Leftovers from a dramatic day
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Leftovers from a dramatic day
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — The loudest noise coming from the visiting clubhouse Tuesday afternoon was a TV blasting MLB Network's coverage of the trade deadline. There wasn't much chatter among the players, who entered a room missing two of their most popular teammates.
"There was a lot of talk," Charlie Manuel said, "but until you do things it seems like every day there is a story, every day is kind of like the world is coming to an end or something."
It's easy to say Tuesday marked the end of an era, but it's far more complicated than that. Only six players from the 2008 World Series remain, and it will be whittled to five by opening day 2013.
But fate was determined long before Tuesday.
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It was a day with repercussions across all levels of the organization. The most notable was the ascension of Domonic Brown from triple-A to everyday player in the majors.
Ruben Amaro Jr. was asked if he is operating under the assumption he must fill three outfield spots for 2013.
"Not really," Amaro said. "One right now is going to be occupied by Brownie. Obviously we’re hopeful he can go ahead and do that. I think he’s ready. We all think he’s ready to get that opportunity. We’ll see how it goes."
Brown will play every day. He could see time at all three outfield positions. Is it a make-or-break chance at a career with the Phillies?
"I don't look at it that way," Manuel said. "It gives us a chance to see him. It gives us a chance to really see him and keep him in the lineup on a regular basis."
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Amaro believes the Phillies shed enough salary to dip under the $178 million threshold for luxury tax purposes. That has a direct effect on 2013 spending.
Had the Phillies eclipsed the barrier in 2012, they would have been subject to a 17.5 percent tax and loss of revenue sharing money. If they became repeat offenders in 2013, the penalties are harsher; 30 percent tax and even fewer revenue sharing rebates.
"I think it was a part of it," Amaro said. "It wasn’t the end-all, really. But it certainly played a little part of it because the tax is what it is. This puts us a little underneath it right now. It was an element in the decisions that we made, but not the ultimate decision."
The Phillies have committed $132 million (using luxury tax calculations) to nine players in 2013. Add about $14 million for additional expenses counted for luxury tax and that puts the Phillies some $32 million shy of the threshold needing to fill 16 roster spots.
As we've explained before, the timing is right to pay luxury tax in 2013. The threshold stays at $178 million in 2013 and increases to $189 million in 2014. That way, if the Phillies go over in 2013, it is easier to avoid repeating the offense in 2014.
Michael Bourn, anyone?
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The Reading Phillies were in Richmond, Va., Tuesday night which made life easier for Tommy Joseph. He simply changed dugouts.
Joseph instantly becomes the top position player prospect in the Phillies' system. That's less about Joseph and more about the dearth of talent.
There was potential for a log jam at catcher because Sebastian Valle, the top position player prospect before Joseph arrived, was also at Reading. The Phillies decided to promote him to triple-A Lehigh Valley. They also sent second baseman Cesar Hernandez to triple A.
An aside: Hernandez, to me, is one of the most interesting names to watch right now. The 22-year-old projects as a better hitter than Freddy Galvis and only a notch below as a fielder. He simply dominated the Eastern League. It was an impressive 103 games at Reading in which Hernandez hit .304 with a .781 OPS. Sure, he could use a more patient approach at the plate, but talent is there. Consider:
Hernandez at AA: .304/.345/.436 in 450 PA
Galvis at AA: .248/.294/.345 in 1072 PA
The two Venezuelans are good friends. Could they form the double-play combo of the future with Jimmy Rollins at third base? Oh wow, we just got way ahead of ourselves.
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The bullpen underwent a shakeup late Tuesday night. Lefties Jake Diekman and Joe Savery were optioned to triple A. Josh Lindblom will join the Phillies on Wednesday and likely become the top righthanded setup option.
The moves mean Jeremy Horst has leapfrogged some of the other arms. He has struck out 12 in 10 innings, although most of them have been in lower-leverage situations. It'll be interesting to see if they test him more in the final two months.
Diekman, meanwhile, showed there is a lot of improving required. He walked 6.3 batters per nine innings, which should come as no surprise given he walked 6.1 per nine at double-A Reading in 2011. He had limited the walks in a dynamite spring training and then posted a 22-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 15 innings at triple A. The stuff is there, but it needs work.
So the current depth chart looks as such:
CL: Jonathan Papelbon
RHSU: Josh Lindblom
LHSU: Antonio Bastardo
RHMI: Michael Schwimer
LHMI: Jeremy Horst
RHMI: Kyle Kendrick
For 2013, throw in names like Mike Stutes, Justin De Fratus, Jake Diekman, Phillippe Aumont, B.J. Rosenberg, Joe Savery, David Herndon. Again, there is a lot of promise and depth there. It didn't work in 2012, but perhaps learning on the fly in a lost season will ultimately reap benefits.
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A parting question of curiosity: Why will you watch the final 59 games?
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Then there's only one thing we need to do.... Win the whole F'N thing!!— FetchDixon- I'll watch because I love the Phillies in particular, and baseball in general. In fact, I like the Phillies far more than the Eagles and football. Also, I'm a 28 year season ticket holder. Why wouldn't I watch? This team is way better and has a great deal more potential than nearly all of the Phillies teams I watched from the 80s and 90s and early 00s.— mike 1717
now that we know this season is done, it'll make it easier to watch. don't have to hope anymore when they put a small streak together. good luck to shane and pensy. go phils!— Heckler- The doc's fav catcher Tuffy was jetisoned by LV to make room for promotion of Sebastian Valle to AAA. The Tuff is now somewhere in the Toronto org.— NewMick314
- Why the negative on lst basemen in the Minors that there future is limited by Howard? Howard is not learning that pitchers wasting fast balls and feeding him breaking pitches on the 2 strike counts. I'm amazed when they throw fastballs,— tulsaphil
- still watching every pitch.— Ryan
- I'll watch, but probably not as closely as when they were in the playoff hunt. Want to see Brown take advantage of his latest opportunity and firmly plant himself as a starting OF in 2013.
Also, not 100% sure why Bourne is an obvious want at this point. A poster put up his stats compared to Rollins, and they are almost identical. Haven't many of us been saying for years that Rollins was not a great fit for leadoff? If the Phils have an opportunity for a guy who can hit for a decent average, 20-plus homers, and have a good OPS, then he's the guy I'd rather have.— MrPhillie - Call up Ryne Sandberg to amanage.— philsfansince1946
- Jason Bourne? lol..lol.lol...we could also use a little James Bond, too but more than likely we'll end up with Maxwell Smart this winter.On another note......Bourn is another lefty hitter. Schierholtz is another lefty hitter we just traded for. We have Nix, Fontenot, DBrown, Utley, Howard, etc. How many LH hitters do we need? What we do need is a couple of everyday .300 hitters in this lineup. Howard needs to befriend guys like Big Papi and Nick Markakis and find out why/how they are able to hit lefties and hit for power/HRs off lefties and he can't. He was showing much better patience when he first came off the DL but now it's just not watching the ball (again) and flailing away. The only way he hits one is if the pitcher accidentally hits his bat. That simply doesn't happen often enough for a $25 mil/per season player. (HTML deleted)— Mark1npt
- And yes, I'll still watch, if for nothing else to track the medical issues facing some of the players. The only way I can continue to comment on their problems is if I watch them play and see what their bodies are doing or not doing. Believe it or not people, the best way to assess an athlete is NOT thru an office visit or an MRI but from watching how they do what they do. That's how I can give you all the benefit of my medical opinions without having to actually see the medical files. Been watching since 1965, teams that were so horrendous after that, they should have paid me to watch all those years. I'm not stopping now. In fact, I may watch even more since I won't have to sit thru as much boneheaded infuriatingly dumb plays as I've had to the last two years, because Vic and Pence are now gone.— Mark1npt
- I think they're as interesting to watch now as they were when they were a juggernaut.— Bede19025
- I'll watch because I'm a fan, win or lose, first place or last.— Seegs
- Not really," Amaro said. "One right now is going to be occupied by Brownie. Obviously we’re hopeful he can go ahead and do that. I think he’s ready.
Really? Another misjudgment by our stud G.M. WOW. what the hell has "Brownie" done to say that? OMG.— scootch - oh BTW, Valle is a better prospect at catcher than Joseph. Joesph may end up as a first base prospect, but Valle is definitely a better catcher prospect than Joseph.— scootch
- I think it's very simple. Howard and Utley were hurt and everyone pressed, including the manager. Having Lee pitch 10 innings in April (or May?) was perhaps the most incredible decision in the history of baseball management. Then everything trickled from that. If Lee pitches like last night next year, it will be a great season.— benjyedwards
