06/07 Phillies Offseason Thread

[ice grillin you]

actually three....but one left

[SunMo]

i was talking net, not gross

[phattymatty]

the phils got eaton, garcia, and barajas?

i had no idea.

[MDS]

the season might hinge on what arthur rhodes esque vet they get for jon lieber. most likely itll be an exact replica of arthur rhodes.

[Sgt PSN]

In that case, they should just trade Leiber for Arthur Rhodes. 

[SD_Eagle5]

Phils avoid arbitration with Geary, signing him to a 1 year $800,000 deal.

[NGM]

Phils avoid arbitration with Geary, signing him to a 1 year $800,000 deal.

Thats pretty damn good if he can repeat last years performance.   

[ice grillin you]

he better or they are in trouble...they gotta have careers years from their pen and not have people like geary fall off

[SunMo]

Bill Conlin | Calling the Phils' lineup to order

LET'S GET this East Division title won without undue fanfare. It starts with a Phillies lineup that will feature speed at the top, power and athleticism around Ryan Howard in the engine room and with the three spots ahead of the pitcher providing lineup flexibility.

I'm much better with words than numbers, so borrowing the words of half-century Wrigley Field PA announcer Pat Piper: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, have your pencils and scorecards ready and I will give you the batting order for the 2007 Philadelphia Phillies... ''

Leading off and playing right, Shane Victorino. The Pineapple Express comes from Maui, not far from a bay called Hookipa, wind surfing's holy of holies. Victorino can outrun the ripping Hookipa trades and plays centerfield better than anybody in the National League not named Andruw Jones. But manager Charlie Manuel needs Shane's accurate power arm in right. Victorino's time has come. Hopefully, new coach Davey Lopes will teach him the baserunning fine points overlooked by a derelict Dodgers organization.

Batting No. 2 and playing center, Aaron Rowand. Ignorance is no excuse for the Phillies' failing to hit the all-time Phillies face-off leader in his natural spot. I will simply present the indisputable evidence and wait for any lame rebuttals. During his five White Sox seasons, Aaron had 325 at-bats in the No. 2 hole. He had 114 hits there for a .351 average. Batting in a variety of other spots, including No. 6, Rowand was 352 for 1,322 - .266. That's 85 points. All his other numbers were up when he hit second, as well, all but homers.

Batting third and playing second, Chase Utley. If I'm around to call the Phillies' lineup a decade from now, Chase Utley will still be batting third. Once in a while, a ballclub is lucky to have an athlete who fills the job description that goes with No. 3. Best all-around hitter? Check. Most intelligent baserunner? Check. Guy you want up in the clutch? Check. Guy whose intensity you want your other players to emulate? Check.

Batting cleanup and playing first, Ryan Howard. In chess, the king is the worthless piece you try to keep out of check. The most valuable piece, your go-anywhere cleanup hitter, the one you must protect or face losing the match, is the queen. I personally think a little too much has been made of the need to protect the major league's reigning home run and RBI king from the Barry Bonds four-upraised fingers treatment. Let the record show that in 2004, the Giants' prolific slugger walked a mind-numbing 232 times in only 147 games, and 120 of the walks were intentional. Barry still found time to hit 45 home runs with 101 RBI and a league-leading .362 batting average. He also had an incredible .609 on-base percentage and an .812 slugging percentage. You might be able to live with that kind of a 2007 season from Howard.

Batting No. 5 and playing short, Jimmy Rollins. I never thought I'd see a player with a chance to drive in 125 runs batting behind two of the top hitters in baseball act as if he's being dissed. Now think about this a little... Alfonso Soriano struck out 160 times last year. Pat Burrell struck out 131 times last year. Yet GM Pat Gillick was ready to lavish $120 million of Teflonics cash to make Soriano the guy "protecting'' Howard. Go figure.

Did you know that Rollins had only 10 fewer extra-base hits last season than Soriano (89-79), only 12 fewer RBI than the Nationals' leadoff man and struck out exactly half as many times while having a far superior stolen-base percentage?

Some of you might consider this as evidence that supports keeping Rollins in the No. 1 hole. I agree. But only if Victorino had not entered the picture with switch-hitting leadoff skills and speed to burn. The beauty part is that this is reversible.

Batting No. 6 and playing left, Pat Burrell. This Ed Wade contract mistake needs the "Saving Ryan Howard'' pressure the way taxpayers need an expanding Middle East conflict. In the lower section of his order, Manuel will have comfortable flexibility. He can flip third baseman Wes Helms, depending on the pitching matchups and the probability that Pat will have a short leash, particularly if mystery man Jayson Werth turns out to be a player. Anyway, let Burrell strike out his 130-plus times and if he has a 25- to 30-homer and 90- to 100-RBI season in him, it's gravy.

Batting No. 7 and playing third, Wes Helms. Unless he has undergone a complete defensive makeover, this big man will remind us how blessed the Phillies have been over the decades at third base, starting with Richie Allen in 1964. Fortunately, Hands of Silk Abe Nunez will play crunch-time defense in a lot of games and should get his share of starts. When Abe starts, he will bat eighth - 6-7-8 will be flexible, double-move heaven.

Batting No. 8 and catching, Carlos Ruiz or Rod Barajas. Both bat right. Barajas has more power, Ruiz has good speed for a catcher. Both are here to handle the pitching staff. Set 'em and forget 'em. An injury to either will put fan fave Chris Coste in the catching picture once again.

I don't think the Phils are dumb enough to break up this winning lineup by trading Rowand for some seventh-inning setup clone. But these guys are not closing in on 10,000 losses because they hold lifetime memberships in Mensa.

some decent ideas here

[BigEd76]

[MURP]

Jim Thome painted black ?

[phattymatty]

thome was on oprah yesterday.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUfpLdoKKf0&eurl=

[MDS]

Oprah owns the FCC. They never complain when she talks about tossing salads or douching.

[BigEd76]

Burrell speaks

[MDS]

What a bitch.