out on your team is a disgrace. The Cubs are a team in shambles right now with a manager who seems incapable of inspiring his players, a slew of terrible contracts, and a team full of guys whose prime was nearly a decade ago. And it's a shame because Zambrano is still a very capable major league ballplayer. His career has been a series of ups and downs, but the average of the two has been a very successful player. He swings a bat better than most bench players, he keeps most games within reach, and he's shown the rare 200IP/200K potential. But the headaches that come with him just aren't worth it anymore.

LoMo Demoted?

An equally aggravating story over the past few days is Logan Morrison's demotion to the Marlins AAA affiliate. For those that don't know, Morrison is the incredibly rare MLB player that actually shows some personality off the field and interacts with fans. He's a frequent guest on sports radio programs, he does tons of charity work, and he's an international Twitter superstar. He's not a bad baseball player either... His OPS ranks third among Marlins regulars behind just Mike Stanton and Gaby Sanchez. And yet, the Marlins demoted him to AAA following Saturday's loss with the official statement being that he needed to work on his hitting. Newsflash, Marlins: he's one of the top hitters on your team! He's outperforming the $4.5M John Buck and the $11M Hanley Ramirez. His 17 HRs are 9th among all left fielders this year. His closest comparable player appears to be Josh Willingham who by some metrics is having a career year. So for the Marlins to say that their reasons for sending Morrison down are strictly baseball related is a farce. Here you have a guy who is just 23 years old, yet is the only person on the team not afraid to call out Hanley for his lack of hustle. He's a guy who defended his teamate for a clean play that took Buster Posey out for the season. And most importantly, he's a guy who relates with Marlins fans on a daily basis. You would think that a team that is moving to a new stadium and is in desperate need of a superstar worthy of the spotlight would praise the attention that Morrison draws to the team. He's a guy who can sell jerseys and tickets for years to come. But instead, the crotchety old men in the Marlins front office seem hell bent on eliminating any type of team personality.

Thome Mashes #600!

A phrase that no one in the history of baseball has ever stated: "That Jim Thome guy is a jerk!" With his 2 HR performance on Monday night, Jim Thome cemented his legacy as not only one of the nicest guys ever to step to the plate, but also one of the game's greatest sluggers. If you eliminate anyone with ties to PEDs, you can say that Thome ranks as high as 5th on the all time homerun list. And he's remarkably done it with little recognition. He's a five time All-Star, but only owns one silver slugger award, and zero finishes in the top 3 of MVP voting. He's hit .260 and averaged move than 25 HRs per year over the last 5 seasons, most of which were spent as a platoon or bench player. By my count, you can may as well start casting his Hall of Fame plaque today while the price of bronze is still reasonable. His candidacy five years after his retirement is likely to be one of the biggest tests the BBWAA has ever faced. Those who think of Thome as an accumulator of numbers will likely point to his longevity as the only reason that he built such an extensive resume. But I would argue that there's a lot to be said for longevity in today's game. His 10 year stretch from 1995-2004 in which he averaged more than 145 games played is incredibly rare for a slugger. His willingness to play through injury and still put up rate stats has made him one of the all time greats just as much as his gawdy homerun totals. While we only had the privilege of seeing 96 of his 600 HRs during his tenure in Philadelphia, he is beloved in this town for his ushering of a new era of Phillies baseball. His signing and subsequent draw to a new ballpark is directly responsible for the current state of baseball in this town.

Lunch Time Link Dump

• Adding to his resume, Jimmy Rollins will be appearing as a cartoon character on the Cleveland show this fall. The list of Phillies players appearing on television is getting pretty lengthy. With the Philly Phanatic appearing on the Simpsons, Ryan Howard on Entourage, and Chase Utley & Howard on It's Always Sunny, I have to ask myself who could be next? Shane Victorino on Hawaii Five-0 perhaps... though I'm not sure that show even survived it's first season. Hunter Pence as crazed serial killer on Dexter? Chooch on a Telemundo soap opera?

• A bit of a sad story about former Cubs great and current Lehigh Valley Iron Pig manager Ryne Sandberg. Drafted by the Phillies and traded after just a few major league at bats as a throw in piece to get Ivan DeJesus, Sandberg has come full circle in his major league career as the manager of the Phils AAA affiliate. His being overlooked for the Cubs big league job last winter was a major mistake and the thought of many baseball people seems to be that it has soured him on the organization altogether. Charlie Manuel is signed on as the Phillies manager for two more years after this one. Sandberg has been doing a solid job with the Iron Pigs this year and is looking to lead the team on a playoff run. My thought is that the Phillies pursuit of him in the offseason could somehow be as the grooming as a replacement for Charlie Manuel after 2013. This would assume that Charlie hangs up the spikes after his contract is up (he'll be almost 70 afterall), and also assumes that Sandberg is willing to wait in the weeds for 2 more years with the Phillies. But it sure would be awesome to see Sandberg back in red pinstripes and it would make for a much more upbeat story.

• I think I've posted about LegendarySportsPrints.com before, but their website doesn't seem to offer the one that I want the most. So head on over to Phillies Nation and buy me one (or 4). Cmon, my birthday is coming up and I'm well worth the $25!

• In other collectible news, the US Post Office (surprisingly, they still exist) is going to have a series of forever stamps in 2012 with four "All Star Stamps." Joe Dimaggio will be one, but they haven't released the names of the others just yet. Then again, if his current streak continues, they may need to replace Dimaggio's with a Dan Uggla stamp!

• I'll always maintain that the greatest thing about baseball is its unpredictability. So be sure to check out You Can't Predict Baseball for daily roundups of baseball tidbits that will make you shake your head. For instance, "The Tigers lead the AL Central, with a -14 run differential. —– The Padres are in last place in the tragic NL West. They have a -4 run differential."

• I drove by the Kansas City Royals Stadium last week and was surprised to see that the All-Star game will be held there in 2012. It's a decent looking place that has apparently gone under a huge renovation so I'll probably stop by there on one of my next trips. The Royals are a pretty nice young team, though so anything that can drum up interest for them is probably good for baseball. Mix in a little fanfare with a roster that has Billy Butler, Jeff Francouer, Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer, Joakim Soria, Danny Duffy, and Aaron Crow all 27 years or younger and you mgiht just have a foundation for something big. They've retooled themselves with great drafts much in the way that the Rays did about 5 years ago. Speaking of All-Star games, keep an eye out for an upcoming post on All-Star game jerseys!

Vance Worley or Kyle Kendrick: Who You Got?

It's a question that doesn't hold a lot of merit as we already know that Vance Worley has been named the starting pitcher for Friday night against San Francisco and Kyle Kendrick will be moving to the bullpen, but it's one worth asking ourselves anyway... All things considered equal, who should be the Phillies number five starter tnow that Roy Oswalt is on the brink of return?

The easy answer is Vance Worley. With a 7-1 record, a 2.33 ERA, and WHIP that has hovered around 1.00 all season, Worley has easily been the Phillies biggest surprise of the season. He's outpaced just about every other rookie pitcher in the league and if not for the resurgence of Freddie Freeman, could be a serious contender for some ROY hardware at the end of the season. But is he good or just lucky? Without diving too deep into statistics that most of you (and to some degree, myself) won't understand, let's look at the basics. Worley sports a .207 BA and .249 BAbip right now. Both numbers place him well ahead of top righties in the league like teammate Roy Halladay and Giants opposition this weekend Tim Lincecum. The two have trophy cases full of Cy Young Awards and a history of making batters look foolish. Worley, however, doesn't miss bats at nearly the same rate. The batting average on balls in play in particular is a number that just isn't sustainable. Every advanced metric out there will tell you that Vance Worley has been impressive, but that a good chunk of his success can be credited to the lucky rabbit's foot he keeps in his back pocket. More importantly, the major league numbers just don't compare to his 4 year averages in the minors. K/9 is down, BB/9 is up and yet his "fantasy stats" look as impressive as anyone over the last few weeks.

And then there's Kyle Kendrick, a man who has heard more than his share of whispers wondering why he's still part of this team in the first place. Here's a guy who for three years has been juggled in and out of the rotation and up and down between leagues, all the while taking the ball whenever he is called upon and doing a fairly admirable job. Entering Tuesday night with a 3.52 ERA, Kendrick was already sporting numbers that are third starter territory for most major league teams. Hell, that would have been ace material for the Phillies of a decade ago. So what does he do with what could possibly be his last start of the year and perhaps even his last start in a Phillies uniform? He goes 8 scoreless and strikes out a career high seven batters in a hitter friendly ballpark. In his 10 starts this season, only twice has he given up more than 4 runs. Comparatively, he's given up less than 2 runs six times. In the last month, Kendrick has thrown three quality starts and seen his ERA drop to 3.19 (a number below Oswalts, and only a hair above Cliff Lee!). Yet he's still found himself playing second fiddle to the JA Happs of the world when stretch time comes. Is he the guy who fans 7 against Colorado on August 2nd or the guy who gives up 5 earned in 3 innings against Colorado on May 19th?

When the season started, no one could have guessed that the embarrassment of riches the Phillies had in their starting rotation depth would include the likes of Kendrick or Worley. I don't recall seeing their names printed on any "Aces" t-shirts that were reluctantly including Joe Blanton instead. And yet here we are with the Phillies coasting 7 games ahead of their nearest opponent with one of the top pitchers in the game about to make his return and bump one of two young pitchers from the rotation. Kendrick is the guy who has been in the post season before, who has a history of facing major league talent with moderate success, and who has withstood the pressures of a number of different roles. Worley is the young hurler who plays with an obvious passion, has baffled major league hitters for most of the season, and shows no signs of slowing down. While both guys will eventually find their way into long man roles for the post season, and while we already know the answer the Phillies have chosen to go with... I still ask the question, who you got?

It pains me to say it, but I ride with Kendrick from here on out for many of the reasons I've mentioned above but most importantly because I'm going with a track record of success over the unknown.  Kendrick's gotten himself into and out of as many jams as anyone who's ever put on the uniform, he's proven to be a better starting pitcher than reliever this season, and his last few outings have been just as impressive as anyone elses. Let's not forget that Kyle Kendrick was the 10 win rookie sensation ala Happ and Worley before it was cool. He came in and stole the job from JD Durbin and has given a number of good years to the Phillies fans since then. He'll make you want to pull your hair out most of the time, but in a stretch run, I think it's important to have someone capable of eating innings and keeping the bullpen fresh. Worley is about 25 innings away from a career high for one season and could start wearing down in September. If you need both guys for the playoffs, it makes more sense to me to keep the seasoned arm stretched out and use the young guy in a role that keeps him fresh in the pen. But I'll gladly listen to the opposite take.

A Blogger's Day Trip to Baltimore

Full disclosure…I worked for the Baltimore Orioles for a year in their Public Relations department. I also went to Towson University, just north of Baltimore, so I have a soft spot Orioles baseball and their plight being stuck in a division with the Yankees and Red Sox. The Phillies were my first baseball love, but I always check the O’s boxscores from the night before, and visit various Orioles related blogs to see what the fans are speculating as the point in time in the distant future when they can talk about the O’s having a worst to first finish like the Rays circa 2008.

The Orioles were a great baseball fix when I was living less than 10 minutes from the Camden Yards. Friday nights spent watching Kris Benson, Melvin Mora, Daniel Cabrera, Chris Ray and the consistently injured Brian Roberts were all the rage, especially on $5 student nights. The O’s enjoyed some success into the late 90’s, but have been in or near the basement since the Yankees and Red Sox realized they can start spending money like the Yankees and the Red Sox.

View during the 2nd inning...yea she's hot.

As a surprise from my awesome girlfriend (brownie points!!), we took a trip down to my old stomping grounds, and the main attraction was seeing the Orioles take on the LA Angels (of Anaheim?). It was a beautiful day for baseball, except for the 100+ degree temperatures, with it being closer to 120 degrees in the seats. It’s hard to believe that Camden Yards is 20 years old next year. The park is still a beautiful homage to the past great, baseball only stadiums, located downtown and walking distance from the tourist traps of the Inner Harbor. The stadium is still in great shape, and they have recently added a very local flavor, including a bar strictly serving Natty Boh (National Bohemian beer for you non-Baltimoreans). Thankfully our seats were in the shade of the overhang along the 3^rd base line, and we could sit in the shade, while enjoying a professional baseball game.

Since I’m from and have been living in the REAL Baseball Heaven (Philly), I forgot what it’s like to follow a team that isn’t the major talk of the town 12 months out of the year. We easily found parking, which in a city stadium district is usually impossible, and there was no line for walk up tickets at all. We walked into the stadium and it looked as if we were either 4 hours early before the game, or that we should have been on the crew cleaning the stadium after the game. The usually packed concourse and Eutaw Street resembled the boardwalk on the jersey shore on a beautiful winter day, completely dead, but with the vendors trying their hardest to be carnival barkers and bringing in fan dollars.

Here's a side by side of Ashburn Alley at a recent Phillies game, next to a picture of it's inspiration, Eutaw Street.

The announced attendance was 15,000 fans, but there were easily fewer than 4,000 and that’s not an exaggeration. Baltimore native Mike Trout (editor's note: Millville is in NJ, not the greater Baltimore area. These damn newb bloggers!) was making his hometown debut and ended up hitting his first major league homerun, and his family, friends and other Angels fans made up 1/3 of the fans and were easily the louder of the two factions.

It was a great day trip, but reminded me of how lucky we are in Philadelphia. We have 4 major sports, 3 of which usually contend, and a fan base that rivals the passion and knowledge of any other city in the country. Baseball wise, going to Baltimore was like going to from New York City or Los Angeles and then taking a short 90 minute drive to a 3^rd world country, where their beloved Orioles are malnourished, unloved and forgotten about. Unfortunately, with the terrible ownership group headed by Peter Angelos, the Orioles are destined for no better than a 3^rd place finish year in and year out, and are slowly losing their fanbase to the upstart Nationals, who’s home games also are televised in Baltimore. The Nationals seem to be trying to improve, making bold (read - risky) moves, and have a plan for the future.

Unfortunately the O’s are stuck somewhere between purgatory and hell. But ownership can take pride in one fact; they can count on sellouts whenever the Red Sox, Yankees or Phillies come to town.

The Phillies Are Bleeding Me Dry

I guess the price to pay for high priced free agents and a championship caliber team year after year is a 50% increase in post season ticket prices! Remember when you could get tickets for free just for reading a few books or opening a package of hot dogs?

An Unwritten Rule Violation?

There are literally hundreds of unwritten rules in the game of baseball. Don't walk on the pitcher's mound, don't verbally distract a fielder, don't show up your opponent... just to name a few. It's these unwritten rules that contribute to the unwavering nature of baseball's history. 140+ years and the same rules still apply.

Yesterday's Detroit Tigers v. LA Angels (of Anaheim) was a treasure trove of unwritten rule violations. Carlos Guillen's celebratory preening following his insurance and eventual game winning HR and Jered Weaver's bean ball response to the next batter were just the tip of the iceberg in this matchup. What I'd really like to comment on is the 8th inning bunt attempt by Erick Aybar that kicked off the Angels' attempted comeback, but at the possible expense of Justin Verlander's no hitter.

Aybar is a speedy, slap hitter whose job is to get on and get over. Down 3-0 in the top of the 8th, after nine Angels had already been sent down swinging, and the other twelve had hit the ball haplessly, Aybar decided to try to bunt his way on for a hit. It's not exactly something outside of his repertoire, as he led the majors last season in bunt singles. But the move did catch Verlander off guard as he fielded the bunt cleanly but threw wide of first base. The no-hitter remained in tact due to the throwing error, though later in the inning was broken up by a Macier Izturis single that brought the game within 1 for the Angels. After the game, Verlander had this to say:

"There's arguments both ways, but obviously from a pitching standpoint, we like to call it bush league,"

Unfortunately, there ISN'T an argument both ways. At the time of the play, the Detroit Tigers were 2 games up in the AL Central with a Cleveland Indians team making a desperate push, and the LA Angels were 1.5 games behind the Texas Rangers who have been average as of late. While not competing directly with one another, these are two teams that are very much in the middle of a playoff push. This isn't some meaningless mop-up type game in late September. Secondly, this is a 3 run game with six outs remaining. Verlander wasn't one out away from a perfect game with a 7 run lead so the play has to be kept in perspective. A player has no obligation whatsoever to work for a base hit "the old fashioned way" in such a close game. Aybar's name doesn't go into the history books beside Verlander's as one of the guys who didn't get a hit. And the play nearly worked as the Angels were within one run of tieing it up with 4 outs remaining!

Verlander can gripe all he wants, but the fact of the matter is that Aybar was simply doing what he does better than anyone else in the league. NOT attempting to bunt in that situation would be a bigger violation than doing so. Weaver had been ejected, base runners were scarce, and the Angels were desperate. It was a beautiful play and one that should be applauded rather than criticized. Baseball is a game where the Yankees can score twelve runs in a single inning with only two extra base hits (as seen on Friday). So why can't Aybar kick off a rally with a bunt single?

For a good read, I would also suggest checking out The Baseball Codes blog and picking up their book. Excellent bathroom material!