Small victories, large defeats.
Let’s assume for a second that Nick Castellanos finds gainful employment this offseason. It’s a likely supposition since he was still an above average hitter by wRC+ not long ago and likely would be unburdened of the yoke of outfield defense by whatever team decides to sign him. Wherever he goes, he will ultimately be […]
18 days ago | 0 reads
It’s another day removed from the Castellanos release and it’s still by far the biggest news surrounding the team right now. It takes a lot to distract from the Ace’s rib being in a closet. On to the links. Phillies news: MLB news:
18 days ago | 0 reads
In our last matchup, in the tournament between the last free agents signed before the season, Jake Arrieta earned more votes than Ricardo Pinto and moved on to the next round. On to the next pairing: 2. Bryce Harper, 2019 Stats with the Phillies: 858 games, .261/.357/.487, 179 HR, 530 RBIs, 26.3 bWAR The Phillies […]
19 days ago | 0 reads
We are officially in the “eh, sure” stage of ranking the Phillies’ prospects. They have a shallow farm system once you get past the top five in the group, so if you lump enough of them together, maybe one or two will stick. It’s a bit of a sad state of affairs. Jean Cabrera – […]
19 days ago | 5 reads
Trades can alter the direction of any team. They could bring a team it’s last piece to win a championship, or a key contributor to turn a team into a real contender, or a trade could signal the beginning of a rebuild. Every year at the end of July we all obsess over the latest […]
19 days ago | 0 reads
Yesterday, the tenure of Nick Castellanos in Philadelphia came to an end. Both the Phillies and Casty will carry on, and both may wonder about what could have been. Onto the links. Phillies news Matt Gelb’s article on the circumstances that brought about Castellanos’ departure is a must read. ($) If you haven’t read it […]
19 days ago | 2 reads
It was time. Holding out hope that someone – anyone – would give them something in return for Nick Castellanos, the Phillies are instead reportedly releasing the right fielder. This was a move that most everyone saw coming when considering the money still owed Castellanos, but still, the era is over. We’ll have more later. […]
20 days ago | 0 reads
Spring training is the time to hear about who is in the best shape of their life, which teams might be cursed with injuries (not a great start for the Braves), and potential adjustments players make. While the narrative is that the Phillies are “running it back” and that everything will remain static year to […]
20 days ago | 2 reads
Over in Japan’s NPB, every team has a new slogan for the season. The slogans set out the team’s hopes, goals, and attitude. They hype the fans up. They’re fun. Thanks to the nature of the Japanese language, there’s also fun tricks to be had with the slogans, too: for example, the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks […]
20 days ago | 0 reads
A player’s performance in Spring Training is not necessarily a sign of things to come. A strong performance doesn’t always portend a good season, and a poor performance doesn’t mean the season is lost. However, that doesn’t mean that a player can’t change the early narrative for his season in the spring. There are plenty […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Spring training is officially here, and with it comes the unfortunate slew of new injury updates. Hamate bone fractures seem to be an epidemic around baseball already. Orion Kerkering has a hamstring strain that will cause him to be a little behind the other pitchers. Zack Wheeler is progressing well and has a rib in […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Oh man, first I had to brush up on my low level catchers. Now, I have to research a guy that, prior to this prospecting season, I hadn’t really heard much of. Romeli Espinosa – 56Zach McCambley – 31Jean Cabrera – 28Keaton Anthony – 13Griffin Burkholder – 12Carson DeMartini – 9Yoniel Curet – 7Mavis Graves […]
21 days ago | 1 read
Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater today, effectively ending one of the dreariest off-seasons since team president Dave Dombrowski took over as head of baseball operations prior to the 2021 season. Yes, he re-signed Kyle Schwarber, far-and-away the franchise’s primary goal over the winter, added free agent reliever Brad Keller to set up closer […]
21 days ago | 8 reads
The day is here. Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater today. The offseason is over: rejoice! Of course, there’s still a bit of time before the actual spring training games begin. But for the devoted (or, perhaps, obsessive) baseball fan, there’s still things to watch. Videos of pitcher workouts will hit social media. Interviews will […]
21 days ago | 0 reads
Man, yesterday was a bad day to report to spring training. Injuries, injuries, injuries. Guess we’re all officially holding our breath for when Rob Thomson actually gives an in-person interview next week in Clearwater. On to the links. Phillies news: MLB news:
21 days ago | 2 reads
I read a lot of baseball writing, either by book or some online article that happens to catch my eye. Sometimes the writing will say something that makes me perk up a bit, particularly when it involves the Phillies. So when I read this article from The Athletic ($), there was a note here that […]
22 days ago | 1 read
In our last match of the “Last Man In” tournament, Jeff Hoffman was victorious over Chad Qualls. Here’s the next showdown: 3. Jake Arrieta, 2018 The Phillies thought they might have a chance at playoff contention in 2018. They had emerged from the rebuilding process with what seemed like some key pieces in place, but […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
Dave Dombrowski spoke on Monday to reporters about a variety of topics. Discussing the state of the pitching staff, how top prospects are expected to get playing time and other things were on the docket, but one of the main things Dombrowski talked about was Nick Castellanos. The “right fielder” and his place on the […]
22 days ago | 1 read
Over the past ten years the Phillies have had a lot of good, and even great, players who have since moved on either to other teams or to retirement. Many of those players would have provided a boost to this year’s roster. For today’s question of the day: Which player from the past decade do […]
22 days ago | 1 read
Can you smell that? Yeah, that’s baseball approaching. Phillies News: MLB News:
22 days ago | 1 read
The upcoming World Baseball Classic will have 15 active players scattered across all the tournament’s rosters. But let’s go deeper than that and take a look at everyone in the tournament who has ever worn red pinstripes or spent time in the organization. There are a lot of fun names below, along with probably some […]
23 days ago | 1 read
The next guy up is….a catcher? Really? Alirio Ferrebus – 52Jean Cabrera – 31Griffin Burkholder – 13Yoniel Curet – 11Keaton Anthony – 11Carson DeMartini – 11Alex McFarlane – 3Mavis Graves – 2Seth Johnson – 1Romeli Espinosa – 1Zach McCambley – 1 I have to admit, this one caught me off guard a bit. The voting […]
23 days ago | 2 reads
Talking trades is one of everyone’s favorite pastimes. Making a theoretical deal for another player is just fun, something that shows depth of knowledge of both the opposition’s team and one’s own. Then comes the word “untouchable.” Everyone thinks there is at least someone on the Phillies that would be untouchable. Most of that time, […]
23 days ago | 3 reads
It’s still way too cold out for me, but it’s officially baseball season. In fewer than two weeks time, there will be games on our television and following that, World Baseball Classic games to follow. On to the links. Phillies news: MLB news:
23 days ago | 1 read
We are straight smack in the middle of some of the most exciting parts of the offseason: the release of different national prospect writer’s top 100 lists. It lends itself to some excitement because it is a glimpse of what the future may hold, not only for those teams that are contenders for a World […]
24 days ago | 5 reads