Phillies Nation

78 Responses to “No Assurance Hamels Is Healthy”

1. Geoff Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 9:26 am

   a note: this is why the phillies are the phillies…well, its another exaple of it anyway.

   if they know hes hurt then put him on the DL, very simple. its one thing for a position player to play thorugh it. but this is your only respected starting pitcher. if hes hurt at all, IN HIS THROWING ARM, he goes to the 15-day DL immediately. no complaining, no questions asked. if he gets hurt worse their season is over. nice and simple.

2. Brian Michael Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 9:35 am

   It is very likely that Hamels is hurt and not saying anything. Remember early last season when he said he was hurt, was placed on the DL, then said “I wish I hadn’t mentioned it.” Tim is right, after that situation, Cole might never admit he’s not doing his job correctly (i.e. injured).

3. Geoff Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 10:06 am

   That does make sense of why they brought up Happ. They havent used him at all.

4. Joey Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 10:12 am

   I think people dont realize everyone theres a difference between being hurt and being injured. probably damn near everyone in the league is hurt this time of year and sometimes it has its affects. maybe he should skip a start if he thinks he could use it, maybe he should pitch through it. only he knows.

5. Tim Malcolm Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 10:18 am

   I would go so far as to say right now he’s hurt, but he’s very possibly injured.

6. Doug Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 10:21 am

   The way it is explained in the Conlin column, it definitely seems like a fatigue injury. Explaining that he goes ~160 innings each year before this happens just shows that he wears down. As a pitcher in his mid-20’s, this is to be expected.

   The only cure for fatigue is rest. They should back him off, have him miss a start or two and throw lightly to try to rehab the strain that 160 innings puts on an arm. Sure, we need him now to try to keep pace with the mets and marlins, but what does getting to the playoffs do if we’re Hamelsless when we get there? Not much!

7. Don Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 10:29 am

   If they knew Hamels was hurt… they wouldn’t let him pitch. I don’t buy that as the reason Happ is here. I think they brought Happ up, because they didn’t think Myers was going to respond the way he has. If anyone is going to get bounced from the rotation, without the DL being the cause, you would have to assume it would be Kendrick.. BUT this team is in 1st place, and I think you leave the rotation the way it is, unless you need to make a change.

   It wouldn’t surprise me if they skipped him on Thursday, both to give him a rest, and to get his pitching back on track. Who would have thought that Myers and Blanton would impress us, and we’d be worrying about Hamels??

   On a side note – I know everyone hates Howard Eskin… but again, I really think he gives the most insight and has the most credible sources on all the “sportsreporters” in Philadelphia… he doesn’t say too many things that dont turn out to be true.

8. Geoff Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 10:30 am

   You still have to give him a contract, but if he gets hurt every year then you have to make sure youre protected. though not at the expense of losing him.

9. Geoff Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 10:35 am

   Well, then dont come crying when he goes on the 15-day DL and misses like 2-3 starts. at least theyll have a contingency plan with happ here. its smart to keep happ up here. you have to find innings for him so he doesnt get rusty but at least hell be ready when someone goes down.

   now, again, im going to advoacate that in the offseason the phillies need to trade jimmy rollins to the red sox for dice-k. im going to repeat that at least twice a week until the start of next season.

10. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 10:42 am

    Has anyone looked at all the waiver-trade trash on the MLBTR list yet? aww man. i dont know where to begin.

    but since they only posted the AL so far, ill wait because its easier to get NL guys.

11. Mike T. Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 10:51 am

    Two options:

    1. put him on the DL today, right now.

    or

    2. insert happ this thursday against the marlins, and give hamels 7 days off, and re-evaluate for ONE LAST TIME before his next scheduled start, august 12th.

    but, knowing the organization, they’ll do neither.

12. Bill Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 10:52 am

    The way Hamels is overthrowing and all of the sudden can not locate his change up means one of two things. He is either hurt, or Brett Myers mental problems are contagious. Seriously, the only other explanation is that he is a perfectionist and has been trying to hard with the result being balls up in the zone.

    http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/phightin_phils_phorum/

13. Phil Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:01 am

    I don’t think Hamels is hurt. I just think he had a couple of rough outings. I will change my mind if he pitches like shit again on Thursday.

14. Don M Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:05 am

    I guess I still don’t really understand waivers..

    Why would the Yankees place Giambi, Abreu, Jeter, Pudge, etc on waivers? Obviously they aren’t going to trade them.. so why do they go on waivers in the fist place/??

    anyone that could help me understand that, I’d appreciate it

15. Tim Malcolm Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:09 am

    Don, they’re players that CAN clear waivers. The Yankees wouldn’t let them go to waivers, though.

    Players that will clear are expensive guys on teams with not much a shot to contend, but other teams may not want to grab them. Usually the cheap players that go through would get claimed.

16. Don M Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:11 am

    No I understand that part of it… but are teams required to place certain players on waivers..

    Like since the Yankees aren’t trading Derek Jeter while any of us are alive.. why would they place him on waivers.. it doesn’t make sense to me

17. Mike T. Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:13 am

    don, just go to mlbtr, pick the top 10 worst names you see on that list. next, take the top 5 from that least that make the least money. then, remove the 3 that make most sense for the phillies to get. last, take the 2 names remaining, and choose who you’d rather have on your team. the guy you didn’t pick will be the one the phillies take.

18. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:14 am

    I dont get that list either. I think hes saying they could make it through. but i seriously doubt you have to put people on waivers. that would be retarded. man, there is some serious garbage on taht list though. wow. theres like 3 guys who have a chance at getting waived that id even want, because i know the contenders wont waive anybody

19. Don M Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:16 am

    Why are Vernon Wells, Derek Jeter, Jim Thome, Jason Varitek.. etc. all on waivers. There is no chance that their teams would make trades to give them, so is there a method of reasoning as to why players that will not get traded would be placed on waivers.

    Carl Pavano of the Yankees.. I can see why you would put him out there.. maybe somebody wants to take a shot on him, and the Yankees would be free of his salary.. so I understand the idea of the waivers, just not the point of having players on waivers, that you have no intention of losing..

    Sorry for boring you guys with this. but since its becoming more and more common the past few years in baseball, id like to understand it completely

20. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:16 am

    id even accept randy winn at this point, haha. but i wouldnt put it past the phils to inexplicably get an infielder who is NOT a 3b.

21. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:17 am

    the only guy on a contender id see being put on waivers is julio lugo. but nobody would claim him. nobody wants that trash

22. Don M Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:19 am

    hahaha.. Mike, we’ll end up with… Ross Gload from the KC Royals then.

    he any good? I’ve never heard of him

23. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:20 am

    i actually dont know who taht is either. hes so bad he isnt even in mlb08 the show.

24. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:23 am

    ahaha, aww man. backup 1b for KC i think: 295AB, 2 HR, 28 RBI, .275 avg. .321 obp, .346 slg. 32 y/o

    awww man, thats TERRIBLE

25. Phil Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:26 am

    Don M, he’s saying these are the guys that could clear waivers. He’s not saying they are the guys that are going to be placed on Waivers. We should get Aubrey Huff.

26. Mike T. Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:30 am

    yep, ross gload it is. the phillies are in talks with the royals as we speak.

27. OZ Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:31 am

    the body needs rest. if this team has half-a-brain (i know, i know), Hamels is TOLD to miss the next start. keep Happ throwing, see how Hamels is in the next start.

28. OZ Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:32 am

    i don’t hate Eskin. I actually think he’s sneaky & brilliant, i.e, he throws around the term “fraud” all the time. in reality, if u listen to him, his sports knowledge is rarely in depth, meaning, he’s the fraud.

29. TJ Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:33 am

    Randy Winn would be more beneficial then you think. I think right now though, we dont make any moves off of the waiver wire being that there is trash at pitching and we have Happ just standing around, waiting. We dont need any of these positional players either, Burrell/Victorino/Werth/Jenkins (as much as everyone hates him) is a solid outfield and our infield is great except for the Dobbs/Bruntlett show until Feliz gets back.

    No, we are gonna get a catcher. Don’t mention it.

30. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:36 am

    Eskin is just like foxnews. Certain people tune in because the things he says are so outrageous that it makes people want to listen, and before long they start believing it because if you repeat a lie or a ridiculous statement long enough people will start to believe its true. eskin is notihing new, he just applies it to sports.

    i still prefer missanelli. much better program.

    example: the phillies will trade jimmy rollins for dice-k in the offseason. the phillies will trade jimmy rollins for dice-k in the offseason, etc….

31. Phil Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:53 am

    The BoSox wouldn’t trade Dice-K for Rollins. They don’t fuck with their pitching, they just don’t.

32. NJ Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:55 am

    I’m not saying this is comforting but what if Cole’s just in a bit of a funk. It’s a long season especially for the frontline pitchers where anything worse than 7IP/2ER raises an eyebrow and 6IP/3ER is where the chat begins that the pitchers not on their game. The Happ sitaution is an issue and he either needs to be inserted into the rotation irreguardless or a role needs to be defined in the pen, he has very little time to make an impact for next years rotation as there’s nothing to suggest Moyer won’t be there and we need to putting it politely… Shit or get off the pot with the kid.

    As for Cole hopefully we is just suffering mid-season fatigue and needs some space to pitch through, remember Brandon Webb was pitching with a dead arm and didn’t go to the DL but has returned to form. If it is a DL trip then make the move but skipping a start might upset his routine. The focus has to be decent production from the 2 and 3 spots and sustainsed consistency from the back-end so Cole doesn’t have to worry about laying it on the line at this point in the year.

    With his contract we need to lock him up to a market value deal regardless of his health or we run into Howard territory where Cole starts to loose his affection for being in Philly. As for the point about ownership we don’t have to massively increase the payroll but we do need a massive increase in the draft and foreign recruitment fund where don’t spend the kind of money the teams that have a surplus of bluechips do. We also need to start appreciating the farm, there’s some real decent prospects in A+/AA that get dismissed when the overall state of the farm gets critisized.

33. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 11:55 am

    i know, but they need a shortstop BADLY. i would slide in tehre at the winter meetings and ambush epstein with a proposal. dice-k would be a cy young candidate in the NL.

34. Phil Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:06 pm

    Dice-K is really overrated. His k/bb ratio is atrocious.

35. Eb Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:08 pm

    I would throw in a prospect also and go after Jon Lester. They also have an effective Knuckleballer in their farm system.

36. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    he does walk a lot. but hed be an effective number two. lester would be an awesome number 2, but im pretty sure that he is more untouchable than dice-k

37. Don M Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:18 pm

    We should get Beckett too while we’re at it… if they would give up Dice K for Rollins, we can probably get Lester and Papelbon for Werth and Kendrick??

    You guys are f-ing insane

38. Mike T. Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    yeah, that’s a little too wishful.

39. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    the point is, you can probably pry away one of their better pitchers for jimmy rollins because boston has an endless supply of pitching and they desperately need a legitiamte shortstop. they cant give away julio lugo. in the offseason, theyll probably pay him to go away and then cut him.

    don m.. im going to keep repeating the idea of trading jimmy rollins to boston/the AL and come up with ridiculous trades to the american league for the offseason until it materializes out of nowhere in december or until it annoys every single person on this blog, or until i go through all of the teams.

    if you truly want to play moneyball then you trade the expensive guy knowing that the young cheap guy (donald can take his place next season without so much of a dropoff that theyll suffer greatly from it), the oakland A’s do shit like that all the time and it works just fine, same with florida. no, but we hang onto out j-rolls UNTIL THEIR VALUE DECLINES instead of maximizing your return. florida made a brilliant move by unloading carbrera and willis. absolutely brilliant.

40. scot Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:44 pm

    I agree that Dice-K is overrated.

    But, here’s the other thing about Dice-K. So long as he’s not hurting the team the Red Sox are gonna keep him. If he’s 10 over 500 as a starter like this year, even more so. Why? Because Dice-K is as much of a business decision for the Sox as it is a baseball decision. The level of publicity nationally and more so internationally that this guy gets just increases his own value, and then in return the value of the Red Sox. It’s a team very concerned with it’s marketing image etc. There is absolutely no chance we’d get Dice-K for Rollins this offseason. Zilch. Nada.

41. Rick Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:45 pm

    Maybe the Phils take a look at Greg Zaun from the BJs?

42. Joe Durbin Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 12:57 pm

    I know everyone is stuck in the old days and think pitchers should be able to go the distance, well most cannot anymore and won’t be able to.
    I did not read any of the above statements and maybe this was already covered.
    As I watched Charlie mount on not only the innings but the pitches thru the first half with the 110 and above pitch counts, it brough back memories of how The Royals over used Chad until surgery was needed.
    I have been wandering when we might see any of the results of the overuse, and have watched lately as Hamel did not look as sharp, myself wandering if there was any beginnings of an injury.
    Let’s hope the ice is the usual and someone got a great photo.

43. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:04 pm

    Im still going to keep promoting the idea of moving rollins. victorino can do what he does at the plate and on the bases for cheaper. if this team keeps talking about how it needs to adhere to a budget and how they cant afford things, then lets see them play real moneyball and trade rollins, knowing they have people who can replace him for cheap at the shortstop position.

44. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:06 pm

    http://www.rotoauthority.com/2008/08/innings-caps.html

    good link about pitcher abuse of young arms. look whos at the top of the list, in the red. hamels…

45. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    reading that makes me think hamels should be shutdown for a few starts to conserve himself. they can afford to let happ start once or twice in my opinion to give hamels a rest.

46. Bruce Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    I have had the same kind of question in mind as Don M regarding the practice of putting some of the best players on waivers. Tim , Mike T, Phil and others have not answer directly as to why this is done with ” NO intention of losing” those all star players. That part of waiver practice does not make sense to me (or to Don M).

    Thanks Geoff; I had another laugh on your proposed trade: Rollins for Dice-K. You sure can come up with some doozies (laughing).

    If Hamels is “injured”, that would be most evident to the manager and players with or without the pitcher’s disclosure. Common sense tells you the Phillies wouldn’t take any unnecessary risk with their no.1 pitcher and depending on the type of injury, DL would be the logical decision. I think Hamels like all pitchers is going through a stretch (slump) in finding adjustments for better command and pitch selection.
    The other possibility is what one poster here suggested when he mentioned Bill Conlin’s article…”fatigue” may be a factor with a total of 160 plus innings pitched for Hamels. Management has monitored Hamels and his total innings since the start of the season. They are fully aware of Hamel’s track record of past seasons. It may be time now to give Hamels a rest (skip a start).

    I for one enjoy reading Bill Conlin’s articles and have done so for many years. His accumulated knowledge from covering sports in general and Phillies in particular for over 48 years (including 37 world series) has resulted in various awards for his column writing such as the “Pennslvania Sportswriter of The Year”. His satirical wit and descriptive use of words make him stand apart from the generic writers.

    He made a valid point that few if any here picked up on..
    “The sellers giving up future Hall of Famers on career down-ticks want major league-ready prospects who have survived the high-minors crucible. They want them gifted and they want to have those golden years before arbitration and free agency.

    That left the Phillies with one realistic, tradeable, option from the varsity – Shane Victorino. Fans, you didn’t want to see a Phillies outfield next month without him in it. Nor did you want to go into a stretch drive with untested Greg Golson and his high strikeout ratio as your centerfield anchor.”

    The point he makes is the contenders “playing in the present tense” were looking for prospects who can contibute immediately in their lineup. The Phillies’ double AA prospects Carrasco, Marson , Donald, etc are not “major league ready”. And I’m sure glad Gillick didn’t trade Victorino.

47. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:36 pm

    Conlin susually doesnt defend gillick, so tahts a little surprising. conlin is anice and practical, so i dont mind him. i hate those bottom-feeding eagles suckups they trot out there though on DNL. domowich and the like. theres like 20 of them and all of them make me sick. the eagles are a pitiful, failing, losing franchise. they havent ever won a superbowl and until they do, they do not deserve my attention and respect. they have NO tradition of excellence that fans can be proud of, and they dont treat their players OR their fans with dignity and respect. they disgust me.

    the other 3 teams in this city have at least won something in their history, and the friggin arena league team steps right in and wins a championship before the eagles do too, hahahahha.

    in the offseason, when you have the time to adjust to a big trade, why NOT trade jimmy rollins?

    id actually argue that hes mroe tradeable than any “star” on their roster and id rather keep ryan howard than him. if youre worried about him having a bounce back year, then trade him to the american league.

    heres the thing i need to be clear: trading him and myers shoudl be done at th winter meetings when you can sit down and make a really really good trade and talk things out in person with the other GMs. the phillies desperately need to NOT hire ruben amaro.

48. Don M Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:42 pm

    Geoff, maybe you should “keep promoting the idea of moving Rollins” to the Phillies ownership, because I personally think that its not the greatest move in the world to trade your MVP, Gold Glove ShortStop… and bring up Jason Donald.. who, for some reason, you don’t think is that much of a drop-off from Jimmy Rollins.

    Nobody said that the Phillies need to play moneyball.. and the fact is that a lot of good teams, namely the NL CENTRAL AND NL EAST leaders.. don’t subscribe to that theory, because the A’s have won ZERO World Series titles… it works to keep them competitive, but thats about it. The whole MONEYBALL concept is really about indentifying which stats you find important… in that case its ON BASE PERCENTAGE.. most other teams think its worthwhile to pay the guys that can drive in runs and play with heart, not just certain stats…

    AND … the RedSx just paid like $100 million total to sign Dice-K.. he’s going nowhere.. and if people weren’t initially on-board with trading Jason Donald for a Lefty-Reliever….how can anyone think its smart to trade Jimmy Rollins for a Lefty-Reliever..

    oh yea… 61-50… I’m happy with how this team is playing lately!

49. Don M Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    “Why not trade Jimmy Rollins?”

    Because:
    1. He’s your leadoff hitter.
    2. He was the MVP!!! last season.
    3. He won a Gold Glove at ShortStop (probably the most important defensive position in baseball…unless you count Catcher…but that can’t be since you all want to DFA Carlos Ruiz, eventhough he is one of the best defensive catchers in the NL)
    4. He is signed to a very team-friendly contract for a few more years.
    5. Jason Donald is not ready to replace Rollins in any of those points listed above.

50. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    actually, the phillies said they have a “budget” that they cant comepete with the big spenders. so im calling them out, youre going to claim you cant afford to sign an elite starter in the offseason, arent you amaro? you want me to believe you? trade jimmy rollins, an expendable punk.

    it would be one thing if he has shown EFFORT this year, but he hasnt even looked like hes trying. i was crushing shane victorino but at laest when he was in a slump he TRIED to get out of it. it doesnt even look liek rollins is exerting effort at all

    PS..the marlins play a form of moneyball and they have won 2 championships in the past 11 years.

51. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:48 pm

    and when i see that, people like that make me sick and i dont even want to look at them anymore. thats why i want him out of here, he makes me sick with hsi attitude.

52. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:49 pm

    hey, mayeb you could even trade him to the royals for, ross gload? was that his name?

53. Richie Allen Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:49 pm

    Goeff..Who did Fla get for Cabrera and Willis?

54. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:53 pm

    andrew miller, cameron maybin, mike rabelo, burke badenhop, dallas trahern, eulogio de la cruz

    actuallty its a decent return considering the marlins are battling with us and the tigers are basically done and willis had to be sent to the minors and couldnt hit the broadside of a barn the last i heard of him.

55. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    my point here is to note that the ownership/Fo are hypocrites. they act like they dont have any money but then they go spend all that money on adam eaton and geoff jenkins, signings that, at the time, were even considered wreckless and questionable at best.

    so why throw away money when you claim to “not have any”?

    theyre going to set a record for sellouts in franchise history this year. do you actually think theyll put that money back into the team?

56. Richie Allen Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    I think it would be insane to trade Rollins after only one sub par offensive season.for all the reasons Don M stated above..His defense alone is great..but,why cant we hit Victorino first ?and I kind of like Werth batting second..place Rollins down lower in the order for now.

57. Don M Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 2:22 pm

    “youre going to claim you cant afford to sign an elite starter in the offseason, arent you amaro? you want me to believe you? trade jimmy rollins, an expendable punk.”

    Care to tell us what trading Jimmy Rollins has to do with them getting or not getting an elite starter?? They underpay for Rollins.. an MVP.. AND a GOLD GLOVE winner !!!

58. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 2:23 pm

    to free up “cap” space

59. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 2:26 pm

    whats the real answer though?

    sure, its ok to keep rollins, but that means the ownership has to open up the wallet and pay for elite starting pitching. they ALREADY are telling us that burrell wont come back through surrogates. they need to replace him, get a setupman, get elite starting pitching, among other things.

    wheres all that money going to come from?

    quite simply, if they follow the previous trends, theyre just NOT going to do it and theyre going to lie to you and make up a fake reason. and we all going to take that shit AGAIN from this franchise?

60. NJ Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    Honestly it’s a simple answer Geoff, from within which is why spending needs to go into development and the FO has to stop reaching with low type A money for type B players like Eaton and Jenkins. We’ve had success with projects like Dobbs/Werth/Durbin/Romero/Coste and even with Tom Gordon who we made a reach for after loosing Wagner.

    Re-signing Burrell in this market is a no-brainer, a set-up man should be coming from within but we continue to develop starters with back of the rotation stuff instead of getting those live arms and a terrible mistake was made with Outman who could have had a lot of success handled the right way. There’s Savery and Maitheson who need to be brought on like Madson, we keep bringing in veteran guys for the pen and paying a premium to re-sign because we aren’t developing pitchers to succeed the older or overpriced arms. With starting pitching we have our hands tied with Cole leading off and the two back spots set with two very well placed guys to round out the rotation. We have our hands tied with the contracts of Myers and Eaton and yes we need to go out and slot in a legit soft ace behind Cole but what about Carrasco? What if Myers can reclaim his form? With Moyer staying around can you afford to have Moyer/Kendrick and Blanton in the same rotation? We really do need to build from within here and be more aggressive in getting some bluechips into the system rather than the half baked projects.

61. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    right on NJ. tahts where theyve been very cheap.

62. Rick Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    Jimmy is not a lead-off hitter. That’s the bottom line. He should be batting 2nd or 3rd.

    I actually do like Victorino in the 6-hole though. He gives the Phillies a productive hitter after the big bats of Howard and Burrell. Let’s face it, the 7 and 8 spots just aren’t going to get much done. They’ll get their occasional rbi but that’s about it. Jenkins & Ruiz != clutch

63. Rick Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    Or rather Dobbs & Ruiz. Whatever.

64. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

    I like victorino at the top of the order when hes in a groove. rollins is not a leadoff hitter at all. he has a history of having a low OBP compared to other leadoff men. last year was the one real exception. thats why im not as high on him as others are.

65. Jamie Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 3:03 pm

    Mr. Durbin, do you have any other kids that can pitch?

66. Rick Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 3:09 pm

    I think Jimmy is a great, inexpensive player. I wouldn’t like to see him go, but it would be great to see him in the #2 spot with a prototypical lead-off hitter in-front of him.

    I don’t think Vic fits that build either. I really think Vic belongs in the same spot that Rowand thrived in batting behind Burrell. The same spot he was in last night. He’s a good #6.

    As for a leadoff hitter position. That really leaves center or right-field because it’s not going to come from catcher or third base. I’ll love to get someone like Reggie Willits or Willy Tavares in there.

67. Geoff Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

    taveras would be the ideal leadoff man

    chone figgins is an awesome leadoff man i think though, hes a 3B but thats THE only exception i think.

68. Pete Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 4:07 pm

    Rollins will never be traded for Dice-K – the Sox won’t do it, for all the reasons mentioned above. BUT, as long as we’re talking fantasy trades, it would be worth trying to trade Rollins and prospects to the Jays for Halladay. Toronto, like Boston, desperately needs a SS. They also need a catcher, so the Phils could offer Rollins, Marson, and someone else if necessary to get Halladay, who is under control until 2010 at below-market rates.

69. Richie Allen Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 5:06 pm

    So far the Myers,Blanton situation has been much better the last time out
    Let Rollins alone and he will come back
    Maybe Happ will help the bullpen ,lets wait and see
    As someone above said we are 61-50 and Im not complaining
    I get nervous when some of you want to trade so quick
    The Phils have holes but are persevering,and you gotta admit they are exciting

70. Gavin Says:
    August 4th, 2008 at 6:09 pm

    If Hamels was hurt he’d say he was hurt. He always has before. Even when it was something small he spoke up.

    he just needs to get his head out of his ass and keep his FB and Change down in the zone.

71. ryan Says:
    August 5th, 2008 at 4:00 pm

    bill conlin is easily the best columnist in philly. by far. no doubt about it.

72. Harry Says:
    August 5th, 2008 at 4:32 pm

    I think your reasoning of why Hamels won’t admit to being injured is wrong and borderline stupid. You honeslty think a DL stint is going to cost him less money in the future? Get a clue, he is one of the top pitchers in the league and really doesn’t get injured as much as it is perceived.

73. Harry Says:
    August 5th, 2008 at 4:37 pm

    Also, it’s pretty apparent that Gillick has absolutely sucked since being here. (See: Barajas, Helms, Eaton, Freddy Garcia, Jenkins, Taguhi) He has used a significant amount of money on these stiffs. Sure, he had nice finds with Werth and Dobbs (who isn’t even a starter), but he offered them minimal contracts and essentially got lucky with their performances.

    Now, it is hard to critique his performance because drafting is the most important job of a GM. But based solely off of his moves, he has been terrible!

    I also found the Victorino/Haap/Carasco for Holiday/Fuentes deal laughable. THANK GOD the Phillies did not make that trade. Look at Holiday’s splits; he is a factor of Coors. Is he good, sure. But definitely not worth giving up Victorino (unbelievable range and definitely one of the most underrated players in the league) and two really good pitching prospects.

    This is why the Phillies (and our other sports teams) lose each year. We give up prospects and/or draft picks for medicore players.

74. Don M Says:
    August 5th, 2008 at 4:45 pm

    You said it Harry… Dobbs, Moyer, Kendrick, Lidge, Feliz, Coste, Werth, etc.. none of those guys were good finds, every one of them was another example of how Gillick just gets lucky everywhere he goes.. any player that is any good, and signed cheaply was LUCK.. but all of the ones that he signed and didn’t pan-out are becaues he SUCKS.

    Victorino has only gotten signifcant playing time since Gillick got here.. he got lucky by turning down the trade offers for Victorino.. he got LUCKY in determining that he wanted to keep Victorino (he probably flipped a coin or something).. When he ditched Thome and brought it Aaron Rowand for two years…. LUCK… guy must wear four-leaf clover boxers or something with how lucky he gets

75. Harry Says:
    August 5th, 2008 at 10:17 pm

    Don,

    Keep drinking the Gillick kool-aid. Let me guess, you believe hustle, grit and hard work are just as important as numbers? It seems like you don’t even have the facts straight, so let me inform you on some things….

    Dobbs — A spring training invitee who had a good camp and made the team… aka a lucky find. He’s a good bench player, not an all-star. (There is a reason Bruntlett and Feliz are starting over him.)

    Moyer — he is a decent #4 starter who didn’t cost a lot. Again, a nice find but nothing spectacular.

    Kendrick — Is this a joke? He wasn’t even a top prospect of the Phillies when he was called up last year and is having an average to below average season this year.

    Lidge — Okay, good trade, I’ll give Pat this one.

    Feliz — Again, is this a joke? Feliz is TERRIBLE. Yeah, great signing Pat! You managed to sign a player in the bottom 3 of OBP in 2007. Keep working that magic Pat. Thank goodness he can field otherwise he would be burned at the stake.

    Coste — Let’s make sure we have our facts straight. Gillick was very against bring Coste to the majors. As a matter of fact, he signed someone by the name of Rod Barajas because of this. I guess you forgot about that.

    Werth- Before signing with the Phillies, Jason was constantly injured. The phillies took a chance with him and it turned out well.

    Now, lets look at the other “studs” pat signed:

    Rod Barajas — No explanation needed

    Wes Helms — No explanation needed

    Adam Eaton — Pat threw a lot of money at this ace

    Freddy Garcia — Pat decided to take the White Sox word that Garcia was healthy and bypass a physical by the Phillies doctors. Guess he had a gut feeling.

    Geoff Jenkins — Another horrible signing. If Gillick was so confident in Werth, why would he offer Jenkins starters money? Jenkins struggles even though he only faces righties.

    Also, I have really no idea what you are even talking about regarding Victorino. The phillies were going to make that trade with Colorado but the Rockies pulled out. (according to my sources, which I’m sure you lack) Gillick doesn’t even understand how good Victorino is.

76. » Victorino’s Homer Not Enough, Phillies Lose to Marlins | Blogging-Baseball.com Says:
    August 6th, 2008 at 7:07 am

    [...] ace Cole Hamels tries to rebound from two poor outings and quell nagging hints and reports of an elbow injury in opposing 22 year old Chris Volstad in the series [...]

77. » Kendrick, Bullpen Toss Shutout; Phillies Beat Marlins | Blogging-Baseball.com Says:
    August 7th, 2008 at 4:09 am

    [...] The Phillies hope to take the series as they send staff ace Cole Hamels against 22 year old Chris Volstad in the series final.  Hamels will try to rebound from two poor starts and hints of an elbow injury. [...]

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