Charlie Manuel eager for next Phillies move
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Charlie Manuel eager for next Phillies move
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
The call was soon returned Monday and Michael Young was on the other end, speaking to his new manager. Charlie Manuel greeted his third baseman, and as the 68-year-old baseball lifer is wont to do, probably generated a few fresh lineup ideas in his mind.
"I could hit Michael Young in quite a few places," Manuel said.
Then Manuel stopped himself.
"Really," he said, "I could sit there and go over lineups all I want to. But when it gets down to it, who we have on the corners in the outfield will dictate where our lineup falls. You can say whatever you want to."
Manuel was in the basement of Citizens Bank Park before making an appearance at a Phillies charities holiday party, the beginning of his 10-day charity tour in Philadelphia. He was happy with Ruben Amaro Jr.'s two additions -- Young and centerfielder Ben Revere -- procured in two trades over four days.
But, like anyone, Manuel was thinking bigger. You know, middle-of-the-lineup-corner-outfielder big.
"I've been quiet about it," Manuel said. "I've just sat there because I like, so far, what we've done. I think we've made two good acquisitions to our team. I think we'll just wait and see. Our organization has always tried to improve our team. If there is any way we can, I think that's what we're going to do."
So, does Amaro have something up his sleeve?
"I'm not leaning into that," Manuel said, with a chuckle. "I'm always going to fish. Of course I want him to get something big. At the same time, I think we've gotten much better. Young is definitely going to help us and so is Ben."
The Phillies, with about $20 million to spend in their 2013 payroll, are in the market for a corner outfielder. The top remaining names are Josh Hamilton, Nick Swisher and Cody Ross. Manuel prefers a righthanded power bat to slot somewhere in the middle. Hamilton hits left, Swisher is a switch hitter and Ross bats right.
Until then, there is no sense in scheming a lineup configuration.
Revere mostly hit second in Minnesota, but he could bat lower for Manuel. The manager is not keen on having three lefty hitters -- Revere, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard -- bundled together. Manuel relayed a scouting report on Revere from a friend in baseball.
"He says he's good fundamentally and loves to play," Manuel said. "He said he stays within himself and slaps the ball around. He knows how to play. He'll move the runners. He can bunt. He said he has a chance to be a good player in our lineup."
Manuel was energized after speaking with Young, who is expected to provide a strong leadership presence in the clubhouse. Manuel said Young assured him the delay in approving the trade was simply for his family and not baseball reasons.
Young, who received $1.2 million from Texas and a new no-trade clause from the Phillies to approve the deal, will be the everyday third baseman. Manuel downplayed the notion of needing a late-game defensive replacement for Young, who has not regularly played third since 2010.
"He definitely has a chance to hit .300 for us," Manuel said. "I look for him to have a big season. He's excited about coming. He's a good player."
Where he'll hit is unknown, and Manuel is content with that.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Charlie is such a whimp. He is still gonna have jimmy lead off.— BumSatellite- To finish the lineup and bat cleanup charlie i have a trade for you.
brown. mayberry,freddie sanchez,their pick of any reliever on our staff
and their pick of any minor leaguer except 5 who we want for the man they used to call mike. I think we can live with that and the marlins
get a lot for just 1 player they can live with that , lets do it.— wildgreenman - Dump Howard and use his money for 2 guys.— billtfla
- @wildgreenman, I think the Marlins would want a lot more than that flotsam for G. Stanton. Especially the notion that we would be able to keep our top 5 prospects...we'd probably have to include at least three of them in a deal for him.— mikemimbs
- Stanton is young, makes less than $1 million a year and is controllable through, I believe, 2017. Exactly the type of player a team like the new, low-budget Marlins DOES NOT MOVE. He's the guy you build around as you point to 2014 and 2015.
I'm not down on Manuel but don't see why Revere leading off, hitting .290 and stealing 50 bags is so difficult. Utley hits second. Rollins third, but if Young hits better put him third. Howard fourth. Young or outfield acquisition TBA 5th. Ruiz 6th. Etc. It's simple and it ends the "three lefties in a row" conundrum.
— eman - In 2014 Stanton will earn at least $10 million and his earnings will increase substantially the following three years if he keeps producing. Unless things change, he will never ink a deal with Miami, so they will have to go to arbitration with him every year and risk paying him much more. No way he stays beyond his arbitration eligibility. I could see him being moved between now and opening day 2014 easy. The Marlins traded Cabrera before his salary went over $10 million after his 4th year of service for a bag of balls and Cameron Maybin. — jtj06
- how funny that anyone could have ever expectyed J-Pop to not bat lead-off. As it turns out, then, this "solid acquisition" Ben Revere, he of the .294 average and .340 OBP has nowhere to hit but 8th. Manuel is simply incapable of treating him any other way, not when he has veterans to coddle and kiss up to.
Since Revere brings only certain tools (no power, no gaps), say good-bye to his 40 for 46 steal potential. Hitting 8th doesn't allow for that kind of running game with the pitcher hitting next.
So much for why we acquired the guy, huh? Not that the GM will make this suggestion to his genius Manager. Anything to coddle Jim-ME. That's all it amounts to and always will until Manuel and/or Jim_Me are gone. The shame is that Rollins has already given the Bumbling Dope all the ammo he needs to move him a bit lower in the order, most notably the ability to hit 20 home runs again, and hope they turn into more than 60-some RBI's. But that would mean team goals are accentuated more than individual goals and wants.
Cue the Charley-defenders to explain all of this to the rest of us.— advantasux 
I would be okay with Cody Ross at the right price. Revere and Young are nice, if not spectacular acquisitions. Young may be somewhat a liability at 3rd base. Amaro must get a setup man and one of the back of the rotation budget starters and another quality reliever. I'm okay with Quintero and Kratz until Ruiz can come back. That kid Ruf...let the kid learn LF at AAA. Let Dom Brown make or break himself in right. Put Ross in LF and platoon Mayberry.- imbecile manager supports moves of an imbecile g.m. ...— warbiscuit
- Phils are now irrelevant nobodies -- 15 teams had better record last year, and Phils have even less talent then they had last year; Revere and Young are current nobodies, as is their entire 40 man roster which has perhaps 2 above-avg players, Hamels and Lee, with everything else about them reeking of mediocrity or worse....be lucky to get to .500 this year...current "Power rankings" all list at least a dozen teams better than this over-the-hill mediocre bunch of dreck....
and what a shame someone had to bring Chollie's name back into picture, as fans are currently dealin with Eagles failures and imbecile Clueless Rube's mismanagement and didn't need to be reminded about the doofus in the dugout too— warbiscuit - You want to say that Ruiz, Halladay, Rollins, Utley, Papelbon, Revere, a .294 hitter with 40 plus stolen bases, Young, a 7 time all star, and Howard, are all below average players? Are you a crack addict? I'm surprised that they let you hsve a computer to use inside whatever institution you are confined in. — laser5
- @laser5...stop picking on poor peacemuffin...he is not in an institution now...it's just that he sounds like it after working forty years for the DMV... — stan the man too
- Next move? When was the first move? You give up Worley (third in rookie MVP voting) and the top pitching prospect in the minors, for Ben Revere whose greatest attribute is he is fast? He is a younger version of Juan Pierre that you could have kept, without giving up these two young pitchers. The Phils then make a move for an aging Michael Young that statistically is the worst fielding third baseman in baseball, coming off a mediocre season that scripted a lot like an aging ball player that time has robbed of his former skills. The first move smells strikingly similar to the Freddy Garcia for Gavin Floyd/Gio Gonzales debacle. Did the same team doctor performed the physical on Garcia (winner of one game in a Phils uniform)also check Andrew Bynum's knees? As far as the Young deal this is no better than the Wigginton/Nix deals last year, that the Phils tried to sell as an upgrade. I ask myself if these deals put us closer to the Braves or Nats....and the answer is not even close. Make a deal that makes a difference because these two deals are not even worth mentioning.— rockinrob
- Manuel should consider himself lucky that the organization loves him so he can be more of a spectator than a manager.— Phillies2008WSChamps
- They better find a starting pitcher or 2— Ssteve115
