Posts Tagged ‘Chase Utley’

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2015 Phillies Offseason Preview: Free Agent Pitchers

November 9th, 2015 by Ryan Waterman | Comments Off on 2015 Phillies Offseason Preview: Free Agent Pitchers | Filed in Baseball, General, MLB, Phillies, Sports

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An interesting off-season lies ahead…..

After one of the worst seasons in Phillies history, there has been a major overhaul in the front office. Andy McPhail has taken over as team president, Ruben Amaro is out as General Manager, and Matt Klentak is in. It’s a new era in Phillies baseball and there is a sudden buzz of excitement swarming over the Philadelphia baseball community.

Arguably the biggest buzz is surrounding the roster overhaul. This season saw the departures of two of the biggest stars that the Phillies have ever had, in Chase Utley and Cole Hamels. Both deals brought back a fair amount of talent, but that’s only part of the battle. There’s also the development of that talent, in addition to other youngsters, and any possible free agent additions that are brought in.

As demonstrated in other sports, not all free agent “splashes” turn out to be good ones. Hell, that’s even been prominent in baseball as of late (Hello, Pablo Sandoval!). So, while many fans are eager for the team to win sooner rather than later….they also need to understand that the Phils have to spend their money wisely. One wrong investment can set an organization back upwards of five years.

This off-season is arguably one of the more pivotal ones in this team’s history. Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins are gone and off of the payroll. Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz are the two lone Phillies originals from the ’08 World Series team left. The key to this off-season, is for the team to spend their money wisely, while focusing on the development of their prospects.

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The Phillies future is as dim as ever.

June 5th, 2015 by Kyle Lutz | Comments Off on The Phillies future is as dim as ever. | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

This may seem obvious as it’ll ever be, and every Phillies’ fan knows it, but here I’ll break down, bit by bit, why the Phillies’ future’s looking dim. I see no reason thus far, based on personnel moves by Ruben Amaro (Jr), to believe they’ll be a contender in (at least) the next five-six years. Here are some of the reasons listed below as to why I believe so.

Ruben Amaro, Jr. 

I think, or I at least hope, the majority of Phillies’ fans can agree with me that Amaro holds significant blame for the downfall of the Phillies. Since he took over in ’09 for Pat Gillick, who won the World Series with the team a year prior and then retired, the team’s declined ever year. Even though they made the playoffs from 2009-11, they went from atop the mountain to the one of the worst teams in baseball.

In 2009, they went to the World Series and lost it in six to the Yankees, in 2010, they lost to San Francisco in the National League Championship Series, and in 2011 (despite winning a franchise record 102 games), they lost to St. Louis in the first round. After that, they haven’t made the playoffs since. They won 81 games the next year, and since then, they’ve won just 73 games the past-two years, finishing in last place last season. So far this year, they’re no better, with a win-loss record of 21-33; the second worst record in the league (ahead of Milwaukee). Point being, they’ve gotten worst each year.

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Chase’s Fall From Grace?

April 26th, 2015 by AmyMac | Comments Off on Chase’s Fall From Grace? | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies, Sports

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The Phillies are now 18 games into the 2015 season, and here’s something I never thought I’d ever have to write: Chase Utley is batting an abysmal .125. That’s right – for every eight at-bats, Uts is getting just one hit. As you can probably guess, his OPS (.420 for those of you keeping track) is also depressingly low. To be fair, his 9 RBIs thus far (which put him on pace for 81 on the season) do resemble the Chase Utley we all know and love: the player who does that it takes to advance baserunners.

It’s painful enough to watch a 6-12 team that’s trailing the Mets (the Mets!) by a full 8.0 games. Most of us are accustomed to having to wait while some players (looking at you, Howard and Hamels) find their strides. Utley, though, is generally someone we can count on to be consistent, both offensively and defensively, right out of the gate. Watching him struggle at the plate like this is nothing short of depressing.

What’s going on with Chase? Ryne Sandberg has shuffled his lineup around a bit, but Utley’s batting woes won’t be solved by adjusting the order. His stance and timing are off enough to make me wonder if there’s pain about which Utley is remaining silent. It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that Uts could have a nagging issue (knee, hip etc.) and he’s just not saying anything about it. My concern is that Chase, as a 36-year-old second baseman, can’t possibly bounce back the way he might have been able to ten years ago. I don’t want to see Utley’s career unravel.

I love Utley as much as the next baseball nerd, but I can’t help but wonder why he always seems to get a pass from a fanbase that is arguably the toughest and most demanding. We don’t stand for it when Papelbon runs his mouth to the media, we let our disapproval known when Ruiz is hitting below .200, and we’re not shy about our anger when Howard repeatedly strikes out. Why, then, does fellow veteran Utley seem to be above such criticism? Is turning down trade offers really enough to win over the city of Philadelphia? We’re not really a town that issues lifetime passes to players, yet it seems that fan favorite Chase Utley has one.

Now what? Do we wait until Utley’s performance worsens before we admit there’s a major problem? Or worse – do we wait until he’s legitimately hurt? Hopefully, Chase is able to find an adjustment in his stance and swing soon, and all of this speculation will have been for nothing.

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Silver Linings For The 2015 Philadelphia Phillies

April 4th, 2015 by Mike H. | Comments Off on Silver Linings For The 2015 Philadelphia Phillies | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

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The Phillies are just days away from the beginning of a potentially life altering nightmarish season. Cliff Lee, and the hope of trading him for anything of value at the deadline, is lost. Ryan Howard is still Ryan Howard. Is Chase Utley still the man? Maybe 4-5 days a week if he’s expected to be productive the entire season. I’m not trying to be all doom and gloom or a pre-2008 typical Negadelphian, but let’s be realistic, the Phillies have the potential to be a 100-loss team this year and will battle for the top pick in the 2016 First Year Player Draft. That being said, there is still plenty of reason to head to the ballpark this summer, whether it be in South Philly or various points around the Delaware Valley and the Gulf Coast of Florida.

At the major league level, first and foremost, just about every fan should be ready to sing in unison, “Nah, nah, nah, nah. Nah, nah, nah, nah. Hey. Hey. Goodbye.” Yes friends, everyone’s favorite General Manager Ruben Amaro Junior is FINALLY a lame duck. Amaro’s contract runs out at year’s end and I cannot imagine ANY reason to bring the man who systematically ruined the franchise from to top to bottom to be allowed back. Amaro has been the poster boy for trying to dig yourself out of a bad situation since taking over in 2009.

As far as on the field goes, I think that the Phillies have could potentially have a player similar to Shane Victorino in Odubel Herrera. Doobs, a rule five draft pick from the Rangers last winter, has not only made the team, but supplanted Ben Revere as the starting center fielder. For the last 12 months, Herrera has done nothing but provide offense:

  • 2014 MiLB (A+/AA): .315/.383/.388 with 21 Stolen Bases (67.7%) and 26 Extra Base Hits
  • 2014 Winter League: .372/.432/.556 with 9 Stolen Bases (100%) and 23 Extra Base Hits
  • 2015 Spring Training: .355/.379/.468 with 6 Stolen Bases (100%) and 3 Extra Base Hits

No one is saying that Herrera is going to be a 20/20 guy in the middle of the lineup, but if you can get 15 doubles, 5 triples, and 20 stolen bases at the top of the lineup, that leads to a lot of run scoring opportunities.

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Deconstructing The Phillies: Middle Infield

November 20th, 2014 by Mike H. | Comments Off on Deconstructing The Phillies: Middle Infield | Filed in Baseball, Phillies

Ah, the Hot Stove is in full swing. Hot Stove is back on MLB Network. MLB rumors are blowing up on Twitter. Record/stupid contracts are being tossed at players like they are Cracker Jacks. You gotta love the MLB offseason. Not even just as a Phillies fan, but as a fan of the game. Some moves have WOW-ed, while others make you go, “What?”. It’s been a bit, but let’s push forward with wheels and deals. I am including the catcher position in the middle infield category as it is in the infield, and considered “up the middle”. Plus, I didn’t think it warranted its own post. Plus, I’m going to be updating my thoughts on a previous trade in the summary section. (more…)

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Deconstructing The Phillies: Corner Infield

October 25th, 2014 by Mike H. | Comments Off on Deconstructing The Phillies: Corner Infield | Filed in Baseball, Phillies

Next up in the series is the corner infield positions. What should the Phillies do at the hot corner? Can the Phillies do anything with Ryan Howard? There’s definitely depth at the major league level, but who is the right man for the job? I’m still playing GM and keeping a running tally of the moves and roster spots being taken both in my vision and my counterpart’s. If you’re even remotely intrigued and/or agree with my overhaul, click past the jump to see where I’m going this week. (more…)

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2014 AmyMac Awards

October 7th, 2014 by AmyMac | Comments Off on 2014 AmyMac Awards | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies
The sun has officially set on the Phils' 2014 season.

The sun has officially set on the Phils’ 2014 season.

Here in Philadelphia, we might not have postseason baseball to enjoy.  We don’t have a legendary Jeter-like career to celebrate, or even a relief pitcher with whom we’d love to dance (looking at you, Tom Wilhelmsen).  We do, however, have some memories.  Welcome to the 2014 AmyMac awards.

 

Most Honest About Stealing Money from the Phillies:  Mike Adams

Least Honest About Stealing Money from the Phillies:  Antonio Bastardo

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