News Of Former Phillies 2018

[David_Criss]

Man I remember Scott VanSlyke was one of the players some on here wanted in the Hamels package had he been dealt to LA. Just goes to show you a prospect is still only a prospect until they show it at the Major League level.

[Philsmania]

Man I remember Scott VanSlyke was one of the players some on here wanted in the Hamels package had he been dealt to LA. Just goes to show you a prospect is still only a prospect until they show it at the Major League level.

See also Blake Swihart who they asked for back from the Red Sox for Hamels and who was at one time a top 20 prospect. And, others here chided the Phillies on letter one-time draft pick Andrew Susac--once a top 100 prospect--get away.

[mdougherty12]

Scott Van Slyke was a solid platoon player for a few years, but he was never really a touted prospect, and he's 32 at this point.

[zambonir]

Yeah, Van Slyke was more someone we wanted who could play OF for the Phillies right away, someone you might roll the dice on as still being more than a 4th OF at that point.

[Philsmania]

MLBTR mentions David Bell as a candidate for the Blue Jays' and Reds' managerial openings. I didn't know he has been the Giants VP for Player Development. Apparently, the Giants have also eyed him as Bruce Bochy's potential ultimate replacement.

[mdougherty12]

Chase Utley may have played his last game:

Chase Utley's career may have come to a premature end

[zambonir]

I imagine the Dodgers will win this series but he's probably done, if anything they'd drop a position player.

[EastFallowfield]

The writing on the wall was when he was on the DL after their trades until the roster expanded.

[andyb]

I note the change in playoff rosters to start carrying 12 pitchers. In recent years teams would often drop the 5th starter for an extra bench player in a short series. It is just more common to have 6 relievers in a game these days so the bench loses. No more Terrence Gore pinch running specialists.

[Philsmania]

I note the change in playoff rosters to start carrying 12 pitchers. In recent years teams would often drop the 5th starter for an extra bench player in a short series. It is just more common to have 6 relievers in a game these days so the bench loses. No more Terrence Gore pinch running specialists.

Only ten years ago, the Phillies cut down to 11 pitchers for the Postseason. They kept the fifth starter Happ up for the bullpen while dropping Seanez who had been with the team for just about the entire season.

[EastFallowfield]

So far Eric Kratz is doing better in this postseason than J.A. Happ. Kratz doing the 'star of the game' type post gm interview.

[EastFallowfield]

Kratz again gets the post game interview, miked up for the game, hit .625 in the sweep, guess I’m a Brewers fan now.

[zambonir]

I guess Kratz already has a ring on a technicality but this would mean more, obviously (and would mean more than Chase getting another one IMO).

[el-pietro]

ullpen while dropping Seanez who had been with the team for just abou

I would support the Brewers in this years playoffs if it weren't for Ryan Braun. Hes a cheat, a liar and he has shown himself to be an individual of low moral fibre. He threw that courier under a bus and I don't believe he ever apologised.
I'm not a fan of players cheating, but I could probably perform enough cognitive gymnastics to allow myself to support a player who has cheated in the past if they were on my team or a team I otherwise liked. But not Braun. Hes detestable. Its frustrating too because there aren't any other teams left that I like all that much. It would be the Astros but for the Osuna business. I guess I'm stuck cheering for the Dodgers and hoping Chase Utley can get a ring.

[zambonir]

Yeah the Astros are tarnished for me this year. And you're not wrong about Braun.

[allentown]

The Dodgers are tarnished by the burgeoning Latin American recruiting scandal.

[andyb]

We did not learn the truth until afterwards, but we kind of embraced Lenny Dykstra when he was probably a poster child for cheating (as if someone asked you in 1993 for a list of the 5 most likely cheaters in baseball how could Dykstra not have been one of the answers?).

Unfortunately what Braun did was probably done by a huge percentage of players. Some we know, some we'll never be sure about. I am fine penalizing players for the Hall of Fame based on cheating. At least making it harder for them to get in all other things being equal. But at the same time we'd have to hate everybody if we used those criteria. Same with all the players that lied about your age. I imagine most of us would have done the same thing in their situation (i.e. get a higher bonus by lying about your age).

[Philsmania]

Happy to see Kratz, a local guy, do well.

[David_Criss]

Braun, Bonds, etc. etc. The only player I recall from teh steroid era who I had more respect for before than after was Andy Pettite. And it is hard to root for a Yankees member. But he immediately apologized and took ownership. To me he took a chance and got caught and didn't play the victim card or try to make excuses.

[phillychuck]

Ryan Madson, who somehow became 38 years old, picked up the win with 2/3 of an inning of middle relief today for the Dodgers.