The Phillies this season (Washington: prices, delivery, beach)

[Phil A. Delphia]

I'd hate to see Howard leave unceremoniously with a straight release during the season, but those sands are burning a hole in the hourglass. He could be restricted to pinch hitting, but between the defensive shifts and his inability to hit any left-handed pitching (surely the opposition would save a lefty to use against him in every game), there's really no point in making Howard a reserve (in addition to his lack of speed and his just okay defense). I'd almost like to see him traded (plus the cash difference) to Oakland straight up for Billy Butler and immediately release Butler before even adding him to the Phils' roster, and let Oakland ride out Howard the rest of the season (if he makes it that far).

[2nd trick op]

I have two favored teams; the Phils were my Dad's ballclub, probably because as a farmboy, he could identify easily with Rich Ashburn (the two passed on only two days apart), but I developed a love for baseball in the late Fifties and early Sixties. when there wasn't much to cheer about at 22nd and Lehigh. But from up at Michigan and Trumbull, the Detroit Tigers anchor radio station (WJR) directed the late Ernie Harwell's raspy voice across Lake Erie at night, so the Tigers (just barely) nose out the Phils as my first love.

Except for some sloppy fielding by the Tigers today, I thought the recent series was very well played -- all three games up for grabs until the end. Both teams are on the rebound and have plenty to look forward to. It might be noted that except for the long slump of 1992-2004, the Tigers have a history of "cleaning house" early after a disappointing season, as in 2008 and again last year; that might explain why they rank second only to the Yankees in all time WAR.

But at any rate, I think both teams will be heard from over the next few years.

[2002 Subaru]

Originally Posted by Phil A. Delphia

I'd hate to see Howard leave unceremoniously with a straight release during the season, but those sands are burning a hole in the hourglass. He could be restricted to pinch hitting, but between the defensive shifts and his inability to hit any left-handed pitching (surely the opposition would save a lefty to use against him in every game), there's really no point in making Howard a reserve (in addition to his lack of speed and his just okay defense). I'd almost like to see him traded (plus the cash difference) to Oakland straight up for Billy Butler and immediately release Butler before even adding him to the Phils' roster, and let Oakland ride out Howard the rest of the season (if he makes it that far).

Why would Oakland want him?

[Phil A. Delphia]

Originally Posted by 2002 Subaru

Why would Oakland want him?

The A's are paying Butler, who is worse than Howard, to sit on his can all the way through next season. If the Phils pay the difference in salaries, why not try someone else to DH? The occasional HR by Howard is more than the automatic ground out by Butler. Howard is in his last year of his deal and there's no way Butler finishes out his contract with Oakland without being released. For the Phils, it's a way to show enough respect to Howard by giving him an opportunity elsewhere, rather than being forced to release him. It's no big deal if Butler gets released by any team, and it's less painful for another organization to cut Howard off a roster should he fail there as well. Right now Reddick is injured for a few weeks. Why not take a chance on a guy with some pop, when all it costs is an already unproductive and unwanted player in Butler?

[2002 Subaru]

Originally Posted by Phil A. Delphia

The A's are paying Butler, who is worse than Howard, to sit on his can all the way through next season. If the Phils pay the difference in salaries, why not try someone else to DH? The occasional HR by Howard is more than the automatic ground out by Butler. Howard is in his last year of his deal and there's no way Butler finishes out his contract with Oakland without being released. For the Phils, it's a way to show enough respect to Howard by giving him an opportunity elsewhere, rather than being forced to release him. It's no big deal if Butler gets released by any team, and it's less painful for another organization to cut Howard off a roster should he fail there as well. Right now Reddick is injured for a few weeks. Why not take a chance on a guy with some pop, when all it costs is an already unproductive and unwanted player in Butler?

Sounds reasonable. Now, if we can just Oakland on board ...

[2nd trick op]

Ryan Howard has never been the same since his injury at the end of the 2011 season; only two other players (Ray Fosse and Dizzy Dean) invoke the memory of a single injury with such devastating consequences.

Through this painful aftermath, Mr. Howard has conducted himself with a dignity which seems all the more impressive in the (admittedly forgotten, by most of us) shadow of the discord that tore a fine Phillies team apart in the late Sixties.

He will be fondly remembered by many of us; the only real question is how much the circumstances of his undoing are recalled by the sport's journalists when his Hall of Fame eligibility begins.

By whatever standard .... thanks for those better years, Mr. Howard.

[2002 Subaru]

Originally Posted by 2nd trick op

Ryan Howard has never been the same since his injury at the end of the 2011 season; only two other players (Ray Fosse and Dizzy Dean) invoke the memory of a single injury with such devastating consequences.

Through this painful aftermath, Mr. Howard has conducted himself with a dignity which seems all the more impressive in the (admittedly forgotten, by most of us) shadow of the discord that tore a fine Phillies team apart in the late Sixties.

He will be fondly remembered by many of us; the only real question is how much the circumstances of his undoing are recalled by the sport's journalists when his Hall of Fame eligibility begins.

By whatever standard .... thanks for those better years, Mr. Howard.

Howard had six Hall of Fame seasons (same as Sandy Koufax), but I don't think he even gets close to garnering enough votes. It's a shame he was blocked early in his career by Jim Thome at first base ... I figure he lost three full seasons and close to a hundred homers.


Herb Score (Indians), Dickie Thon (Astros), Don Mattingly (Yankees), Mike Greenwell (Red Sox) and Tony Conigliaro (Red Sox) are some players I can think of off the top of my head who were injured and had what could have been brilliant careers cut short.

[Phil A. Delphia]

Klentak was interviewed on XM today. He says he feels no pressure or urgency to force Howard out of the lineup or off the team. He stated that Howard leads the team in HR and is still a threat to hit one out on any given pitch. His position is that they cannot lose his power because the Phillies, with their meager offense, cannot replace his one offensive tool.

IMO, when the 25 man roster has a couple guys on it (Burriss and Lough) that shouldn't even be on a 40 man roster, the GM may have a point. At this point, I guess it's up to Tommy Joseph to prove himself as an everyday player before the Phillies part ways with Howard.

[2002 Subaru]

Originally Posted by Phil A. Delphia

Klentak was interviewed on XM today. He says he feels no pressure or urgency to force Howard out of the lineup or off the team. He stated that Howard leads the team in HR and is still a threat to hit one out on any given pitch. His position is that they cannot lose his power because the Phillies, with their meager offense, cannot replace his one offensive tool.

IMO, when the 25 man roster has a couple guys on it (Burriss and Lough) that shouldn't even be on a 40 man roster, the GM may have a point. At this point, I guess it's up to Tommy Joseph to prove himself as an everyday player before the Phillies part ways with Howard.

Klentak is saying all the right things. Good for him.


How do you feel about moving Freddie Galvis to second when they promote J.P. Crawford? I'm really pulling for Cesar Hernandez, but it's becoming more and more apparent he doesn't have 'it.'

[Phil A. Delphia]

Originally Posted by 2002 Subaru

Klentak is saying all the right things. Good for him.


How do you feel about moving Freddie Galvis to second when they promote J.P. Crawford? I'm really pulling for Cesar Hernandez, but it's becoming more and more apparent he doesn't have 'it.'

I'm all for keeping Galvis long-term as the number one backup infielder. In the meantime he probably moves to second as a platoon with Hernandez when Crawford comes up, then to the bench when Kingery becomes the everyday second baseman (probably) sometime in 2018. It'd be nice to have a young veteran backing up those two young guys, given Galvis' defensive skills.

Hernandez is an adequate placeholder, who if he gets only even slightly better, will have trade value with another team that needs their own placeholder or just someone who's cheap for a payroll. I still think we'd all like to see better mix-and-match options for this season. Burriss and Lough absolutely do not belong on a big league roster. I think the bench will be addressed soon. Cody Asche is due to come off the DL this week. His rehab numbers are terrible, but don't be surprised to see him push Lough off the team this week. Interesting side note is that the Jays just released a guy named Paredes (put up decent numbers in Baltimore last season, but is a utility because he lacks defensive talent). The Phils put a waiver claim on this guy a couple weeks ago, but lost him to Toronto because he was an American League player. If he can clear waivers in the AL, the Phils may claim him again, especially if Asche still has an option (don't know if he does or not).

It's been good seeing Blanco and Joseph used a little more often, though it hasn't translated to wins (playing the Cubs probably the bigger obstacle in not being victorious). Not sure why the team has stuck with Burriss this long, clearly he's a career minor leaguer. The Phils have Featherstone playing fairly well in AAA, and Sweeney is finally starting to hit a little, too. Either one of them would fit the 5th infielder/25th player role and be more useful. Ruf is doing better in Lehigh, but veteran Wil Venable has been a disappointment. I'm sure the team went into Spring Training thinking that Ruf, Sweeney and Venable would be viable options. Instead they end up with Burriss, Lough and Hunter. Whether the Phils have a winning or losing season, they still need to have legit big leaguers on the 25 man roster.

Looking around at who could be available for small upgrades (to replace Burris and Lough) from other teams, in addition to Paredes, the Phils could pursue (without serious sacrifice) infielders like Howie Kendrick, Aaron Hill, Jhonny Peralta, or Giovatella. Potentially available outfielders could be the likes of Desmond Jennings, Colby Rasmus, or Chris Coghlan. Most of these guys aren't guys you'd like to see play everyday, but all can be used best by playing the whole team by the numbers; mixing-and-matching game-by-game based on how each player performs historically on a particular or certain types of pitchers. If you're going to have a scratch offense supporting a pitching and defense strategy, you've got to have a full deck of varied options offensively at every roster spot. You can't have the likes of Peter Bourjos being backed up by the likes of David Lough. Peter Bourjos needs to be the backup or the platoon partner of a player that's offensively better than he. Defense and speed is Bourjos' game. Pitchers can just about knock the bat out of his hands. Same goes for Burriss. They need to be replaced by players who better maximize the roster without sacrificing any valuable true prospects.