Lefty reliever should be on Amaro's to-do list
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Lefty reliever should be on Amaro's to-do list
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Antonio Bastardo was the Phillies only left-handed reliever in the postseason. (Matt Slocum/AP)
Not sure where the acquisition of another left-handed reliever ranks on general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s list of things to do, but it should be on there somewhere.
The Phillies went into the postseason with Antonio Bastardo as their only left-handed reliever and he was not considered a specialist who manager Charlie Manuel would bring in to simply retire one or two left-handed hitters in an inning.
The value of that kind of pitcher was on display during the World Series. The ageless Arthur Rhodes recorded only eight outs in the Cardinals' 18 postseason games, but he did so without allowing a hit. Manager Tony LaRussa leaned even more on his other lefty -- Mark Rzepcynski -- and after a disastrous Game 1 in the division series against the Phillies, he allowed just four hits and one run in 8 1/3 innings.
It is not a great free-agent market for lefty relievers, but among the more interesting names available are Rhodes, Texas' Mike Gonzalez, whose best years have been in the National League, and George Sherrill, who drew some interest from the Phillies last offseason before signing in Atlanta. Sherrill, 34, had a solid season for the Braves.
The Phillies will no doubt take a look at Joe Savery as a left-handed reliever in spring training, but it's always good to have one of those experienced lefties in the bullpen when the postseason rolls around.
Hollins promotoed, Andersen resigns
In the news department, the Phillies web site reported Tuesday that Dave Hollins has been promoted to the job of Major League scout vacated when Jim Fregosi Jr. left to work for the Kansas City Royals last month and longtime assistant trainer Mark Andersen has resigned.
Hollins, a former All-Star third baseman for the team, had spent the last two seasons as a special assignment scout. Andersen, a bat boy for the 1980 World Series championship team, spent 26 seasons as an assistant athletic trainer with the Phillies.
More coverage
VOTE: Phillies: Stay or Go?Comments (31)
Comment removed.
There is one more high priority that is very affordable: Fire Chris Wheeler.— Lpaul- Deikman and Perez combined numbers in Winter League: 18 inn., 1 hit, 23 k's, and .060 WHIP. Both Lefties that will vie for spot on staff.— ginzo
- Check out Perez's numbers in winter ball. Savery would be my choice right now. Diekman may be a year away. Priority should be speed and defense, although no.1 pick up has to be Cuddyer!!!— ginzo
- Now Phillies, listen for once and for all. Stop trying to out think yourslves! Go back to Washington and get Jason Werth back! Then do the same thing in Houston to get Haap back. These two have a great deal of quality mileage left. The Phillies have enough talent on the roster ( those not going to be retained ) and in the farm system to stock both Houston and Washington will right now become starters for those clubs! This is not rocket science. Get down to reality and approach the off season in a sensible no nonesense, no B.S. process the way Gene Mauch and John Quinn did in 1962 and 1963!— boggie
- You must be kidding! Jason Werth! You want to trade away numerous prospects for a guy who underperformed last year and has 6 years left at $18 million per year? Whose playing where and who are you getting rid of to offset this huge contract? Need more info. — John Klink
- Hot off the newswire....Jamie Moyer threw off the mound today for scouts in the San Diego area and reports were "excellent"...that is for a 49 year old coming off of Tommy John surgery. Meaning, his fastball topped off at 78 mph and he got his 65 mph breaking pitches over the outside part of the plate. I would SO love to see Jamie Moyer make some major league roster and pitch in 2012.— drhoffman
- Joe Beimel was available for "peanuts" yet RAJ was not interested. Joe Savery adds another dimension besides a left handed specialist...he can hit. He gives the Phillies another bat that normally they would not have. Remember, Savery was batting real well in AA/AAA. If he can throw from the left side AND be another bat off the pine, double winner.— drhoffman
- first and foremost,Dominick Brown will not be on the opening day roster next year. not even close. Second i posted time and time again that we needed another lefty because bastardo was at the beginning of his 2 month meltdown. we better get a veteran not JOE SAVERY! Are bullpen gives me no faith whatsoever. never feel real comfortable. ADIOS RYAN MADSON, your a complete imposter.— maupa98
- Find some hitters or a hitting coach— Ssteve115
- Rejected Headline: Hollins to Add Juice to Scouting Dept.— andrewfrombrooklyn
- I would think that either Martinez,Valdez or Ben Francisco could be traded to get another lefthanded reliever. There is a good chance that two of the three forementioned players will not be on the 2012 team.
Dominic Brown looks like a lock to be on the roster in 2012, not for what he has shown, but is a lefthanded bat with some pop.
About Ross Gload - looks like he sandbagged the Phillies this year. Supposedly, he had a hip problem that required post season surgery. Now he says he does'nt need it. Sure do not want to see him return !— candidly - What is everyone talking about! Lefty relievers are CRUCIAL, this young bullpen needs some veteran presence. You cannot go into the postseason with just Antonio Bastardo. Considering how slim the market is for left handed relievers the Phillies must jump on this soon. You cannot wait to look at the free agent market come spring training. I can guarantee you come Spring Training there will be 5 major league left handers out there who either aren't successful or are coming off injury. Already two great left handers are off the board the Giants signing both Javier Lopez and Jeremy Affeldt. Who knows if Joe Savery would come out with a successful season which is why you must not expect him to be a shut down left hander. While it doesn't seem like a priority the Phillies need to work on, if we bank on rookies to give us a successful season just because we have had recent success with rookie bullpen arms, the bullpen could take a big 360.— JST1331
- All big league players, even the really successful ones, were once backups, once minor league players...Signing free agents there, unless it is a gaping hole, prevents younger players from having a chance to develop as big league players...Last year, many relievers, including a couple of lefties , flourished as prospects for LV and Reading... if they don't pan out, acquiring LH relief help can happen at anytime (camp,early season,trade deadline)... — bearsfriend
- Comment removed.
- Walt1, Trading Worley or Kendricks for a reliever, or utility player indicates you could never be a GM. Any team in baseball would jump at the chance to dump a utility player for Worley, Kendricks, or even Blanton. I suspect you only read, or hear about the Phillies through a self proclaimed sports reporter on the radio.
Even Ruben isn't that dumb !— phineas - We will get to see Diekman pitch on the MLB network Saturday night in the desert as he was just picked for the Rising Stars All Star game. Dieker has developed into the best young left handed relief pitcher in the Arizona Fall League. The sidewinder pitched a no-no for October giving up no runs or hits and struck out 9 in 7 relief appearances over the month in the AFL.— Dull
- Good stuff Dull. — bearsfriend
- Comment removed.
- How many years in a row do we need to get bounced from the playoffs before the Inquirer and/or RAJ gets that it has been our offensive comas that have been the problem? Our pitching is more than enough to get us through the playoffs, RAJ has done a good enough job there, now forget about it and move on.
Find some hitters and/or a hitting coach that changes the approach at the plate above all else. It's not the pitching anymore for the love of god.— evolutionary - LH Reliever should not be a priority!! You can get a left specialist in spring training as relievers are mostly unpredictable. We need a lineup that can put up at least 3 runs on a consistent basis. That should be the priority! You have a 2nd & 3rd baseman that can't stay healthy and play as a shell of themself. You have a hurt 1st baseman that can't make contact regularly. You have 6 through 9 in the lineup that are close to automatic outs.. Time to get something done.— FetchDixon
- Amaro needs to trade Blanton or Worley or Kendrick for a reliever or utility player. Let's stop the spending on older players beyond their prime and focus on a younger, faster team that relies on the fundamentals. We have an excellent pitching staff to handle the close games. Over paying for players hampers your future opportunities.— walt1
- J. A. Happ for peanuts? Have you been following the price of peanut butter lately? We cannot afford it.— wildwood guy
- Joe Savery is definitely worth a look as the situational LHP this spring. I think the Phils will have a good, young bullpen this year. Use the off-season to focus on getting some contact hitters/small ballers on this team, along with upgrading the awful bench.— Phront_Runner
- Priority number 72 on the offseason "to do list".. falls right ahead of getting the Phanatic a new outfit.
Thanks for the post Bob— FABER - Correct BearsF - bats, 3B, SS, and possibly LF until Howard is back. This piece is acquirable after spring at appropriate times mid-year once the parts sort out. Giving the young arms a shot seems right.— 24sDad
- Comment removed.
- Depends on the equation, eman. I'm fairly certain a few polynomials have his name on them.— fizzbin
- what would be the point of gonzalez or especially sherrill? maybe we can get back J Happ when Houston tires of his 6.0 era and cuts him.— jim715
- Looking at the bright side, at least Mike Zagurski's no longer part of the equation.— eman
- I'm much more inclined to have Savery in camp with Jason Diekmann, giving them real looks and real opportunities to make the club in the spring....last year they shipped out another good minor league lefthander in Sergio Escalona, and he was real good for the Astros. If Danys Reyes passes his physical, Bastardo may not have even been on the big club!..Unless, there is really a good prospect out there, no thanks...that piece can always be acquired during the season...The strength in the system is the pitching depth, it's the bats that are not there on the farm!— bearsfriend
1
About this blog
The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Search this blog:
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
