dweaver99027 Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 The Philadelphia Phillies have started the new season with the main aim of reaching the ever-eluding post season. To this end, they have made several changes to their on-the-field staff. Here are the 4 trades the Phillies made late this off-season: And here is the presentation of the key members in the Pitching staff, the team's liability during the last few seasons: STARTING PITCHERS: SPOT 1: BRAD RADKE Radke was born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and graduated from Jesuit High School of Tampa where he was known as a scholar-athlete. Radke was not considered a top prospect before being drafted in the 8th round of the 1991 amateur draft by the Twins. Once he was in the majors though, he was valued highly and the Twins were offered a large amount of talent for him, but they never gave him up, until this eason when his contract became increasingy painful to maintain by the small market team in Minneapolis. In his debut season (1995), he finished 11-14 with a 5.32 ERA. It was not a great start, and he vowed to improve as a pitcher. He did just that in the next two years. In 1997, he finished an excellent season with a 20-10 record and a 3.87 ERA. He finished the year with 239 innings pitched, 4th most in the league. For the past 9 years, he has been known as one of the most consistent pitchers in the game. Besides his debut season (5.32), he never finished above a 5.00 ERA. Besides his 2004 season (3.48), he has never finished below a 3.50 ERA. In his career, he is a solid 127-118 with an overall ERA of 4.23. He is known for being one of the best control pitchers of the modern era, walking an average of only 41 batters a year, in an average of 34 games a year. Before the 2002 season, his Twins team was generally one of the lesser teams of the league. But since 2002, they have made the playoffs each year. His postseason totals are very solid with an overall 3.19 ERA in 31 innings pitched. His best postseason series was his first, against Oakland. He started 2 games out of the 5, winning both with a 1.54 ERA. Radke only gave up 1 run in the deciding game of the series before the 5-1 Twins lead was almost squandered in the 9th, when Eddie Guardado gave up 3 runs. But the Twins won 5-4 and advanced to the 2002 American League Championship Series. He would go on to lose the only game he pitched against the Angels, but shut them out for the first 6 innings of that game. In the end, the Twins bullpen and offense failed and they lost 7-1 and lost the series 4-1. He is 2-2 overall in the postseason. SPOT 2: RANDY WOLF On July 1, 2005, Wolf underwent Tommy John surgery. Despite this unfortunate eturn of events, Randy's left arm seems fine and he is ready to help the Phillies put their pitching woes in the past SPOT 3: JON LIEBER Jonathan Ray Lieber (born April 2, 1970 in Council Bluffs, Iowa) is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies (since 2005). Previously, Lieber played with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1994-98), Chicago Cubs (1999-2002) and New York Yankees (2004). He bats left-handed and throws right-handed. In a 10-season career, Lieber has compiled a 100-91 record with 1223 strikeouts and a 4.20 ERA in 1687 innings pitched. Lieber uses a tough slider and an effective changeup to go with his 93-MPH fastball. He led the National Leaguel in shutouts for three consecutive years (1999-2001). His most productive season came in 2001, when he led the league in games started (35) and innings (251), posted a career-high 20 victories, was selected an All-Star, and finished 4th in the Cy Young Award vote. In the same year, he one-hit the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0, ending the team's NL-record streak of 208 games in a row without being shutout. Before the 2005 season, Lieber signed as a free agent with the Phillies. SPOT 4: JOSE LIMA He was born in Santiago, Dominican Republic and made his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers on April 20, 1994 at age 22. After three lackluster years in Detroit, he was traded to the Houston Astros, where he played for four and a half seasons before being traded back to Detroit in 2001. He gained recognition for winning 21 games in 1999 with the Astros, earning a trip to the All Star Game that year. He helped to increase his profile by flamboyantly celebrating his victories in the face of opponents. His dominance on the mound gave rise to the phrase "Lima time" whenever he pitched. A year later, however, Lima surrendered a league-leading 48 home runs and lost 16 games. Since his stellar 1999 season, Lima has generally struggled to recapture his former success while playing for several different teams. He was released by Detroit during the 2002 season, proclaiming at the time, "If I can't pitch on this team--the worst or second-worst team in baseball--where am I going to pitch? If I can't start on this ballclub, I must be the worst pitcher on Earth." Thereafter, he played for the Kansas City Royals in 2003, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2004, and in 2005, he returned to Kansas City. With the Dodgers, Lima was 13-5 with a 4.07 ERA, his best performance since 1999, including a 4-hit shutout of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2004 NLDS. SPOT 5: RYAN FRANKLIN Born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, USA, Franklin hails from Spiro, Oklahoma. The "Keys to the Game" for Ryan (as the Mariner's announcer Ron Fairly reminds the audience before each of his starts) are invariably "keep the ball down"; "get ahead of hitter in the count"; "throw strikes". Ryan Franklin's most effective pitch is probably his split-fingered fastball, which boasts excellent movement and is uncharacteristically fast for such a pitch. He also throws a circle changeup with reliable control. His fastball is above average, but not spectacular, and usually reaches speeds around 90 mph. On August 2, 2005, Franklin became the eighth Major League player, and second Mariner, to test positive for steroid use. He received a ten day suspension. He agreed to a one-year deal with the Phillies on January 5, 2006. COMING UP: THE BULLPEN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweaver99027 Posted January 17, 2006 Author Share Posted January 17, 2006 LRP - GEOFF GEARY LRP - ELMER DESSENS MRP - AARON FULTZ MRP - RHEAL CORMIEL Born in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, he attended Community College of Rhode Island in Warwick, Rhode Island and was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 6th round of the 1988 amateur draft. MRP - AMAURY TELEMACO SU - RYAN MADSON Highly regarded by the Phillies ever since they drafted him, Madson got to the major league level in 2004 and quickly established himself as a reliable relief pitcher. In 2005, he started out well but appeared to wear down late in the season, finishing with a 4.14 earned run average in 87 innings. CP - TOM GORDON Gordon started his career as a Royal, and was signed away by Boston where he was converted from a starter to a closer. In 1998, Gordon set the club's single-season saves record (46) and was named to his first All-Star Team. His success continued in 1999 setting a major league record with his 54th consecutive save in June, but a nagging elbow injury limited him to just 21 appearances, which required ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (or UCL), that forced him to spend 2000 on the disabled list. After stops in Houston and both sides of Chicago, Gordon landed in New York. He has been an invaluable addition to the Yankees bullpen, serving as a set-up for closer Mariano Rivera, or as a middle reliever in tough situations. Basically, Gordon is a 95-MPH fastball thrower and his success is tied to when and how often he uses his excellent curve. In the past two seasons, Gordon has made increasingly effective use of a power cut fastball and slider. Gordon has compiled a career 122-111 record with 1733 strikeouts, a 3.99 ERA, 114 saves, and 1896.2 innings in 671 games (203 as a starter). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweaver99027 Posted January 18, 2006 Author Share Posted January 18, 2006 POSITION PLAYERS: C - MIKE LIEBERTHAL In a 11-year career, Lieberthal is a .275 hitter with 141 home runs and 573 RBI in 1107 games. He has 1080 hits in 3932 at bats. 1B - RYAN HOWARD Selected in the 5th round of the 2001 draft, Howard quickly ascended the Phillies' minor league system, earning consecutive MVP awards in the Florida State and Eastern leagues (2003-2004). Howard appeared in 19 games with the Phillies in 2004. He posted a .282 batting average with two home runs and five RBI. Between playing for Double-A Reading, Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Phillies, Howard hit 48 home runs, which was the highest total in organized baseball in 2004. In 2005, Howard became the Phillies' everyday first baseman in early July when slugger Jim Thome was sidelined for the season with an elbow injury. Howard, who led all major league rookies with 22 home runs, also posted a .288 average and 63 RBI in just 312 at-bats. He had 11 home runs and 27 RBI in September and October as the Phillies battled the Houston Astros for the National League wild card until getting eliminated in the last day of the season. Howard was rewarded for his effort by being named NL Rookie of the Year. Like Thome, Howard has a penchant for hitting opposite-field home runs into the left field flower bed at Citizens Bank Park. Before the 2006 season, Thome was traded by Philadelphia with cash ($22,000,000.00) to the Chicago White Sox for outfielder Aaron Rowand and two minor league pitchers, thus making room for the rising slugger. 2B - JIMMY ROLLINS The switch-hitting Jimmy Rollins (born November 27th, 1978 in Oakland, California) was the Philadelphia Phillies' second round draft pick in 1996. Coming into his rookie season of 2001, there was a lot of hype surrounding Rollins and his blistering speed; he didn't disappoint and had 46 stolen bases that season. Many Phillies fans were excited at the thought of having an up and coming lead-off man of his potential. Rollins has been named to the National League All-Star team three times (2001, 2002, 2005). Rollins' average numbers per 162 games are: BA .273 HR 12 RBI 63 BB 53 Runs 103 SB 35 Aside from his offense, Rollins is a solid defensive shortstop, with few errors and a powerful arm. Rollins is one of the few people in baseball capable of having double-digits in doubles, triples, home runs, and stolen bases. Rollins owns the longest hitting streak in Philadelphia Phillies history at 36 games (and counting), achieved during August-October, 2005. His streak is the longest in the majors since 1987, when Paul Molitor hit safely in 39 consecutive games, and the longest in the National League since Pete Rose's 44-game streak in 1978. With his 2005 season complete, Rollins will have the opportunity to continue his streak in the 2006 season. (The Phillies' first game next season is scheduled for April 3, 2006). If his streak continues next season, the day he breaks the All-time major league hit streak of 55 games set by Joe DiMaggio will be on April 26, a home game against the Colorado Rockies. SS - OMAR VIZQUEL Vizquel represents another link in the chain of gifted shortstops from Venezuela, a chain that includes Chico Carrasquel, Luis Aparicio, Dave Concepción and Ozzie Guillén. He has very soft hands and recovers quickly from miscues. With a good range to both sides, he can throw off-balance with a quick release. Vizquel turns the double play fearlessly, and no one handles popups in short left field or down the line with such ease. His barehanded plays on slow bounding balls constantly frustrate opposing batters. In 2002, he made only seven errors in 150 games, but the Gold Glove Award went to Alex Rodriguez to end Vizquel's nine-year run as the reigning shortstop in the American League. Even in the latter stages of his career, Vizquel is known as one of the elite fielding shortstops in baseball. Vizquel was signed by Seattle as a non-drafted free agent in 1984 and made his debut on April 3, 1989. His glovework was evident when he broke in the American League, but it took him some years to master the art of hitting. At the beginning Vizquel was strictly a singles hitter. In his first three seasons with Seattle, he batted .220, .247 and .230 with only 39 extrabases. After hitting .294 in 1992, he was headed for a repeat performance in 1993. Vizquel was hitting .292 at the All-Star break, but he batted only .202 the rest of the way finishing with .252. The problem was mere fatigue. A small man at 5'9 and 163 pounds, Vizquel had never 550 at-bats in a full season. But he nonetheless contributed on offense, bunting to advance runners and drawing some walks. At the end of the season he was traded to Cleveland for two players and cash. A strict workout routine and adjustments in the batting cage made Vizquel a more complete and stronger hitter with the Indians. In 1996 he batted .297, with nine home runs, 64 runs batted in, 98 runs, 36 doubles, and a .362 on base percentage. In the years to come, he hit .280 .288, a career-high .333 in 1999, and .287 the next year. In the same period he stole 179 bases. On the field, Vizquel teamed with second baseman Roberto Alomar one of the most decorated keystone combination of all time. After hit 14 homers and 72 RBI career-highs in 2002,Vizquel underwent a surgery on his right knee to repair a cartilage. He played only 64 games in 2003 when a second surgery was necessary. In 2004, Vizquel returned in good form hitting .291 in 148 games. He was signed by the Giants as a free agent at the end of the season. In a 16-year career, Vizquel is a .275 hitter with 66 home runs and 715 RBI in 2138 games. 3B - AUBREY HUFF Huff earned career highs in his batting numbers in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, the designated hitter/outfielder/third baseman ended the season with a .313 batting average, leading the Devil Rays. Huff then hit 34 home runs - another team high - during the 2003 season, plus earned a .311 batting average that also led the club. LF - PAT BURRELL Following a standout career at the University of Miami, the Phillies made Burrell the first overall draft choice in the 1998 draft. He debuted for the Phillies in 2000 and became an instant fixture in the line-up. In 2002, he had a break out season, hitting 37 home runs and knocking in 116 RBIs, proving to be one of the most promising young power hitters in baseball. After signing a six-year, $50-million dollar contract with the Phillies before the 2003 season, however, he endured a season-long slump and finished the season batting only .209 with barely half of his previous season's production numbers. Burrell's batting productivity is considered to be a key factor in how the Phillies perform in 2005. Because of his power hitting capabilities, Burrell has gained the nickname "Pat the Bat" among Philadelphia fans. However, Burrell also has a reputation for striking out with high frequency. CF - AARON ROWAND He attended Cal State Fullerton and was selected by the White Sox in the first round of the 1998 amateur draft. In 2004 with the White Sox, he had a .310 batting average with 94 runs and 38 doubles. He also hit 24 home runs and stole seventeen bases. He is developing his patience, as last year he walked just 30 times compared to 91 strikeouts. Despite that, he had a .361 on base percentage (OBP) and a .544 slugging percentage (SLG). He also collected 265 total bases. In 2004 at center field, he collected 290 putouts and showed great range by his eight assists from the outfield. He made six errors and had a .980 fielding percentage. He played at right field for twelve games in 2004 with only an .889 fielding percentage. But his ten assists in the outfield show his great range. On November 23, 2005, Rowand was traded by the White Sox to the Philadelphia Phillies for first baseman Jim Thome. RF - BOBBY ABREU Abreu started his major league career with the Houston Astros on September 1, 1996. He played only 74 games over two seasons. Left unprotected in the 1997 expansion draft when Houston decided to keep fellow Venezuelan outfielder Richard Hidalgo, Abreu was selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but minutes later he was traded to the Phillies for shortstop Kevin Stocker. Despite the fact that Astros and Devil Rays both deeming him expendable, Abreu firmly established himself as one of the most promising young hitters and strong-armed rightfielders in the game. In his first season with the Phillies, Abreu led his team with a .312 batting average and collected 17 home runs, 74 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in 151 games, with 271 putouts and 17 assists in right field. In 1999 he made a brief run at the batting title. His .335 average that season ranked third in the National League and was the highest posted by a Phillies player since outfielder Tony González hit .339 in 1967. In 2001 Abreu reached career highs in home runs (31) and RBI (110), and hit .308 in 2002 and .300 a year later. Finally, in 2004, he got his first All-Star berth, being voted in as the "32nd man" in online voting on MLB.com. Abreu finished the season with a .301 average, 30 home runs and 105 RBI, and ranked among the National League top five in five offensive categories: runs (4th, 118), doubles (4th, 47), stolen bases (3rd, 40), walks (2nd, 127) and on base percentage (5th, .428). He also posted the league's tenth best OPS (.971) and eight highest in total bases (312). In 2005 Abreu won his first Gold Glove Award for defensive excellence in the outfield. Through 2005, Abreu is a .303 hitter with 190 home runs and 776 RBI in 1329 games. THE BENCH: OF - JASON MICHAELS Since 2004, Michaels has been a regular on the Phillies major league roster, accumulating a batting average of .291 with 235 hits, including 21 home runs, through the end of the 2005 season. In the outfield, he has become the go-to backup outfielder for the Phillies. However, Michaels' shot at a starting position with Phillies in the 2005 season came to a halt when the Phillies acquired outfielder Kenny Lofton from the New York Yankees in the offseason. Lofton was replaced by Aaron Rowand in the 2005 off-season, which still blocks Michaels' chance at a starting job in the city of Philadelphia. During the 2005 season, Michaels and Lofton have received comparable playing time, with Michaels starting for the Phillies during Lofton's 2005 injury and primarily against left-handed pitching, as this matchup is more favorable than Lofton's left-handed bat. Both normally occupy the number two spot in the Phillies batting lineup. He also has served as a periodic replacement for Phillies RF Bobby Abreu and Phillies LF Pat Burrell. Michaels' contract with the Phillies will pay him $825,000 in 2005. 2B/SS - LUIS RIVAS Luis Wilfredo Rivas [REE-vas] (born August 30, 1979 in La Guaira, Vargas State, Venezuela) is a second baseman in Major League Baseball who has played with the Minnesota Twins since the 2000 season. He bats and throws right-handed. Rivas is known to be a free swinger hitter who will swing at almost any pitch often putting it in play. As a runner, he has good speed and is aggressive on the base paths. Defensively, Rivas has soft hands, a great arm and good range. He turns the double play well and isn't afraid to get a little banged-up in the process. He also is competent going back on pop-ups. From 2000-04, Rivas has posted a .262 batting average with 29 home runs and 165 RBI in 506 games. 3B - DAVID BELL A member of one of the major leagues' three-generation families, he is the brother of Mike Bell, the son of Buddy Bell, and the grandson of Gus Bell. As a junior at Moeller High School in Cincinnati, David Bell led his team to a state title. 2B/PH - MATT KATA C - TIM GRADOVILLE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweaver99027 Posted January 21, 2006 Author Share Posted January 21, 2006 April 4, 2006 1 @ 7 Team Record: 1-0 Phillies win big in season opener... Below: Mike Lieberthal and his mates were slowly racking up the RBI's, and making Brad Radke's debut with the Phillies all themore enjoyable with some excellent fielding plays... This game started off nicely for the home side, with batterSgetting on base one after the other and each one getting driven in for a run soon after, 1 RBI at a time, resulting in an early 3-0 lead for thePillies. 4 more runs were scored in the 3rd inning, 3 of which by Catcher Miek Lieberthal. Nationals' pithcer Livan Hernandez gave up 7 runs and 6 walks in just 3 innings, and was immediately pulled by his manager. It would be too late for the Nats, though, as Brad Radke and co would proceed to allow only one run, and clinch the victory for Philadelphia. WP: Brad Radke (1-0) LP: Livan Hernandez (0-1) BOXSCORE: WAS 1R - 8H - 0E PHI 7R - 7H - 0E Stats of Note: PHI: B. Abreu 2/4, RBI A. Rowand 2/4, RBI J. Rollins 0/3, hitting streak over B. Radke CG, 9.0 IP, 8H, 1R, 1BB, 5SO April 6, 2006 1 @ 2 Team Record: 2-0 Phillies win in heart-breaker... Below: Tom Gordon notched the first save in his Phillies carreer, securing a 1 run lead into a victory, the team's second of teh year so far... This one was far from a breeze for the Phillies. Both teams engaged in small ball, cautiously yet ineffectively trying to convert hits into runs. In teh end, it was all about pitching, and Philadelphia's number 2 man, Jon Lieber, did not disappoint, pitching for more than 7 innings and allowing only 1 run. WP: J. Lieber (1-0) LP: J. Patterson (0-1) SV: T. Gordon (1) BOXSCORE: WAS 1R - 5H - 0E PHI 2R - 4H - 0E Stats of Note: PHI: O. Vizquel 2/4, RBI R. Howard HR, RBI J. Lieber 7.1 IP, 5H, 1R, 5BB, 3SO April 7, 2006 2 @ 3 Team Record: 3-0 Another thriller, another W chalked up for Philly... Below: Tom Gordon notched another save, his second of the year... Another low scoring affair saw the Phillies come out the victors, once more, and securing a opening series sweep of the washington Nationals, making it 3 in a row to start the regular season. Bobby Abreu and Mike Lieberthal were once more the ones responsible for driving the winning runs in, and credit must go to their offensive efficiency throughout this 3-game series. WP: R. Wolf (1-0) LP: B. Lawrence (0-1) SV: T. Gordon (2) BOXSCORE: WAS 2R - 9H - 0E PHI 3R - 6H - 0E Stats of Note: PHI: B. Abreu 2/4, RBI M. Lieberthal 2/4, 2RBI R. Wolf 8.0 IP, 7H, 2R, 2BB, 5SO WAS: M. Anderson HR, RBI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronuconn Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 This is looking like a pretty good dynasty. Just try to stick with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dweaver99027 Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 This is looking like a pretty good dynasty. Just try to stick with it. My time is limited, but I always steal away an hour or so to play a game. It's the updating that I don't find much time for. But do not worry, this will go on, for sure. Speaking of which: April 8, 2006 15 @ 5 Team Record: 4-0 Phillies blowout the Cards in a superb game... Below: Jose Lima made a great first start to the season, keeping runners off the home plate, all the while young phenom Rhyan Howard scored his first homer of the season... This game was a sight for the sore eyes of the Philly or neutral fan who might have caught it on TV. That was definitely not the case for the disgruntled Cards fans, who saw their team getting blown to bits at home and starting the season 0-4. Philadelphia manged to get a commanding 8-0 lead as early as the second inning, totally abusing St Louis' starter J. Marquis. From then on, it was a walk in the park, with Jose Lima and his relievers keeping runners at bay, with the exceptions of some meaningless runs allowed in the last two innings. WP: J. Lima (1-0) LP: J. Marquis (0-1) SV: E. Dessens (1) BOXSCORE: PHI 15R - 18H - 1E STL 5R - 9H - 0E Stats of Note: PHI: O. Vizquel 3/4 I B. Abreu 3/4, HR, 3RBI A Huff 1/1, 2BB, HR, 4RBI J. Lima 6.0 IP, 3H, 0R, 1BB, 3SO STL: S. Taguchi 1/1, HR, 3RBI L. Bigbie HR, RBI Omar Vizquel suffered a minor calf strain during a collision at second base and will be out of the lineup for approximately 9 days. His position will be covered by Luis Rivas, who will man 2nd base while Jimmy Rollins handles the SS duties. April 9, 2006 6 @ 2 Team Record: 5-0 A tighter contest this time, but still little trouble for the Phillies... Below: Tom Gordon and co put up another sensational run-preventing performance and are now one game away from sweeping the Cardinals at Busch Stadium... This matchup was closer than the previous blowout, but make no mistake, Philadelphia was in charge throughout and never really had problems securing the victory. The pitching and fielding was once again exceptional, giving the much ballyhooed Cardinals' sluggers little opportunities to drive in runs. WP: R. Franklin (1-0) LP: J. Suppan (0-1) BOXSCORE: PHI 6R - 9H - 1E STL 2R - 8H - 1E Stats of Note: PHI: R. Howard 3/4, RBI, SB M. Lieberthal 2/3, 2HR, 4RBI R. Franklin 8.0 IP, 8H, 2R, 1BB, 2SO STL: Y. Molina 3/3 April 9, 2006 2 @ 1 Team Record: 6-0 Phillies win in low scoring heart breaker, sweep the Cards, and are now 6-0 to start the season... Below: The Cardinals put up more of a challenge this time, but still could not find an answer to their opposition's pitching, despite their own offensive prowess. Swept and with 6 straight losses, they went back to the locker rooms with heads pouted... This game was even closer than the preceding two. It was actually a tie, 1-1, up until the top of the 9th. But at that half inning, some careful hitting by the visitors set up pinch hitter David Bell to pull off a sac fly, that drove a runner in, making it 2-1 and leaving Tom Gordon to step in and get the save at the bottom of the inning... WP: R. Cormier (1-0) LP: A. Reyes (0-1) SV: T. Gordon (3) BOXSCORE: PHI 2R - 7H - 0E STL 1R - 6H - 0E Stats of Note: PHI: A. Huff 2/5, RBI, 2B B. Radke 7.0 IP, 6H, 1R, 4BB, 6SO, 1HR STL: Y. Molina 2/3, HR, RBI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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