On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of seeing Roy Halladay throw against the Braves in Spring Training at their Wide World of Sports complex (I think that's what it is called at least) along with the rest of my college baseball team (yes, I'm on a spring training trip of my own, which explains my lack of posting this week). Doc threw well and sans a few hits it would have been a flawless outing for the new ace. He threw against Kenshin Kawakami and it was blatantly obvious that he's on a different level (not that you needed me to tell you that). I guess the point I'm trying to convey is that watching Doc Halladay pitch was exciting because you could see his command and control and dominance with each pitch. Needless to say I'm very excited to see him throw in mid-season form. 3 innings, 3 hits, 5 strikeouts for the big righty.
Other thinking points from the game:
-- Jason Heyward ... is a monster. I am thoroughly afraid of him being in the NL East in the next decade. This may be unbelievable but he's larger than Ryan Howard. Easily. Not only that he flies around the bases and has an absolute cannon from the outfield. Not to mention that he's only 20 years old and already walks with a presence wherever he is in the stadium. Should be a phenomenal pro and is rightfully so the best prospect in baseball.
-- Sadly, I didn't get to see Domonic Brown hit. We had to leave early as a group and it remains my biggest regret of the night.
-- Chase Utley was MIA on the field and despite the fact that I knew he wasn't playing I found myself searching for him all game.
-- Jayson Werth has ascended to superstar level as a Phillie. He got an ovation similar to that of Rollins and Howard. It's good to see the Wolfman getting his due for the tremendous season he put together in 2009.
Hilarious moment, someone smashed a double into the left field gap and Jay Werth literally didn't move an inch. From the pitch to contact to the end of the play his legs didn't so much as twitch. It shouldn't be noteworthy at all but it's something you wouldn't see during a telecast.
-- The Phils have a catcher on the Spring Training roster named Tuffy Gosewisch. Amazing. I hope he makes the squad.
-- Danys Baez is just awkward enough [delivery wise] that I think he'll be a successful piece of the Phillies bullpen. Relievers are more effective the weirder they are, I'm sure of it.
Coming straight for the "thank the lord, I needed to hear that" department, Jayson Stark reports in a interview with The Fan that Cole Hamels is looking fantastic down in Florida. Phew. There's a big difference between quality Florida pitching and regular season success, however it's a leap in the right direction. Here's the transcript from iSportacus:
“Cole Hamels showed up last spring throwing 77 mph…This winter, he has been a man on a mission…I’m telling you, he is throwing harder in the bullpen sessions than he threw in the games last spring.”
That's the kind of stuff Hamels needs to have written about him to be our ace again. "Man on a mission" -- kind of like his 2008 playoff performance. Kind of the way we've been praying he would pitch since he first showed his brilliance as a rookie. I only wish I had resigned him in my fantasy league before this tid bit broke. And the praise doesn't stop there, more from iSportacus:
In an article in the Delco Times, Raul Ibanez had this to say about Hamels: “Honestly, he looks great,” workout maven Raul Ibanez said, one of four hitters to face Hamels Friday. “From watching him, he’s looks stronger. He looks thicker than he did before. He looks like he’s in really good shape and excited to get going. He’s in a really good frame of mind.”
The post also talks about Hamels adding a curveball and cutter to his repertoire for the upcoming season, both of which will be on display this Friday. Well, at least Hamels is admitting that he previously had zero curveball to speak of. That lack of a third pitch speaks volumes about just how good of a pitcher he is if he can get by on two pitches alone (get by is a relative term in this context).
Well, I don't know about the rest of the Philly Phaithful, but I needed this news at some point in the Spring and I'm ecstatic now that's it's finally here.
At the end of this season, Ruben Amaro is going to be under the gun. Jayson Werth established himself as one of the Phillies best players last season and he becomes a free agent. If Jay puts together a season similar to his outstanding work in 2009, this pay day will be a big one. Werth is a four tool player who does all four of those things exceptionally: hit for power, play defense, steal bases, and throw from the outfield. That fifth tool (batting average) isn't a strong suit of his, but it's not so mediocre as to be detrimental to the ball club.
Werth started his career as a promising young outfielder drafted by the Orioles, immediately traded to the Blue Jays and moved again after a few stints in the bigs to the Dodgers. A 6'5" lanky outfielder who projected with plus-power and good speed, Jay was derailed by wrist injuries throughout his time in LA. The Phillies signed him in 2007 to platoon in the outfield and by 2008 he'd taken the position from Geoff Jenkins on a full-time basis. In '09, well you know all about the career year that the Wolfman put together. In 2010, now 31, Werth will earn himself a huge contract on the market if he continues his improved play. Another 36 homer, 20 stolen base season will all but cement a contract well above the 3 year, $30 million that Raul signed last offseason. Matt Holliday money is a little aggressive for the big right fielder because this will only be his second full season as a starter, but the money will be big and presumably, long as well.
Jayson Werth took questions about his future recently and here is some insight on the comment and situation:
MLBTR: Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer was part of the group questioning Werth about the future today. Asked if he sees himself as comparable to Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, Werth said he feels he's "a season away from something like that." Keep in mind that 2009 was the only time Werth reached 500 plate appearances in his seven-year career.
Werth says he's only had very preliminary talks with the Phillies about an extension. He wants to stay, and deferred to his agent when asked if he'd negotiate in-season. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. raised the topic a month ago, saying "there will be some difficult decisions down the road."
It seems feasible that Werth will exceed the three-year, $30MM range occupied by Raul Ibanez and Milton Bradley the previous offseason. Werth has advantages over both players, and given a strong 2010 he should be able to command four or five years at at least $12MM per.
Hardball Talk: Cliff Lee had "preliminary" talks with the Phillies too. He was shipped out of town, like, a week later. I don't think that Werth will get the same treatment -- he's quite popular in Philly and it's not like the Phillies can just go out and grab the a rightfield equivalent of Roy Halladay to take his place -- but it's going to be a little complicated.
My guess: Philly will look to lock him up with some sort of backloaded deal in which the real money kicks in after Raul Ibanez's, Brad Lidge's and maybe even Ryan Howard's money comes off the books in 2012.
My guess? The Wolfman ends up leaving town after a deal can't be done in house. I'll be sad when he goes, but if Domonic Brown plays well and Raul doesn't need an AARP card by the end of 2010, Jayson Werth might end up being the odd man out.
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The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
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The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 