Zimbio photo of Jimmy Rollins found on Google Images

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 and for three years and an option for a fourth, he signed for cheaper than what the Brewers were offering. With Rollins back and Wiggington on the roster that also means versatile but weak hitting Michael Martinez will go to AAA where he belongs.

Image via Wikipedia

It also gives Freddy Galvis time to find his swing in AAA, as he did not impress so much last year and at 22 he still has time to develop, although he seems to be a subpar prospect at best. That will give the Phillies an option of waiting two years for Galvis and perhaps trading Rollins by the trade deadline in his 3rd year, or another SS turns into a good prospect or FA picture.

With Rollins now in place that means Polanco will man 3rd with help from Wigginton, and that barring any big signing; Mayberry Jr. will be the starting LFer. Polanco is old and fragile, Mayberry is unproven and last year seemed like a career year for a fringe player…but with a team that needs to win now before they become old in the rotation, getting Rollins aboard for 3 years is good for the timeline of the closing window of the Phillies being atop the NL East.

Rollins has hinted at being a HOFer, which is a stretch at best. He will not have another (disputed) MVP award season in him, but if he continues to improve his pitches seen per plate appearance to be top 30 in that category, he will still be a valuable leadoff hitter.

Photo taken from Google Images

Maturity and success aren’t always aligned with years on the diamond; just ask Australian sensation Justin Erasmus.  The Boston Red Sox know this, having snapped Erasmus up as a free agent at just 17.  This now 21-year-old right handed pitcher is carving his name around the globe in baseball.

Currently on the Brisbane Bandits roster, Erasmus is a star player in his second season with the newly revived Australian Baseball League.  Here are some insights into his quirky superstitions, how he keeps his money-maker in check, the Sox and what really goes on in the bullpen…

Sox Prospects describes your pitch as “Smooth, over-the-top and deliberate”, can you elaborate?

I think they’ve got it spot on – I try to be as sound as I can with my mechanics.  I’ll go with pretty much exactly what they said.

How do you keep your arm in check?

I do a shoulder program around three times a week, but every day I’ll do Thera-Band work and pretty much just throwing and lots of stretching.  Every time at the field I’ll do internal and external rotations, more stretching, then recovery – involves loads of ice.

General fitness – what do you do to maintain your performance level?

It is pretty difficult; I’m on a Red Sox Training Program and a gym routine. Right now it’s five days a week and it’s tough because I’ve got training and then pitching on the weekend.  So I go – Monday I’ll do legs, Tuesday upper body, Wednesday legs again, Thursday upper body, Friday is a light kind of mellow recovery day and weekends I’m running around playing baseball.

Which aspects of your pitching game are you currently working on and aiming to improve?

Throwing strikes, trying to throw a Cutter right now which is pretty much a fastball but a little different.  Throwing a Cutter is my focus, more change ups, pretty much pitching in general, just trying to do something different than just straight.  It’s all about finger pressure and how you release the ball.

Considering your high pressure role, are you always tense during games?

When I’m there, this might sound really weird, but I don’t pay much attention to the actual game, I try to mellow out, have some fun in the bullpen and then when they call ‘Erasmus do you want to get ready?’ I go through my pregame routine; before I go out there I give everyone a fist pump thing, pump myself up a little bit and once I get to the mound, I know my job is to get that guy out any way, shape or form.

How do you relax and then go straight in to playing mode?

It’s turning it on.  If you’re 100% ready to go every single game and you don’t throw the first three games, by the fourth you are mentally drained.  When you finally go on to pitch, you won’t be as good as you should be.  I’ve learnt how to turn it on and turn it off, so most of the time I’m off and then, when my name gets called, I just mentally flip, I don’t talk too much, I do what I need to do to get warm.  When I run out there it’s all adrenaline and then I slow down. When the first hitter steps in, I’m ready and then it’s just trying to get him out – any way.

How do you pass the time in the bullpen?

You chill out, you have fun.  Obviously you watch a bit of the game, you’ve got to note what some hitters do but you’re not 100% on the game.  You’ve got to be able to zone out and a change back really quickly, like snap back into it.

Once on the mound, what do you end up saying to yourself?

Before I get to there, I’ve got a lot of pregame/prepitch superstitions so that’s pretty much the switch – saying “Alright, you’ve got to go to work” and I just tell myself “Hey, stay back, throw the ball down, throw a strike” – that’s pretty much it.  Hit a spot, I’m confident in everything I throw so I just make sure I hit that spot.

A lot of people have asked me to find out what the ball-behind-the-head routine is about.  Can you explain it?

What it is, is a tap the back of my right foot and touch my hat and it’s like a signal – right, go to work.  It’s a switch, you’ve just thrown your first pitch and that’s over and done with and now you’ve got to do it all over again, start again.  So if I miss and throw a ball, I’ll do that and prepare myself for the next pitch, hopefully a better one.

Pitchers in particular are known to be superstitious players, I guess only you can really understand it…

I have a lot of rituals, superstitions, and that works so I’m not going to go changing it.  If you could get a video of these superstitions that would be pretty funny but there are also a lot of behind the scenes superstitions no one really knows about.

Fair to say you’re quite a controlled player…

Yes, I am focused, I’m over analytical, I think a lot which makes me aggressive on the mound.  I know my job, I know what I’ve got to do and I’ll do anything to get that job done.

Obviously you understand it’s not just harnessing your skill in one way…

Baseball is 90% mental – once you’re happy with yourself and have developed your own strategies, it makes it a whole lot easier.  I learnt that from Phil Jauncey (Australia’s foremost Performance Psychologist), he gives you a test that defines your approach to life and getting ahead and you go from there.  I am a ‘Mozzie’ thinker which means I talk a lot, I’ve got a lot of energy and when it comes down to it, I like to analyze things and make sure I’ve got it all sorted out properly.

Finally – why Bandits, why a second time around?

Pretty much working with KJ (Kevin Jordon, Bandits Manger and former Philadelphia Phillies infielder) again.  I spoke to him a lot last season, he is a great guy who knows so much about baseball. He knows my situation; he knows what I’ve got to do.  KJs been in the big leagues – I respect him a lot.  Right now, I’m back living at home with my family which is great because I spend 9 to 10 months out of the country, being around them when I can is really important.

Erasmus was one of just two Brisbane Bandits handpicked to play for Team Australia in the Australian Baseball League All-Stars game in Perth on December 21st which aired on the MLB Network.

Image taken from Google Images

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…

Photo taken from Google Images

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 inning it was clear that Hamels was struggling.

Then Rich Dubee made some funny comments. Dubee praised Hamels for his poise and presence on the mound, the velocity on his fastball and the movement on his pitches. Were we watching the same game?

Wait a minute. Let’s think about this for a second. Maybe Hamels deserves the praise. He faced a very dangerous Cardinals team who showed us exactly why they have the best offense in the league. Yes, Hamels threw a lot of pitches, but that was his only choice against a patient Cardinals squad. I mean, look at what happened to Halladay and Lee when they left pitches over the plate, giving up 8 runs between the two of them.

Hamels explained his approach perfectly. “I was trying to make pitches and just keep them down. If I missed, I knew I got another opportunity. If you’re making your mistakes up in the zone, you’re pretty much going to pay for it really bad. But if they’re down, you give yourself probably a better opportunity to get out of the inning.”

You have two choices against an offense like the St. Louis Cardinals. You keep working the corners and watch your pitch count rise or you start creeping toward the middle of the plate and meet the same fate as Hamels’ opponent. Garcia made one mistake and it lost him the game. Hamels made none and wound up the victor.

“I knew that every pitch mattered,” he said. “Every inning mattered. They had a great pitcher on the mound . . . We were 1-1 in the series . . . We’re not in our home park anymore. You definitely focus and try to dig deep.”

Yet his performance has already been gone and forgotten. Go to philly.com and phillies.com and you will see what I mean. Only one article on philly.com about Hamels and none on Phillies.com. In fact, Cole Hamels name was mentioned exactly 4 times in three Game 3 articles on phillies.com. He has the second lowest ERA (1.81) in Division Series history and became the winningest pitcher in Phillies postseason history, yet he had a GRAND TOTAL OF 4 MENTIONS.

A World Series ring and 2008 NLCS and World Series MVP honors didn’t get Hamels noticed and neither did 4 postseason wins in 2008, 7 postseason wins overall, a 2.65 postseason ERA since 2007, or 6 shutout innings last night.

The question is, how many championships will it take before Hamels gets the respect he deserves?

Image taken from Zimbio

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 more than a last resort or a “mop-up” guy.

Chris Coste said he would have chosen Herndon over Stutes for the final NLDS roster spot. Herndon?! David Herndon?! Admittedly, Herndon’s ERA (3.32) is better than Stutes (3.63), but c’mon! Tell me he hasn’t fallen that far?

Stutes ran into some big time struggles in August, surrendering eight runs in 12.1 innings and an 5.84 ERA for the month. But that was a month ago. Stutes bounced back with a 3.00 ERA in September and seemed to regain his form, but it apparently didn’t put him in favor of the Phillies media.

In some ways, you might say there is reason to have MORE confidence in Stutes, not less. In The Mental ABC’s of Pitching the author writes, “If you want to know who I am, watch me when things aren’t going my way.” Things clearly weren’t going his way in August. But Stutes’ ERA in September ranked 2nd out of his five full months and it was his third best month in BB/9, K/9, and WHIP. Stutes struggled for the first time in his young big league career and survived to find the light at the end of the tunnel. That speaks volumes to the character of Michael Stutes!

Maybe this argument would have been better BEFORE he gave up three runs in a third of an inning in Game 1 of the NLDS, but Stutes does not belong in the back of the bus just yet. You can argue that Madson, Bastardo, Lidge, Worley, and even Kendrick all belong ahead of Stutes, but just not Herndon.

Image taken from Phillies Sport Daily

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 Phillies season. Worley and Kendrick combined for a 16-6 record and a 3.01 ERA as starters. Think about that for a second. That is a 3.07 ERA for the FOURTH AND FIFTH STARTERS. Most teams would kill to get that ERA for their TOP starters.

The numbers are drastically different from the 2010 campaign where the Phils’ fours and fives went 22-19 with a 4.56 ERA, a difference of 1.55 points. Just taking the winning percentage alone, the Phillies would have 4 less wins. To put that in perspective, 4 less games at the all-star break would have put the Phillies 1 game back of the Braves.

Worley’s importance

The impact of Vance Worley runs much deeper than just four games when you consider the timing of his arrival. When Worley made his first start for the Phillies on April 29th, Oswalt had just gone to the DL and Chase Utley was still nearly a month away from joining the squad. Having now lost one of their aces, the Phillies were not hitting, had no idea if and when Utley would ever return and had a mess on their hands in right field. The Phillies needed a morale booster desperately. Enter Vance Worley and the story begins.

After getting shipped to Lehigh Valley upon Oswalt’s return on May 17th, Worley was brought back again on June 18th when Oswalt returned to the DL. Once again, Vance Worley to the rescue.

Kendrick’s impact

And don’t lose sight of Kendrick’s contribution. As a starter in 2011, Kendrick is 5-4 with a 3.21 ERA. After his Jekyl and Hyde performance in 2010, Kendrick has been rock solid this season, giving his team a chance to win each time he takes the mound. He bounces around from starter to reliever on a daily basis and never complains. Kyle simply takes the ball and does his job. Even the danger of living with a pregnant wife didn’t effect him.

Life without Worley and Kendrick

There’s no doubt the Phillies would have made the playoffs with or without Kendrick and Worley. But the Phils would certainly have had a lot less rest without them. And rest might be the most important thing for an old Philadelphia Phillies team entering the playoffs…

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, the Mets are beaten and battered at this point in the season, but you cannot deny that “The Vanimal”, as he has been called lately, has proven to be more than the scouts ever predicted.

When the Phillies drafted him in the 3rd Round of the 2008 Draft, he was noted for his inconsistencies. “His slider tended to be flat,” some scouts said. “His fastball is nothing special,” said others.

He had spent four long years at Long Beach State learning and progressing. Yet, he ran deep counts and his extended stats weren’t overly impressive. He projected out to be a power bullpen arm, at best.

Despite the low expectations Worley, who is part Chinese, relied on his background, using his mother’s cultural mantra of hard work in order to develop different pitches. His efforts focused on improving his changeup and curveball, and in time earned him a promotion to Double-A. Once again, scouts continued to discount his peripheral stats that they felt weren’t up to par. Once again, Worley’s attitude and work ethic allowed him to compensate and then overcome that adversity.

Many players have been blessed with great abilities, only to see those abilities robbed by poor attitudes, poor decision making, or some other personal demons. Guys like Jose Canseco, Albert Belle, and Dwight Gooden.

Guys like Worley turn above-average talent into something more through the right attitude and hard work.

Despite all of that, The Hardball Times still stated, “There isn’t much upside to work with, but Worley likes to attack the strike zone with his average arsenal and knows how to keep the ball low and the hitters off balance.”

In fact, on the traditional 20-80 scale used by scouts (a largely idiotic concept, in my opinion) Worley ranked a 50 in most categories. For those unfamiliar with the scale and what each number translates to, a 50 is league average. Even John Sickels – who despite being wrong time and time again about prospects is allowed to keep his job – dropped Worley altogether prior to the 2010 season from his Phillies prospects lists. Worley would make his MLB debut that season, striking out two in an inning of relief work against Colorado.

When Worley was first recalled in 2011, after Joe Blanton’s injury, he dominated, allowing only 2 ER in his first 16 IP. He ran into a bit of a jam next, allowing 8 ER over 8 IP versus the Reds and Mets. Experts and scouts already were stating that the batters had adjusted to him, but Worley would have the last laugh. He would turn around and beat Seattle, Oakland, and then Boston to kick off a string of five consecutive victories.

At this point, others started to take notice. Yet, some of the Rotographs (hacks) writers still seemed to insist that this merely was a fluke.

Eno Sarris stated that his xFIP (a stat so complicated with so many variables, one wonders if they did it just to spout it off to sound superior) and his changeup was poor due to linear weights. For the record, his changeup is thrown when not expected – which makes it a great pitch. Personally I think he did it for the kitsch line, “Don’t get bit by the Vanimal!” …. ugh. Baseball writers have gone downhill.

Mike Axisa, also of Rotographs (math guys do not make for good writers), threw out a stat I had never heard of called ulBB, and like his partner stated, HR/FB and the fact that his home park is HR-friendly. Now, there is a stat I do get behind, but ballpark factors depend as much on the players as it does the park. Sorry, but 10 feet of fence either backward or forward won’t kill too many home runs, otherwise we’d only be talking about how Babe Ruth was only very good, not great, at that short RF porch.

Yet, Worley keep flexing the mohawk, dancing out of danger by shutting the door when runners reach base. Maybe the Vanimal is just as bad as he WANTS to be. Go Wild Thing!