Cole Hamels Ready to Win 2012 Cy Young Award
National League Cy Young winner for 2012 Cole Hamels? Why not? In 2011, his 2.79 earned run average ranked sixth in the NL, his walks plus hits per innings pitched ranked second at 0.99, and he finished fifth in NL Cy Young voting. I looked like a genius for a while when I picked Hamels […]
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 […]
An Interview With Brisbane Bandits (ABL) and Red Sox Prospect Pitcher, Justin Erasmus
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, […]
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…
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 […]
“Saved by the Bell”. Heath Bell, That is.
“Don’t pay for saves”. We’ve all heard it. Going into any fantasy season, there are always reasons to avoid taking closers early. After all, they only contribute in one category, right? They can’t be depended upon to hold onto their jobs. Injuries are a risk, etc etc etc. These are facts that also affect each […]
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 […]
Luck Factor and the NL bullpen
We finally get to the last of our luck factor series. For those of you that have been following this all along I give a wholehearted thanks. If you are just joining us you might want to back track and read the first one. It should be archived in the sabermetrics section of […]
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 […]
Is Jayson Werth it?
Wow is all I can say right now. I knew Jayson Werth’s new contract was ridiculous but I had no idea how ridiculous it was. Let’s examine the 18 million dollar man. After going through some numbers of the greatest players in baseball history the player who closest resembles Jayson Werth is….Paul Konerko. Also, please […]
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 […]
The Giants are in the World Series!!
Image by Getty Images via @daylife The Giants eliminated the Phillies in six games to win the 2010 National League Championship to go on to the World Series to play the Texas Rangers. I must state that I did get tired and annoyed with the announcers Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, who frequently derided the […]
The BBA Connie Mack Award: My NL Prediction
Who was Connie Mack? He is only the manager with the most wins of all time with 3,731 from 1894-1896, 1901-1950! He was a player/manager for the Pittsburg Pirates from 1894-1896 and then with the Philadelphia Athletics of the American League from 1901-1950 for a total of 53 seasons. When you manage one team for […]
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. […]
The Braves Didn’t Know What Hit ‘em
Before we really hit the stretch run, I feel it is important to reflect on what the Phillies have accomplished to take a five game lead on the Atlanta Braves. I was listening to the radio and Scott Franske pointed out just how far the Phillies have come. On July 22 the Phillies were 7 […]
Pitch In For Baseball Event in Philly Today!
From David Rhode, Executive Director of Pitch In For Baseball: We are partnering with 610 WIP sports radio at their Play Day event today, Monday August 16th at FDR park near the stadium complex. Our equipment collection site will be located near the Play Day Home Run Derby event. If you could add a post […]
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 […]
Pre 2010 Fantasy Baseball Predictions at the Mid-Way Point
With the All-Star Break in our rear-view, it becomes a perfect time to evaluate some pre-season predictions and projections… Division Winners AL (b)East – New York Yankees (1st, 58-33) AL Central – Minnesota Twins (3rd, 49-43, 1.5 GB) AL West – Texas Rangers (1st, 53-39) NL East – Philadelphia Phillies (3rd, 48-43, 5.5 GB) NL […]
Cliff Lee (Almost) Traded to Yankees?!!!
Lee becomes 9th Yankee on AL All-Star team Mariners receive prospect package with Jesus Montero as the centerpiece The most talked-about sweepstakes at the trade deadline this year is coming to a close. THUH-UH-UH-UH—YANKEES WIN! Despite missing the first month of the season with an abdominal strain, LHP Cliff Lee places 4th among pitchers in […]
What Did I Miss?
OK. It’s been over a month since I last posted. I’ll blame it on computer issues (including the fact that I erased everything on my hard drive). Now that I’ve recovered, what did I miss? Phillies Caught Cheating In the best tradition of the ’51 Giants, the Mets claimed that Phillies bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer […]
