2010 Look Back: Shane Victorino

My Fellow Phans,

On this most festival occasion, the anniversary of my birthday some 22 years ago, I am going to be delivering you the presents on this Saturday morning. I will be completing my look backs at the Phillies starting by giving you not one, but two, look backs today. Let me begin with the speedy, beloved “Flying Hawaiian”; Phillies centerfielder Shane Victorino.

Shane Victorino: 2010 Stats: .259 AVG 18 HR 69 RBI (Postseason: .216 AVG 0 HR 5 RBI)

Recap:

Although he hit a career high in homers, Victorino’s stats were down in nearly every other offensive category in 2010. His on-base percentage and batting average were each down nearly 30 points from last season while his slugging dropped 16 points. His RBIs were a slight increase from last year, but the increase in homers play a role in that. His hits were down along with doubles and triples. He did steal 34 bases, a steady increase from 2009.

Overall, it was a down year for Victorino. One unnerving stat was that Victorino struck out 8 more times this season than last, in 33 less at bats. Something just didn’t seem right with Victorino this season, granted that could be said for the entire Phillies offense.

However, his defense was spot on and it earned him his 3^rdstraight Gold Glove Award. Congrats on your three peat Shane.

Looking Ahead:

Victorino will be back in center next season for the Phillies. I think with a full slate of health, along with a healthy supporting cast, Victorino will bounce back to his regular type of numbers. I personally hope he concentrates less on hitting homers and more about getting on base this season. I think if the power outlook goes down, Victorino’s average will slowly rise again. Think Willie Mays Hayes from the Major League movies. Like Hayes, Victorino is a stronger hitter when playing to his strength and that is his unbeatable speed.

Grade: C

The down season helped drop Shane’s grade here. Look for a bounce back season next year.

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies

2010 Look Back: Raul Ibanez

My Fellow Phans, 

It’s time to take a look back at the outfielders. We’ll go from left to right and start with Raul Ibanez. 

Raul Ibanez 2010 Stats: .275 AVG 16 HR 83 RBI (Postseason: .226 AVG 0 HR 0 RBI)

Recap:

Ibanez had an abominable first half. As good as he was in the first half of 2009, was as bad as it was this season. However, Raul came on strong with a great second half. He hit .309 with 9 homers and 44 RBIs after the All-Star break last year. It took him awhile, but he eventually got to the level that we all know and came to expect from him.  He has a crappy postseason, but that seemed to be a common trend amongst Phillies hitters this season. 

Looking Ahead:

I think Ibanez picks up where he left off in the second half of last season, he found his stroke again and we all know what he is capable of. 2011 is the last year of his contract so we will see what becomes of him. My gut tells me that this may be his last year with the Phillies, but we will see. Either way, I hope the good Raul Ibanez shows up next season. 

Grade: B-

He has a decent year, but the slow start really damaged his numbers. He wasn’t completely bad so that’s how he swings the B grade and not in the C department. 

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies

Halladay's Magical Season Culiminates with Ultimate Prize

My Fellow Phans, 

Add yet another notch to the belt for this magical season of Roy Halladay. If the 21 win season, regular season perfect game and post-season no hitter weren’t enough, MLB announced Tuesday that Roy “Doc” Halladay was the unanimous choice of the National League CY Young award. 

But then again, was anybody surprised by this decision? “It's surprising,” Halladay said “There could have been a lot of cases made, strong cases… It's by far the most fun I've ever had playing this game, It was everything I hoped it would be.”

Of course Roy Halladay is going to be humble about this, but let’s face it ladies and gentleman, the man won 21 games, stuck out 219 batters and posted an ERA of 2.44. He also led the league in innings pitched (250 2/3), as well as shutouts (4) and complete games (9). Was there really any doubt? The fans of Philadelphia didn’t think so and neither did the voters. It was the first unanimous selection in the National League voting since Randy Johnson in 2002.

Halladay was followed by Adam Wainwright and Ubaldo Jimenez in the voting. Another pleasant surprise was that Roy Oswalt, acquired by the Phillies mid-season finished 6^th in the voting. 

So, I salute you, Roy Halladay. This season has been a magical year and it culminates with the highest honor that a pitcher can obtain for his efforts. Congrats, Roy “CY Young Halladay”, on all your accomplishments this season. You are an amazing man and an amazing pitcher. I look forward to watching you for many years to come.   

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies

A Few Tidbits...

My Fellow Phans,

Before I continue with my look backs, I have a few tidbits that I want to comment on.

Firstly, congrats to Shane Victorino on his 2010 Gold Glove, the award is his third consecutive Gold Glove.  I am going to be honest here, I had Polanco pinned as a top candidate for a Gold Glove at third base, but the voters disagreed and the award went elsewhere. Maybe the injury hurt his case, I can’t say for sure, but anyway, congrats to Shane Victorino, you’ve earned it buddy.

There are also reports that Jamie Moyer will retire. I will not post a lot on that now, but once it is officially announced, I will have a nice post on here honoring one of the great men that has ever graced a Phillies uniform.

Thirdly, I fully support the hiring of Juan Samuel as the newest third base coach. What troubles me is moving Sam Perlozzo from third base to first base. If it’s not broken, why fix it? Sam has done an admirable job for us at the hot corner and I think he should remain there. Samuel is a well-known base stealer, much like Davey Lopes, and I think his talents would be better served replacing Lopes at first base and working with the base stealers; something that Davey was just so good with during his tenure here.

Fourthly, The Phillies recently hired Ryan Sandberg to coach the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, their AAA affiliate. I see this as a great hiring. Sandberg was an elite player and has a good knowledge of the game. Plus, and I didn’t know this until last week, Sandberg was actually drafted by the Phillies. He was called up in 1981, and played in just 13 games before being traded to the Cubs. Better late than never I guess, to come back home.

Sixthly, the Phillies resigned Jose Contreras earlier this week. I am very happy about this resigning. Contreras had a 3.34 ERA this season. In 56.2 innings, he struck out 57 and walked just 18 batters. The contract is for 5.5 million over the next 2 years.

The last points on my list both deal directly with Roy Halladay. Halladay was recently announced to be on the cover of Major League Baseball 2K11. See the picture below.

Lookin’ pretty good, Roy…

My final point concerns the 2010 National League CY Young Award. Today, at about 1:30pm est, the winner of this prestigious award will be announced. As, many have predicted, I think Roy Halladay is the front-runner for this award. I will keep you all updated as this situation develops.

Make sure to stay tuned for more news on Moyer, Halladay, and the CY Young award announcement. Watch out for more 2010 Look Backs coming soon.

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies

2010 Look Back: Carlos Ruiz

My Fellow Phans,

It’s time again for another look back. This time it is the faithful catcher, and a personal favorite of mine: Mr. Carlos Ruiz.

Carlos Ruiz: 2010 Stats: .302 AVG 8 HR 53 RBI (Postseason: .192 AVG 1 HR 2 RBI)

Recap:

I don’t think anyone would disagree with me if I say that Chooch was probably the offensive MVP of the Phillies this past season. I could go on and on talking about how much this guy did for us, but I will try to keep it brief. He is the cornerstone of the Phillies defense, and one of the most underrated players in all of baseball. His 2010 campaign was arguably his best season yet.

Through a series of walk-off hits, clutch hits, and just downright good hitting, Ruiz has quickly climbed the ranks amongst the best catchers in baseball. Whenever a runner needed to get knocked in, Chooch always seemed to come through at just the right time to tie a game or put the Phillies ahead. His walk-off hits included a blast off of Bryan Hawksworth of the Cardinals and smashed double off of Jonathon Broxton to cap off a Phillies rally against the Dodgers. He also broke up a perfect game from Reds’ rookie starter Travis Wood.

Throw in his gold glove caliber defense and Ruiz has become a star for the Phillies. He was signed as an infielder and who could see this coming? I didn’t. The guy is truly an amazing player and a great person as well.  

Looking Ahead:

 Ruiz is a franchise player for the Phillies. He will be back next year and I sincerely hope that he spends his remaining career here in Philadelphia. I see no reason why he cannot put up the same quality numbers next year as he has this season.

Grade: A +

Ruiz had a great season all around. I don’t think any another player will receive as high of a grade as Ruiz has in my recaps. At least any position player that is. Ruiz was the top offensive player for the Phillies and he has earned an A+ for his efforts last season.

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies!

2010 Look Back: Jimmy Rollins

My Fellow Phans,

After a long delay, I come to you with our next Phillies Look Back. For this edition, we will complete our look around the Phillies’ four infielders. Our 4^th Look Back is at Jimmy Rollins.  I have to admit that there is not much to write about positively for Rollins from this previous season. So, I apologize for the shortness of this look back.

Jimmy Rollins: 2010 stats: .243 AVG 8 HR 41 RBI (.206 AVG 0 HR 4 RBI)

Recap: 

Jimmy had a tough season. He started off at a blazing pace and then was slammed back to Earth with a pair of devastating injuries.  After he returned, he was never close to the same Rollins that we all know and love.

I really can’t put any positives to his season. He wasn’t healthy, performing, or even fielding to the same level that we know all he is capable of. Hopefully he can put this season behind him and start fresh next year.

Looking Ahead: 

Here is hoping the Rollins can put this season behind him and start anew. He will be back next year with the Phillies and who knows what will happen in the future. If Rollins is fully healthy, then I expect a big turnaround for him next season.

Grade: C-

I won’t give a failing grade to any player, but Rollins’ season was pretty bad. It could have been a lot better.

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies!

2010 Look Back: Placido Polanco

My Fellow Phans, 

Here is the look back at Phillies’ third baseman, Placido Polanco. 

Placido Polanco: 2010 stats: .298 AVG 6 HR 52 RBI (.207 AVG 0 HR 5 RBI)

Recap:

Polanco was one of the few steady points in the Phillies offense this season. In what turned out to be one of the best free agents signings of the offseason, Polanco provided the perfect 2-hole hitter for the Phillies this season. There were even times that he hit 3^rd in the lineup when the Phillies faced a tough lefty or when Chase Utley was out with an injury. 

His average may not be sparkling as he hit a rough patch at the end of the season after being drilled by a Tim Hudson pitch, but Polanco provided terrific offensive and defensive presence and was one of the unsung heroes on the Phillies this season.

One of Polanco’s greatest attributes was his baseball savvy. He is a smart baseball player and knows what to do in each and every situation thrown his way.

Like so many other Phillies, Polanco did spend time on the DL this year which helped to limit his overall production. However, the times when he was on the field, he provided a spark that few other players could and a know-how that only a small amount of players can match.

Looking Ahead:

Polanco signed a multi-year contract so it is safe to say that he will be back with the team next year. I look forward to a fully healthy season Polanco, boy how many times will I say that about a Phillies’ player; 3 for 3 and counting. Polanco gives the Phillies some options next year since he can hit anywhere in the order and do basically whatever he is asked to do.

I expect to see him, next year, just where he has been all this season; sitting in the 2-hole helping to move runners over, battling pitchers to get a good pitch to hit, and providing rock steady defense at third base. Look for him to keep his average just about the same, or higher as he is a career .303 hitter.

Grade: A-

Polanco had a quality season. Injuries, like with some many other Phillies’ players, slowed him down. 

However, his value to the Phillies is extremely high.

Until we meet again Phillies fans; Happy Readings and Go Phillies!