Phils Win 1st Spring Exhibition Over FSU 6-1

Phils’ first taste of game action is win over FSU

Luna homers as part of five-run seventh for Philadelphia

By Todd Zolecki / MLB.com

CLEARWATER, Fla. — A five-run seventh inning broke open a close game against Florida State University as the Phillies took a 6-1 victory in their opening contest of the spring.

FSU Campus

The Phillies used Wednesday’s exhibition against the college team as an opportunity to get a look at some of their younger arms in camp.

Austin Hyatt is 25, but he still qualifies as young.

He started the game and struck out three in two perfect innings at Bright House Field.

“I’m one of the few starters whose first time it is in camp, I guess one of the younger guys, so I was happy to be called upon,” Hyatt said.

Joe Savery

Hyatt went 12-6 with a 3.86 ERA at Double-A Reading last season, making the Eastern League All-Star team in the process. Hyatt needs more seasoning in the Minor Leagues, and there certainly is no need to rush him with a big league rotation that includes Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Vance Worley and Joe Blanton.

Jake Diekman, Jeremy Horst, Michael Schwimer, Joe Savery, Phillippe Aumont and B.J. Rosenberg each threw a scoreless inning, for the Phils, who were paced on offense by Hector Luna (1-for-1, HR, two RBIs, walk) and Tyson Gillies (1-for-2, two runs, RBI, stolen base).

Hunter Pence doubled in his spring debut, while Pete Orr and Tuffy Gosewisch also recorded two-base hits.

Hyatt said he plans to soak in everything possible while he is in big league camp.

“I try to sit back and listen, pick up some things here and there,” Hyatt said. “But the guys, they make you feel welcome at the same time, so it’s not as intimidating as it may seem. It’s an honor to be around them.”

Hyatt is hoping to open the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and continue the progress he made last season.

“It definitely gets more exciting when you get closer,” he said. “It’s what you kind of work your way up the Minors for, to get closer, so yeah, I realize if you pitch well for a season, you could be there. It is nice to think about.”

Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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• Philadelphia Phillies: Offense Overcomes Slow Start in 6-1 Exhibition Win (bleacherreport.com)
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Sophomore Jinx For Vance?

Will Worley regress in sophomore season?

COREY  SEIDMAN
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There are no real reasons to expect Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels to regress in 2012. The peripherals of Lee and Hamels (walks, strikeouts, home runs allowed) fell in line with their ERAs last year, and in Halladay’s case, his supporting numbers actually outperformed his ERA. Doc finished with a 2.35 ERA that easily could have been 2.20.

The Phillies know what they’ll get from Halladay, Lee and Hamels. These are three pitchers with track records as defined as their pitching identities. Halladay is the craftsman with a killer instinct that supersedes the skill-set of whoever he faces. Lee is the pinpoint lefty who, when on his game, is better than anyone in the sport. Hamels is the ever-evolving “stuff” guy who transformed from a two-pitch pitcher into one with four weapons.

The question mark is Vance Worley. We spent the majority of 2011 waiting for the other shoe to drop … and it never really did. Does that mean we can expect him to roll right along in 2012?

Not quite.

After a complete game in San Francisco in late July, Worley improved to 7-1 with a 2.02 ERA. To that point Worley had a .199 opponents’ batting average, a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2-to-1 and only three home runs allowed in 11 starts.

Over his next 10 starts, Worley had a 4.18 ERA in 60 innings, allowing the opposition a .278 batting average. One looks at that and forms the opinion that Worley’s numbers regressed to his true talent level. But that isn’t exactly the case.

Worley’s K/BB ratio actually improved over those 10 starts. The 2-to-1 figure from the first 11 starts jumped up to nearly 3.5-to-1. Worley kept getting better, but we’re a results-based society so we noticed the increasing ERA rather than the 24-year-old’s developing process and prowess on the mound.

How can it be that Worley had a 2.02 ERA with mediocre command through the first 11 starts, then a 4.18 ERA with much-improved command over the next 10?

Two reasons: worse luck with fly balls and a higher line drive rate.
Through 11 starts, Worley allowed three home runs on 180 fly balls. The average home run per fly ball rate is around 10 percent, or one homer per 10 fly balls. Worley was at 1.6 percent, allowing one homer every 60 fly balls.

Worley wasn’t drinking a magic potion that made his fly balls die in the outfield. Some pitchers excel at keeping batters off-balance and jamming them, inducing weaker fly balls, but even they don’t sustain obscenely low home run per fly ball rates. Remember how good Halladay was his first year with the Phillies? His HR/FB rate that year was 11.3 percent.
Sure enough, seven of Worley’s next 60 fly balls left the yard to balance out his home run rate.

So that was reason No. 1 for Worley’s ERA increasing despite his better command. Reason No. 2 was an uptick in his line drives allowed.
Worley allowed line drives on 18 percent of balls in play through his first 11 starts. In his next 10, it was 26 percent. Line drives are the hardest balls to field because they travel and fall rapidly. Thus, line drives fall in for hits at a much greater rate than grounders or fly balls. Liners are hits, league-wide, about 73 percent of the time. Ground balls go for hits 23 percent of the time.

An eight-percent increase in line drives is significant, and was one of the root causes of Worley’s opponents’ batting average going from .199 to .278.

Despite those added homers and line drives during the second half of Worley’s season, we should be confident that he can be a successful major league pitcher moving forward. As mentioned several times, his command only got better as his 2011 season went on. His batting average on balls in play was reasonable, as was his strand rate.*

*BABIP and strand rate are usually the two telltale signs that a pitcher was lucky and/or underperformed despite his ERA. J.A. Happ is the best case in recent memory. Happ’s ERAs were always low in Philly despite every other number suggesting they should be high. Look what’s happened for Happ in Houston as things have balanced out.

Worley has shown that he can strike batters out. The league will catch up a bit to his two-seam fastball, but even when it does it is very hard for a right-handed batter to pull the trigger when it is running back across the plate. Any successful starter needs a go-to pitch. That two-seamer is a weapon.

Can we expect Worley to finish 2012 with an ERA of 3.01? No. But we shouldn’t expect him to have a 4.18 ERA, either. Something between 3.50 and 3.70 is reasonable. Any team would love that production from a cheap fourth starter.

For more statistical musings from Corey Seidman, visit Brotherly Glove and Phillies Nation.

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What’s In Store For Joe Blanton This Season?

Can Blanton bounce back in 2012?

COREY  SEIDMAN

Four of five rotation spots are set for the Phillies heading into 2012 — it’s hard to envision Vance Worley being asked to do anything but pick up from where he left off.

Joe Blanton, however, has a small chance of losing his starting job to Kyle Kendrick or one of the many depth-starters the Phillies signed this off-season.

It is unlikely, but if Blanton shows up to Spring Training out of shape or still feeling pain in his elbow, he could quickly become an unusable and untradeable asset.

Ricky Bottalico touched on this subject Tuesday on Comcast SportsNet’s “Phillies Hot Stove.”

“[Blanton’s] gotta come in there, prove that he’s healthy, make sure he’s coming into Spring Training at 100 percent,” Bottalico said. “If he does not do that, I think there could be problems for the Phillies. You’re basically in a situation where you may have to eat $8 million.”

Trade talks surrounded Blanton from the day after the Phillies signed Cliff Lee last winter until Blanton went on the shelf for the first time with a sore elbow. At one point, Blanton’s three-year, $24 million contract looked appealing to teams in need of a middle-of-the-rotation starter. But now, he’ll have to come back and make a handful of quality starts to generate any real trade value. Without doing so, no team will be willing to take on a significant portion of Blanton’s salary or part with an attractive enough minor leaguer to make a trade worthwhile.

“If he does come back healthy, either you give him a job as a fourth starter, or you throw him out to the wolves and see what you can get for him,” Bottalico said.

Of course, it’s a bit of a catch-22, because while you can’t trade Blanton without him proving his value, if he does come back and pitch well, the Phils might not have a reason to deal him. The upcoming season is Blanton’s last under contract with the Phillies.

Bottalico thinks Blanton can bounce back, but it should be noted that Blanton wasn’t all that effective even when healthy in 2010. In that season, Blanton had a 4.82 ERA and 1.42 WHIP in 176 innings. His control was very good, but his strike-throwing came at the expense of allowing 10.6 hits per nine innings, one full hit over his career mark. He was a bit unlucky, stranding two percent fewer baserunners than usual and seeing his balls in play drop for hits 32 percent of the time rather than 29 percent. But it wasn’t as if his high ERA could have been blamed solely on misfortune.

Blanton has been with the Phils since midway through the 2008 season, but he is still one of the toughest players to predict moving forward. His National League resume includes one impressive season in which he struck out five percent more batters than ever before (2009), one slightly less than mediocre year (2010) and one season riddled with injuries (2011).

What stood out during that 2009 season was Blanton’s changeup. Whether it was the result of a full season under changeup-maven Rich Dubee or just a fluke, Blanton that year saved 1.98 runs on every 100 changeups. Since the start of 2010, the pitch has cost Blanton 8.1 runs.
The Phils won’t need a ton from Blanton next season… 175 innings with a 4.40 ERA would suffice based on the context of Charlie Manuel’s team. Whether Blanton reaches those goals is dependent on the health of his elbow and the strength of a secondary pitch – if not the changeup than his slider.

For more statistical musings from Corey Seidman, visit Brotherly Glove and Phillies Nation SEIDMAN ON TWITTER

 

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Comparing Every Current Philadelphia Phillie to a Former Player

By Greg Pinto (Featured Columnist)

Rob Carr/Getty Images

We live in a very materialistic world where the focus of our daily lives is based on the here and now and very rarely on the future, and even more rarely, the past. The Philadelphia Phillies are certainly not exempt from this thought process. Over the last few seasons, the idea has been to “win now.”

Those guys are prospects for a reason, so we’ll trade them for a proven player. That pricey free agent would sure look nice in red pinstripes, but the depth on the bench is certainly going to suffer if we sign him.

That’s been the thought process for the last few seasons, and will be as long as the Phillies have a core of players intent on winning a World Series and calling any other result a failure. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. First and foremost, it means the Phillies are winning.

The dangerous situation is getting caught up in the here and now and turning a blind eye towards the future. We must look at the past for information and interpret it towards the future. I thought that comparing each player on the Phillies’ roster would be an interesting way to apply that idea.

This slide show will observe a player’s career to date, take his statistics, and compare them to a past player who followed a similar career path. Just for fun, maybe that player’s career can give us some insight into what the future holds for the Phillies.

Vance Worley Compares To…

…Luis Tiant and Roy Oswalt, through age 23.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Vance Worley	12	4	2.86	144	131
Luis Tiant	10	4	2.83	127	105
Roy Oswalt	14	3	2.73	141	144

2011 was the first season for Vance Worley spent primarily as a starting pitcher, and because there isn’t much of a track record here, I almost decided not to compare him to other pitchers in this regard. However, the similarities are almost too striking to Luis Tiant and Roy Oswalt to ignore.

All three of these pitchers started their careers at a young age, and all three were very underrated for their talent levels. So while most people expect to see some regression from Worley in the near future, he is certainly in some good company through age 23.

Dontrelle Willis Compares To…

…Oliver Perez*, and Bruce Hurst through age 29.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Dontrelle Willis	72	69	4.17	1221	896
Bruce Hurst	70	67	4.33	1242	877

The addition of Oliver Perez to this group is more of an editorial than anything, simply because when I think of the career path Dontrelle Willis took, I can’t help but to compare him to the former Pittsburgh Pirates‘ ace.

Both players were highly touted to begin their careers. Both players had phenomenal seasons with one team (Willis with the Florida Marlins, Perez with the Pirates) before moving on to new teams. Willis would flame out with the Detroit Tigers, Perez with the New York Mets.

Now, both are trying to revitalize their careers as relief pitchers, but because Willis has dominated lefties in recent years, he still has an MLB job.

Numbers wise, Willis compared much more favorably to Bruce Hurst, former left handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Texas Rangers.

Through most of his career, Hurst was a very solid, middle of the rotation starting pitcher, but he struggled mightily at the back end of his career, and after leaving the Padres, he had obviously left his best days behind him.

Ty Wigginton Compares To…

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

…Ed Sprague, through age 33.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	BA	OBP	SLG
Ty Wigginton	1087	232	158	548	.265	.325	.443
Ed Sprague	1010	225	152	558	.247	.318	.419

Ty Wigginton compares favorably to quite a few corner infielders who had a bit of a power strike but weren’t overly successful over the entire course of their careers, the most closely of whom is former first baseman / third baseman, Ed Sprague.

Sprague spent 11 seasons in the MLB as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Boston Red Sox. Sprague was an every day player early in his career, but by the time he had joined the A’s, found himself playing much more of a bench role, very similar to Wigginton, who will become a reserve with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Shane Victorino Compares To…

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

…Coco Crisp, through age 30.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Shane Victorino	908	166	79	354	.279	.344	.438
Coco Crisp	941	180	67	365	.277	.332	.410

This comparison surprised me a little bit. With the Philadelphia Phillies, Shane Victorino has developed into one of the game’s most well rounded players, using his speed to his advantage, but also playing well above average defense, hitting for power, and hitting for average as well.

Though on a slightly smaller scale, Coco Crisp, who recently agree to a two-year deal with the Oakland A’s, has been a very similar player. Though Victorino may be heading in a different direction as he hits his prime, through age 30 the similarities are unavoidable.

What really caught my attention was each player’s respective number of stolen bases: 162 for Victorino and 169 for Crisp.

Wilson Valdez Compares To…

…Johnny Hudson, through age 33.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Wilson Valdez	230	43	6	92	.243	.290	.330
Johnny Hudson	283	50	4	96	.242	.296	.314

As a reserve player, Wilson Valdez compares favorably to a lot of players who saw limited playing time, the most favorable of whom was former Brooklyn Dodgers infielder Johnny Hudson. “Mr. Chips,” as he was called, played for seven seasons in the MLB, also spending time with Chicago Cubs and New York Giants.

Interestingly enough, Hudson finished 25th in the league’s MVP voting in 1938, something that Valdez will likely never have the chance to do.

Chase Utley Compares To…

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

…Jeff Kent, through age 32.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Chase Utley	1198	258	188	694	.290	.377	.505
Jeff Kent	1228	274	194	793	.284	.348	.493

When he announced his retirement in 2009, Jeff Kent was widely considered one of the best offensive second baseman to ever play the game, so to be in his company through your age 33 season is certainly a good sign.

Though his career numbers may have stalled a bit due to injury, Chase Utley got off the same kind of start to his career that Kent did, and both had tremendous power hitters in the order with them at various points during their careers.

Kent is a borderline Hall of Fame player, and if Utley can match his career, the Philadelphia Phillies would be in good shape.

Jim Thome Compares To…

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

…the careers of Sammy Sosa and Frank Thomas.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Jim Thome	2287	444	604	1674	.277	.403	.556
Sammy Sosa	2408	379	609	1667	.273	.344	.534
Frank Thomas	2468	495	521	1704	.301	.419	.555

Though Jim Thome will play at least one more season with the Philadelphia Phillies, it isn’t hard to look back on his career and recognize that he is a Hall of Fame caliber player. A member of the 600 HR club, it is important to note that Thome hit all of his home runs steroid-free.

Can the same be said for former Chicago Cubs’ great Sammy Sosa, who was listed on the infamous “Mitchell Report?” Though his numbers are the closest to Thome’s, Sosa tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.

What about Frank Thomas? The “Big Hurt” never tested positive for PEDs, and his home run total does not come close to Thomes’s, though, Thomas was probably the more well-rounded hitter.

At the end of the day, the two closest comparisons to Thome’s career really put just how good the slugger has been throughout his career into perspective.

Mike Stutes Compares To…

Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images

…former Philadelphia Phillies’ relief pitcher Toby Borland?

No statistical data here, but instead, a link to an article by fellow Bleacher Report contributor Mike Lacy, who wrote about the similarities between the Phillies’ careers of retired pitcher Toby Borland and current Phils’ reliever, Mike Stutes.

When injuries plagued the Phillies’ bullpen in 2011, it was Stutes who got the call to the MLB to step in and help out. Initially, he was assigned menial tasks pitching in the middle innings, but soon enough, manager Charlie Manuel was asking him to pitch big innings and get important outs in the later innings.

Borland was called up during the strike-shortened 1994 season, but didn’t last long. Control was his ultimate downfall, and the Phillies sent him packing. However, Borland would soon return to the MLB after working on his control, and in 1995, he became an effective reliever out of the bullpen. By 1996, he was the set-up man, but ultimately faltered.

Will Stutes follow a similar career path?

Brian Schneider Compares To…

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

…the career of Pat Borders.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Brian Schneider	761	162	65	380	.247	.321	.369
Pat Borders	831	168	69	346	.253	.288	.375

There are a few catchers in the history of the game that compare favorably to the career of Brian Schneider, but Pat Borders sticks out because of how similar their careers were.

Schneider was drafted by the Montreal Expos and stayed with the club when they moved to the nation’s capital to become the Washington Nationals. Following the 2007 season, he became a back-up catcher, bounding around between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Borders had a similar career. Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, Borders was the starting catcher for most of eight seasons, but following that stint, became a back-up catcher for a slew of different teams. The only clubs he spent more than one season with, however, were the Seattle Mariners and the Cleveland Indians, and all but two of his 17 seasons in the American League.

Carlos Ruiz Compares To…

…Bo Diaz, through age 32.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Carlos Ruiz	495	121	36	231	.265	.357	393
Bo Diaz	475	99	51	271	.256	.303	.396

If Bo Diaz sounds familiar to most Phillies’ fans, he should. After all, the man was the club’s starting catcher in 1983, when the Phillies challenged the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, but ultimately came up short. Carlos Ruiz had a similar experience in 2009, when the Phillies failed to defeat the New York Yankees.

All in all, Diaz was a solid catcher. He also spent parts of his MLB career with the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Cincinnati Reds.

Pound for pound, Ruiz is probably the better catcher, but through their age 32 seasons, there are a few surprising similarities.

Jimmy Rollins Compares To…

…Alan Trammell, through age 32.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Jimmy Rollins	1866	388	170	725	.272	.329	.432
Alan Trammell	1926	329	152	810	.288	.355	.420

Jimmy Rollins and Alan Trammell may not be the closest comparison on this list, but as far as the Philadelphia Phillies’ shortstop is concerned, the former Detroit Tigers’ great posted the numbers closest to his own, the next best being Craig Biggio.

Being in Trammell’s company is definitely a good thing, as he spent his entire 20-season career with the Tigers, building a fringe Hall of Fame career in the process.

Rollins follows a similar path. The Phillies’ shortstop is in an excellent position to spend his entire career in Philadelphia, and at the end of the day, he has something that Trammell’s Hall of Fame resume does not: An MVP Award.

Placido Polanco Compares To…

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

…Julio Franco and Tony Fernandez, through age 35.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Placido Polanco	1966	320	101	681	.301	.346	.406
Julio Franco	1922	299	120	861	.301	.363	.419
Tony Fernandez	1925	333	77	682	.282	.338	.392

Who would have thought that at some point in the future, we would be able to find a way to compare Placido Polanco to Julio Franco, former member of the Philadelphia Phillies traded to the Cleveland Indians as part of the infamous “five-for-one” deal that brought Von Hayes to Philadelphia? Well, here we go.

Franco, of course, will forever be known for the longevity of his career. He played for several different teams, his best years with the Texas Rangers, and when he retired after the 2008 season, Franco was 48-years-old.

Another player who had a similar approach at the plate to Polanco and Franco was Tony Fernandez. Fernandez spent most of his big league career with the Toronto Blue Jays, but like Franco, had a long career, jumping from team to team on one-year deals at the end.

Hunter Pence Compares To…

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

…Aubrey Huff and Rondell White, through age 28.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Hunter Pence	835	157	114	412	.292	.343	.485
Aubrey Huff	805	157	120	421	.288	.342	.478
Rondell White	830	167	103	391	.294	.349	.479

For me personally, this was the most surprising comparison on the list.

Today, when we think of Hunter Pence, we think of one of the game’s best right fielders. With the ability to hit for average and power, play above average defense, and run, he is a legitimate five-tool player, and has proven so throughout his career.

When I think of Pence, Aubrey Huff isn’t exactly the first person that comes to mind. The current member of the San Francisco Giants was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and had a few nice seasons before moving on to the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and now, the Giants.

Rondell White was drafted by the Montreal Expos and spent most of his career there before bounding around on one-year deals, though he did spend two years with the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, and Detroit Tigers, respectively.

Needless to say, the numbers are the only things that tie these three players together, and while I would like to say that Pence has the most upside, this certainly makes you stop and wonder.

Jonathan Papelbon Compares To…

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

…Mariano Rivera, Trevor Hoffman, and Bryan Harvey, through age 30.

	W	L	ERA	SV	GF	SO
Jonathan Papelbon	23	19	2.33	219	334	509
Mariano Rivera	33	17	2.63	165	245	395
Trevor Hoffman	34	25	2.77	188	300	507
Bryan Harvey	17	25	2.34	171	268	438

If you want to know the real reason that the Philadelphia Phillies wanted Jonathan Papelbon to be their closer moving forward, this is it. Talk about elite company.

Papelbon closely compares to New York Yankees’ closer Mariano Rivera, who has more saves than any man in the history of the game. He also compares closely with the next man on that list, Trevor Hoffman, who dominated the ninth inning with the San Diego Padres.

The fourth name on this list belongs to a lesser known closer of the California Angels, Bryan Harvey. He led all of baseball in saves in 1991, and would eventually save 40 games for the Florida Marlins after joining them in the expansion draft.

Laynce Nix Compares To…

Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

…Scott Hairston, through age 30.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Laynce Nix	409	96	64	226	.244	.288	.430
Scott Hairston	204	413	68	198	.245	.303	.435

The Philadelphia Phillies brought Laynce Nix aboard this winter to help out at the plate against right handed pitching, and interestingly enough, they also had some interest (and may continue to pursue) free agent outfielder Scott Hairston.

With both players being bench players at this point in their careers, these two compare favorably to a number of different players, but this is certainly this closest match. Hairston spent four years with the Arizona Diamondbacks before bouncing around to a number of teams, most recently, the New York Mets.

John Mayberry Jr. Compares To…

…John Mayberry Sr.

Why not?

After struggling to make a name for himself prior to 2011, John Mayberry Jr. struggled with the Philadelphia Phillies to the point that there just isn’t enough of a track record to compare his stats against MLB players.

Instead, let us compare him to his father, John Mayberry Sr., who 15 seasons in the MLB and gave his son those good baseball genes to get him to the show. Mayberry Sr. spent the bulk of his career with the Kansas City Royals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Houston Astros, also spend a year with the New York Yankees.

A big, powerful guy, he had a similar build to his son. Mayberry Sr. would go on to slug 255 home runs in his career—a number I’m sure the Phillies would like to see his son eclipse.

Cliff Lee Compares To…

…Don Newcombe, through age 32.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Cliff Lee	119	69	3.65	1641	1323
Don Newcombe	130	73	3.54	1796	966

Any pitcher looking to succeed should be happy with the ability to compare himself to former Brooklyn Dodgers’ pitcher Don Newcombe at any point in his career. Cliff Lee can say that, as through age 32, he has posted similar numbers to the former Dodger.

Both lefties, the numbers aren’t the only similarities. Both Lee and Newcombe won a Cy Young Award, and both were traded for underwhelming hauls during their careers.

Kyle Kendrick Compares To…

Rob Carr/Getty Images

…Joe Blanton, through age 26.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Kyle Kendrick	43	30	4.41	598	275
Joe Blanton	42	34	4.10	633	369

I’m really not sure whether or not this is good news for Kyle Kendrick.

First and foremost, the obvious comparison here is that both Kendrick and Joe Blanton play for the Philadelphia Phillies (and yes, Blanton will still get his own slide.) Kendrick was acquired via the draft, Blanton via trade from the Oakland Athletics.

Outside of the numbers, however, the careers of these two players have been quite different. The Phillies thought enough of Blanton to move top prospects for him in 2008 to bolster their playoff run, but didn’t think enough of Kendrick to leave him in the starting rotation in 2011, opting to spend more than $100 million on Cliff Lee in free agency.

Ryan Howard Compares To…

J. Meric/Getty Images

…Richie Sexson, through age 31.

	H	2B	HR	RBI	AVG	OBP	SLG
Ryan Howard	1043	189	286	864	.275	.368	.560
Richie Sexson	1135	230	273	844	.269	.350	.526

As long as Ryan Howard’s career takes him nowhere near Safeco Field in Seattle, as Richie Sexson’s did, this may not even be a relevant comparison by the time Howard retires at some point in the future.

Outside of their handedness, there are obvious comparisons for these two first basemen. First and foremost is the raw power. By the time Sexson retired, he had hit 306 home runs, and Howard is on pace to shatter that milestone.

The real question is Howard’s health. Will that Achilles tendon be the bane of his career, in much of the same way that injuries slowed down Sexson?

Cole Hamels Compares To…

…John Smiley, through age 27.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Cole Hamels	74	54	3.39	1161	1091
John Smiley	76	51	3.49	1095	697

This may not be the comparison that some people were expecting for Cole Hamels, but let’s not forget, before 2010, you would have fought tooth and nail for the right to call Hamels an “ace.”

Now that he has established himself as just that and his career is on a completely different track, comparing him to John Smiley seems a bit silly at first glance. After all, Smiley would only be in the MLB until age 32.

Through age 27, however, the two lefties had very similar careers. Smiley’s longest tenure was with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he also spent five seasons with the Cincinnati Reds.

What uniform will Cole Hamels be wearing in 2013?

Roy Halladay Compares To…

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

…Mike Mussina, through age 34.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Roy Halladay	188	92	3.23	2531	1934
Mike Mussina	199	110	3.53	2668	2126

There are a few surprising comparisons on this list, and this is one that caught me off guard. With the way he has pitched in recent seasons, I think that some Philadelphia Phillies’ fans would expect to see Roy Halladay’s name listed with an all-time great. Instead, he is listed with another workhorse: Mike Mussina. (I’ll leave whether or not Mussina is an “all-time great” or not up to your discretion.)

Mussina spent his career with the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, and though he never won a Cy Young Award, “Moose” was the model of consistency. The same could be said for Halladay, who throws up similar, outstanding numbers year in and year out, and owns two Cy Young Awards.

Jose Contreras Compares To…

Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images

…the career of Cory Lidle.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Jose Contreras	77	67	4.54	1154	869
Cory Lidle	82	72	4.57	1322	838

With Jose Contreras’ days as a starting pitcher well in the rear-view mirror, I think it is safe to look at the 40-year-old’s career in hindsight. Before his days with the Philadelphia Phillies, Contreras was known for his work as a starting pitcher for the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox.

Oddly enough, his career was very similar to the one by another former Phillie and Yankee, Cory Lidle. When the Phillies were not a competitive team in the mid 2000s, the club acquired Lidle from the Cincinnati Reds for very little. He would later be sent to the Yankees in the same deal that sent Bobby Abreu to the Bronx Bombers.

Domonic Brown Compares To…

…the build and skill-set of Darryl Strawberry.

Without much statistical evidence to go off of here, we’ll compare Domonic Brown to the player that scouts believe he can become, and then some: Former New York Mets’ outfielder Darryl Strawberry.

It is hard to ignore the similarities. Both are tall outfielders with great baseball talent. Both were left handed and both have incredible potential at the plate. Though Strawberry never had much of a batting average, he had surprising power and excellent on-base skills, including instinctive base running.

Joe Blanton Compares To…

Denis Poroy/Getty Images

…Aaron Harang, through age 30.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Joe Blanton	73	62	4.32	1243	812
Aaron Harang	69	66	4.25	1177	981

Because Joe Blanton has never done anything overly spectacular in his career (well, on the mound anyway, because his home run in the World Series was pretty spectacular,) his career compares favorably to a number of middle of the road pitchers (including Oil Can Boyd, who has the best name of the group.)

One name that caught my eye is Aaron Harang, who signed a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers this winter. Both are big right handed starters with similar repertoires. Neither relies on his fastball and neither has an excellent off-speed pitch.

Perhaps the greatest similarity is their proficiency for underwhelming results.

Antonio Bastardo Compares To…

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

…Bill Bray, through age 25.

	W	L	ERA	IP	SO
Antonio Bastardo	10	4	3.86	100	115
Bill Bray	8	7	3.86	112	107

This may be an outside the box comparison, but in the long run, the results speak for themselves. The greatest similarity between Antonio Bastardo and Bill Bray of the Cincinnati Reds is their handedness. Both operate as left handed specialists, though Bastardo has shown to be effective against right handed hitters as well.

It’s a small sample size, and if 2011 was any indication, Bastardo’s career may end up going in a completely different direction. The Phillies’ sure hope so. The success of their bullpen depends on it.

For up to the minute Phillies’ news, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

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The Phightin' Phils

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Philadelphia Phillies Active Roster as of January 5th 2012

Philadelphia Phillies Active Roster

#	Pitchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
	Phillippe Aumont	L-R	6’7″	255	Jan 7, 1989
58	Antonio Bastardo	R-L	5’11″	195	Sep 21, 1985
56	Joe Blanton	R-R	6’3″	245	Dec 11, 1980
52	Jose Contreras	R-R	6’4″	255	Dec 6, 1971
37	Justin De Fratus	S-R	6’4″	220	Oct 21, 1987
	Jake Diekman	L-L	6’4″	190	Jan 21, 1987
34	Roy Halladay	R-R	6’6″	230	May 14, 1977
35	Cole Hamels	L-L	6’3″	195	Dec 27, 1983
57	David Herndon	R-R	6’5″	230	Sep 4, 1985
38	Kyle Kendrick	R-R	6’3″	210	Aug 26, 1984
33	Cliff Lee	L-L	6’3″	190	Aug 30, 1978
58	Jonathan Papelbon	R-R	6’4″	225	Nov 23, 1980
66	J.C. Ramirez	R-R	6’3″	225	Aug 16, 1988
55	Joe Savery	L-L	6’3″	215	Nov 4, 1985
39	Michael Schwimer	R-R	6’8″	240	Feb 19, 1986
40	Michael Stutes	R-R	6’1″	185	Sep 4, 1986
	Dontrelle Willis	L-L	6’4″	225	Jan 12, 1982
49	Vance Worley	R-R	6’2″	230	Sep 25, 1987
#	Catchers	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
31	Erik Kratz	R-R	6’4″	255	Jun 15, 1980
51	Carlos Ruiz	R-R	5’10″	205	Jan 22, 1979
23	Brian Schneider	L-R	6’1″	210	Nov 26, 1976
	Sebastian Valle	R-R	6’1″	170	Jul 24, 1990
#	Infielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
71	Freddy Galvis	S-R	5’10″	170	Nov 14, 1989
75	Harold Garcia	S-R	5’11″	190	Oct 25, 1986
74	Cesar Hernandez	S-R	5’10″	160	May 23, 1990
6	Ryan Howard	L-L	6’4″	240	Nov 19, 1979
19	Michael Martinez	S-R	5’9″	145	Sep 16, 1982
27	Placido Polanco	R-R	5’10″	190	Oct 10, 1975
11	Jimmy Rollins	S-R	5’8″	170	Nov 27, 1978
	Jim Thome	L-R	6’3″	250	Aug 27, 1970
26	Chase Utley	L-R	6’1″	200	Dec 17, 1978
21	Wilson Valdez	R-R	5’11″	170	May 20, 1978
	Ty Wigginton	R-R	6’0″	230	Oct 11, 1977
#	Outfielders	B/T	Ht	Wt	DOB
16	John Bowker	L-L	6’1″	205	Jul 8, 1983
9	Domonic Brown	L-L	6’5″	205	Sep 3, 1987
	Tyson Gillies	L-R	6’2″	195	Oct 31, 1988
15	John Mayberry	R-R	6’6″	230	Dec 21, 1983
	Laynce Nix	L-L	6’1″	220	Oct 30, 1980
3	Hunter Pence	R-R	6’4″	220	Apr 13, 1983
8	Shane Victorino	S-R	5’9″	190	Nov 30, 1980