Our Jim Thome Plan
One way for Phils to use Jim Thome.
Our Jim Thome Plan
Bob Vetrone Jr.
Now that the Phillies are done with the designated hitter for this season (at least until the World Series), what do they do with Jim Thome?
Thome, whose back prevents him from playing any fielding position, served the Phillies well in nine games as a DH, but has never showed much promise as a pinch-hitter. (He’s 0-for-11 this season, 0-for-his-last-14 dating back to last July, and hitting .214 in his career.)
So we have a plan ... well, at least half a plan.
The Phillies have 44 road games remaining, games in which they will bat before they play the field. Why not put Thome in the starting lineup in the No. 3 slot for those 44 games and then just have a player replace Thome in the field after he bats in the top of the first inning?
At least this way, Thome will know about when his at-bat will come each night — and against which pitcher — and can plan accordingly. No more worrying about when Charlie Manuel’s going to tell him to get ready or eyeing the bullpen to see if the opposing team has a lefty up just to face him.
And maybe, just maybe, one of the first two hitters could get on base and set the table for Big Jim. Even if they don’t, with 608 career home runs, Thome himself is always in scoring position.
Last time we checked, runs scored in the first inning (in which Thome is a career .274 hitter) counted every bit as much as runs scored in later innings.
And Manuel will still be able to pick his PH spots for Thome in home games, when the Phils have to play the field first.
The Phils aren’t back on the road until next Friday in Miami, so maybe in the meantime Thome will turn into Ed Kranepool (who hit .447, 42-for-94, from 1974-77 as a PH).
But if he doesn’t, maybe this is one way to go.
| THOME as PH | |||
| H-AB | Avg. | HR | |
| 2012 | 0- 11 | .000 | 0 |
| Career | 28- 131 | .214 | 4 |
| THOME in FIRST INNING | |||
| H-AB | Avg. | HR | |
| 2012 | 2- 8 | .250 | 0 |
| Career | 278-1016 | .274 | 76 |
| THOME in NO. 3 HOLE | |||
| H-AB | Avg. | HR | |
| 2012 | — | — | — |
| Career | 534-1934 | .276 | 153 |
would be very interesting to say the least..... but I think Charlie would have a stroke if the plan worked.... I could see it working and if big Jims back feels ok then let him play tyhe filed for an inning or so maybe get lucky and get too at bats out of him before making the switch....well that might be wish full thinking... but you never know....— srcdaddy1216- On that same starting lineup, you cold put your worst relief pitcher in the 9th spot. Then when the team takes the field, you can double switch Thome for your real starting pitcher. Then it would take 12 batting spots to get to the pitcher's spot in the order instead of 9. The question is, is it worth it to sacrifice a guy like Schwimer so your real pitcher can bat #12 instead of #9. I say yes.— keninVB
- clueless Chollie always always follows his 'formula' for using pinch hitters and relivers which entails always saving his "better" pinch hitters and releivers (or those whom he considers better) for later in the game regardless of the situation --thus has Chollie kept his best bat on bench wiht game on line in 7th inning (letting Bruntlett or some other scrub hitting .180 hit with bases loaded if it wasn't yet 8th inning), or bringing in Herndon, Schwimmer, or some other garbage to blow game with bases loaded if it isn't yet 'late enough' to use his better reliever...indeed since I always knwo who Chollie is gonna use, the opposing manager pretty much nows it as well.. he's much too strategically=challenged to figure out how to get the most out of bench and bullpen-- or to even understand it— warbiscuit
- They did something like that in the mid 70s with Tony Oliva of the Twins. He was a DH but his knees were so shot, that if he got on base, they ahd to pinch run for him. But that worked partly because teams carried, 10, sometimes even 9 or 8 pirchers, so you had more position players/batters. It actually would fit my plan of having 27 or 28-man ropsters with 2 or 3 inactives each game. But hey, it's an interesting idea. As for La Russa, I enjoyed when him when I lived in the Sf Bay area for 20 yrs, but I've grown tired of him so sorta glad he's gone. But he did a thing in the late 90s when the A's stunk that the Rockies are sorta doing. He started a pitcher for only the 3 innings, then brought someone else in for 3 innings, etc. It didn't work well or last long. As for Thome, send him down to AAA to play/coach til the rosters expand ... or trade him to the AL ... or teach him to pay 3rd base!!!— Horst Muhlman lives on in all of us
- Gene Mauch used to do this back in the 1960's and I believe that they then passed a rule that you had to play defense in the first inning if you were in the starting lineup.— tomficara
- You don't need to burn a 2d pitcher. If you decide to bat your pitcher 12 you can call Thome your pitcher for the top of the first and have an order, e.g. of Rollins/Pierre/Thome/Pence/Ruiz/Victorino/Wiggy/Polanco/Martinez. However, I still prefer keeping Victorino out & having him pinch-run.— princeton22
- I like it!— frankenslade
- Actually, it would make more sense to bat an unscheduled SP to start the game in the 9 hole. Then you don't lose the bullpen arm. In the bottom of the inning, the real SP replaces Thome in the 3 hole and any starting position player can replace the fake SP in the 9 spot.— keninVB
- Duh...I never thought of just calling Thome the pitcher. That makes even more sense assuming the rule doesn't state he has to pitch.— keninVB
- The problem with this idea is that now the Phillies would have no power threat late in a game if they need it. Like Charlie used to say about Matt Stairs, even when he was struggling in a PH role....."There's always a chance he can run into one by accident". That's the same for Thome. If you're 3 runs behind in the 9th inning and you've got 2 runners on base and 2 outs...who would you rather have pinch hitting....Thome or Fontenot?— SteveS11
- Here's a plan: just pay him off the remaining part of the $1 mil contract (approx. $560,000) and make room on the 25-man roster for a productive player. When they signed him in the offseason it seemed that giving one of Cholly's old plas from Cleveland was a kuxury we could afford. Now, reality says "Cut him loose".— 1republican
- Finally, someone thinking. It's worth a try. However, it's not in the book. Can't do it because if it doesn't work and it's not in the book, well then that would be a bad thing. Let's comfortably finish in last. By the book.— Relocator
- Jim Thome was a great player and a real big part of the Phils turn around into a championship team. Unfortunately, time isn't on Jim's side and now is the time to trade him to a AL team ready for a WS run. Why have the guy sitting on the bench with no chance of getting a WS ring? Come on Charlie, do him justice!— walt1
Comment removed.- I think any baseball lifer would laugh at that. It's basically wasting a roster spot. Which, come to think of it, is what they have with Big Jim right now with no DH (and I do not want a DH in the NL). As others have suggested, best thing to do for Jim and the team is trade him back to the AL and get something for him. Or release him if no one wants to give up something. It's really that simple. Unfortunately.— PhillySubsMac
