Ruben's Off Season: Outfield

As our streak of 5 consecutive National League East crowns came to an end this season, and the Phillies core nucleus is rapidly declining, it is fair to say that the winter of 2012-2013 will be the most important Off-Season of Ruben Amaro's career thus far.

Darin "Babe" Ruf: Update from Venezuela

Prior to the 2012 season, there were many nay-sayers towards Darin Ruf. Many questioned his fielding, athleticism, and his so called "power."

After the 2012 season, one thing's for sure: Darin Ruf has raw hitting talent. Contact wise, he hit .317. Power wise, he hit 38 homeruns in AA. HE HIT 38 HOME RUNS IN AA READING. Yep, that broke Ryan Howard's Reading record (37).  Ruf's time in the Majors was very limited. But with the little time he had, he looked very impressive at the plate.

However, there are many questions that still loom over Darin Ruf: Is he capable of playing Left Field? Can he fill the Phillies need of a consistent, powerful right handed bat?

All things considered, those questions about Ruf are extremely important. The upcoming offseason may be one of the biggest in the last few years. Ruben has tons of work to do, and building a strong outfield is one of those tasks. John Mayberry Jr. appears to be non-existent, so he's not an option. There a few big names out on the market (Josh Hamilton, Michael Bourn, BJ Upton, etc.) But none of those names fill the Phillies need of a right handed power hitter. That's where the Darin Ruf possibility comes in.

To answer some of the questions surrounding Ruf, the Phillies assigned him to the Venezuelan Winter League. And to no one's surprise, Darin is smashing the ball. In 14 games (50 At-Bats), Darin Ruf has 8 home runs. In a full length, healthy season, that equates to about 90 home runs! Now, clearly that pace will not hold up. But it is a promising sign.

One thing I don't like about Ruf's Venezuelan experience thus far is where Ruf is playing. He has played some Left Field, but mostly 1st base. Ruben needs to talk to the manager down there and demand Ruf play Left Field. If Ruf can truly hit, then we need him to truly be able to play Left Field.

He is in Venezuela for a reason: to answer the questions looming over his name.

Can he consistently hit? Check. Can he truly play Left Field? Well, gee, we don't know because he is currently at first base. Why?!

Nonetheless, I'm excited about Darin Ruf. He seems like a great clubhouse guy. Personally, I believe he can successfully fill the Power Righty void.

Babe Ruf updates from Venezuela will continue. God bless.

4 Years Ago Today...Still No Rings Since

What's up Phillie Phaithful?

Hope you're all staying safe in the midst of Sandy. Speaking of storms, on this date 4 years ago the Phillies resumed a suspended game due to heavy rains throughout the Philadelphia region. As you all know, this wasn't just "any" game. This was the night we waited 28 years for. This was the night the Phillies won the World Series.

I've spent my day off of school by watching highlights of the 2008 World Series. Everything from Phillies fans marching around the dump of a stadium in Tampa, Citizens Bank Park chanting "Eva" towards Evan Longoria, a drunk fan getting hit in the head with a Vodka bottle, Joe Blanton's homerun, Donovan McNabb announcing the lineups for Fox, and of course.... Harry Kalas making the final call and Chris Wheeler wildly pumping his fist in the booth.

I've decided that my favorite moment of the 2008 World Series, besides the final out, was Chooch's walk off swinging bunt in Game 3. A few followers on Twitter shared their favorite World Series moments. PhilsEaglesSixers (@PHI_sports) said his favorite moment was Joe Blanton's homerun, while Miguel Campos (@Phillysports25) remembers Geoff Jenkins leading off the 6th inning with a double.

As I sat and reminisced about the magical postseason of 2008, I also was puzzled trying to answer this question from my dad, who texted me asking "How the hell did we win in 2008 but not in 2009-2012?"

It is absolutely baffling that we won the World Series with Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, and Joe Blanton. But in 2010 we failed with Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, and Roy Oswalt. In 2011 we failed with Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, CLIFF LEE, and Roy Oswalt. Obviously there is more to a baseball club than just pitching...but those pitching rotations really represent how good the Phillies looked on paper.

It still puzzles me. But I am really looking forward to the offseason moves that Ruben HAS to make in order to get this city parading down Broad Street again.

April 1st, 2013. Can't Wait. #HighHopes get it trending! God bless you, HK.

State of Depression: No More Phillies

Throughout the course of a year, people have a few bad days here or there. Everything goes wrong and you are in a terrible mood. At the end of the night, you lay in bed and think "Wow, that was an awful day. I hate my life." Some people have these days often, some not so much. Today is that kind of day for me. The WORST day every year is when you realize that you will not watch the Phillies take the field for months.

The 2012 Philadelphia Phillies season has ended. Yes, it was a very frustrating season full of injuries, blown leads, offensive struggle at times. You name it, we had it. Despite the late Wild Card run, many of us knew the season was long over. But still, it doesn't hit you until it happens. Like many of you die hard fans, I spent every single day with this Phillies team during the '12 season. My days revolved around them. Now, it's gone. Tomorrow isn't an off day, it's the off season. When the clock strikes 7:05, there won't be that passionate feeling we get before a Phillies game. It's like losing a best friend, you spend every single day with them and know everything about them. You have some awesome times together, along with rough times. But as annoying as they may get, you still love them in the end. I will always have passion for this team. This is what makes us Philly Phans. With such a frustrating season, we could just shrug it off and "wait til' next year." But that isn't Philly. Our passion doesn't allow us to do that. Not a good day.

April 1, 2013. Please hurry up.

HighHopes

Defending the Big Piece

After the Big Piece hit his 300th career homerun on Saturday against the Braves, I felt the need to finally defend Ryan Howard. I, along with every over Phils phan, have openly criticized Howard throughout his career. We are Philly phans, we do it to every player. (Even Roy Halladay is getting crap lately...which I thought I would never see.) Whether it's striking out too much or throwing the ball into left field, Howard never receives any sympathy from us. Even after recovering from a torn Achilles, he is the subject of obnoxious criticism every single day. Howard is hitting a mere .225 this year. In 63 games, he has already struck out 93 times. Those stats are terrible. They really are. But, check out these numbers: In 249 AB's, Howard has 14 HR's and 55 RBI's. In a full length season, (usually 150 games for Ryan), those numbers would be 30+ HR's and 120+ RBI. Those stats are good. They really are. Who ever said that Howard would hit .300 every single year and only strike out 100 times? No one. That's not Howard's hitting style. I think everyone, including myself, needs to accept that Howard was never supposed to hit .300 consistently. Instead, realize all the runs in the past 6 years that have been produced by the Big Piece. It's huge. Look at these stats, and then tell me how bad Howard is:

2005- 22 HR, 63 RBI
2006- 58 HR, 149 RBI
2007- 47 HR, 136 RBI
2008- 48 HR, 146 RBI
2009- 45 HR, 141 RBI
2010- 31 HR, 108 RBI
2011- 33 HR, 116 RBI

Not to mention, Ryan Howard is active in the community. He has never said anything wrong about the phans. Other teams seem to respect him. The Big Piece is an overall good guy. It's okay to be frustrated with him when he strikes out, but never conclude that "Ryan Howard sucks." Because that is false.

   I do not own this video.

Why Utley is Taking Grounders at Third

The first time I heard that Mr. Chase Utley was taking ground balls at 3rd base, I immediately just shook my head and assumed it was some stupid idea shared by a 97.5 The Fanatic caller. But recently I have logged in to my homepage, of course phillies.com, and I have seen this article: Utley Takes Some Grounders at Third. A lot of folks are saying "Utley is such a good player, he's willing to switch positions for his team's sake." This is all true. I have zero doubt in my mind that Chase would do anything for the better of the Phillies.

But, is this potential move better for the team? Not so sure. The current 3rd baseman, Kevin Frandsen, is boasting a .341 batting average. Yes, he lacks "pop" for a 3rd baseman. Now, the 3rd base Free Agent market isn't a particualarly a strong one. But, neither is the 2nd base free agent market. Market here. So it can be assumed that this potential move is NOT setting up a big middle infielder signing in the off season. Well then...what is the actual reason behind this "Chase Utley at 3rd base" rumor?

To me, it clearly states that Chase Utley's knees are shot. And Chase Utley knows that Chase Utley's knees are shot. Remember, he was the one to approach Ruben about the possibility of playing 3rd. If Amaro approached Chase first, it would be a different story. That would be a signal for a big middle infield transaction. However, the fact the Utley first thought of this possibility, really makes me believe that his knees really can't handle 2nd base anymore.

A 4-Man Rotation?

With the Phillies being 3 games out of the second Wild Card spot with 17 games left to be played, it is time to consider a 4-man pitching rotation. I was a strong advocate for having Tyler Cloyd called up to the Bigs. We all figured the season was down the drain, and that Cloyd would not be feeling any pressure. Although he has only thrown 20.0 innings, I am done with the Cloyd experiment...well for 2012, at least. The young right hander is scheduled to have at least 2, probably 3 starts left in the season. In the middle of a heated playoff race, I would much rather have Halladay, Lee, Cole, or heck even Kendrick pitching those games (even on short rest). And please, do not say "Well then our starters arms would be shot in the playoffs." Because guess what? You need to make it to the playoffs first. And going with a 4- man rotation gives us the best chance at doing just that.