News Of Former Phillies 2018

andyb 2018-04-10 12:20:46 UTC #41

22.8 WAR so far. Not too bad.

David_Criss 2018-04-10 13:49:39 UTC #42

Hamels is 34....Something tells me he will be okay, though. The Rangers traded for him to be the ace the last couple of years, that was their hope to push them into the playoffs. Here is an article mentioning he could be a trade target for the Phillies as he winds down his career. Next year the Rangers can pay him $6 million to not pitch for them or $20 million to pitch for them. Hoping he does well and can get traded somewhere and go out on top. Maybe he should grow the beard back???

It is sad how many former Phillies were able to find room in the Rangers organization: Joseph and Alvarez at AA and Rupp at AAA. Kinda tells ya a little bit about their farm system. ....Meanwhile Flaherty looks pretty good as the Braves starting 3B, but I digress.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/cole-hamels-no-trade-list-reveals-possible-landing-spots-for-midseason-deal/ar-AAvr04r

andyb 2018-04-10 15:12:53 UTC #43

It will be interesting to see how Hamels ages if he wants to play a few more years. A pitcher with a great changeup can still be effective without peak velocity. The "remaking" of his game would be less extensive than what an Arrieta would have to do to win throwing 90. Clearly the lack of velocity on Hamels is more pronounced now (though also early season), so he is less enticing as a midseason pickup than he looked like previously. Hopefully this plays out well for him.

Philsmania 2018-04-10 15:14:44 UTC #44

This may be just anecdotal but lefties often seem to fare better without high-octane stuff.

zambonir 2018-04-10 17:28:27 UTC #45

Given his career numbers I can't imagine Flaherty's hot streak will continue, especially the more he plays, though maybe he's one of those magical late bloomers, especially in this age of rebuilt swings. If he was still in Philly he'd be taking away SS playing time from Kingery though.

Philsmania 2018-04-12 16:33:34 UTC #46

Travis D'Araud tears his UCL and may require Tommy John surgery. They guy just can't stay healthy.

David_Criss 2018-04-12 19:35:34 UTC #47

Watch them trade for Rupp

zambonir 2018-04-12 21:26:40 UTC #48

I thought of that too, though it certainly wouldn't bother me.

Philsmania 2018-04-13 18:51:48 UTC #49

One-time piece of the infamous Cliff Lee to Seattle trade J.C. Ramirez who ultimately resurfaced as a serviceable pitcher with the Angels will miss the rest of the season with Tommy John surgery.

mdougherty12 2018-04-14 19:24:35 UTC #50

Michael Schwimer back in the news:

el-pietro 2018-04-18 15:36:57 UTC #51

Chase Utley has now been hit by pitches 200 times.

I miss him.

tom81 2018-04-18 22:01:54 UTC #52

It would be cool if Jesse made his ML debut tonight against the Phillies.

xogfog 2018-04-20 04:26:34 UTC #53

Alec Asher DFA'd by the Brewers

andyb 2018-04-20 15:58:26 UTC #54

Much more on the venture here:

Philsmania 2018-04-20 16:03:02 UTC #55

It's been a long road for Biddle, finally making it to The Show in his eighth year as a pro and after so many setbacks.

BostonRoss 2018-04-20 16:45:08 UTC #56

According to baseball-almanac.com, Curt Simmons is now the 100th oldest living MLB player. Former Phillies coach Billy DeMars is 30th.

(Of course, this list changes frequently...)

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/Oldest_Living_Baseball_Players.php

el-pietro 2018-04-20 16:57:34 UTC #57

Very interesting. I think its a good idea for a lot of players but I suspect (as is hinted at towards the end) that this isn't as altruistic as Schwimer implies. He isn't offering these sort of deals to organisation catchers or players with a very slim chance of making the majors.

Schwimer is an interesting guy. I think he used to write for PhuturePhils and was very thoughtful back then when he was in his early to mid 20s. Glad to see hes made good outside of the game. I hope that this business is not acting as a vulture on young poorly educated south and central american players who are desperate.

andyb 2018-04-20 17:06:00 UTC #58

I am not fundamentally against the venture. It is probably something the top 100 or so prospects should not do, however. Plus they tend to be the ones with signing bonuses. Maikel Franco did not get a large LA bonus (about $100K if I recall) so he might have been the type of mid-level prospect where this makes sense. They need to be making money on this though, so I am guessing the percentage they take is substantial in an actuarial sense. So if you have $500K in the bank from a bonus it may not be a great idea to give up 5%-10% of your future salary.

I do feel good whenever a guy like Yacksel Rios without a huge bonus makes the show. Getting paid $3,000 a day is worth it after making $1,100 a month. Whether this type of thing would make sense for someone like him would be interesting, though as you say it is possible they don't even bother with guys like Rios because there is too much risk.

Philsmania 2018-04-20 17:14:11 UTC #59

Simmons is one of only three remaining Whiz Kids but not the oldest, those being Bob Miller (#47) and Paul Stuffel (#56).

The oldest living Phillie is Wally Westlake (#6 on the above list), per this list here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/List_of_oldest_living_major_league_players_from_each_team He is also the oldest living Oriole, Pirate and Cardinal.

Meanwhile, baseball-reference is keeping a list of the last-living Philadelphia Athletics. Frankly, I'm surprised that fourteen are still left as of today.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/List_of_living_Philadelphia_Athletics_players

el-pietro 2018-04-20 17:23:27 UTC #60

Or maybe guys like Rios are a good target but on much smaller up front payments. Relief pitchers who might make it to the majors for 2-3 years and might be willing to give up say 20% of their earnings for 50k.

The story about a player eating from a dumpster may or may not be true, but the fact that its even possible should really sting MLB. No professional sports player should be struggling for food. They should earn a living wage at the very minimum. Even if thats just during the season and they need to find part time jobs in the winter.