Charlie Manuel visits Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard and scouts Chase Utley, too
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Charlie Manuel visits Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard and scouts Chase Utley, too
Ryan Lawrence, Daily News Staff Writer
In three weeks and two days, Charlie Manuel will stroll along the diamonds at the Carpenter Complex as pitchers and catchers take part in their first workouts of the spring.
But Manuel has already made a trip to Clearwater to get first-hand progress reports on a few of the Phillies most important players. Shortly after getting inducted into the All Sports Museum of Southern New Jersey in Bridgeton on Monday, Manuel gave his personal scouting reports on Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.
Manuel was in Clearwater just a week ago.
"(Halladay) looks real good. He looks strong," Manuel said of his two-time Cy Young Award winner, who missed almost two months last summer to a right shoulder injury. "I could tell he’s been doing some work with his upper body, his back and shoulders. He looked a little bigger and stronger. ... Halladay of course has thrown a lot of bullets. But at the same time, too, I think the time he’s had off and the conditioning program he’s been on, if anybody can bounce back and do it, I think it’s Halladay.
Manuel also saw Howard taking live batting practice, something that the first baseman did sparingly while coming off Achilles' surgery last spring.
"I saw him hit," Manuel said. "He said his Achilles’ doesn’t hurt him and he said his ankle is much better."
Utley, who hasn't played a game in either of the last two spring trainings, was not in Clearwater when Manuel visited. But head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan happened to be working out with Utley in Northern California last week and he sent Charlie a DVD of one of Utley's workouts.
"He looked good," Manuel said. "It showed him exercising, jumping and grasping at this bar, things like that, and he really looked like he was in good shape. He emailed me at Christmas and said, “You’re going to have a healthy second baseman.” Knowing him, that’s means a whole lot."
One other interesting tidbit came from Manuel's comments on Monday.
Manuel has pretty much been married to three spots in his lineup when he has had a healthy lineup: Jimmy Rollins at leadoff, Utley third and Howard fourth. But on Monday he at least opened up the conversation to using new third baseman Micheal Young to split Utley and Howard.
"I’ve always looked at Utley as a third hole hitter, but it depends on how good (we are) or how we set up," Manuel said. "I could hit Utley second and Young third, but at the same time I don’t know. I like Young second or third."
daystrum.......you're a joke......Philly fans scream when a manager/coach doesn't deliver a championship, and here you are trashing Charlie because he "happened" to be in the dugout. What a moron you are! Charlie works with the players he has......if they're hurt or if they don't perform on the field. it's not his fault. Stop drinking the kool-aid.— phillysub1- @zub....yes. Howard suffered a significant ankle sprain in a game at 2nd base, just as Rollins did the year before. He hobbled on it for the rest of the year and into the following season. It never was quite right and probably led to his achilles problems in 2011, which he dealt with most of the year before sitting out a few weeks after they clinched and getting a cortisone shot. A shot as it turns out that directly led to his achilles rupture on the last play of game 5. Hopefully both the injury to the ankle and the surgery to the achilles are healed after all this time. If not, then they will be chronic problems for the rest of his career, maybe his life, too.— Mark1npt
- Daystrum---can we refrain from ad hominem attacks, and keep the language a bit above board.— lake
- Last season Howard batted 150 against lefthanders yet Manuel says he not worried? Sounds like he's in denial.— farley
- Refreshing to see the whineers and complainers are still out in force. Just coming off the best decade in Phils history. What would these guys have done with the really bad years. Walt Whitman bridge is there. Some need to use it.— dond2885
- Oh right -- the Walt Whitman. It barely makes it across the river and other cities have much better spans. What a sad excuse for a suicide venue. They ought to tear that stupid hayseed of a bridge down and build a real one. — s
- OK, then, use the Tacony Palmyra.
And use a cheesesteak for a parachute.
When it comes time to 'choose' a new manager, folks, beware of what you wish for. This guy has been one of the best in the Phils history. You ARE Phils fans, right? You DO know Phils history, right? I am disappointed in how few 'fans' here really know baseball, really know Phils history, and really know what they have in hand.— 24sDad - Ryne Sandberg will benefit from the year he has with Charlie. It will prove fruitful when his time comes...which probably will be very soon. — Romus
- dond2885, thank you for your response. Usually I do not read these comments as it is too depressing to read how ignorant these people are. But your words are right on the mark. — TheHammer
- What is Cholly supposed to say? "I saw Doc..his wing looks like its goin' to fall off. Howard looks like he gained lots of weight and can't pivot off his foot, while Utley is still doin' yoga in knee braces.". Be real, he' has been very honest during his tenure here. Lets hope Halladay does look strong, Howard is takin' batting practice, and Utley is working out. Next!— drhoffman
- @daystrum, very well said.— advantasux
- Depending on how Howard fares against lefties this season, he very well might end up splitting time with a RH bat going forward. This very possibly could be his last season as a full time player. Ruf would be the logical choice if he holds his weight this season.— michael2_19030
- As a fan, you'd like to read something better than "if anyone can do it, Doc can," "Howard isn't in pain and is hitting" and "I saw a DVD of Utley exercising." This is what will happen- Manuel will destroy Halladay because, heck darn it, he's Halladay. Howard will be hobbled by injuries until he quits playing like 29 GMs predicted in 2010. Utley will play in April this year, but he'll be pretty much shot after 100 games if not sooner.— jtj06
- I would like to comment upon the comments made by daystrum. He takes Charlie Manuel to task for his sometimes scattered syntax. I am old enough to remember Casey Stengel whose speech patterns made Charlie Manuel sound like Abraham Lincoln. Ole Casey managed to win championships with the Yankees five consecutive years from 1949 - 53. They called him the "old Perfessor (misspelling was how it was written). Charlie has given the Phillies the best run of their 130 year existence. When you can do more than drink beer and burp and demonstrate that you have accomplished anything other than griping and emitting beer farts while you watch TV, you come back and I will treat you to a case of Dove Bars. I would like to see Charlie move into the Phils "Brain Trust" after this year with Dallas Green and Pat Gillick. He has done more to make the Phillies into a team that thinks and plays like winners than any manager in their history. By the way, Casey Stengel for all his fractured syntax was a dentist as well as a ball player and manager.— gotedge
- Daystrum IS King Kong Dummy— NewMick314
