Hollywood Comes to Clearwater
Photo: Miles Kennedy/Phillies - Hollywood arrives.
With all of the contract hype circling around Cole Hamels and finding a way to extend the lefty, it’s easy to forget that another all-star is coming to the end of his deal with the Phillies. Shane Victorino will be able to become a free-agent at the end of this season.
But is he going to let that bother him?
“I don’t plan on going anywhere else,” he said.
“I never put a time frame on anything, but I just want to stay focused on playing the season out and seeing what happens,” he said. “We’ll go from there. But I don’t think you should put a time frame on it. But is it going to be a distraction if you’re talking about it during the year? Yeah, I think sometimes it does.”
The night after his cameo appearance on ABC’s Hawaii Five -0, Victorino, who had the red carpet rolled out for his arrival to camp, is focused on winning a title, and will “stay focused.”
“You definitely think about it, but you’ve just got to stay focused on what’s ahead of you,” Victorino said. “It’s a big year for all of us, not just because of free agency. Getting back to where we need to be is very important. There are a lot of expectations. I don’t want to use the word disappointment, but last year ended so quick. We want to keep this team as long as we can, but there’s a certain point when all that stuff starts coming into play.”
Spoken like a champ.
Will the Phillies be able to re-sign Victornio? Probably, but so far there have been no talks of a deal, or extension. Of all of the position players the Phillies have he is pretty much the closest to being in his prime years, despite being 31, and you can’t deny what an plus he has been to the team in last few seasons. It will take a little bit of work, but this deal should hopefully get done… Time will tell.
Victorino has been an All-Star twice, and has won two Gold Gloves.
Thanks Rauuuuuul!
Photo: AP
It’s now been announced that the deal is official… Raul Ibanez has signed a 1-year deal to play for the New York Yankees in 2012. While I won’t miss the slumps that he went through, I will miss his power, and his spirit. Raul is a classy guy that I really wanted to see win a ring. No matter how tough it got for him at times in Philadelphia he was always upbeat, and positive. He’ll be missed in the clubhouse.
The Phillies will get a supplemental pick between the first and second rounds in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft from the Yankees for the signing of Raul. The Phillies had offered Ibanez salary arbitration last winter, with the a gentleman’s agreement that Ibanez would not accept it. Pretty classy move on the part of Ibanez.
Good luck to you Raul, but I hope your team loses.
Jose Contreras: Back On The Mound
Photo:Yong Kim
It’s been a long time, but on Tuesday Jose Contreras threw an early morning bullpen session, and reports are that it went nicely. It was the first time that the Big Truck threw off the mound since he had elbow surgery at the end of last season.
I’m not sure what Jose has left in the tank, but Contreras (age 40) was productive last year before going down for the season, and it will be interesting what he’s able to do. Jose pitched in just 14 innings last season but he was 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA. One thing is for sure, there sure are a few characters in the bullpen this year, and it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
I”ll have more to add later today after Rich Dubee opens up to the media, so stop back.
Hamels Makes It Clear – He Wants To Stay
Photo: Miles Kennedy/Phillies
Cole Hamels spoke with a small collection of reporters after his workout on Tuesday where he addressed a few questions reguarding his contract status with the Phillies. He answered a bunch of tough questions, but gave really great answers. If you’re a Phillies fan, than you’re gonna like a lot of what he said.
“I was very fortunate enough to be drafted to an organization that is trying to win and obviously has won,” Hamels said. “Every day, every year, we seem to get some top players. So that kind of shows the value and the direction the team wants to go. I’ve just been very fortunate to be a part of it. And it’s also something where I don’t know any better.
“I live in Philadelphia. I’ve been here for I guess 10 years now, so that’s been something that’s been kind of nice, kind of something I’ve been focused on. It’s a great organization to play for and I’d love to be a part of it.”
What will make the negotiations with the Phillies pretty difficult is that they already have both Roy Halladay, and Cliff Lee under contract for VERY big money. It’s very possible that given his age, and talent that Hamels himself is inline for a similar deal, and should he reach the open market, he would likely be the most sought after free-agent next fall. But he doesn’t necessarly want to be compared to his teammates.
“Those are two guys (Halladay, and Lee) that are two of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball and (have been) for a substantial amount of years,” Hamels said. “I’ve been able to get stronger and a lot more intelligent baseball-wise. It’s just taking the next step to do what those two have done, which is to go out there and repeat, have successful years and stay healthy. That’s ultimately the big picture, to stay healthy, go out, play and help your team. That’s kind of where I’m at right now, to go out there and do it. And if I’m able to do it then things will obviously take care of itself.”
Ryan Howard – Making Progress
Photo: Miles Kennedy
Ryan Howard is in camp with the Phillies and looks to be making significant progress. Now let’s not get our hopes up just yet, because the big man has a long road ahead of him still, but so far… Things look really good. On Monday, Howard took a few hacks in the cage and was seen jogging around the field. He also fielded a few grounders at first base doing some side-to-side lateral movements which is a big step for a man of his size given the injury that he has.
Howard’s injured achilles should sideline him for the first month or so of the season. However the Phillies seem confident that with the help of their staff athletic trainer Scott Sheridan, and team physician Michael Ciccotti, Howard should make a full recover, but it will take time.
Charlie Manuel says that Howard is “Ahead of schedule” and that he thinks Ryan is at about “50%.”
Ryan plans to meet with reporters on Wednesday to discuss his progress.
Kendrick Gets A Well Deserved Extension
Photo: MATT SLOCUM
Yeah, I know this is yesterday’s news, but I guess I just wanted to touch on it for a second.
I don’t get why people are so down on this extension for Kyle Kendrick. Kyle’s versatility really has been pretty invaluable to the Phillies over the last two seasons. Last season Kendrick went 8-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 34 games, 15 of which were starts. His versatility makes him well worth the investment. He’s not Roy Halladay, and he’s not Cliff Lee, but he’s a pretty solid number 5 and long-man. He can fill just about any pitching role that’s needed on any night.
Kyle has really come a long way as a pitcher. Ever since the Phillies acquired Roy Halladay, Kyle has done his best to emulate Roy, and learn from him. He’s added more pitches to his repertoire after being criticized for being a one-pitch pitcher, and not only that he changed his workouts and methods of preparation that have made him stronger.
Not every pitcher on our staff is going to be a $20 Million superstar. This contract is totally in line with what he brings to the table. He was going to be eligible for arbitration next season as well, and this was a smart move to keep him happy, and it may actually save the club some money in the long run. All I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t be down on Kyle Kendrick when you consider what he brings to the table.
Day One Isn’t Just for Pitchers and Catchers
Photo: Miles Kennedy/Phillies
You’ll be pleased to know that the Phillies motto of “Unfinished Business” still stands.
That being said this first day of camp is usually reserved just for pitchers and catchers, but there were a good collection of position players, and bench players out on the field at the Carpenter Complex on Sunday. Hunter Pence, Jim Thome, Scott Podsednik, Juan Pierre, and Ty Wigginton have all taken their first hacks of the Spring in the cage.
Thome looks to be in fantastic shape. Probably the best he’s been in years which leads one to think that he plans to take the field on Opening Day at first base. With the questions surrounding the return of Ryan Howard it’s nice to know that the bench like this is backing him up.
The same goes for Juan Pierre. This guy is one of the hardest workers in baseball. It’s early, but I have almost no doubt that he makes the team out of Spring Training.
Welcome Back to Clearwater!
It was a little cloudy today in Clearwater Florida, but it was still absolutely glorious.
The smell of freshly cut grass, and the beautiful sound of baseballs hitting the sweet spot of the catchers mitt was heard bright and early on Sunday at the Carpenter Complex in Clearwater. A little laughter was heard, but still the guys were still all business. We didn’t have the dog and pony show that we saw last year when we were introduced to the starting staff, and I think that everybody was happy about that. There is still a sting being felt from the Phillies early exit from the Postseason of 2011. This team is built to win, and that’s what they plan to do. This year the Phillies are expected to win the East, but the competition is going to be a lot tougher, and should take a little bit of the spotlight off the Phillies, which is just fine with me.
Day one is in the books.
Wilson Valdez Swapped for Reds Lefty Reliever
The Phillies announced today that they traded infielder (and pitcher) Wilson Valdez to the Cincinnati Reds for left-hander Jeremy Horst . Horst will be in Major League Spring Training as a non-roster player, according to the Phillies, who now have two open spots on their 40-man roster.
From MLBTraderumors…
Valdez, 33, posted a .249/.294/.341 line in 300 plate appearances for the Phillies in 2011, playing second, third and short. He even pitched an inning, picking up a win against the Reds in May. He’ll earn $930K in 2012.
Horst made his MLB debut in 2011, posting a 2.93 ERA with a 9K/6BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old also posted a 2.81 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 51 1/3 innings at Triple-A last year.
Video Blog Coming Soon!
Here is a little teaser for my upcoming Video Blog!
I’m looking for some topics to discuss, pictures to show, questions to answer… Send me some stuff!!
Tell me what you think