Amaro: 'This is a championship caliber lineup'
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Amaro: 'This is a championship caliber lineup'
Daily News staff
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. speaks to the media on Tuesday. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/Staff Photographer)
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. held a news conference today at Citizens Bank Park to wrap up the season. Here are some highlights:
On the lineup: “Abilitywise, there is no question in my mind this is a championship caliber lineup and championship caliber players. We have to go about it in a different way. I have talked to Greg Gross and talked to Charlie. We have to have a different mindset or different approach than we did in ‘08 or 2010. We don’t have nearly as much power, have to be better with two strikes, better situational at-bats. Those are frankly things we have to change.”
On Ryan Howard’s injury: “I don’t think it’s going to be half a season. It may compromise part of the season. He is going to see Dr. Meyerson today in Baltimore. He may also seek another opinion from Dr. Anderson in North Carolina. We’re going to try to get it done as quickly as possible … Every single day we wait [impacts his return]. But we have to make sure the swelling has gone down enough to do the surgery. We are doing our due diligence to make sure we get the right guy, someone that Ryan feels comfortable with.
How long will he be out? “At least 4 months. After that, [I] would not even be able to tell you until after he has the surgery. [We] can discuss it with the doctors and go from there.”
How will that impact potential offseason moves?: “I don’t think it will, unless they tell us he is going to be out for a year, and I don’t think that is going to happen.
On who would play first base if Howard is not ready: “We’re not sure. Gload is having surgery for hip labrum. If Mayberry is a guy that ends up having to play first base, we’ll be looking at somebody for left field. I’m hoping we won’t have to go that route, hoping Ryan Howard will be in that No. 4 hole in April.”
On talent in the system for trades: “I don’t know that we have to make that many trades. We have some strong pieces and a good core of players to work with right now. I would say if we are going to acquiring players, it would probably be free agents that we would sign from outside the organization. As you know, I am not opposed to doing that.”
On Jimmy Rollins: “We’re not going to have any discussions with Jimmy publicly ... There’s no question we want Jimmy back, want him to play shortstop for us, be in our uniform and play for the next several years. It’s just a matter of whether we can get to the finish line … Things will be kept private and we’ll try to figure it out.”
On Jimmy Rollins’ ability compared to his MVP season: “It’s hard to argue that he still has the offensive ability to do the same kind of things, because he hasn’t done it the last couple of years. Part of it is because of injuries. He still is one of the premier defensive shortstops in the game … That is probably one of the most important elements that Jimmy brings, along with his personality, is his ability to be so steady. He is about as steady a shortstop as can be.”
On Rollins’ desire for a 5-year deal: “As far as length is concerned, the commitment we’re going to put into it, internally, we’re still kicking it around as to how far we want to go with Jimmy to keep him here. He knows our priority absolutely is to keep him in our uniform.”
On the desire for the roster to get younger: “We do have to try to get young. We did it with our staff and have to do it with our position players. It’s a young game, played by young players and hopefully we can get younger.”
On Placido Polanco, who underwent double sports hernia surgery today: “Right now our biggest concern about Polly is to get him healthy … I’m not sure he was clearly 100 percent healthy during the end of the year. Age is an issue. We have to make sure to give him down time. I think he will play better if he’s not playing every single game. We have to give him some support as far as playing third base is concerned. Polly is the kind of guy that we’re trying to strive to have more readily at our disposal. Those are the kinds of at-bats. He works the count, he understands the importance of making contract with two strikes. Those are the things we’re looking to improve [overall]. He epitomizes that. He was not swinging the bat we think that he can and we think that he will.”
On left field: “It’s an open competition. If we were going to start the season, Ibanez is a free agent, we have a pretty darn good in-house candidate in John Mayberry … We certainly haven’t made a decision.”
On Domonic Brown: “He’s got some work to do in left field. He’s down in Instructional League. He’s got some things to work on his hitting … For me, I‘d keep him in Triple A and let him get 500 or 600 at-bats there.”
On Ryan Madson: “He sits in the same place as Jimmy. I talked to Ryan yesterday. He knows how we feel. We’d like to bring him back as our closer next year. It takes two to tango. Again, negotiations will be private. He is excited about being a free agent … On a personal level, I think it’s important for him and his family.”
On the closer, if Madson signs elsewhere: “I don’t feel comfortable with the guys we have internally. If Ryan does not sign, we might have to go outside the organization. There are some people in our system who think DeFratus or Aumont can do that; I am not convinced of that yet. “
On whether they would give Madson more than 3 years, which has been standard policy for pitchers other than Cliff Lee: “Those are questions that I’m not going to be answering. We will keep that internal. When ready to make an announcement on Ryan Madson, we’ll make it.”
On Roy Oswalt: “We’re still discussing that internally. I have to put a call into his agent today to get what his thoughts are. We have not made any final decision on Roy. He’s still one of the better starting pitchers in baseball. We have to make a decision, might be a tough one.”
On Cole Hamels: “We have internally talked about extending him and keeping him around … He is one of the more effective and one of the better lefthanded pitchers in the game. We hope we can bring him back and keep him for a while.”
Does the long ball favored by Charlie Manuel work with the Phillies' revised philosophy?: “We’re very much on the same page. Charlie is about getting a good ball to hit and capitalizing on it. He’s about grinding out hits. Charlie likes the home run. We all do. I do too. He’s come to the realization that its not just about the home run. A lot of different pieces of the puzzle to scoring runs. It’s not just about the home run. We just don’t have same offensive team that we had in 2008. We have to realize that and work with it … We should have more .300 hitters. These guys have the ability to do it, it’s whether they are committed to doing it or not.”
On whether the lineup would be more effective if guys got more days off: “Charlie is going to play these guys when he knows they’re ready to play. It’s up to Charlie’s ability to manage that. Martinez, Valdez got plate appearances, Mayberry got plate appearances. I’m more concerned about us committing to a different style or a different approach to our offensive game than I am about anything else.”
On the payroll, compared to this year's: “Don’t know yet. I would say it would be similar.”
On whether these players can get better: “We fail ourselves if we decide this is what we are and not try to get better. We owe it to our fans, our players and to each other to try to change to get better, to get it to this level. Our next level is to get to the World Series and win it. I am very pleased with how things worked out pitching-wise. I loved development of some of young pitchers in the bullpen. I think defensively we had a very, very good club again. We’ve been spoiled by that over the last 10 years. Offensively, we have to try to look at different ways to improve. We have the personnel to do it, it’s matter of whether they want to take the time and be committed to improving on some areas they need to improve on.”
On how the changes can be made?: “I think, for me, a lot of it depends on the composition of the club, a lot of it depends on what happens with Jimmy and some other players and how we allocate our available dollars. If the guys playing on our club don’t make adjustments we’re going to have some trouble … I am challenging Charlie and GG to help facilitate that … Charlie is in agreement that we have to change the way we approach some things. If we can do that and are committed to it then we can be successful.”
On the value of change in the clubhouse: “Change is good. I don’t think we need a whole lot of changes. We’re going to have to change because we have a lot of free agents. The changes may happen organically.”
On Utley’s knee issues: “I don’t think it’s behind him. The way he managed it and Scott Sheridan managed it was incredible. He was in the lineup every day. One of the things that he and Scott and I have talked about is to make sure that he stays strong. There may be times when he may need more days off over the course of the season. More importantly, working on ways for him to strengthen his legs. That is one of the things that he wasn’t able to do and affected his power. He was not able to squat and some other exercises because of the injury and what’s going on in his knees. He’s going to have to go about it a different ways. We’re going to go about different ways to make him stay strong.”
Can he be the player that he was?: “I couldn’t tell you. A lot of it depends on how he feels during the course of the offseason and how he goes about his business … Is he going to be a 30 home run, 110 RBI guy and hit .300? I don’t know that. I hope he is. That will help us. Whatever we get out of Chase is going to help us. I know he is going to strive to get to the point where he can maximixe his numbers and his production.”
What would losing Rollins mean?: “It would be a big loss. There’s no question about it. He’s been a big part of organization for a long time. We want him to continue to be a big part of this organization. … Not just on a physical level as a ballplayer, but I have an affinity for him as a person. I will say that it will be a huge blow for us, but not insurmountable. If he’s not with us, we will make the proper adjustments to replace him. Not sure whether that will be internal or going outside the organization. Some in the organization think Freddy Galvis is ready to be a shortstop in the major leagues every day; there are some who don’t. Time will tell. Hopefully we won’t have to take care of that. We will have to make those decisions once we figure out what is happening with Jimmy.”
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Comments (151)
It's good to hear RAJ call out Cholly and GG about getting these guys to stop swinging for the fences, work a count, and make some damn contact. Too many .250 hitters on this team. It was pretty telling to see this team not be able to hit the same Edwin Jackson they scored 10 on in the 2008 WS, and watch them be baffled by Jaime Garcia when the Brewers just clubbed him.— Only in Philly...- Kudos for Amaro for being so frank in his responses. When he volunteers that his is not comfortable with the guys in the system to step into the closer role if Madson departs, it strengthens his credibility. It's not ground-breaking news; everyone thinks it, but it's still good to hear him state honest opinion.
I imagine there is going to be a change with the hitting coach. (Gross will be the scape goat. Don't think he'll remove Manuel.) Almost never swinging on 1st pitch strikes has actually hurt us in the post season the past 3 years. We have been predictable. While hitting is Charlie's forte, it doesn't seem to translate to good pitch selection by his players. Howard is not a rookie. How in the world did he swing at a pitch off the plate with a 3-0 count? Even Carpenter laughed.— PhillyMAP - Championship team, without the Championship, makes sense to me.— tellitso
- Agree with COskier ... how refreshing to get responses which acknowledge the fans' importance as customers instead of nuisances. So different than the Eagles.— econ07
- does anybody really believe anything this guy says? (btw, did he say anything new in this piece?) he assembled a team of position players who were already sliding down the hills of their careers. in '08 we had a young team full of life and hope. three years later, an old team with little hope for the future. somehow, i don't think this is the definition of a gm's job. had i not spent my first 42 years in philly i would've hated this team. when 10 days back i heard the betting odds for us even getting into the series, i couldn't resist and put down a bundle. if you can't be happy (i'm not, would far rather have lost) at least grab some gelt when it comes round.— bubba church & granny hamner
- I know both doctors Myerson and Anderson personally and have attended numerous seminars put on by them. Howard is in good hands. You really have to figure for a guy Howard's size for 6 months to be realistic at best. Even then, power hitting is from the legs and Howard is going to be weaker thru the lower body for most of if not all the season. Maybe this will teach him to be a better hitter, make more contact and not always guess for his HR pitch, missing it by 2 feet! Maybe not.....Utley is what he is at this stage of his career. His damage is permanent and makes lower body strengthening tough if not impossible to do. Without the strength, he is a singles/doubles hitter the rest of his career. Hamels? Only a fool would lock up a SP about to have bone chips removed from his elbow....You let him pitch out next season un arbitration and if he proves he still has it, maybe you invest in 2-3 years, no more. This could be the start of his decline to Jamie Moyer status.........— Mark1npt
- "It's not enough to win 102 games, and have a historically good pitching staff! They must also have hitters that are not only the best in the NL (as they were after Utley returned in May), but must strike fear in pitchers' hearts! And no, we have NOT gotten spoiled!" (paraphrasing)Of course as we know, winning 102 or 105 or 110+ games means very little in the playoffs, where a bounce or a call changes the course of a 5-game series. (HTML deleted)— schmenkman
- "It's not enough to win 102 games, and have a historically good pitching staff! They must also have hitters that are not only the best in the NL (as they were after Utley returned in May), but must strike fear in pitchers' hearts! And no, we have NOT gotten spoiled!" (paraphrasing)
Of course as we know, winning 102 or 105 or 110+ games means very little in the playoffs, where a bounce or a call changes the course of a 5-game series.— schmenkman - We have to add offense, period. We have the pitching, just need to add some scoring. Small ball or home runs, it doesn't matter. We need to strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitching. Whomever plays left field, third base, ss, and second base must contribute to the offense in a big way.— JimSeitz
- Montgomery & Co. get a real baseball man and he runs the show. Hey Jeff that means Joe B needs to be replaced with a real football man and the rest will take care of itself. Go Phils / Go Eagles.— oldBird
- if ruben were a stock picker he's the guy who'd buy Research in Motion (maker of Blackberry) at $70 and then be shocked when it droppped to $23 --the name of the game is figuring out who WILL be good, not who was good in the past --he agrees in 2010 to pay Howard from 2012 to 2016 what Howard was worth in 2006, he pays Ibanez in 2009 to 2011 based on what Ibanez did in 2008, he trades for an Oswalt in 2010 based on what Oswalt did in 2005, he pays Polanco in 2010 based on what Polanco was in 2007, he pays Lee from 2011 to 2015 based on what Lee did in 2009 etc etc etc --contrast that to a true G.M who can project needs and fill them like Gillick who goes out and gets a Werth for nothing, a Coste for nothing, a Romero for nothign, a Victorino for nothign, a Durbin, etc etc etc— warbiscuit
- warbiscuit, in case you missed it, he put together the best regular-season team in Phillies history.
As you probably know, the team with the best record rarely wins the World Series. Playoffs = crapshoot.
And again, from the time Utley joined the team in May, the Phillies had the highest-scoring offense in the NL.— schmenkman - Interesting point about Jimy Williams. He definitely had a good feel for the game, but this organization can be funny. No question they spend the money on players, but then they split hairs on coaches and cast off Williams and Lopes.
In the playoffs little things get magnified; mistakes get magnified. Having coaches who've been there before can help a lot...pulling Lee earlier, pinch-hitting Mayberry. Cholly has his skill set but needs help in game time managing.— Cameiros 
Comment removed.- amaro is the rube responsible for this poorly constructed $160 million non-hitting mess --inept incompetent destroyer of a once promising future --see, e.g., Howard contract, Ibanez contract, Blanton contract, trade of Lee to Seattle, trade for Oswalt, assorted terrible small deals (trade of Paulina for Tashner), signings of Polanco, Baez, Contreras, schneider, etc etc == get a new g.m. who knows a thig or 2 about baseball and doesnt just throw money trying to keep players based on their past performances and has no idea how to project which players are on decline or on upswing— warbiscuit
- By the way, when a 102-win team plays a 90-win team in a 5-game series, and the 102-win team has home field advantage, probability theory tells us the 102-win team has a 59% chance of winning the series.— schmenkman
- I repeat: they were the highest-scoring team in the NL from the time Utley joined them in May.— schmenkman
- This is NOT a championship caliber lineup. To suggest so is outrageous but what else can he say? That the team is filled with old, degenerate men whose best years are behind them? Nothing to see here--> keep moving...— Sam Crow
- Despite the 102 wins with Charlie at the helm they could have done better with another manager who isn't so layed back and friendly with the troops.— Wm Penn
- I can't believe they are just figuring this out now!!!!!!! The fan's have known this for a couple years now....— IvanDejesus
- There are better managers in this game than Charlie Manuel, although, like Charlie, they have their faults and don't go to the WS every year. However, Charlie has been good for THIS franchise for a while, considerably better than the 2 who preceded him. @Warbiscuit-thank you for saying what I would like to say. I am not a Reid fan at all, but regarding Amaro, his "candor", to me, is his way of saying "I did my job; Charlie and the starting 8 didn't do theirs". Amaro came across to me like he only wants to change the lineup via free agency; last offseason, he had the opportunity to change key pieces to this team, and he passed on doing it. I liked having Lee back, but he never should have been traded in the first place, and his trade to Seattle pushed Amaro to acquire a pitcher who didn't seem to want to be here(while giving up more prospects). If the Phils owners are smart, they will start to realize that the GM is more of a question mark than the manager; if Charlie should be fired, I want someone else than Amaro to do it.— 76erfn
- If they have anywhere close to the same line up next year, the results will be the same or worse. I'd keep Victorino, Pence and Ruiz. The rest can take a hike. Ditto for Utley, the most overrated player in the game.— Justaschmuck
- RAJ, you can start by canning Manuel and Dubee. These 2 are clueless.
I mean absolutely clueless. I have nothing good to say about either one of these.
I know there are Manuel kool aide drinkers and to them I say this. Simply tell me a single strategic move he's made in years that has won us a game. I will provide 3 for each one of moves he's made that cost us games. Go ahead, I'm waiting.— dedhed - I'm impressed by Amaro's candor and intelligence. He built a great team that regrettably under performed over a short series. There is no fault to be found in the Front Office or with Charlie. Pence, Victorino, Howard and Lee all picked very bad times to under perform.
But as I said, I am very impressed that Amaro is a "Look Forward" type of guy who is not afraid to answer questions. If Andy Reid had half Amaro's intellgence, confidence and candor the Eagles might not be the joke of the NFL.— Jona Jay - Howard is a horrific fielder? did you actually watch this season? He made some amazing catches and did nothing to show he sucks at fielding. Phillies made the 1st or 2nd fewest errors this season get a grip its not the fielding and howard is NOT the problem.— theeman1
- As for approach, I agree what we saw in the NLDS left a lot to be desired. During the regular season, the Phillies were right at the league average in terms of Pitches per Plate Appearance (3.8). However their percentage of swinging at the first pitch was by far the lowest in the NL: Phillies 21%, average 27%; second lowest was 25%— schmenkman
- Again, they were the highest-scoring team in the NL after Utley joined the team. And second lowest strikeouts in the league.— schmenkman
- Please send the transcript of rub's interview to Bloated Goat Reid. Label it "how to speak to media and treat fans 101"— kevmil72
- This is crazy because all of the things he said about what they need to do to improve should have been done after SF last year. And most people thought it was only Cain and Lincicum they couldn't hit, come to find it is anyone who pitches....the Cardinals sorry staff! I am still devastated.— BCRock
- Reid interview --says nothing and says that he's saying nothing...Amaro interview --says nothing and has bozos thinking this inept incompetent destroyer of a once promising future is actually saying something --the emperor has no clothers and is clueless --see, e.g., Howard contract, Ibanez contract, Blanton contract, trade of Lee to Seattle, trade for Oswalt, assorted terrible small deals (trade of Paulina for Tashner), signings of Polanco, Baez, Contreras, schneider, etc etc == get a new gm, new manager and figure out how to get a team that can hit for $160 million— warbiscuit
- 2008- win World.s Series: 2009- lose World series: 2010- lose nlcs : 2011 lose nlds. Rueben is kidding himself and the fans if he thinks he has a championship roster. Major offensive changes are needed in players not just in Charlie and Greg's psychology.
— johnpay - Charlie needs to go. If he stays, little will change. People are getting too complacent in their present roles. The team is sliding into the wrong direction.— Steve Jeltz
- A lot of these concerns have to do with Rollins. It sounds like if he comes back, the Phillies expect him to change. He's the biggest candidate to stop trying to hit HRs and he's the hitter among others who should be batting .300. I don't expect Rollins to change and I would be surprised if Amaro expects him to change. That means the part about hitting .300 and not hitting HRs was either made up to satisfy the fans or Rollins is gone and maybe they'll pursue Reyes.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- oswalt signing 'may be tough' --yeah very tough to waste $16 mil on washed up mediocre no. 7 pitcher after wasting 3 good propspects to get him— warbiscuit
- compare this to Andy Reid interview, night and day— camasbud
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- Polanco, Chase, Galvis, and Rollins could handle SS, 3B, 2B. I like that group--just rotate them in and out to keep them fresh all season. Rotate them like a pitching staff. Dom or Martinez as 1st base next season as a last resort (do we still have Rizotti?), with a very good contact hitter as the clear offseason priority.— momeara001
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- I think most of you folks miss the real problem here. With a 126 million dollar payroll there are not a lot of changes that could have been made. Most managers would have sat Polanco and maybe even Howard but with what they are making, you can't. You have a leadoff hitter who thinks he's a cleanup hitter and a cleanup hitter who doesn't adjust well at the plate on top of being a horrific fielder. Pitching is pretty set, Oswalt is gone but his replacement is already here. This team needs some players who can get on base and cut down on the strikeouts, way too many in this lineup!— paris4053
- First little-known fact about the 2011 Phillies: from May 23rd (Utley joins team) through the end of the season, the Phillies had the highest-scoring offense in the NL. From May 23rd through July 29th they were the 2nd highest scoring team.— schmenkman
- To many posts to read-they dont need to make many changes--the big thing should be attitude--that is--play some small ball--to go with the big boppers.— HO HUM
- Thank you Ruben for intelligent, honest, and expansive answers. I think you have a good handle on the overall picture. If I may suggest, not only does Charlie have to demand a different approach, but also we need to sprinkle some depth onto this team so we can bench a veteran if he's too stubborn to listen. I think Charlie has been reluctant to drop the hammer for three reasons: 1) It's not his nature. 2) These guys have "done it" for him in the past. 3) He has had few alternatives on the bench.
I truly wish Mr. Andy Reid could be as informative as Ruben was today. Ruben could have gone up there and passed gas and it would amount to more than what Reid gives us.— dasher - RAJ always professes that they can't or won't make small moves. It's smart, if other teams know he has committed to his fanbase that he'll make a big move he is in a poor negotiating position. I expect them to make at least some medium sized moves by next season, although I can't guess what they are. reading between the lines though, you could interpret his comments about Polanco and Utley as meaning they could share time at 2nd (talks about both needing off days). combination of that and using Polanco as backup 3B and Utley as backup 1B could open a spot for an upgrade offensively at 3B. Not sure who, or if Polanco even makes sense as a bench player, but unless they let a starter go unexpectedly or decide Mayberry is not the answer in LF, they are limited in available moves.
Two most surprising comments - commitment to a free agent closer, and the outright acknowledgment that Manuel's approach to hitting is to blame, at least partially.— Phils Phan 28 - I agree. I think today was his first small salvo of "I'm not satisified." RAJ has shown that he will make moves but he'll do it in a calculated way. Some people may not like him but I think he's a good GM.
Thinking about his Rollins comments, he could just be playing along with Jimmy's legacy here. They do appreciate what he's done (as do I) but I see no way they'll offer him 5 years and Jimmy said again today he wants 5 years. He'll get that somewhere else in my opinion.
I think we'll see shortstop, third base, and the bench revamped with different style players. That's not an overhaul but when you add in a full year of Pence, a new left fielder (sounds like Mayberry) and at least a part-year fill-in at first, we could see a significantly different line-up. I really doubt he's going to fire Manual after 5 NL East titles and 102 wins, however I see what he said today as putting pressure on Charlie for change. He's definitely challenging him to be a better manager. I'd put money on other coaching changes. GG should be particularly worried about his job.
His closer stance doesn't surprise me. Boras is going to go for more than Madson is worth. There are good closers on the market. It's a cost/benefit case. I think his message about not trusting guys he has to close was both realistic and also sending a message to guys like Bastardo and Stutes to not get too comfortable with what they did this year.
— s - Milt Thompson has three division titles, a WS and a pennant under his belt and he gets fired. GG has back-to-back upset losses to the Giants and Cardinals and gets to keep his job? Interesting...— andrewfrombrooklyn
- I am not a minority, but the lack of minority coaches in this organization offends me. — justacarpenter
- Wow. Seems Ruben said a mouthful.
1) Madson "excited" about free agency=he wouldn't mind at all leaving
2) Oswalt signing "might be tough"=he's gone
3) Utley's kneeS? = he misspoke or we don't know about his other knee
4) Brown needs 500 to 600 MORE at-bats in minors. Bravo! At least the GM realizes he's not nearly ready and may never be.
5) DeFratus and Aumont seen by some as closers now. And no mention of Bastardo or Stutes?
6) We have a champsionhip calibre lineup but they need to change approach and we need to get younger = contradiction— VicM - This lineup hasn't produced in 3 years. Wake up RAJ. Trade Worley and Brown for Hanley Ramirez. Would love to see him bat 3rd. Rollins to 3rd base and Ramirez to short. Needs some bats RAJ.— Pap
- Agreed 100%. To change mean to get rid of the old and in with the new! Not keeping JRoll Ibanez Palonco Franciso Gload... The BIGGEST problem still will be Howard!— puckdaddy
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- Pretty depressing. It looks like Amaro is wedded to the status quo, which means we get a front row seat to see once great players age and flail. It's like having to watch Ibanez the last two years was just an appetizer. Boo!— jtj10
- their problem isnt people like Howard(who DID come through this season.) It was people like Rollins and Victorino, who took too many big swings and didnt get on base enough. A crucial part of the game is simply getting guys on base. Thats not only half the battle in scoring runs, but it also gives the pitcher another thing to worry about. Send Rollins packing and bring in a guy who will be willing to take walks and hit infield singles. Whatever it takes to win.— theeman1
- L liked Ruben's straight-forward answers. I still don't believe that Charlie will ever eschew the 3-run homer mentality. Ruben talked about becoming a different hitting team last year, but it's just not in Charlie's DNA. Maybe Charlie will surprise me. As far as Rollins, there is no way in hell the Phillies will give him 5 yrs, not even 4 yrs. I think they'll make a concerted effort to re-sign Madson, but not at crazy money. There are several closers available on the free market. Madson may be the best of the free agent closers, but he might get $12, 13 mil + in the marketplace. Don't theink the Phillies will spring for that kind of cash. I'm thinking that Ruben picks up a power hitting 3rd baseman and uses Polly as a utility guy next year. But there is no doubt that the Phillies fortunes next year will hinge on their ability to get base hits consistently. The 3-run homer days are long gone.— misterhman
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- The Phillies lineup is not good enough to win in the post-season as they have just demonstrated. They need to get some young players on that team and can add youth at left field, third base and shortstop. Do not sign Rollins for more than 3 years, if at all.— MUADDIB
- if CC Sabathia is availble, the Phillies should sign him too...that way, the phillies will have five aces......— Local Opinions
- Teaching situational hitting to Howard is like teaching water to run up hill. Good luck with that GG.— NewMick314
- The news to me here is that Oswalt appears gone; Amaro says the decision "may be tough." Also, Amaro leaves a bit too much open given Howard's injury: Mayberry cannot play both 1B and LF. We're going to have to make a move for one of those positions. A thought is Josh Willingham, but he Ks a lot too and if Amaro is serious about changing our mindset at the plate, Willingham's not a good fit.— eman
- Nice to hear frank talk from a GM. Not the BS you get from the green team across the street.— JusWonderin
- plate discipline..after how many years has Howard been unable to hit outside pitches..Utley takes EVERY first pitch, Rollins needs to bat like a leadoff. with speed of Rollins and Victorino why aren't there more bunt attempts?
— righty - It's easy to say the Phils need to change their hitting approach but more difficult to do with the same cast of undisciplined batters and coaches. Zebras don't change their stripes all of a sudden.
Next year figures to end with the same disappointment if the cast of players remain intact.
Too bad Phils hittters don't have the same approach the Cardinal hitters had. Hamels was over 100 pitches in the 6th inning. Lee was also over 100 pitches in the 6th inning as a result of Cardinals hitters working the count and fouling off tough pitches.
The same cast of players won't do the trick!— johnpaulcpa - When Jim Leyland interviewed for the managerial job back in 2004, the Tigers skipper ruffled some feathers within the organization, namely Ed Wade, when he suggested that the Phillies were poor situational hitters that struck out too much.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.— PhightinPhil - Interesting speculation of the Phillies options with Ryan Howard.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/replacing-ryan-howard-at-first-base/
— channelclemente - Situational hitting. Period. Stop trying to kill the ball and be heroes with the game on the line. Scrappy play, victorino'esque small ball more often. Think having young bats at the corner outfield spots will help. Chase and Ryan need to get healthy, and they need to resign Jimmy Cole and madsen. Manuel is a great manager, they'll be back...— sore richard
- The team absolutely needs to manufacture runs the hard way next year because there won't be much power with Howard missing significant time most likely. Also, you don't know how he is going to bounce back both mentally and physically. Ibañez and Rollins and their combine 35 HRs will be gone and they should. So they must do something significant to compensate for that. Even if they keep Rollins, you'll have an older Polanco at 3B coming from an injury, Rollis at SS, Utley at 2B and Mayberry at 1B. There is not a lot of power in there, except from Mayberry, and that still some sort of an unknown. There is also the hole in LF if Mayberry is ask to play 1B or viceversa. Maybe trading a pitcher (Lee) for two nice young hitters should be the way to go. Teams don't need 3 or 4 aces to win it all. Heck we had 4 and didn't even come close. I don't know, but Ruben has to be creative. I don't think they could fill a "championship caliber lineup'' with so many questions marks and just trying to change their hitting approach with the same coaching staff.— EL Zorro
- I believe Ruben is being coy about what he's going to do. Jimmy is gone, and don't be surprised if there are some shocking trades and Free Agent signings. We will pleasantly surprised at who's going to be in next year's starting lineup.
Remember after we lost to the Yankees in 09 Ruben said the Phillies needed to change their approach at the plate and it was never done.
Jose Reyes will be the Phillies opening day shortstop.
— ldt6143 - I'll give Amaro this: he gives straight answers, not like the Andy Reid/Eagles B.S. the city gets.— fmMD
- liked the mindset of Rube. The Phils just won 102 games. They caught the wrong team at the wrong time. Wholesale changes aren't needed. They need to get younger at some positions. Sounded like Rube wants that to be Mayberry at left, and a young bat at 3b to platoon with Polly so he can stay healthy. Absolutely agree that we need better situational hitting and more patience at the plate. The Cards lineup worked the count all series, we did not at all. That was a big difference maker. I don't think Carpenter had a three ball count until the 5th inning in game 5. If we can get better there, we should be good.— phillypatrick3
- Ruben, thanks for being open and candid with not only your coaching staff and players but with your fans! We appreciate it; it's refreshing to see such candor! Good luck in the off season; you have your work cut out for you!— JBinPA
- Smeckman, in the AL there are only 14 teams, and exactly 7 play .500 ball or better. What's your point? And another fact. Against the teams that made the playoffs, the Phillies played under .500 ball (10-12). They were 3-3 against Arizona, 4-3 against the Brewers, and 3-6 against the Cards. So what you saw in the playoffs was not coincidence.— EL Zorro
- I agree, wholeheartedly, with COskier about having a sports exec in Philadelphia actually say something...unlike the arrogant, dismissive people in green. Were the Phillies a huge disappointment this post-season...absolutely; but don't you feel like RAJ and ownership will actually try to do something about it? Obviously some of the moves, mostly minor ones, like Bowker didn't work but getting Halladay, Lee, Pence is pretty damned impressive. Let's hope that he will pleasantly shock us again this winter.— chesapeake
- I respect Rube but he's made plenty of mistakes. We tend to forgive and forget because of him landing Lee. That was Lee's doing. He fell in love with Philly and its fans. The GM could have been Omar Minya and Lee would have preferred Philly. Ibanez, Howard, every 3B deal we had all mistakes.
We need a younger team. Better bench. A closer and more importantly some power because we're going to miss a lot of it.— philaflava - I respect Rube but he's made plenty of mistakes. We tend to forgive and forget because of him landing Lee. That was Lee's doing. He fell in love with Philly and its fans. The GM could have been Omar Minya and Lee would have preferred Philly. Ibanez, Howard, every 3B deal we had all mistakes. We need a younger team. Better bench. A closer and more importantly some power because we're going to miss a lot of it. (HTML deleted)— philaflava
- El Zorro, there are 16 teams in the league. Do you want exactly 8 to be over .500 and 8 under .500? Or would you feel better if 10 or 12 of the 16 were over .500?— schmenkman
- I give a lot of credit to the posters here- lots of good comments even with then differing opinions. If I were GM here's what I'd do:
Charlie-you start the season. If there is no major change to the hitters approach but you and Gross are gone and Sandberg is the manager.
Infield-I agree with his assessment of Polanco but I just think he's broken down physically. I'd try to replace him but if no one wants him, I'd only play him part-time and use him off the bench as a PH and defensive guy when he's not starting. They're totally stuck with Howard, no getting around it. But to me if he doesn't change his approach I'd mainly play him against righties until he got the message. He gets worse every year. Bad contract by Amaro on this one. I wouldn't sign Jimmy for more than 3 years. I'd play Utley at first unti Howard gets back or when Howard sits.
Outfield-pretty set as we know with Mayberry our LF.
Catching-get a young catcher to spell Ruiz more often.
Pitching-only sign Oswalt if cheap. If not don't bother. Sign Madson but it doesn't seem lime he wants to be here.
They will need a deeper bullpen next year.— Ballgame - They won 102 games on the strength of their pitching and because the NL was horrendous once again with the worst team in baseball and only 7 teams playing .500 ball (inclduding them). The Dodgers barely made with the most likely MVP and Cy Young winners.— EL Zorro
- RAJ is not happy. There will be major changes. And Charley Home Run will be given the opportunity to "seek other opportunities". To fall one step short of where you were the previous year means we don't even make the playoffs next year. Cannot afford to have empty seats and/or sponsor non-renewals next year...fixed expenses are still high.— johnnymon
- and the funny thing is, pitching won them 102 games despite less offense and injuries pitching is supposed to win in the post season. it didn't. how does that happen?— MichaelZoe
- Now does everyone realize the difference between The Yankees vs. the Braves? It's a brutal, long, demanding season. Relax. They don't have that much flexiblity at all with the Polanco/Howard/Pence/Victorino/ChoochUtley contracts. And Hamels is due a deal. Will he ask to be traded? No way Rollins comes back to Philly. Bring back Bourne.— MichaelZoe
- Should have let Howard walk and bring in Fielder .. but what you should have done is now done.. You need to put better players around Howard..
The team needs to get younger and yes work counts and get on base.. People who defend Chollie must want to be in the same place 365 days from now.. asking what went wrong in 2012??
He needs to go, backwards 3 straight years with more talent each year?? Absurd.. as was the players approach at the plate and his tired line-up..
The GM does not have no blame but he has the ability to fix the ship and this guy needs to go.. They won 102 games.. whoopie and lost to a team that won 90 so who cares?? Win 110 next year and lose to an 87 win team in LDS.. is that a good season??
Time to move on.. Bye Ibanez, Bye Polanco as a starter.. Bye Raul.. and bye bye Manuel.. that would be the best thing for this team..
Resign Cole and Pence and move onward ...— Flyers1971 - RAJ = doubletalk. Quickest way to change this team is to let Jimmy go. Jimmy smallball?!? who are you kidding?! perhaps yourself. As long as Cholly makes the proirity to take care of his "boys" you will not see a change. What you are seeing is the end of the Jimmy era...Remember the end of the Bobby Abreu era? I am not encouraged or convinced of real change coming based on RAJ's comments.— dlauver1
- @Borkley - the guy he did nothing only knocked in 120 RBIs and hit 35 HRs. How many guys do that year in and year out? Very few - maybe your the one who needs to wake up! Did Howard bring the team down when he launched the 3-run HR in game 1? How about the runs he knocked in during the 2008 and 2009 playoffs?
You do realize the difference between .300 and .250 is about 30 hits over the year?— dankil13 - tommy2times, I think you needed to read this before your statement about GG:
"It's tough when you're going through an extended streak where they haven't hit well," Gross said. "I honestly can't put my finger on it. It would be one thing if it was lack of effort, but these guys are doing the same thing they've always done."
Gross said Howard does things properly even when his swing goes south for a little while.
"He's your power guy," he said. "You let him swing. MY IDEA OF BEING PATIENT IS NOT TAKING. My idea of being patient is when you get that pitch to hit - it might be the first pitch of the at-bat, it might be the third - that's when you want to be aggressive. Going up there and taking is not being patient. Going out there and taking usually puts you in a hole."
Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/20110529_Inside_the_Phillies__Hitting_coaches_past_and_present_discuss_Phillies_offense.html#ixzz1aV3O21FJ
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— EL Zorro - I like what Amaro is saying about the focus of hitting needing to change. For years, the Phillies have been counting on winning by home run. The problem is that as their homer production has declined over the past few years, they haven't reassessed the strategy. Situational hitting, moving the runner, good sacrifices, and all the "small ball" techniques will go a long way toward avoiding the kind of late season collapses we have seen in the last two years.— Charles B
- Just need to get younger especially in Left and I'm sorry to say 3rd. Need some power there especially. Starting pitching's there. Bullpen. Hey if Ryan wants to "Boras" (get it) then let him go. I'd prefer he stay but hey - give the young guys Bastardo, Stutes, Savery and Defratus a shot. Get YOUNG!!!. While it was a disappointing series, I know I've still got a terrific team to root for. As for J Rol, yeah he should stay absolutely but the same applies to him as does Madson - he goes then give the young guy - Galvis a chance. Also if Ryan Howard's not ready what about Rizzoti???
Oh - SIGN COLE!!! He's 27 years old and Chase is the best!!!— Phillyexp - How can u have a cleanup hitter that bats .253 or less all season long and does nothing in the playoffs? Thats absurd! Thats where you need to start to clean house. Howard just brings the rest of the team down. Time to wake up and get to work Amaro.— Borkey
- When everything is said and done we lost the NLDS on lack of pitching not hitting. The offense gave Lee a four run lead, that he could not hold, end of series.— fish1463
- Comment removed.
- I guess I was watching a different series than you were. Lee did give up runs; even Sandy Koufax, Walter Johnston and Cy Young did that sometimes. Consistently, however, the starting pitching was superb. The hitting, however, was lacking through much of the season. It was masked by the superb starting pitching for the most part, but as the pitchers wore down a little bit in September and October, there was simply no hitting to pick them up. If the Phillies had been able to score 3 or 4 runs per game consistently, they would still be playing. — Charles B
- On the positive side, if the Phils can't get it done next year, imagine the amount of prospects you'd get in return for Halladay, Lee and Utley trades...Phils in 2015!! Cole #1 starter!— SilliBilli
- blah blah -same manager and same personnel don't suddenly change their "approach" -- players hitting .250 to .260 and looking washed up don't suddenly "go back " to hitting .300 --if team is to suddenly hit again it will need new and improved players, not the same recycled manager and same plaers --better yet team could really use a new gm than the one is responsible for this expensive and ineffective team -as he has shown over 3 years since inheriting a WS champion team that he has no clue how to get there again as he is no judge of talent and has no idea how to build a properly balance baseball team— warbiscuit
- I beleive this what Amaro wants to do:1. Have Gregg Groos and Manuel make the hiiters change their approach from swinging for the home run...to making contact and cutting down on strike outs...Amaro feels Phils should have more .300 hitters.2.Amaro wants to keep Rollins...bur it will depend on how much money Rollins commands.3. Amaro wants to keep Madson as closer...if not he doesn't see anyone in the organization that he wants to close...he will sign or trade for free agaent closer.4. Amaro indicated Raul will not be back, and that he is very high on Mayberry to play left field...also he feels Dom Brown is not ready yet, and should spend another season in minors.5.He likes Polanco's contact hitter approach, and feels that injuries caused him to decline this season, but is confident that Polly will rebound next season with some occational days off.Give Amaro credit for being very honest with the fans. (HTML deleted)— frank105
- I beleive this what Amaro wants to do:
1. Have Gregg Groos and Manuel make the hiiters change their approach from swinging for the home run...to making contact and cutting down on strike outs...Amaro feels Phils should have more .300 hitters.
2.Amaro wants to keep Rollins...bur it will depend on how much money Rollins commands.
3. Amaro wants to keep Madson as closer...if not he doesn't see anyone in the organization that he wants to close...he will sign or trade for free agaent closer.
4. Amaro indicated Raul will not be back, and that he is very high on Mayberry to play left field...also he feels Dom Brown is not ready yet, and should spend another season in minors.
5.He likes Polanco's contact hitter approach, and feels that injuries caused him to decline this season, but is confident that Polly will rebound next season with some occational days off.
Give Amaro credit for being very honest with the fans.— frank105 - RAJ says he wants the lineup to get younger, something that most of us agree is important. So where can it get younger? Mainly the infield, because they're not going to oust Chooch and the outfield is pretty much set, once you plug Mayberry in for Ibanez. So what does it mean to get younger on the infield? Definitely Polly has to go, as much as much we've always liked him. Howard's not going anywhere. So that leaves JRoll and Utley. Of the two, I'd keep JRoll and trade Utley while he still has some value. He has only two years left on his contract, and the Phillies could eat some of that if necessary. Utley's hometown Dodgers need a second baseman, the Phillies will need relievers and L.A. always has pitching in their organization. Why keep JRoll and not Utley? JRoll's injuries have been muscular, and he seems to have worked out a way to train in the offseason so as to minimize time lost. Utley's, on the other hand, have been in joints -- hip and knee -- and as those of us over 50 know well, when the joints start to go they ain't coming back. Finally, to replace Utley I might look at Neil Walker, Eric Young Jr. or the Tigers' Ryan Raburn, who has some pop and no significant injury history that I know of, although he's only two years younger than Utley. He can also play 3rd and OF.— Dave Clemens
- Contracts aside, I agree 100% that if you're going to pick one infielder to ride into old age it's Jimmy. Chase and Howard are aging faster and in scarier ways. — s
- Amaro said nothing.If Cholly and Gross are coming back that says it all.Minor changes same ole baseball.Be sure to SELLOUT EVERY GAME next year this time same people wondering what happened.— tobyjoe
- Listen to what he is saying, Phils fans. To Charlie: This is not the '97 Indians anymore..You MUST change the approach of this team next year! To Players: you ALL have the ability to play small ball (every MLB player does), so either you change your approach or YOU are gone! AMEN Ruben!!!!!!!— Phront_Runner
- A new hitting coach won't change the approach of this veteran team, because the hitting guru/manager will overrule him. Didn't we change hitting coaches already? You just don't change hitting philosophies/coaching just like that. How many times the hitters or the manager approached each other after a good AB over the last few years. You didn't see them talking to Thompson or GG. Also, these coaches are in their 60s. They're not going to change their teaching (or lack of) because that was the way they learned the game. They might try, but I don't think they'll be successful. That's crazy. If you want a new hitting approach, you have to bring some new players and new coaching staff. Period.
— EL Zorro - This is sad. RAJ has no concept of time. But most people have a problem with time. It moves so slow, most swear it doesn't move at all, and then comes the big adjustment after you were not intelligent enough to gauge it slowly. It is a constant in our society. Kodak did it and they are almost gone. So many big corporations do it. Politicians do it. Everyone who has it good yesterday wants to believe tomorrow will be the same. IF it were the same for the Phillies, Schmidt and Carlton would still be on the team. Everyone can see it in big chunks. Very few of us can see it in increments that represent the least change. How sad.— justacarpenter
- Since RAJ addresses the lineup, the hitters, first, I will repeat what I have said all ready as a common tater in these "pages". The Phillies hitters need to learn how to be patient, and, at some times it seems, know what the strike zone actually is. They seem to swing at a lot of ball threes and fours.
Of course, with the horridly inconsistency in the umpiring of balls and strikes that is a difficult task. In the fifth game, for instance, the umpire called the first three of four pitches that were probably 6 to 8 inches off the outside of the plate balls. The fourth he called a strike, and it was the most outside of the four.
The '93 team exemplified patience at the plate, and they advanced further than they probably should have because of it.— BEMiller - No one gives an ounce of credence to what you say. — n62
- Sorry, find it hard to believe that a team that was built for the long ball over the last ten years can all the sudden learn situational hitting. And "learn" is the key word here. Polanco developed into a situational hitter at a young age because he did not have the kind of power to be an RBI guy. Howard learned to be an RBI guy at a young age because he had the power to do it. That's why you need to build a team with a mixture of both types of players. The Phillies were built, for the most part, on the homerun. Even Utley, who before the injuries was a really good on base guy, still was a power hitter and prone to strikeouts. So, does Amaro expect that both Utley and Howard can become contact hitters who can move base runners along? That's just wishful thinking. I mean, look at the game where Utley was asked to bunt a runner over. He looked absolutely clueless because he had probably not been asked to bunt since little league. To look at it another way, could Seattle ask Ichiro to be a power hitter because their lineup lacks power? Of course not. Players have certain skills, and the Phillies do not have many guys who have the skill to be situational contact hitters. Not a baseball expert. Just going on what I have observed in the game over my thirty plus years of watching it. The sad truth is they really need to begin transitioning to a different group of players, and I think the Phillies organization is, understandably, reluctant to do that.— Hemingway
- Ichiro actually displays power in BP but dials it back on purpose because his main goal is to get hits. He's said that he could be a power hitter if people wanted him to hit for a much lower average.
I'm not disputing your point. Just wishing we could have an Ichiro. *sigh*
I agree that you really need to change the players in the lineup to change approach. That's one reason you could let JRoll walk. You could immediately change the lead-off approach. Which is one reason I find RAJ's commitment to JRoll so surprising. I understand the whole organization/loyalty angle but our lead-off guy epitomizes the wrong approach RAJ talks about changing.
— s - It is refreshing to receive candid answers from the GM. Rube points out that he told Chollie and GG that we are a different team and that we need to be better contact hitters with higher averages. I bet that must have been music to GG's ears, since he was exactly that type of player and can absolutely preach that. The real question is whether they have the players who are willing to commit to that style, as I am sure their agents dig the long ball. While I wish Howard a full recovery, I think having him out for half a season gives us a chance to see what our lineup is like without the reliance on the 3 run HR and force this style that Rube wants to convert to. Let's see what type of players Rube gets to help his coaches accomplish this if he has to get a new LF, SS and how he fills in 1B until RH is fully recovered.— tommy2times
- Rube, time for Charlie to go, for so many reasons, including the fact that while we wait for him to give it up and retire, we will lose qualified candidates like Sandberg and Parent. who no doubt will go to other organizations. Manuel is simply not capable of engineering change in the way this team plays. He challenges none of his veterans to do anything different. He is simply a bubble-gum chewing cheerleader.— advantasux
- Chase Utley pissed more at bats away this year than the previous 6 combined. He is #1 offseason priority. Can he come back to form, or is this it? Does he or does he not need surgery? If he does, how long do we expect him out for? 6 months?— SilliBilli
- It sounds like Amaro has a good handle on things, and that Charlie has been a bit of a problem. With two strikes on a batter, unless you are a top hitter, you have to dial it back and go for an on base hit rather than the long ball. Kids learn that in Little League and Charlie is always trying to dial up a big one. Charlie's concept of wearing out the opposing pitcher and taking every first pitch is equally stupid, especially when opposing teams know it and throw the first pitch right over. I fail to see how that is wearing out the pitcher. If they want to keep old Charlie on as the mast head, then they need to bring in coaches who are much better at working with hitters, and give them the authority over hitting decisions.— Larry Byrd
- "Mr. Amaro, I believe you and Mr. Francona know each other very well."— SilliBilli
- If he comes to Philly, I will never watch another Phillie game again. Ever. That is not a threat. I promise. — justacarpenter
- Good luck with the teaching an old dog new tricks. If Charlie, at 60+ years old, have never utilized a different style of play, I don't think he'll ever will, unless you bring in a new bench coach to take over the gameday duties. You might as well bring a new manager and new coaching staff. The team needs to get younger. Get a real young lead off hitter and a 3B with power and good OBP. If you look at the teams standing in the playoffs (Brewers, Rangers, Cards and Tigers) they are relatively young. Even the young Rays and DBacks made a good push. The ones sitting at home (the Phillies, Yankees and Red Sox) are very old. Now instead of being the three favorites to win it all, they are pondering their future. The Phillies have another problem coming. The pitching can be dominant for two or three years, but then what? That's why is better to let Jimmy and Raul go and get younger and hungrier players. I'm afraid if we resign those two, the status quo will preexist with this manager. Get rid of the manager while you are it.— EL Zorro
- So EL Borro, explain to me why they need to fire Charlie? What exactly did he do, what decision did he make, that warrants him getting sacked? All those wins, yet they failed to win just three more very important games. What big, horrible mistake did he make that cost us those games? Next you'll want us to rehire Francona. Need to start calling you, EL Lonewolf. — TexasYankee
- WOW..congrats to Ruben Amaro for being honest and straight with his answers...that's called respecting the fans......the Eagles should take notes on how to treat the fans with respect by giving thoughtful honest answers that provide insight into managements true feelings about the team and their players....thanks Ruben.— frank105
- I would like Thome back too...he gives good at bats and is a HUGE upgrade over Ross Gload...I'd rather see Thome commit 2 errors a game at 1b till Ryan gets back than watch Gload do anything.— SilliBilli
- The most useless interview ever.— Relocator
- Andy Reid should be forced to read the interview above. Amaro didn't say everything isd perfect, he didn't falsely praise people's abilities. He calmly answered the questions hionestly and in no way did it come off as throwing his guys under the bus and it gave fans a glimpse into the orginazations thought process going forward. The sky did not fall, the organization isnot going to fal apart becasue he acknowledged the following without sugar-coating it: Rollins main worth is as a fielder, Utley could be done and at best he is still battling issues with his knees, the front office is not comfortable with anyone other than Madson as the closer from there roster(can imagine Reid saying something like that!), Ibanez is gone, Dominic Brown is just a prospect at this point. Because he was so honest you can believ him that the Phillies want to sign Rollins and Madson, that Howard's injury is a beginning of the season thing, etc.
Take note Eagles, this is what an organization that has nothing to hide operates.— UncleStosh - For at least the last two years (maybe longer) it was obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together that this team isn't capable of a victory with their blatent lack of plate discipline by slugging their way to the win. I love Cholly for what he has done, but if he (and Gross...really; what has this guy done in a productive way?) can't get these guys to improve (and I mean drastic and permanent) their plate discipline, he needs to go. The players are allowed to refuse to change their approach to an at bat and it ends up killing us. I just hope all this posturing by RAJ is sincere.— Clem
- Time to bring up Sandberg to manage and get rid of Rollins- he's no hustle and it takes its toll on morale.
— philsfansince1946 - Window is just about shut. Unless they can add more players like Pence who bring energy to the lineup, I can't see this group winning a World Series. The whole concept of hitting needs to change, and Manuel should go.— gordon7
- I appreciate the way he handles this. Gives us enough, but not more than is needed.— sixers_610
- bunch of guys that just dont have it anymore, got to get younger and hungrier.
- Utley's no longer a top of the lineup guy and Victorino is too streaky to bat higher than 6th. Other than that, just said bye bye to Ibanez and we're good.— thefadd
- Amarospeak he was very detailed and non-commitial on most of the players .. Hamels he kind of just gave the GM speak and said almost nothing.. So with that and how Amaro operates.. expect the Cole extension to be the first major move this team makes... It told us nothing.. which means it's what he is most concerned about..— Flyers1971
- World Series in '08 & '09 and Milt Thompson was the hitting coach. No World Series in '10 & '11 with Greg Gross as the hitting coach. Bring Milt back, or at least fire Gross and find a coach that can teach these guys to hit again.— finngov
- Francisco? He had one big hit all season. He only signed a one-year deal. He will be gone.— jpgulli
- Howard's season is going to be a living hell. He should just ask for a trade rather than try to live the past two years down.— n62
- I completely agree with and buy into the premise that the Phils have to change their approach at the plate but I do not believe that can happen with Charlie Manuel as the manager. No matter how poorly they perform at the plate in the long stretches of low production we've endured over the past three years, NOTHING CHANGES!!!! When they come out of their slumps they come out, and until they do, we get the same <3 runs production per game.
If anyone has noticed any changes at the plate by Rollins or Victorino (swinging for the fences while hitting 200 pop ups each) or by Chase (the best pitch he sees is almost always the first pitch of each AB, and he looks at it 95% of the time) or by Howard (if he stands any further from the plate, he might not have to leave the dugout).
Seriously, this manager is a guy who openly brags about the regular season success of his guys and never seems to understand the approaching danger of playing tough teams in October. Everyone of us was concerned with the hitting throughout September. But not Charlie. He only spoke of his guys would be able to do it when it counted. But they didn't!
Additionally, he made almost no moves at all to shake things up against the Cards. I took notice that LaRussa started 13 different players in the 8 position spots, and last night, despite already being up 1 game to none, Texas moved 3 new guys into their order to replace guys that weren't getting the job done.
Charlie? Nothing! No changes at all! Perfectly content to take a loss in the series as long as he offended none of his veteran guys!
Rube, Charlie has to go. Have him take Wheeler with him.— advantasux - Here we go, another one. Xbox broken? — TexasYankee
- Still talking about batting averages and home runs. Does OBP mean anything to these people? The only real change will come with a new manager.— n62
- chadp- that 1 year deal for Thome isnt crazy..could essentially platoon him with Francisco, with Mayberry moving between 1st and left..Charlie loves Thome..not sure how many games at first he could handle..but i was thinking finding a vet on a 1 year deal might be a partial solution to a couple of their offensive holes.— jim715
- I'm surprised at how publicly committed RAJ is to Rollins. I figured they'd take more of a lukewarm "let him test the market" line.
I like the repeated commitment to a new hitting approach. It almost sounds like they told Charlie "change or else." A hitting coach change may be in order to reinforce this in my opinion.
The thinking on Polly seems to be like many of us have posted: Use him less. I like that there's some realism there regarding Polanco's age and durability.
Sounds like Mayberry has the edge to start LF. I like him better there than at first. Put away the idea that he's going to learn to play third (my opinion). It sounds like RAJ is thinking of a youth injection at third. With Howard out there are ways to use Polly with a new third baseman.— s - I bet that public "commitment" signals Rollins is as good as gone. Way to soften the blow; "we tried everything in our power to keep him..." etc. — jrwoznicki
- "On The Lineup": those things will never change with Unlce Cholly as the manager. Never. You want better situational at bats? You want better 2 strike at bats? Time to change managers and htting coach, and perhaps even some players. The players have got to buy into a different approach.— scootch
- i cant believe Amaro didnt discuss the impact of having John Bowker on the team for a full season! no need to rush Howard back, we've got JB! but wow, if he's serious about Dom Brown, you've got Francisco in left and Mayberry at first??? RA is delusional about Howard being back that quick..just simply no way..and no money to sign anyone else..agreed, a real bench coach would help..Charlie can only manage 1 way..— jim715
- Comment removed.
- That's OK if they keep Jimmy for his defense, but they have to bring in a real lead off hitter. And asking the selfish baby to bat lower in the lineup will likely cause a tantrum. I think they are only two good bats away from being a WS contender again.— n62
- How refreshing to get an exec that talks to the fans as though they aren't idiots. Maybe there'll be a guy like Rube across the street soon.— COskier
- oswalt, lidge, ibanez, madson, rollins - all gone. guess they need to re-sign francisco for LF so mayberry can play first until june. any chance rizzotti gets some days platooning at first? maybe sign thome to a 1 yr deal?— chadp1234
- BTW...if no significant changes are made (coaching or lineup) we can expect the Phils to not make the post season at all next year. 2008-win WS, 2009-lose WS, 2010-lose NLCS, 2011-lose NLDS....— Citizenc92
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- Ruben, now is not the time to bury your head in the sand. Besides needing to tweek the lineup and get better bench support, in 2007, Cholly flopped miserably which is why Pat Gillick brought in Lopes and Williams (sweep by CO was much like loss in NLDS to Cards). What happened in 2008 with Cholly having real coaching help? Phils win WS and the 2008 team was far less talented than this team. Get Cholly coaching help...REAL HELP and replace bench coach, hitting coach and ideally move Sam P back to 3rd base.— Citizenc92
- Actually, Mr. Citizen, you should go back and check things out, because the beating by the Rockheads was nothing like this years loss.
The Phillies were outplayed everywhere and were never even close to actually winning a game.
This year, they had game two in hand, and could have as easily won game 5 with a little more plate patience and a few more pitches by the Cardinalitos's starter.— BEMiller - The first move should be to take Howard out of the cleanup spot. It is too vital of a position to have so many strikeouts. Also, Ryan should be worked with to go back to hitting to the opposite field like when he first came up and did so well.— erniebanks14
- I tend to agree...You don't win 102 games then make wholesale changes despite what all of the chicken littles on these boards say. We could use some better role players and to RAJ's point Cholly & Gross need to change their mindsets and manage/coach differently or frankly be replaced. If they cannot learn to play small ball and improve situational managing then we need someone else in here that can. I love Cholly and totally appreciate what he has done, but this lineup cannot hang in tight spots playing American League ball. It is fine for the regular season when you have 162 games, 1/2 of which against subpar opponents, but during a short series you have to adjust like LaRussa did against the Phils. Definitely would move Polly & Raul out and try to upgrade/get younger at 3rd while platooning in left and get some left handed arms for the bully, otherwise I would ride this core at least one more year. Again, after 102 wins they have earned another shot!— miahjer
- Was Chicken Little a boo boo birdie? Could not agree with you more about most things. The much over-rated Tony LaRussa just made moves as he always does. His moves cost them game three and did not really win any of the other games. TLaR doesn't adjust, he just moves--no more no less.
I suspect Raul Ibanez will be gone, and that Placido Polanco will depend on the status of his injury repairs.
The sole thing about Greg Gross I don't like is that he doesn't seem to have made any impact upon the hitters's lack of patience at the plate.
When Ryan Howard hit the three run HR in game one and on into game two he was patient at the plate and not just hacking.
Based on RECORD, Charlie Manuel has far exceeded the much over-rated TLaR. And, don't forget that in Cleveland he was the manager as all the young stars were making their exit! The single thing I would have changed that CM did was I would not have sent Cliff Lee out for the seventh inning. Perhaps the pen could have responded. Indeed, I might have taken CL out soon. It isn't some sort of crime to have a subpar performance, understand, but I'd try to limit it some.— BEMiller - BEMiller: you were one of the "nothing to worry about!" crew and called people "dopes" and "idiots" for saying otherwise, so your word means absolutely nothing around here. — n62
- The thing about a champ line up is worrisome. They are old, cannot hit and it is time for some of them to go. The Bench needs a complete reworking. Pitching will take care of itself and if Rube adds an arm or two, will only get more stable. But hitters???Please Rube. This team is not a hitting team anymore. Get some bats, all younger, newer.— Koons
- Phillies set their all time record with 102 wins...but in playoffs you just lose three quick games and they are out...Phils can use some contact hitters who don't strike out with runners in scoring position.
Starting Pitching is great...don't touch them, just add another top releiver.— frank105 - With Comcast and the Baseball Ticket I was fortunate to watch all 162 plus every spring traing game that was telecast. At 60 widowed and being diabled, baseball is a big part of my enjoyment now. I was dissapointed in the playoffs as much as any fan but it is so special that our team only lost 6o games and with a little better health they may have set an all time MLB record for wins. The most amazing part is that they did this without being cocky and obnoxious like the Brewers or without miserable nastiness of Tony Larussa. Winning it all is really great but for the pure love of the game and for the players on our team I feel so glad to be a Phille fan. They may aquire better hitters and coaches but I can't imagine better people than those that have worn the uniform for the last few years.
— DUDESKINS
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