2008 Philadelphia Phillies Season/Playoff Thread (Die Mets Die)

[SD_Eagle5]

Griffey is in the lineup today.....Dunn is out

The MLB draft is today.  The Phillies will take a player nobody's ever heard of...

Yet I still feel compelled to watch. I love drafts...nothing compares to the NFL but any draft will do.

[Seabiscuit36]

NFL Draft is the best draft out there.  NBA Draft is pretty good as well, i really enjoy the NHL's, and MLB has a bunch of people i have no idea who they are. 

[BigEd76]

5-0 CG shutout (3 hits)....done in 2 hours, 6 minutes

Griffey almost hit #600 in the 9th

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Hail to the king, baby.

[Seabiscuit36]

Rollins left the game?

[BigEd76]

Charlie pulled him from the game because he popped a pitch to the shortstop and half-assed it to 1st.  The SS dropped the ball, allowing a run to score, and Rollins was stuck at 1st instead of being on 2nd

Postgame, Charlie was pissed off...."Jimmy and I took care of that.....Done issue.....I don't have to talk about it, OK?......Not gonna talk about it....See ya....", then he walked off

[phattymatty]

waiting

[ice grillin you]

24. Philadelphia Phillies

The Pick: Anthony Hewitt, SS, Salisbury (CT) Salisbury School

The buzz: Hewitt was recently awarded his 5th star and moved to No. 12 in the RivalsHIGH 100 but is considered by many a high risk/high reward prospect. Could end up in the outfield for the Phillies. 

A live bodied, athletic player with excellent tools nearly across the board. He plays shortstop at present, though most see him making the move to the outfield. He runs very well, and throws well enough to allow him to run his fastball into the low 90's. An early season injury forced him into designated hitter only duty, he is now healthy and playing the field and being seen more often.


Hitting Ability: Hewitt's swing has become much more efficient this spring, though he's still a little bit rigid in his approach.

Power: He has some big-time strength and projects to have good power in the future.

Running Speed: A power runner, he's got above-average speed.

Base running: He uses his speed well on the basepaths.

Arm Strength: He's got a strong arm, strong enough to play at short.

Fielding: Unlike his arm, the rest of his defensive game doesn't profile as a middle infielder. Most feel a move to center field makes sense.

Range: Due to his athleticsm, he'll make some plays, but he's not a natural shortstop.

Physical Description: Hewitt has a terrific athletic body and some big-time strength.

Medical Update: Healthy.

Strengths: Tools galore and perhaps as much upside as anyone in the Draft class.

Weaknesses: He's a little raw, and hasn't faced stiff competition in the Northeast.

Summary: As the spring wore on, few players had more helium than Hewitt, a toolsy high school shortstop. He can run and should hit for power down the road. A terrific athlete with a good arm, most feel a move to the outfield is likely so he can just go out and develop his considerable offensive tools. As a Northeast kid, he's a little raw, but has shown good improvement this spring. His name had been climbing up charts everywhere and the only thing that could hold him back is signability due to a commitment to Vanderbilt.



CROWN HEIGHTS' HEWITT READY FOR BASEBALL DRAFT
By DAN MARTIN

June 5, 2008 --

Anthony Hewitt didn't have typical plans after his high school graduation last Friday.

Instead of partying with classmates, the Salisbury (Conn.) School graduate hopped a flight to Milwaukee, where he had a workout with the Brewers.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound shortstop was also recently in Philadelphia, hitting for the Phillies in front of Chase Utley.
"That's the kind of opportunity I went to Salisbury for," Hewitt said. "Although I didn't expect it to work out quite like this."

Though Hewitt developed his game at the elite private school, the 19-year-old grew up and actually learned the game at the famed Parade Grounds in Brooklyn, where he has hit some tape-measure home runs.

"I still play there every summer," said Hewitt, a Crown Heights native who could be selected in the first round of today's major league baseball amateur draft. "That helped me get to this point."

After three years at Salisbury, a boarding school located about 2½ hours outside of New York City, Hewitt has become one of the more intriguing prospects in this year's draft.

"He's still so raw, it's hard to tell what he's going to become," said Salisbury's first-year coach, Mark Leavitt. "But he has tools that you don't see very often. That's what makes him stand out."

Leavitt would know. Before coming to Salisbury, he was a scout in Florida for 11 years with the Expos and Mariners.

"Having someone like that around, who doesn't just know what scouts want, but actually was one, is a huge advantage," Hewitt said.

So is going to a school that cost $40,000 a year, especially when you're a kid from Brooklyn.

Bill Mitchell, who works at the Boys Club of New York, where Hewitt was a member - and where his father, Anthony, works - saw potential in the 12-year-old when he first started coaching him.

"We always try to place talented kids from the inner city in prep schools," Mitchell said. "Not many of them turn out like Anthony."

Hewitt played for three years at Salisbury and led the Crimson Knights to a 20-0 record. With Salisbury and his summer team, the Bonnies, he showed a great arm and power.

"The only thing he really needs to work on is his approach at the plate," one scout said. "But you see the potential he has and you don't worry much about that."

Hewitt has heard the criticism before, including from Leavitt and made strides in that area, along with others since leaving Brooklyn.

"I know there's good baseball in the city," said Hewitt, who thinks he would have wound up at Xaverian or LaSalle had he not left. "But I know I'm a better player and student because I got away from everything that can go on in the city."

Leaving probably aided Hewitt's academics more than anything else. If he doesn't get picked high enough, he will be on his way to Vanderbilt, where another New York City native, Pedro Alvarez, played. He is expected to be a top four pick today.

"I just want to see what happens," Hewitt said.

[Seabiscuit36]

Chase gave the OK

[rjs246]

Did I just see the word 'toolsy'?

[PhillyPhreak54]

Charlie pulled him from the game because he popped a pitch to the shortstop and half-assed it to 1st.  The SS dropped the ball, allowing a run to score, and Rollins was stuck at 1st instead of being on 2nd

Postgame, Charlie was pissed off...."Jimmy and I took care of that.....Done issue.....I don't have to talk about it, OK?......Not gonna talk about it....See ya....", then he walked off

"There is no explanation," Rollins said. "I just didn't do it, and sometimes, the manager gets you. I know better. I'll just go out there and make sure I don't do it again. He's the manager, and that's what he's supposed to do. He has two rules: One, be on time. Two, Hustle. I broke one of them."

Asked if he was upset with Manuel's discipline, Rollins said he wasn't. "It's like breaking the law and getting mad when the police show up," he said. "He's been here four years, and we've probably talked about it twice. Three strikes and you're out, I guess. I'm not going to be a distraction. This is the team. I did what I did. When you do something, you get caught, and it is what it is. Problems only occur when they keep reoccuring."

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

It's always nice to see a professional athlete act like a grown-up.

[Sgt PSN]

Farg the pro athlete schtick.  I just like seeing a grown up acting like a grown up. 

[Rome]

So I found out today that I CAN watch the Phillies on company time but that I probably shouldn't.






I also found out that if I get called away on a "national emergency" (meaning the feds pay for our time or, like Katrina or something) I get double and a half time plus expenses.

Go natural disasterz!

[Rome]

BTW: There was a massive brawl tonight in Daytona between the Lakeland Tigers players and the fans in the bar in right field.  Not that any of you give a farging shtein but it was totally hilarious.  I took photos with my phone but we all know how that turns out.  Read about it in the papers or something.  Romes.