Postseason preview: Could the Phillies keep Dom Brown for the NLDS?
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Postseason preview: Could the Phillies keep Dom Brown for the NLDS?
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
UPDATED, 6:!1 p.m. -- Changing it back. Manuel sounded pretty confident in Kendrick as a reliever after today's game.
UPDATED, 2:52 p.m. -- Made a change to the pitching projections after looking at some numbers. David Herndon has held righties to a .206/.241/.294 line with 24 strikeouts and three walks this season. If the postseason started tomorrow, I think Herndon would be on the roster and Kendrick would be out until the NLCS.
Well, we've got nine days to kill. Any ideas?
As evidenced by the lineup for Game 1 of today's doubleheader against the Nationals -- Victorino, Valdez, Mayberry, Pence, Francisco, Kratz, Orr, Martinez, Kendrick -- the final nine days of the regular season are officially meaningless for the Phillies. They locked up homefield advantage throughout the postseason last night, courtesy of a Brewers loss that assured them a tie for the best record in the NL (the Phillies own the tiebreaker).
Which leaves us with nine days to pore through every postseason angle. It's going to be great, like a baker's Hannukah, without the gifts and the candles and the visiting relatives meddling into your personal life.
So, without further ado, let's take our first question. It comes from the guy staring mournfully at the computer screen in his cubicle who is slowly reaching the conclusion that this afternoon's game might be less interesting than actually doing his job.
Does Domonic Brown have any chance at making the NLDS roster?
Sure. I don't know how big of a chance. But when you start to examine the Phillies' personnel situation, you realize that the possibility has to be discussed. Charlie Manuel said yesterday that he anticipates taking 10 pitchers, which would leave him with seven bench players to go with his eight regulars, which is the set-up they took into last year's NLDS.
Here's how an early projection of the roster looks:
Regulars (8): Jimmy Rollins SS, Shane Victorino CF, Chase Utley 2B, Ryan Howard 1B, Hunter Pence RF, Raul Ibanez LF, Placido Polanco 3B, Carlos Ruiz C
Starters (4): Roy Halladay RHP, Cliff Lee LHP, Cole Hamels LHP, Roy Oswalt RHP
RH Relievers (5): Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, Mike Stutes, Vance Worley, Kyle Kendrick
LH Relievers (1): Antonio Bastardo
RH Bench (3): OF John Mayberry Jr., OF Ben Francisco, INF Wilson Valdez
LH Bench (3): OF/1B Ross Gload, C Brian Schneider, INF Pete Orr
SH Bench (1): INF Michael Martinez
Anything jump out at you? How about the lack of left-handed power on the bench?
In the current projection, the Phillies biggest lefty power bat would be switch-hitting utility man Michael Martinez, who has nine extra base hits in 155 at-bats from the left side of the plate this season. Three of those extra base hits are home runs.
Ross Gload would be the top left-handed pinch-hitting option. He has battled a hip injury all season, but has eight hits in his last 22 at-bats, two of them doubles. He is also 18-for-72 with five doubles as a pinch-hitter on the season.
Orr, meanwhile, has three extra base hits in 89 at-bats.
Schneider has six extra base hits in 117 at-bats.
The Phillies traded for John Bowker just before the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline in an attempt to add another option, but his 0-for-8 with six strikeouts since joining the team. Recent call-up Brandon Moss has one at-bat, which ended in a strikeout.
Which brings us to Brown.
Yes, he struggled mightily after being sent down to Triple-A. Yes, Ruben Amaro Jr. has said publicly he thinks his young outfielder could need a "mental break" after the toughest season of his pro career.
But. . .
Brown did hit five home runs, 10 doubles and one triple in 183 major league at-bats this season.
Brown does have more raw ability than any of the bench lefties listed above.
Brown is 5-for-20 with a double and a home run as a pinch-hitter in his brief time as a major leaguer.
Like I said, it's a possibility that the Phillies have to at least consider. In the end, they might decide it makes more sense to go with the extra utility infielder, or with Bowker, particularly since the Phillies could end up adding a pitcher if they reach the Best-of-Seven National League Championship Series, which would eliminate that last bench spot.
It isn't the most pressing of issues. But we've got nine days to kill.
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In short .... No he's not needed— DPL- How can you put Herndon on the post season squad over Kendrick?— ace rothstein
- who cares...he has failed too many times and you don't need him....— nuggett
- @ brokerguy.....agree completely! But I can count on one hand the number of times Cholly has used a pinch-runner this season. Someone should remind him of that possible necessity. I'd rather see him than some 'iffy" BP guy.— TBear
- Murph, I know you have been a Brown supporter for a long time, but no way he deserves to be on the playoff roster. He didn't even deserve to be called up in the first place. Just to add to what Dull said, he was on the bench for 3 of the Pigs playoff games, including the final game. He was only used as DH and was again a disaster, going 1 for 18 and in the last two games he played hit into two rally killing DP. he didn't have an RBI or scored a run and he was hitting in the middle of the order with plenty of chances. The kid needs to get away from the game for a while and work on his overall game during the winter. The last thing he needs is to be put in a pressure situation, which he most likely would be put either as a pinch hitter or pinch runner with the game on the line.— EL Zorro
- I never said he deserves to be on the postseason roster. I said the Phillies at least have to think about it because of the lack of left-handed power on the bench. Get him some ABs over the last nine games and see what happens. Right now, he hasn't earned a spot. But there are still nine games left.
- The question is whether you are more likely to need and get a contribution from Brown after struggling for a couple of months in the minors, or are you more likely to need an extra infielder, given the injury history of Polanco, Utley and Rollins? I didn't watch Brown in the minors after he went down, but the Phillies did, so they have a better idea of where he is at. And they don't seem compelled to get him any action, so judge for yourself. Orr is a better baserunner and plays the infield. The chances of needing three utility infielders are slim. But if the difference between those chances and the chances of Brown helping you are slim, you might as well err on the side of caution. At least that has always been the Phillies' thinking.
- Mmm, power and speed from the left side...sounds like Roger Bernadina...— bearsfriend
- I would like for Moss to get that playing time. He was a one time prospect, had a good season and followed it by a great postseason. He also could be Gload's replacement next year. If he does well, I wouldn't mind him replacing Orr in the playoff roster.— EL Zorro
- You mean like he did today! — chetsheets
- Kendrick has a 3.04 ERA mostly as a starter. Are you really putting Herndon on the playoff roster instead of him?— john421
- Stutes is horrible. Is it possible Herndon is better?— Relocator
- What a joke todays game was. Lead off double and Orr doesn't sacrifice (in what the stupid announcers said was a good at bat, go figure that, he makes an out and the runner is still on second!, must be a new defination, a good at bat is making an out with a runner in scoring position!), so Manuel sends up Schneider who hasn't had a meaningful hit since the Mona Lisa was a virgin to make the automatic second out. My opinion is they get swept out in the first series, especially if it is the Cardinals or Giants.— chetsheets
- My goodness the Phillies bench is terrible. Today, they pinch-hit for a .199 hitter with a .169 hitter. Only bench player who can contribute offensively right now is Mayberry. And correct, zero pop from the left side. The bullpen is also getting thin...let's hope Bastardo finds himself, and Worley is awesome out of the pen, because other than Madson, and maybe Lidge, there is no one else down there you can count on for a playoff game hold.— 26Fan
- Now, let's hope Pence is ok. He was limping since he got hurt running the first inning grounder. Don't understand why he wasn't taken out right away. This game is meaningless. I'll rest him tonight and tomorrow and see how it goes. He has played every inning since coming to Philly. No reason to take chances with him.— EL Zorro
