Top 3 pressing topics for Phillies

by schrifty on Feb 19, 2008 11:46 AM EST

I was curious to see what people viewed as the 3 most pressing topics for the Phillies during spring training are. After a long offseason, the Phils still have quite a few questions that remain. My top 3, in no particular order:

The emergence of a 5th starter: The Phillies signed 2 rule 5 draftees, chad durbin, kris benson and still have adam eaton and j.d. durbin. One or both Durbin's are likely to go to the bullpen and be possible insurance policies. Benson is a question mark and likely won't be ready until may. The rule fivers don't seem to be realistic options unless they move to bullpen as well. Adam Eaton is getting paid a fortune to compete for the lowest rotation spot if the Phils are really viewing this as a competition. Where the Phils find the spring training time to actually get a read on this many guys??

Wes Helms situation: Helms' warm body may be at camp but, that is all he really is doing there is providing a warm body. The Phils will likely try to showcase him early in camp and hope he produces. Otherwise they may have to buy him out.

Bullpen: Even though I have faith in Lidge, MAdson, Romero and Gordon to get it done, the rest of the bullpen is a real question mark. Can alll of these converted starters provide solid innings out the bullpen when needed. Even though Geary slumped part of last season he has provided a mostly reliable arm for the last few seasons.

Can the PHillies trade for bullpen help?
Will Zagurski make the team?
Will clay condrey be sent to minors more than 5 times this season?
Stay tuned and please write ur top 3!

0 recs | Comment 5 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Re: Top 3 pressing topics for Phillies

Fifth starters are not terribly important, or at least not as such. The problems with the Phillies' rotation are (a) the level of uncertainty they have with their third and fourth starters and (b) the fact that Cole Hamels is a relatively high injury risk.

by taco pal on Feb 19, 2008 3:03 PM EST 0 recs

Re: Top 3 pressing topics for Phillies

Zagurski will miss at least the first month or two rehabbing from his hammy tear last last season. I think Chad Durbin is pretty much a lock for the fifth bullpen guy job, and the last one or two slots will be fought over in camp.

One thing to keep in mind is that both J.D. Durbin and Francisco Rosario are out of options, so the Phils will lose either/both if they don't make the 25-man. Both guys have the sort of "live arms" that teams like to take chances on.

For me, the play here would be to try and package one of these guys with Helms to get a better prospect, but I have no idea if that's realistic or not.

by dajafi on Feb 19, 2008 3:08 PM EST 0 recs

Re: Top 3 pressing topics for Phillies

Pedro Feliz.

His bat is going to kill them. Hopefully they dont trade helms. they'll need a backup stick.

by em3 on Feb 20, 2008 9:40 AM EST 0 recs

Re: Top 3 pressing topics for Phillies

5th rotation spot. Fortunatley, the Phils have plenty of options to fill this hole, but the question is which, if any, pan out ? Personally I think Eaton will have somewhat of a comeback year, which means he'll post an ERA of about 5.00, maybe slightly under. That's not great, but Chad Durbin dosn't exactly have a track record, and could be a disaster in the rotation, yet an asset in the 'pen. I must admit i'm intruiged by the rule 5 guys, and i'd like to see them given a decent shot in S.T, and should they perform then let them have a crack at the rotation in April and see how they pan out. Remember, Johan Santana was once a rule 5 pick. Obviously if Benson comes back in May and is healthy, then he's the obvious choice, but until then there's nothing wrong with taking a gamble on one of the youngsters rather than settle for Eaton's mediocrity.
Keep the good, fun atmosphere going. This could be at risk over Howards whole arbitration case, but as long as they handle it correctly they'll be fine. I really like the way they are having fun at the moment, and it could lead to them producing well in April for a change. A good April could potentially mean a 95+ win season.
Don't get injured ! As long as we stay healthy for the majority of the year, we'll be just fine. The bullpen will be a real plus if we can avoid injuries, especially without useless veterans such as Mesa and Alfonseca holding the young arms back this year.

Here's to the Phillies winning 100 in '08.

by fredex1 on Feb 21, 2008 5:50 AM EST 0 recs

Re: Top 3 pressing topics for Phillies

great post! I hope the phillies don't use eaton's contract number as a detriment to the rotation. If he is not the best pitcher, don't let him pitch.
Buster Olney was on the radio yesterday and said the reason teams are not signing guys like Lohse, Fogg, and Jeff Weaver is because of how bad Adam Eaton looks at his salary amount. They figure they would rather pull someone cheap out of their minors or free agency then go for a veteran middle to bottom rotation guy. Adam Eaton has lost money now for many veteran pitchers!! Cracks me up! Don't let him go out every 5th day!! Bring back Paul Abbott!

by schrifty on Feb 21, 2008 7:58 AM EST up 0 recs