Amaro: Phillies probably done making moves
The reality increases daily of a Phillies outfield hodgepodge formed by Ben Revere, Domonic Brown, John Mayberry Jr., Darin Ruf and Laynce Nix. The man tasked with forming the 2013 roster was willing to admit as much Monday.
Amaro: Phillies probably done making moves
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
The reality increases daily of a Phillies outfield hodgepodge formed by Ben Revere, Domonic Brown, John Mayberry Jr., Darin Ruf and Laynce Nix. The man tasked with forming the 2013 roster was willing to admit as much Monday.
"We're likely going with what we've got," Ruben Amaro Jr. said.
Spring training begins Feb. 12 in Clearwater, Fla., and the Phillies will arrive with hopes pinned to an aging, expensive core. Youth is the choice in the outfield, for better or worse.
"There's some risk in going with a possible double platoon or letting the guys we have battle it out for playing time," Amaro said. "There are some advantages to that, as well. The best-man-wins type of scenario can be created and likely will be created in spring training. At the same time, a lot of these guys are not proven everyday major-league players. But that doesn't mean they cannot become them."
The GM did not eliminate the possibility of a veteran addition for the outfield, but admitted within his current constraints (both monetary and player-wise), there is not much more than a marginal upgrade available. He categorized his current pursuit as "looking around for some low-risk, high-reward type of players."
There is money to spend, if the Phillies maintain a similar payroll to 2012. The Phillies are an estimated $7 million shy of the $178 million luxury tax threshold. Amaro said he has "a little bit" to spend. He would not say if he has extended any formal offers to current free agents.
The Phillies have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
What Amaro and his lieutenants may have decided is those resources are best utilized later. The reported options in free agency and trades -- Scott Hairston, Vernon Wells, Alfonso Soriano -- are flawed. There could be a better fit come July. Should the Phillies enter 2013 with wiggle room, they could be well-positioned for the splash everyone expected this winter.
"If there is a player that is better who we feel could help us now, we'll utilize our resources to get him," Amaro said. "If there isn't, then we may be better served to hold on a see what we could do during the year."
Chances are the Phillies start 2013 with an unproven outfield. If anything, it should make for a fascinating spring training.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Yay :\— Njtod10- Hard to beleive Harry. An outfield of 3 never will be's (Nix, Brown & Mayberry) with one might be someday(Ruf). Wowsers, when's the parade?— jimmymack
- It is hard to believe. You left out the slap-hitter that RAJ just acquired (for one of our top pitching prospects and our #4 starter - a young guy with great stuff). Can't imagine this off-season being worse.
@dwp - you hit the nail on the head. If Rube isn't spending on second-rate players, he isn't spending at all. The reason he had to trade for Michael Young this off-season is because he didn't pursue Beltre or Aramis Ramirez in the last couple off-seasons. No one forced him to sign Wigginton Nix, Thome, Martinez, Quals, D. Willis, and countless other stiffs. Rube-the-Boob chose those guys! Maybe its just a coincidence that all of his personnel decisions are bad ones ...— Copper34 - What is so hard to comprehend here? I've made known my position on Rube, a mere "yes-man", and Gomer the manager. But what I want to make crystalline clear, is that if you are looking for the enemy of the fans, it isn't clueless Rube, just a man looking to protect a lifestyle and a job, but the "ownership GROUP", as in anonymous and wants to stay that way, who want to extract every penny at the Park, without reaching into their inflated pockets for lint. Proof was the salary dump of Pence and Victorino, to avoid the luxury tax, last year. Proof was when they could have retained Lee and HAD Halladay, but waited a year to pull that trigger, a lost year where pitching made the difference.
This closed books group has been historically CHEAP, will always be that way, until they stop earning megabucks. But anyone who thinks that a "protest" of empty blue seats will work, doesn't know baseball economics, and hasn't read the new MLB megabucks extravaganza, otherwise known as television rights. Once this group fed on Yankee revenue sharing, now it will be MLB TV rights.
Rube is a "front". Direct your ire to the men and woman behind the curtain. - Swarms of blue seats by June. Nobody watching on TV, everybody will be at the beach and pools. It will be like the late 90's all over again.
I thought the idea of trading Pence,Vic,Blanton last year was to free up payroll so the team and extremely loyal fanbase could be reinvigorated with some new talent?
Huh?
Wheres the new talent?
— argonne - Really. We're stuck with the same outfield that had the 2nd best record in the NL after Victorino and Pence were traded.
How awful.— smfree31 - That outfield had the 2nd best record? Really?? It was an OF of Revere, Brown and Ruf (with Mayberry and Nix as platoon guys/backups) that made the Phillies 2nd best for two months after they were already out of playoff contention? You are not only a moron - you are a delusional moron. On paper, this OF is the worst in baseball. And, if you believe they got better simply by subtracting Pence, then what must you think of RAJ for trading all those top prospects to get that free-swingin' country bumpkin? — Copper34
- Nix - Brown and Mayberry??? Ummm.. you are surely a true fan that knows our roster.
RUF in LEFT
REVERE in CENTER
BROWN in RIGHT
Mayberry and Nix are the secondary platoon players.
What a NOOB!!
RUF will have more HR and RBI than any player on the free agent market NOT named Hamilton.
Brown will have better overall numbers than Cody Ross.
Ross projects for 63 R / 19 HR / 69 RBI / 3 SB / .254
Brown Projects for 80 R / 17 HR / 73 RBI / 12 SB / .274R
Revere will be a golden glove CF with 45-50 SB and not less than a .285 average.
Ruf/Nix platoon projects to 82 R / 24 HR / 97 RBI / 2 SB
Brown/Mayberry projects to 117 R / 28 HR / 114 RBI / 15 SB
Not to shabby in my opinion.
Will the Nats Corners do that?
Will the Braves? Giants? Cardinals? Reds? - Dodgers = Yes
Well - those 6 teams will compete with our Phillies for the 5 playoff spots.— Donnie B - I would have been happy if they could have made a major upgrade, but I'm glad their relying on their young players that need time to develop instead of making a marginal upgrade. This team needs to play young guys with question marks in the hopes that one of them develops into something.— OutofTownPhillyFan
There simply isnt anything on the market right now worth cleaning the minor league cupboards for. Smart move by Amaro not to overpay for proven mediocrity...save money, give the young kids a chance to play and make a deal at the trade deadline if it makes sense.
Sometimes, patience it a virtue.— Professor1982- too right professor. too right!
on this topic you are spot on!— the lopez! - Oh yes, Professor ... you are dead right ... spot on ... Patience, everyone!! This team will, about 10-15 years from now, recover from the stewardship of Rube-the-Boob ... Yeah - just make a deal at the deadline ... like you did for Oswalt ... like you did for Pence ...
The minor-league cupboard is already bare. RAJ made sure of it.
Sometimes, fans are morons.— Copper34 - yes because all of the minor leaguers they have given up are tearing it up in the majors.
Oh wait, none of them have amounted to anything.
you're right. they are morons.— seaonasdad - Prospects are prospects - and they are gone. Without them, you can't trade for good/great players at the deadline or in the off-season. When you have no prospects, you end up with the worst OF in baseball, KK and Lannan as your 4th and 5th starters. Oh wait - you are a moron ... Why am I responding?!? — Copper34
- The worst OF in baseball?? Really?
Our 5 OF's have these 2013 Projections (by Bill James and ZIPS)
lf) Ruf - 582 PA / 62 R / 17 HR / 73 RBI / 1 SB / .255
CF) Revere - 551 PA / 64 R / 2 HR / 35 RBI / 45 SB / .288
RF) Brown - 592 PA / 80 R / 17 HR / 77 RBI / 12 SB / .274
OF) Mayberry - 306 PA / 37 R / 11 HR / 37 RBI / 3 SB / .257
OF) Nix - 188 PA / 20 R / 7 HR / 24 RBI / 1 SB / .241
I can think of a LOT worse teams' OF's than that..
Not to mention that the other 5 starters in the INF are better than most MLB teams and our top 3 startes can beat anyone else's top 3 says enough.
This is a well balanced team that we can put a heavy left-handed lineup in or a heavy right-handed lineup in, each player facing their strengths.
Lannan was the opening day starter for the Nats 2 years in a row before last year, and if you take away his stats vs the Phillies, his ERA is 3.80 - I'll take that everyday as a 5th starter. Phillies are healthy, they will easily average over 4 runs a game - our pitchers should all have ERA's under 4, with the top 3 capable of having ERA's under 3.00
Look for Petitbone and Biddle to be our 4/5 starters in 2014 - with Ashe as our 3B and Joseph/Valle as our catchers. If Cano ever reaches FA - the Phillies will be "ALL-IN" on him too.
"As is" - we are wildcard worthy.
A trade in July can bolster that.
This is a team that on 102 games in 2011.
We have not fallen to the depths that so many of you think we have. Look at the Mets, Marlins, Cubs, Pirates, Rockies, Padres and tell me who has the better OF - and the better TEAM... Worse in MLB? hardly...— Donnie B
