2009 Projection: Clay Condrey

Clay Condrey, RP (RHP)
Age: 33

2008: 69 IP / 3-4 / 3.26 ERA / 19 BB / 34 K / 1 SV / 0 BS / 1.51 WHIP

Summary: Clay Condrey had a career season in 2008, pitching in mostly mop-up spots, but adding a few huge outings in the ledger. He was clearly best between the fourth and sixth innings, holding opponents to a 90 OPS+ (.277 average). He gave up his share of hits but balanced that by having pretty good control (2.48 BB/9). He also recorded a strong left-on-base percentage, not allowing 82 percent of runners to score.

Career Level: Post-Prime (Year 1)

Green Flags: Condrey’s moving fastball baffled plenty of hitters in big spots. … He kept his home run totals down, limiting hitters to just 0.78 HR/9. … Condrey kept strong ground-ball ratings (54.3 percent of balls hit were grounders).

Red Flags: Considering hitters struck him at a .304 clip and he held such a high left-on-base rate, one would think Condrey had plenty of luck on his side in 2008. … Both lefties and righties hit him well (righties at .288, lefties at .320).

Prognostication: Clay Condrey is a battler, but he’s not quite a big-game arm. He doesn’t have amazing stuff, using placement and mixing to his advantage when he can. He’s really a mop-up arm, at best a sometimes middle reliever. If he remains a mop-up man he should limit his numbers; he shouldn’t have as good a season as 2008.

2009 Projection: 59 IP / 5-3 / 4.57 ERA / 20 BB / 29 K / 1 SV / 1 BS / 1.53 WHIP

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.