Phillies Settle on Vincent Velasquez as 5th Starter

That battle began as a four-man scrum among the righty/lefty incumbent pair of David Buchanan and Adam Morgan, and the righty/lefty newcomer pair of Vincent Velasquez and Brett Oberholtzer.

Buchanan was knocked out early, as his Grapefruit League performances only served to remind everyone that he is a mediocre big league option at best. The club decision-makers then made the choice to go with Oberholtzer as a left-handed option out of the bullpen.

Those moves left the battle as a head-to-head one between Morgan and Velasquez. Both have pitched well throughout the spring, and Morgan was left-handed, so there were some who saw him as having the inside track.

However, the club decided to go with the power arm of Velasquez over the organizational pitcher Morgan.

"It was a very tough decision," manager Pete Mackanin said per Philly.com's Matt Gelb. 

"It was a nice situation to have to decide something because we think the world of Morgan. He pitched very well this spring. We like both of them. We like Velasquez' power arm. We want to see him in the big leagues. We know what Morgan is capable of doing. Nobody ever stays with five starters the whole year so he's going to be back in the big leagues this year."

Morgan battled back from shoulder injuries to finally make his big league debut last season. The 26-year old had been the Phillies' 2nd round pick in the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft.

Velasquez came in the big Ken Giles trade with Houston as one of the centerpieces of that deal. Many have seen him as a future bullpen arm, possibly a closer. 

But at least for now, the 23-year old who was the Astros' 2nd round pick in the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft has earned a rotation spot.

Morgan did nothing to lose the battle. Over nine Grapefruit League innings he has allowed just four hits and two earned runs. 

However, Velasquez has been overpowering at times. He has allowed just 15 hits in 20 innings, with a 24/7 K:BB ratio.

The Phillies would love to think that they can get through the season with the starting rotation of Jeremy Hellickson, Aaron Nola, Charlie Morton, Jerad Eickhoff, and Velasquez, but that is unrealistic. 

Whether due to injury, ineffectiveness, or trade, there will be openings and opportunities. Morgan is putting himself front and center for the first shot.

Brett Oberholtzer Favored in Phillies 5th Starter Battle

The Philadelphia Phillies will have an interesting, competitive battle in spring training for the 5th starter role in the pitching rotation.

As pitchers and catchers begin their first workouts this morning, the working assumption among all of the experts and insiders that follow the team closely is that the first four spots in the 2016 starting pitching rotation are already set.

Newcomer Jeremy Hellickson from Arizona, newcomer Charlie Morton from Pittsburgh, and returning sophomores Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff are pretty much penned into those first four rotation slots in some order.

That leaves the fifth starter role still to be decided. This is a spot that is frequently skipped over early in the season. 

If manager Pete Mackanin wants to go with his four best as often as possible, giving them a normal four days of rest, then the fifth starter would only be needed twice in April.

The Phillies have three off-days built into the schedule during that first month of the 2016 regular season already. 

Assuming no cancellations for inclement weather or other circumstances, a fifth starter would only be needed on April 13th at home vs. the San Diego Padres, and again on April 18th at home vs. the New York Mets.

Of course, the skipper may decide to spread his starters out a bit the first few weeks, giving them more rest early in the season. 

In any event, as the calendar flips into May the need for a fifth starter will come on a much more consistent basis.

The fight for that fifth starter role is likely to come down to four pitchers:

Phillies 2015 Report Card: Starting Pitchers

To fashion the worst Philadelphia Phillies season since 1972, a deficiency in talent and results from the 2015 starting pitching rotation was a key element. 

However, mixed in with those deficiencies were a few notable bright spots.

Fifteen different pitchers took the mound at the start of a game for the Phillies this past season. 

Thirteen of those made at least five starts apiece, while seven received double-digit starting assignments.

Those seven who did receive at least 10 starts all received at least 13. They will receive grades on their performances, along with the next highest, who received eight starts.

If others want to waste time grading the performances of the other seven starting pitchers individually, that’s fine. 

Suffice it to say that both individually and as a group, they receive an ‘F’ from me.

Phillies 2015 Winter Banquet Circuit

Phillies Winter Banquets coming in late January 2015

The Phillies Winter Banquet circuit takes players, coaches and staff on a tour around the various minor league affiliates as an opportunity for fans in those locales to meet the big leaguers. It is also an important fund-raising charitable opportunity.

Phils manager Ryne Sandberg leads the contingent this time around, and he will be joined by various players at the different minor league venues in Lakewood, Reading, and out in the Lehigh Valley.

On Tuesday evening, January 20th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Reading, PA the doors will open for a cocktail hour beginning at 5:30pm. This will be followed by the actual banquet at 6:30pm. In addition to Sandberg, the scheduled guests of honor are players Ben Revere, Domonic Brown, and Ken Giles. 

This event in Reading will benefit Baseballtown Charities. For reservations you can call 610-370-BALL, or visit the Ticket Office at FirstEnergy Stadium in Reading, or visit Fightins.com for more information. Baseballtown Charities keeps the game alive in Reading through programs that honor the city’s baseball history, and secure its future by giving kids the chance to play and learn from the game’s life lessons.

The banquet circuit moves to the Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood, NJ the following evening of January 21st. Here the gates will open at 6pm, with the event beginning at 6pm. A full 3-course dinner will be served, and your $40 tickets will benefit BlueClaws Charities and their community partners program.

The guests of honor in Lakewood are again scheduled to be Sandberg and players Revere, Brown, and Giles. Tickets can be purchased online at the Lakewood Blue Claws MiLB site, or by calling JoAnne Bell at 732-901-7000 ext 100. You will be asked to choose between Roast Sliced Sirloin, Chicken Francaise, or Flounder Bella Vista for your dinner main course.

Finally, the Lehigh Valley banquet stop will take place on Thursday, January 22nd, with a cocktail hour beginning at 6pm at the Sands Event Center in Bethlehem, PA. Tickets here are $85 per person, tables of 10 for $775. There are also “Championship Table” setups available at $1,500 which allow entrance to a private pre-event reception.

This Lehigh Valley event benefits IronPigs Charities, and the guests of honor include Sandberg, Revere, and Brown joined this time by both Darin Ruf and David Buchanan. To order tickets, call 610-841-PIGS, or you can email Dana DeFilippo at ddefilippo@ironpigsbaseball.com, or order online at the Lehigh Valley IronPigs winter banquet site.

What Will Ruben Amaro Do Next?

After JRoll trade, Amaro still has a lot of work ahead of him

There are two main things that we know for sure about the Phillies. First, they have publicly stated that they want to shed high-salaried and aging veterans, move on from the 2000’s core, and rebuild.

Secondly, the Philadelphia Phillies have to fill a roster and field a team in the 2015 season, even if we know in advance that the this team is not likely to be a contender for even a Wildcard playoff spot.

So with those two things in mind, let’s examine what is on the agenda for Ruben Amaro over the next 2-3 months, before and then into the opening of spring training in Clearwater in February.

SHEDDING SALARY, MOVING VETERANS

Amaro will be looking at any and all offers that come in for the group of players fitting the bill. This includes Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Marlon Byrd, Jonathan Papelbon, and Carlos Ruiz. It also includes

Phillies Christmas Gifts

Whether in stores or online, still time to Christmas shop

Christmas time is here, and with less than a week to shop for the big day, the Philadelphia Phillies and local merchants have a slew of items in all price ranges for any fan on your list.

At Phillies.com, the team offers membership to the “Fightin Phils Club“, which for just $24.99 gets your fan an official membership card, 2 tickets to a 2015 home game, 2015 MLB Gameday audio for their computer, and a variety of other club-exclusive opportunities and discounts.

Want to splurge a bit more (and maybe get yourself in on the fun?) At the team site you can also find information and begin the booking process for a “Phancation“, a trip to Cancun’s Riviera Maya in January with Phillies celebs including

AJ & KK: Innings Don't Grow on Trees

Kendrick and Burnett were healthy rotation regulars in 2014

There has been a thought process floating around in some baseball circles that the more innings a team can get from it's starting rotation, the more likely the team will have success.

One school of thought has floated the number of 1,000 innings as a goal for a starting rotation. If a team's starters can accumulate 1,000 innings during a season, the team will usually win.

Most teams won't reach the mark. Per KC Royals writer Craig Brown, between 2003-2012 just 1 in 5 teams reached the mark. 34% of those teams reached the postseason. More importantly, those teams averaged 87.4 wins among them. Clearly, the more innings your rotation gives, the better your chance of contending.

In 2014, the World Series champion San Francisco Giants starting pitchers totaled 978 innings pitched. But remember, the Giants won 88 games in the regular season, finishing in 2nd place, 6 games behind the Dodgers and tied for the NL Wildcard spots. The Dodgers got 972.2 innings from their starters.

In 2014, in the NL East Division, among the Phillies rivals, the division-winning Washington Nationals had the best record in the entire National League, and totaled 1,019 innings from their starters.

The 2014 Phillies rotation, believe it or not, did indeed top the magic 1,000 mark. The Phils rotation members were able to go 1,014 innings for the team this season. That's with Cliff Lee injured and only able to make 13 starts, contributing just 81.1 innings himself to the effort.