All Entries in the "Reflections on the Phillies" Category
Jimmy Rollins Signs 3 yr $33 Million Contract With Philly
News of the Rollins signing has had negative comments rising up in Philly Phans, who wished to see a faltering SS who had a horrible playoff and has a history of lackluster effort in jogging to first, go to another team for a cheaper option. However, Rollins has had positive contributions to this team [...]
Partial Papelbon Press Conference in Philly
Former Red Sox Closer (since 2005 with 219 saves, most by any Boston pitcher) recently signed a 4 year (with a vesting option on a 6th) deal with the Phillies for $50M… Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
Hamels Pitched A Remarkable Game, In Case Anyone Noticed
With Cole Hamels on the mound Tuesday night, I bet you couldn’t keep your eyes off the little blue batter’s box on TBS with a teeny pitch count above it. We watched Hamels’ pitch count climb higher and higher, while Garcia finished his innings quicker than a trip to the bathroom. By the third [...]
Remember Michael Stutes?
When did Michael Stutes all of a sudden become Adam Eaton? Michael Stutes had one bad month in August and all of a sudden everyone is ready to toss him aside like yesterday’s sports page. This weekend I heard two reporters (David Murphy and some other guy) agree that essentially Stutes is no [...]
Analyzing Phillies in the Playoffs
It’s playoff time, and if the past is any indication the Phillies are ready. Since 2007 (we can forget getting swept in 2007, right?), the Phillies are 25-13 in the postseason, have reached the NLCS in three straight seasons, and have only lost two series in three years. We can learn much more about the [...]
The Importance of Kendrick and Worley to the Phillies
The Phillies clinched the division with 12 games left and should still (we hope) have the most wins ever for the franchise. Now imagine where they would be without Kyle Kendrick or Vance Worley. Kendrick and Worley’s contributions to this Phillies team aren’t just nice stories; they changed the entire complexion of the [...]
Who can Phillies least afford to lose: Rollins, Utley, or Howard?
The injury bug has infected practically anything wearing a Phillies uniform this season. Rollins is the 11th player to join a DL club that includes 5 position players, 3 starters, and 3 relievers. Heck, even the Phanatic got knocked on his keester this year. With the best record in baseball and a nice little cushion [...]
Vance Worley Shows Us Scouts Can’t Predict Everything
As Vance Worley dominates the Mets on an otherwise quiet Thursday night, one cannot help but look at his stats in amazement: 8-1, 2.33 ERA, 74 K, 31 BB, and a 1.139 WHIP. In fact, as I type this he has just struck out his 9th Met on the night, in only the 7th inning. True, [...]
Dear Ruben, Just Say No to Carlos
Attention Ruben Amaro and anyone of the Phillies top brass: DO NOT BRING CARLOS BELTRAN TO THE PHILLIES I beg you, please don’t bring Carlos Beltran to the Phillies Trading for Carlos Beltran would be an awful idea for the Phillies. Would adding him to the roster help the Phillies this year? Probably. Is he [...]
Dodgers Fans Show No Love For Their Team
I’m finally back from my trip to Los Angeles for a Muscular Dystrophy study. Sorry for the lag in articles, but no laptop and no home = no articles. But all was not lost, my friends. My trip to sunny California gave me a chance to compare Phillies fans and Dodgers fans. I [...]
Phillies review: April 2011
Not a bad start to the 2011 season for the Phillies. Amid “World Series or bust” talk after acquiring Cliff Lee, the 2011 Phillies lived up to their lofty expectations. The Phillies finished April with an MLB best 18-8 record, setting a club record for April wins in the process. As [...]
Top of Phillies Lineup vs. Bottom of Phillies Lineup
We all knew that losing Utley and Werth would hurt the Phillies offense, and losing Ruiz just exacerbated the issue. Their injuries have created a gaping hole in the bottom of the Phillies lineup. But there is a silver lining to the ineptitude of the last four hitters: the 2011 Phillies team [...]
2011 Phillies Predictions
It’s here: our final 2011 Phillies predictions! With our Phillies predictions blogs complete for the infield, outfield, and starters, we naturally finish with the overall 2011 Phillies predictions blog. To make this year’s Phillies prediction more official, I tried to use as many statistics as possible. I therefore went position by position with [...]
Phillies Payroll Indicates Owners are Finally “Committed to Winning”
Now that the Phillies have blown up their payroll by adding Cliff Lee, the total payroll looks to be over $160 million in 2011. Once regarded as greedy Gremlins who lurked in dark alleys, all of a sudden this Phillies ownership group is “committed to winning.” But just how committed are they? I thought it [...]
BBA Baseball Talk Tonight Covering The Phillies and the Hall of Fame Voting
I just want to send out a note that Steve Keane from The Eddie Kranepool Society and This Call To The Bullpen will be hosting the BBA Baseball Talk Show on Blog Talk Radio tonight at 11PM ET. His guest will be fellow BBA member, Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley. Bill and I will be [...]
Can the Phillies’ payroll afford Jayson Werth?
In our last article examining the Phillies payroll, we found that allowing Jayson Werth to walk essentially maintains the same payroll of $141 million next season. Re-signing Werth would simply ADD Werth’s salary on top of the $141 million. It originally seemed like $15 million would be enough to keep J-dub. But after listening to [...]
What will the Phillies payroll look like in 2011?
Mere moments after Ryan Howard struck out to finish the Phillies season, the focus quickly shifted to Jayson Werth and the Phillies’ payroll. Will or won’t the Phillies keep Werth? Before even considering re-signing Werth, we need to examine the Phillies payroll. A quick look at the payroll provides a clear answer. According to USAToday.com, [...]
An Instant Classic: Roy Halladay Adds His Name To Baseball History
Doc Halladay was Nearly Perfect Major League Baseball’s “Year of the Pitcher” has a new defining moment following Roy Halladay’s no-hitter in the Philadelphia Phillies 4-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds in the opening game of the 2010 National League playoffs. In his first-ever post season appearance, Halladay enters some heady company as he joins [...]
American and National League Divisional Series Prediction
OK, this is my first attempt at a webcast so it’s bound to be a little rough around the edges. I now see that it is much easier doing one of these with at least one more person like on the BBA Baseball Talk podcasts or online with the guys over at Pro Rumors TV. [...]
Phillies Month in Review: August
The Charlie Manuel Affect Charlie Manuel teams play well in August, and 2010 was no different. The Phillies were 18-10 for the month and went from 3.5 games back and in 2nd place to sharing the lead with the Atlanta Braves. Not bad for a team that has been slammed with injuries and plagued with [...]
Newly Aquired Phillies Pitcher Roy Oswalt Plays LF Against Former Team
…While Phillies Regular LF Raul Ibanez Moves to 1B Back on Tuesday night in an extra inning game between the Philadelphia Philles and the Houston Astros something special happened. In a move that you don’t see that often anymore, due to Phillies All Star first baseman Ryan Howard‘s ejection, former Astros starting pitcher Roy Oswalt [...]
PHILLIES MONTH IN REVIEW: JULY
The story in July was in every way a roller coaster for the Phillies. The Phils entered July having already gone through a historically awful offensive slump in May and June, so when Chase Utley was injured on June 29 and it was announced on July 1st that he would need surgery and would be [...]
2010 Projections: Why You Should Buy Low on Phillies’ Pitcher Cole Hamels
After Tuesday night’s gem against St. Louis, Phillies’ starter Cole Hamels lowered his season ERA to a less than desirable 4.42. His stellar 44/12 K/BB ratio and 2.79 BB/9, however, suggests more success is on the horizon…
Phillies 2009 Year in Review And a Sneak Peak at 2010
The Philadelphia Phillies accomplished quite a bit in 2009, despite falling just short of the coveted World Series Championship repeat. In fact, just getting back to the Fall Classic showed quite a bit of determination, and, to make it more impressive, they did it with a team that was inferior to their 2009 Championship squad. [...]
Phillies Advance to the 2009 World Series
Congratulations to the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies who have beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 1 to advance to the World Series where they will probably face the New York Yankees! In tribute of the Great Harry Kalas! Help support Baseball Reflections and buy me a coffee with PayPal!
Phillies Fans It Is Not Time To Panic
If you have been watching the Phillies lately you may be wondering just where exactly DID the offense go? Or you may be wondering how it is possible that Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were a combined 0-22 with 12 strikeouts in their series with the Dodgers this past week. This is a very tough [...]
World Champions Reload, Reorganize, for Repeat
The start of this offseason brought about a bevy of unwelcomed, albeit unsurprising news to the 2008 World Champions. Left-handed reliever J.C. Romero, who had a 0.00 ERA in four World Series appearances, finally learned the fate of his appeal for violating the league’s steroid-abuse policy. Romero was sentenced to a 50-game suspension to begin [...]
Philadelphia Phillies Off Season Report
Season Wrap Up The Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays, MLB‘s Cinderella story of 2008, to become the World Series Champs! What more needs to be said about 2008 except that Cole Hamels proved that he IS a # 1 starter with his performance in the playoffs. Just in case anyone was questioning his ability [...]
Brotherly Love and A New York State of Mind
<!–[if gte mso 10]> Washington Nationals With all of their injuries and a pitching staff that was in trouble before trading RP Jon Rauch, the Nationals find themselves at the bottom of the NL East once again and it is there they will be for years to come in my estimation. They also host the [...]
Philadelphia Phillies, Part 3
A preview of the 2008 season By Peter Schiller 2008 Needs: If the Phillies want to improve upon their first round appearance in the 2007 playoffs, they have to strengthen their pitching & they need to replace or re-sign Rowand in CF. I would have said that putting speedy Michael Bourn in CF might have [...]
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