Comments on: ReclinerGM’s 2010 MLB Preview: Phillies Infield

By: Evelyn Ruiz

Evelyn Ruiz — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 16:41:15 +0000

Im a fan of Carlos Ruiz i think we all seen how good he played i dont think Rollins or howard did a good job like my man Ruiz Ilove u the last name Ruiz feet u good.

By: ReclinerGM’s 2010 MLB Preview

ReclinerGM’s 2010 MLB Preview — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:57:27 +0000

[...] Infield [...]

By: Pete

Pete — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:25:28 +0000

Jerry-

Thanks for commenting.

We can be worse than Reds infield (I agree with you) and still be one of the best ever, no? Just not THE best ever?

By: jerry

jerry — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:19:56 +0000

I agree, that the Philles present infield is the best Phillies infield of all-time.(when you weigh offense and defense together. I also agree this is the best infield in MLB for the last 5 years. I don’t agree that they are one of the best MLB infields of all-time. As THE LATE GREAT Richie Ashburn might have said,”How about those Cincinnati Reds(1969-1978).
Harry. Bench, Perez, Morgan, Concepion, and Rose. I haven’t checked the exact stats, but could you imagine how many runs, rbis runs scored, and hrs were scored. Not to mention awards and Gold Gloves. I followed the Phillies all my life, but could not wait for the Reds to come to Philly.

By: bski

bski — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:24:18 +0000

BTW, the numbers provided for Howard (To Left, To Center, To Right) are his ISO———-which is designed to specifically measure a player’s extra-base hitting abilities, basically a ratio of extra-base hits per at-bat, calculated by subtracting batting average from slugging percentage———-to each field.

By: bski

bski — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:46:32 +0000

Found a nice nod to Ryan Howard on fangraphs yesterday. Dave Cameron has an article, Power To All Fields, that ends like this: I can't end without giving a nod to Ryan Howard, however. The big Phillies slugger is known for his opposite field moonshots, and the numbers bear this out. Here's Howard's breakdown. To Left: .701 (!!!) To Center: .480 To Right: .327 Ryan Howard's slugging percentage on fly balls to left field is a staggering 1.138. That's not his OPS - that's his SLG. 71% of all of his balls in play to left field are fly balls, and 27 percent of those leave the yard. You may remember from yesterday that the league average HR/FB for a lefty to left field was 3%. Howard's HR/FB to left is nine times the league average. We don't have the historical evidence to prove it, of course, but I'd wager that Ryan Howard may just be the greatest opposite field power hitter in the history of the game. I also found an article on si.com, How Much of an Improvement Will Big New Additions Be?, by Cliff Corcoran. Here is what he had to say about Halladay: When the Phillies simultaneously traded Cliff Lee and traded for Halladay last December it looked like they were breaking even in the short-term. While that's arguably true for their 2010 outlook before and after the trade, it's important to remember that Lee made just 12 regular-season starts for the Phillies last year, and thus either pitcher would have represented an upgrade for 2010. Halladay is replacing a dozen starts by Lee, but he's also replacing 10 by Brett Myers, and five each by Rodrigo Lopez and Antonio Bastardo. Lee posted a 3.39 ERA in 79 2/3 innings as a Phillie, but other three combined for a 6.73 ERA in 113 2/3 innings. Using SNLVAR (Baseball Prospectus's adjusted, win-probability based stat for starting pitchers), that spot in the Phillies rotation was worth 3.1 wins over replacement in 2009, while Halladay is typically worth between seven and eight wins above replacement. Estimated upgrade: 4+ wins

By: Ken Bland

Ken Bland — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:05:08 +0000

http://www.mlbnewsrumors.com/2/post/2010/02/2010-mlb-top-prospects-lists.html This, on a single click, is a list of multiple sources top prospect lists.

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:14:57 +0000

Was this statement from anyone we know:

Q: Remember that you stated back on July 28th of 2009 that if Mike Dunleavy was still coach by Valentine’s Day, you would organize “Throw Bags of Your Own Urine” Night at the next Clippers game? Almost made it! I had this article in mind all season and now I have nothing to look forward to on Valentine’s Day except taking my girlfriend out. Way to ruin my day.
–Pete, Philadelphia
SG: OK, so there were three big downers. Not two.

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:19:40 +0000

adam -

I’ll do a bullpen/bench preview as well later on.

I hope that Polanco’s addition does give Utley some more rest, especially if he’s banged up.

It will be interesting to see how Dobbs is used this year, as it seems Ross Gload will be the primary pinch hitter.

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:15:43 +0000

Pete-

What about utility infielders? Do you see an upgrade/downgrade or about the same from last year? Will Dobbs have a season like in 08 or will it be more like last year? Do you think Manuel will actually give some players days off to let Dobbs get into the lineup? I don’t think he will be able to get any outfield starts unless we have an injury and are forced to start Fransisco. Does that mean that Charlie will give Utley some rest this year to keep him from getting injured again and move Polanco to second and start Dobbs? Or do you think Charlie is just going to stay with his philosophy he had last year and not give the infield a lot of rest? I think Charlie needs to get Utley some more rest this season, whether he likes it or not. He’s been hurt, and we really need more production late in the season from him.