As promised, here’s my overly emotional and harsh critique on the Phillies from this season. Let me first start off with my opinion of Charlie Manuel. I know as I type this people are building a statue of him for winning a World Series last year, for the first time in over 25 years in this city, but I have never been a big fan of his managing style. In particular, I can’t stand how he handles his pitching staff. Charlie is a hitting coach, so maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on him. The only problem is, in the playoffs, as was proved the past 2 years as much as ever, good pitching beats good hitting.
Lineup:
SS – Jimmy Rollins: in a perfect world, Jimmy would hit 7th in my lineup. He would never get anywhere near the top of the order. While he insists he is a lead off hitter, he does not take the approach at the plate necessary to be successful in a way that most benefits the team. The bottom line is that instead of being patient at the plate and trying to get on base any way he can, he too often tries to imitate Ryan Howard and ends up popping a ton of balls into the outfield. By doing that he also wastes his second biggest asset to this team: his ability to steal bases. The best thing I can say about him is that no matter what he’s doing at the plate, he’s a gold glove type of fielder and the leader of this infield. Frustrated By Him.
CF – Shane Victorino: this man is everything Jimmy Rollins is not. He works hard, plays hard in the field and does whatever it takes to get on base and help his team. He uses his speed (although I would love to see him improve his stealing percentage) and even has a little bit of power that he seems to muster just enough strength to hit a few HR’s every year (which in this park is saying very little). He’s got a great arm for a little guy and usually plays pretty smart. Every once in a while he falls asleep on the bases but overall I think he’s the best option on this team for a lead off hitter. He’s Hawaiin. Like Him.
2B – Chase Utley: all this guy does is exemplify everything a baseball player should be. The only problem is he has zero personality. But I’ll take that any day for the production he gives you and his willingness to tough out a whole season despite injuries. Any team would be lucky to have a player like this. Love Him.
1B – Ryan Howard: This may surprise you but I am not Ryan Howard’s biggest fan. It’s nice to have a guy who’s going to hit a bunch of home runs but as everyone knows, he strikes out way too much – and more importantly, against good pitching. Well, doesn’t everyone do worse against good pitching? Probably yes, but he is awful, because good pitchers have figured out exactly how to pitch him and he has so far been unwilling to make any adjustments (well, until it was too late in Game 5 of the WS). His defense, while much improved from last year, is still pretty pathetic. There is no way a guy should be able to steal second 3 times in one game after getting picked off. That’s partly Cole Hamels’ fault, but we’ll get to him later. Frustrated By Him.
RF – Jayson Werth: this guy drives me nuts but for a different reason. He will strike out swinging in the most embarrassing way, then come back the next at bat and hit a ball way out of the strike zone way out of the park! His inconsistency makes him unreliable, as he was able to hit 2 HR’s in a game they barely had a chance of winning, but couldn’t drive in a run with guys on base the next day when they needed it. Pretty good arm, although I don’t love the slide he does to stop some balls from getting by him. Takes too many risks, but is great on the bases (except for that brain fart at 1st last week). He’s OK.
LF – Rauuuuuul Ibanez: Everyone will admit that we had no idea what we were getting when we replaced Pat Burrell with his at the beginning of the year. I’m not sure he even knew how good he would be, but obviously benefited from hitting in this tiny ballpark until getting hurt. He never fully recovered, but was definitely a fan favorite this season. I’m certainly hoping he can stay healthy all year and if he has half of the offensive production next year, will still be a solid 6 hitter. Like Him.
3B – Pedro Feliz: I thought he had a decent year until the playoffs this season. Not sure if it’s his age but he really showed his lack of hitting ability when it mattered the most. I don’t understand why Manuel didn’t show some creativity in the later games of the WS and move him behind Ruiz, who was hitting everything that came near him (for him at least). He’s been solid in the field, but I’m not sure the tradeoff is worth it and he’s only getting older. I’m hoping this will be the one position they look to upgrade in FA during the off season. EH.
C – Carlos Ruiz: this guy has turned himself into one of the best catchers in the league in my opinion. After Utley, he was my favorite player this postseason, and was actually ahead of him until the World Series. He was the most clutch and had the most power compared to what he gives you during the season (ground outs if you’re lucky, double plays if you’re not). He continued to earn the nickname “Senor Octubre” and should be counted on more next season if we make the playoffs again. Like Him.
Pitching Staff:
Cliff Lee: best move Amaro could’ve made at the deadline. Shows up big in the playoffs. Nonchalant. Love Him.
Cole Hamels: get your head right, get back to your old self, and we’re good. We’ll See.
JA Happ: rookie of the year kind of stuff. Hope he continues to progress and learns more from Lee then Hamels.
Pedro Martinez: nice knowing you. Sorry you didn’t get more run support. Good luck if you decide to keep pitching.
Summary:
I might expand on this but I’m just too tired to finish this off. I realize I still need to do the bullpen as well, so I might come back with a more in depth look at the whole staff when I take a better look at what they did during the year and in the postseason. Just seems harder to judge because they aren’t regular players and the rotation changed so much from the beginning of the year. Anyway, this has been depressing.
