459 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion, 3/31/24”

1. I am confused on the IL as it relates to Orion.

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   1. 15 days IL….started March 25th…April 8th comes off. By rule, position players must spend a minimum of 10 days on the IL while pitchers must spend a minimum of 15 days on the IL.

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      1. thanks. It looked like Orion pitched just a couple days later which is why I was confused. Probably I read the game summary wrong!

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         1. Within the IL phase…comes rehab which where he is now at LHV. Jimposted that above. Not sure if and when that has to be designated if at all…they change the parameters on ILs it seems every other year.

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            1. Romus, Knowing that Jim doesn’t feel well and needs help with site, I was thinking, We should do a one hour question and answer show with You and Denny who is like you has all the knowledge

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               1. Rocco. I think that is great. I knew Romus knows all. I did not realize Denny is in the same category. The only drawback is I wish Jim felt better that the one-hour Q & A.

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               2. I think it would be fun to do a podcast with Jim. Each week he picks one of us to do 1 hour with him on various things Phillies.

                  Or of course guests of his choosing like Steve Potter and others.

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               3. dmar. That is a pretty cool idea. I am sure Jim is smarter than wanting to hear from us guys though. LOL

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         2. I don’t believe he was ever technically injured, he just needed time after being sick to build up arm strength and get a few outings in. It’s been said for some time that he should join the big league club as soon as he’s eligible. I believe the plan was for him to get one more outing in prior to this.

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            1. Beat writers have to accept whatever reason is offered by a team for a trip to the IL. Questioning an explanation in print could get a writer cutoff. Fear of that makes unwilling accomplices of beat writers.

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               1. Jim — In fairness, it was questioned quite a bit by the beat writers, including myself. My access has never been threatened because of a question I have asked.

                  The injury designation was an odd choice by them, but the Phillies were told they could not use “illness” since he was not sick at the time of his IL placement.

                  Matt

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2. Shouldn’t Mgr. Thomson have lifted Matt Strahm after three batters on Friday so a right handler could have been brought in to pitch to Adam Duvall?

   Bill Vogt

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   1. I think the team looks at Strahm as a guy who can face anyone and isnt matchup dependent. They gave him that nice contract extension too. They look at him as a guy who can throw 1-2 innings at a time and can face anyone. My guess is if it were someone like Acuna theyd have pulled him but they trusted him vs Duval

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3. I went to Saturday’s game and sat in the section I guess you call it Harry the Ks 244. It wasn’t great but I didn’t pay for the seats just the drive and the parking.

   I’ll resist the temptation to over react to a bad 3 game set by us. 

   I say it every season nothing is in September as it was in March/April.

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   1. gotta have fun at the ballpark even when the team doesnt show up. its a sport where the best teams lose 45% of the time, so gotta try to enjoy the experience overall. Just being back at the Bank has to count for something!

      Agreed on your take about March/April, but also would be nice to not be playing for a wild card by June. I dont care what happened the last 2 years, I’ll take the first round bye if its possible lol. They arent soft like the Braves.

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      1. You are 100% correct Dan. Sometimes I need to check my spoiled nature. It never poured rain but there was just enough that it crowded up the concourse bathrooms beyond an acceptable level for myself.

         And considering that section up there had just 2 family style bathrooms it took away from the experience.

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      2. Deg…..”they arent soft like the Braves.”…so what do you say to Peach State Brave fans when they say the Phillies are choke artists…..a game lead vs Astros and lose ina WS…..a game lead vs inexperienced DBacks and lose. Braves did win a World Series just a few years ago.
         I think before we tell another team about the splintered in their eye, we should take the log out of our own.

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         1. eh spare me, the braves have choked against us 2 years in a row, which is fine it happens, but its the crying that makes them soft. crying that the bye round hurt them. crying that the phillies fans are too mean. to quote rhys hoskins “wahhhhh”

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            1. But Deg….I’ll spare you…..Braves did win a WS three years ago, basically with this same team ..now Swanson and Freeman are gone but we will see if they can continue their regular season dominance in the East. Let’s see how it all plays out again.

               Check out the 2023 total WAR for the Braves top five hitters (Acuna, Olson, Riley, Albies and Murphy) vs the Phillies top five hitters ( Stott, harper, JTR, Turner and Marsh)….not very close.

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               1. Yeah man, obviously they are a great team with an insane amount of talent. Saying otherwise would be a blatant lie. But the way they handled their losses just rubbed me the wrong way, and as a phillies fan it should you as well. No tipping of the cap, no signs of respect. Just blaming the rules and crying. Id love to win the division and still beat them in the playoffs so they can shut up about the break time once and for all

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               2. Romus. Just watching on tv it seems the Braves hitters have better at bats than the Phillies do. Braves go after bad pitches as well but not nearly as often as many of the Phillies do. Phillies seem much more predictable to chase bad pitches. One thing that does make a big difference is the pitch count. If as a hitter, you can get ahead in the count you must make the pitcher throw that prefect pitch or one you can have a decent chance to hit. So many times, the pitchers are bailed out.

                  BTW when you went to games were your seats in the 2nd or 3rd section. I think you have said Hall of Fame area. I may be wrong on that. I was thinking of you watching the game yesterday and where you had seats.

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               3. Don…yeah Hall of Fame…..actually the last few years we were right under the radio guys booth. Rarely will you see any pix on the TV of the Hall of Fame sections unless a foul ball is hit up there.

                  Now I was told the TV shot from center field camera, behind the pitcher where you can see the home plate…..will show portions of the people in the Diamond club seating…..John Middleton purposely has a seat just beyond the TV shot….upper right of the camera angle….he planned it that way.

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4. My other rant this time of year is why MLB insists on having the early schedule in bad weather cities without roofs. 

   There are enough what I would call good weather cities or roof stadiums where this should never be the case.

   Especially now with a balanced schedule.

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5. As I said a few weeks ago…the optimal Phillies lineup is having Harper bat leadoff: https://www.mlb.com/phillies/news/phillies-most-effective-lineup-projections

   – vs RHP: Most Optimal: Harper, Schwarber, Turner, Bohm, Stott, Castellanos, Marsh, Realmuto, Rojas (5.04 runs per game)

   – vs. LHP: Most Optimal: Harper, Bohm, Schwarber, Castellanos, Turner, Realmuto, Stott, Rojas, Marsh (5.13)

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   1. I think just about anything is better than Kyle leading off and that drum has been beaten to a snare’s pitch.

      That said if you have to have one LU against LHP and one against RHP it means you have platoon players so just go with that. Personally I don’t accept that Marsh and Stott are platoon lefties. 

      I will say having Rojas at 9 is like having a pitcher hit again and that is an incredible disadvantage to whoever is hitting LO in the modern game.

      It certainly is under the premise that Thomson cites for batting Kyle LO which is you technically only bat LO once each game.

      Lastly players can say what they want on camera about I’ll hit where ever or I’ll pitch whenever but its simply not the truth for most of them. Some of them sure.

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      1. Excellent, never liked Schwarber LO and don’t buy into the stuff about only batting LO once a game. What it does do though, is when your #9 guy sports a .1xx and your #1 sports a .1xx it puts your 2 worst hitters back to back. 

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         1. Skeet. I have never liked it. My biggest issue is HR or bust. He does walk but then that limits the speed guys behind him because he is a base-to-base guy primarily. But I do not think it is going to change.

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            1. He looked pretty quick going first to third on Sunday. And he looks, ah … less weight encumbered (?) this season.

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               1. Jim. I did notice he looked lighter. I thought maybe it was the new uniform look. But I still think those little choppy Ruth steps may take longer than say a Turner or Stott. LOL

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               2. I had to look at my drink, thought for a moment I saw “blue” and “yellow” flames coming off his spikes! Then, I realized we snookered them …. nah, he’ll never go they time him with an hourglass!

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               3. Skeet. I forget what tv guy said it, but they were saying on his home run trots Schwarber reminded him of Babe Ruth. He kind of does if you have seen some old Ruth homers.

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      2. “he only bats leadoff once a game” is a comment that really highlights that Thompson doesn’t understand the point…the point is that the leadoff hitter gets more plate appearances over a regular season than the #2 hitter, who gets more plate appearances than the #3 hitter, etc.

         Why would you not want a team’s best hitter getting the most plate appearances? It makes no sense.

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         1. Well, the theory, I guess is that if the player has a significant amount of power, by having him high in the line-up but not at the very top of the line-up whatever he loses in at bats is made up for by driving in more runs, thus resulting in more runs for the team. That’s the theory anyway. What generates the most runs is, seriously, determined by a statistical analysis where you play out the season on a computer and then determine which line-up produces more runs. But, yeah, I would believe that having Bryce Harper at the top of the line-up would produce the most runs. Completely plausible.

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            1. If that’s the logic…then it really makes no sense to batt Schwarber leadoff.

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               1. I’d prefer Turner at one, and Harper to follow at two. Turner however would need to limit his opportunities to stealing second so as to prevent opponents from pitching around Harper.

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               2. I am not advocating for that, I’m just explaining what the argument would be. It’s not all that shocking – baseball has been run by this assumption for well over 100 years. Baseball orthodoxy that says that your best hitter should hit third in the line-up, not first. It may be completely wrong, but most teams generally set up their line-ups using this assumption, although, now, it is beginning to change.

                  As for Schwarber, damn, who knows? I will say that there does seem to be some validity to the notion that, as the leadoff hitter in the game, he seems to see a lot of fastballs and seems to get a lot of his home runs this way.

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               3. The Reason Hoagies bats leadoff is because he is most productive there…If he batted 4th or 5th he would get “pitched” to much more because he would have runners on….So you would be looking at a similar batting average but prob closer to 28 dingers than 42 dingers…He needs cookies…….It sux but it is a fact

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         2. v1. I have seen several times that comparison of at bats over the season based on where you bat in the lineup. I have no problem. Seems I have heard lots of people like their best hitter batting 2nd.

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   2. My 2 cents: 

      Lineup’s biggest issue is SO. 2nd biggest issue is protection for Harper. 3rd is leadoff. To beat a dead horse, trout or a player close to trouts abilities would fix #2, possibly all 3 – Castellanos would be sacrificed to upgrade.

      That’s unlikely for several reasons, so Working with the current roster I like it. 

      ultimately Im hoping for Stott, Bohm, and Turner to move into the 800+ OPS club either for the 1st time or a returning member. That would give the team 5, and much closer offense to the braves.

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      1. Marsh staying in the .800+ club will just make it all the more frustrating that Thomson continues to sit him versus lefties while Castellanos loses no playing time during one of his 0-for-a-month stretches.

         Seriously, I get giving young guys a breather against tough same-handed pitchers while they develop. But Marsh has already proven he deserves to be an every day guy, and he was rewarded for his OD homerun by sitting the next TWO games. Dude literally can’t do anything to convince his manager that he’s not just a platoon hitter.

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         1. Castellanos is probably the most overrated player on this team (Bohm, sorry to say Bohm lovers, is probably second on this list) and Marsh is probably the most underrated. Last year, even when others were flailing away in the NLCS, Marsh put together one solid at bat after the next. If he learns to occasionally pull and drive inside pitches, look out – he could be a big star. I must say, after 2022, I did not see Marsh becoming this good of a player. It’s been a real surprise to me.

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            1. Seranthony is quickly moving up the overrated ladder. Always seems like there’s ‘something missing’ that they’re working on with him. 

               Casty is a boom-bust guy. Great for season, horrible for playoffs when teams focus down and just pound your weakness.

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         2. Dan…….maybe the manager wants him groomed right, being an old Yankee system guy

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6. v1. You may be correct. But after 2 seasons I do not see Schwarber moving from leadoff. Time will tell. I may be wrong. At least 1-2 is better than 0-3 like last year. Only issue with April being different than September these games count the same at the end of the season. I am hoping for 29-21 after 50 games. I think that would give them a chance to compete for division. Back in the 70s when the Phillies were good guys would say even this really good team will lose 60 games or so. I think the saying is every team will win 50 and lose 50 and it is what you do in the other 62 that matter.

   After watching part of the three games it appears that Alvarado will be the preferred closer at least for now. He worries me every game. He can be unhittable and he can be quite a bit less than that. Sometimes his pitches have no movement and sometimes no where near the plate. On Strahm. His pitches on tv looked really straight and they were hitting them hard. So I was surprised but not really. My biggest surprise was Topper bringing in Kerkering rather than SerAnthony in game 3 after Phillies got the 1-0 lead. Two pitches later lead was gone and I thought Series changed at that moment.

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7. A guy I’ll be keeping tabs on this season at the tail end of the prospect list is Klassen.

   https://www.instagram.com/reel/B9f84V3jZi1/

   Like many guys of his ilk it will always be a question of can he get his command in order but yes sometimes they do…

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   1. He’s in the Clearwater rotation (with Ottenbreit). Can’t wait.

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8. Romus. I see tonight on the Reds broadcast that the new Phillies scoreboard has those pitching metrics like Grand Park has for each pitch. 

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9. Brogdon was best Phillies had for the 10th inning. Nice 6-2 now.

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10. I hope Brogdon saved some of his MLB salary from his various stints, because he just threw himself to the bottom of the depth chart for any team that’s been watching.

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11. Brogdon is done. He has zero confidence on the mound. Everybody knew the fastball was coming and you can’t throw it hard enough when the batter is sitting on it. He should be DFAd after the game.

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    1. Didn’t realize it, but today was Brogdon’s 3rd appearance and he has a 27 ERA. I don’t see how the Phillies can keep him on the roster if he can’t throw strikes.

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    2. I said Brogdon was done after his first disastrous appearance of the year. I didn’t say he was done because he had a bad game – everyone has a bad game from time to time. I said he was done because his stuff is mediocre AAA stuff and, on top of that, he showed very poor command. There’s no way to get major league hitters out with what he’s throwing. I love Topper, but you just can’t put Brogdon in a game in a critical situation, even if he’s nearly the last resort. But this is also on DD and Fuld – after the second game, you had to get this guy out of here and replace him. He has no business right now being on a big league roster.

       As for Brogdon, personally, he’s trying his best and I feel badly for him. But he doesn’t have big league stuff right now and didn’t have it last year either. I sometimes wonder, as a big lanky guy, if they can send him down and try to teach him to throw 3/4. He has to try something else, because what he’s doing just doesn’t work; can’t work.

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12. I was stunned he wasn’t sent down after Opening Day, he never appeared to have confidence and now he is just beyond redemption. But can’t score 2 runs in the first and then get bunko after. Rojas getting picked off 2nd was beyond frustrating.

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13. I posted just as Brogdon gave up the grand slam. I asked in game 4 if Brogdon was the best guy the Phillies could bring in for the 10th. 6-2. I remember Jim saying you cannot bring him in with runners on base. 10th starts with guy on base. Really poor baserunning as well too. At least some of the other guys are coming around. I must have forgot to press send.

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14. I have to question Thomson’s BP management amongst other things like again why is Marsh playing CF?

    Why Hoffman in that spot when right now he is the guy you probably trust most in high leverage late game situation. In that spot that early you’re really thinking you’re only going to score 2 runs?

    No Seranthony so why use Alvarado in the 9th in a tie game?

    Again modern era game you have to plan for a 10th inning or maybe he thought this was still ST. I mean even a casual fan knew if all you had was Brogdon available for the 10th you were cooked.

    In fairness to Thomson this seems to be a trend around the league using closers in non save situations. In my world its a cardinal sin you just don’t do it especially this early in the season.

    Oh wait we don’t really have a closer I forgot…

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    1. Years ago, Bill James did a study on when it was most valuable to bring in your best relief pitcher. He concluded that the outcome of games changed most when you used your best reliever in the late innings of a TIED game not a game where you had the lead. So I’m okay with them using their best reliever in the top of the 9th.

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       1. Not an issue if in the back of his mind he saw the game going to the 10th. The modern game is different than when Bill James ran his analysis. You didn’t have a runner starting at 2B then.

          He also could have anticipated tonight would be rained out and tried to get an extra inning out of Strahm or Marte each of whom only threw 12 and 8 pitches in their IP respectively.

          I know a lot of people love him around these parts but not I. He’s just ok in my book.

          Managers can’t win you a lot of games players do but managers sure can cost you a lot of games and last night was one of those.

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          1. dmar. That is my concern. Last night is a game Phillies could have and probably should have won. When you get to September those preventable losses sure add up in a close race.

             I have no idea what Rojas was doing. Runners on 1st and 2nd and no outs. If he is going to steal, he needs to steal and try to get that late lead. It is much easier to score from 3rd than 2nd. Though both teams scored in 10th with runner on 2nd and no outs just like 8th. If not, you simply cannot be out in nowhere land like he did.

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15. Some of us were concerned that Brogdon would not make it through waivers; no worries, go thru the process now. Join the other AAAA players in LHV if he stays. Maybe he can regain 2022 lightning.

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    1. If Brogdon is pitching like that, who wants to put him on their 26 man roster? It’s not like he was that effective last season (0.3 WAR).

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16. Two other points.

    If Christopher Sanchez is anywhere near as good as he showed last year and looked in this game, this team might have the best 1-4 rotation in the majors and it would certainly be one of the best. Christopher Sanchez is a perfect example of what I love about baseball. Absolutely nothing in his pitching history suggested he was capable of what he is doing now and, suddenly, last year, at age 26, after a so-so part season in AAA, he discovered a change-up, improved his control (without any real reason) and now has improved his velocity. It all came from almost nowhere, seemingly without any rhyme or reason. The magic of baseball.

    Second, a lot of the team’s struggles can be explained, but the horrendous baserunning. What that hell is that? That is a lack of discipline and attention to detail and perhaps bad coaching decisions. These are almost all avoidable mental mistakes. There’s no excuse for it. It’s what bad teams do and it needs to stop.

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    1. braves staff in my opinion is better Strider versus Wheeler even Nola versus either Morton sale is advantage braves. Fried better than anyone we have. So I don’t get the Phillies staff better

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17. dmar and Denny. I have been surprised with use of Hoffman as well. I really thought he might be the guy they thought could maybe replace Kimbrel. I am definitely wrong on that idea. When Rojas got picked off, I figured something screwy would happen. I was switching back and forth with Women’s Iowa vs LSU. So, as I came back for the top of the 10th, I was floored to see Brogdon in and two on quickly became 3 on and then just as quickly became none on. 6-2. Like boom. Maybe Topper did think the game just ended tied at 2-2. But I did not see he and Bell waving to each other at the end of the 9th. LOL Phillies this is game 4 in the season, and they have NO better option than Brogdon to come in with a guy already not of his doing on 2nd base. Amazing. I know everyone says it is early but every game you give away in April counts the same as every game you play in September in the standings.

    On a lighter note. Denny, I did not know that along with Romus you are the site person who knows everything Phillies and baseball. Congrats. I thought you just knew dogs. LOL

    Maybe better outcome tonight. Also, on one of favorite topics here Red’s announcers were discussing during the game Schwarber batting leadoff. The cited his .197 avg, 343 obp, and 126 walks as reason for him to be there. They did mention unusual for DH to bat leadoff. Big storms here today.

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    1. Don….not sure they will be able to play any games today in the mid-Atlantic…..steady rain in Philly for sure.

       Maybe the retractable roof will be in operation at the Bank tonight! LOL.

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       1. You know, The Bank is 20 years old and it’s still as awesome as when they built it. Going to that wonderful ballpark which somehow both feels big and intimate, never gets old. I love it and it brings out the best in our fans.

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          1. Yes an awesome place….and even the location is quite logistically convenient.

             Though…I would not mind a retract roof for April and all those cold blustery October games.

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             1. where is the bank

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                1. Well, there are two. One on either side of the river.

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18. Romus. We got lots of rain last night. But BIG storms for this afternoon here. Usually that means Philly is a couple days behind us in the lousy weather. Looked chilly in Philly last Friday. We had that earlier in the week then 70.

    So, I just asked my wife what if we have these storms next Monday for the Eclipse. She said it is to be good for now. Worst today is midafternoon. Total eclipse is like 3:08 here next Monday for almost 4 minutes.

    Being the nice person I am I wanted to offer you the opportunity to park on my property if you want to come and view it. Guess the IMS and State Fairgrounds and all the hotels are cashing in Big Time on this. I do not know when people will arrive but guessing Saturday. It is to be crazy here. So, my offer goes to any Phuture Phillies who want to see the eclipse. I have like 14 acres here so plenty of room if it dries up after all the rain. LOL

    One last thing Romus. If game is rained it is not a loss. One last 2nd thing. Catch. You can tell the stadium is beautiful from tv. It does look so nice. One 3rd thing. Romus did you notice the pitching metrics on the new out of town scoreboard. I noticed those right way last night. Had not seen them on Phillies broadcasts but only got Reds last night so probably different camera angles.

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    1. Don…LOL….solar eclipse…April 8th…plenty of strange conspiracies going around about that day and that event. Hope you get lots of visitors…..put out that sign…not too early….police may show up wanting to see your permit. Weather here is suppose to be in the 70s and sunny.

       Have not seen the metrics on the scoreboard here…..but that is not saying they are not being used.

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19. Romus. Too funny. I live out in the country. I have no idea how many will be in our area. Indy is really promoting it. I am about 45 minutes north of Indy. We are right in the full zone so who knows. I said you can park free. LOL I doubt any of the police guys have interest in bothering me. Plus, they may be busy. I am not too far though from a couple highways going to Indy. Few miles.

    Just saw a headline saying Phillies are concerned about pitching issues. Think so. I did not notice on the Phillies broadcasts over the weekend. But last night I only got the Reds broadcast so I could see it anytime they showed from the behind home plate camera. It is on the far end going toward center field. Looked like almost exact metrics that Grand Park fields all have. It shows every pitch. 

    I always watch the fans sitting right behind home plate. What is the cost of those seats? My guess is many corporate seats. Sometimes those seem not to be paying that much attention. I think it would be a great spot to watch this game.

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    1. Don…Diamond club members or guests, the seats .behind the plate….  a full season ticket plan in the Diamond Club has reached over $12,500…..or anywhere from $150 Per Ticket to $500 Per Ticket. Just not sure if a full season tix plab is all 81 homes games or one game per series thru the year, which is basically 24 or 26 games.

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       1. Romus I am starting to say, screw it. Comeon paying guys 25 to 35 million to play ball. Plus all the perks. I now tell my kid instead of going to sixers game. I buy you sneakers and go get beer watch on tv. Only sixers game this yr was free tickets. I won’t pay 200 a ticket. Rather go fill my belly with my family.

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          1. rocco…Chickie’s and Pete’s….and enjoy the game with excellen crab fries.

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             1. I have never went there it’s like 4 blocks from me. I go to philadium.instead. or triangle tavern.

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                1. I heard you put a PB&J sandwich in one pocket and a flask in the other for the game.

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                2. rocco…..Philadium!…..cheeze that is still there…i went there 25 or 30 years ago.

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    2. A team does not need to worry about their pitching or bullpen if you get 5-6 runs in the 1st couple of innings. The bats need to get going and you don’t need to worry about the staff. Think Sparky Anderson worried about pitching?

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       1. Well Denny you proved to be quite correct LOL

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          1. LOL. Just like some managers, players make you look smart. 

             Think of some managers that this pertains to, I’m thinking Jim Leyland, Dusty Baker, maybe even Casey Stengle and Tommy Lasorda.

             Your turn.

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       2. Denny another brilliant post, You are right up there with the great posters, Romus, Vi and Sid Bernstein, And Arthur Honeycutt,

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20. I also want to add to have someone tell Thompson that pitches do NOT = Length. He said something to the effect in the post game that last night was a night where they needed some length from Chris. He pitched great but after his 85th pitch in the 6th with no outs recorded you can see he was done.

    And praise to you Rob for pulling him then but length is 7 IP NOT 85 pitches thrown in 5 IP.

    I guess I shouldn’t get upset after all this is why Middleton spends all that money.

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21. dmar. I have a quick funny on the 85th pitch. Last week my grandson started their first game. Told me day before he was limited to 65 pitches for game 1. After 5 innings game was tied 1-1. He had given up 2 hits and 62 pitches. First year coach. Sent him back out. He was done. But he almost got out of it. After two outs and a pass ball on the 85th pitch he gave up a 3-run home run. Ended up losing 5-3. This was game one. Coach had all the other pitchers available. Your 85th pitch comment just caught my attention. Also, high school games are only 7 innings. Plus, it was like 40 degrees.

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22. Alec Bohm is a rake….

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23. Somewhat stunned that tonight’s game hasn’t been called yet.

    I’m mainly checking in now to suggest that, on India’s triple in the first inning, Rojas gets to that ball. I expressed my doubts last year about Marsh whom I really like overall, but not in center field.

    Sanchez settled down, but the inning could have gotten out of control in a hurry.

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    1. I agree, either Pache or Rojas would catch that ball. But Marsh is still fine in CF. He’s just not nearly at the level of those two elite defensive players. We’re just kind of spoiled right now (which is crazy when you think of how long it’s been since we’ve had legitimately good options in CF). I have no issues having Marsh in center for the occasional day off.

       My bigger concern by far is Merrifield. He’s no longer a good fielder and he’s done nothing offensively. Small sample size, sure. But Thomson has given him more PAs than both Marsh and Rojas already, so I’m very worried this is going to be another vet that gets playing time over the young guys for no reason other than he’s been in the league longer.

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24. Brogdon officially DFA’d. Pinto takes his place.

    Not sure we can expect a whole lot from Pinto, either, but as long as he can give up fewer than 4 runs per inning it’ll be a net win…

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    1. Ricardo Pinto is 30 and gets it up to 92-93, but he has a nasty splitter. He’ll probably give up the occasional HR when he leaves the splitter up in the zone but you would rather see him in the game instead of Brogdon.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. Did it surprise anyone that TMAC said Gillick went into DDs office and said what about this Pinto kid….

          I knew Gillick was still listed on the masthead but its cool that he is still involved watching players and offering feedback. 

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25. Jim….will Eduardo Tait participate in the extended spring training and then the Florida Complex League?

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    1. Yes. He’ll get most of the starts. If he pushes his way to Clearwater, he’ll take reps from Hettiger.

       The roster files are up to date under Rosters and Stuff on the menu bar. A dozen DSL players have come stateside and are listed with the FCL group.

       I saw Perez at the Complex Monday. He and another catcher were taking ground balls at first from Coach Williams. He put on some weight. Starting to look like Ortiz.

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       1. I don’t see Ethan Wilson listed anywhere even on the IL. What is up with him?

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          1. Saw somewhere, …… assigned to FCL on 4/2/24?

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          2. Wilson on rehab list….see Phillies Fan View for the list.

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             1. Thanks, Romus

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       2. Thanks Jim……..Perez better muscle up or drop some lbs. And hope he hasn’t lost much at the plate and can hit like he did prior to 2023..

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          1. I can never understand with all the weight trainers, nutritionists and $$$ involved that a player cannot keep their weight under control.

             Funny thing I think about overweight players is how they will look in a uniform on old- timer or alumni days. 

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             1. Denny my wife says that to me every morning. While I am eating two donuts with my coffee. Going to, Weight Watchers meeting

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                1. LOL.

                   What snacks are at WW?

                   I usually watch my weight, going up and down. 

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26. extend springs is that for guys from injuries or DSL?

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    1. XST is for the guys who will be playing in the complex league. XST won’t be as long this year. The FCL starts on May 4th instead of late June as in the past.

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27. Romus. Remind me not to refer to you as a weather forecaster. I am kidding. It does not look like much fun at the ballpark tonight. Harper likes it. I see these nights frequently during April games.

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28. Have any of you seen the custom jacket Harper has emphasizing Phillies, Eagles and Sixers? Really cool look. CBS has an article up tonight on how he is Mr. Philadelphia. Nice article. Just an FYI. Sounds like Pinto is next. Turnbull has done nice job.

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29. Loved what I saw today from Turnbull. Loved it. DD may have found another gem.

    LikeLiked by 1 person

    1. I was saying to myself as I watched the first few innings how did he go 3-17. Looked good to me. Hope he continues to do well. Phillies have to figure out their bullpen issues. Red’s guys mentioned when Pinto was in that Phillies had 4 guys not available and they are on game 5. How does that happen?

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       1. The Tigers were 46-116 in 2019. Homer Bailey was 13-9 with similar stats with better teams.

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30. I think Harper was angry after last night and responded tonight.

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    1. Yeah he certainly was in the mood to spank some baseballs… holy moly

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       1. It’s a privilege to be able to watch Bryce Harper play every day.

          And I am so pumped about Brandon Marsh. He’s already a first division regular in left. If he can pull an occasional ball for power, I think we are looking at a potential star. He’s got such easy power to all fields, hits for a high enough average and takes pitches. He’s also a very solid fielder and probably a 1 WAR or more defender in left.

          Also, I’m impressed with Schwarber this year. You can tell that he’s working on hitting the ball where it’s pitched. If he hits the ball more consistently, he’s just a much more dangerous hitter, because he almost always hits it hard.

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          1. Corey Seidman was saying the other night that we forget in 2021 he hit 266. If he can do that again even with 10 fewer HRs it would be a blessing for this team.

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             1. Marsh has improved so much since Angels.

                I remember years ago he came into Phil with the Angels and he couldn’t keep his bat in his hands against an easier staff.

                Love his perseverance. Should credit everyone with that trait.

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             2. DMAR…….with the weight Schwarber has lost…he should have a boat load of infield hits!……..ahh, maybe not.

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          2. Catch ………… if you broke his mojo I’m going to be 😡 I was hoping no one would notice those line drive singles (actually like rain in the desert)! Now since you did, I’ve lit candles and am walking around.

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31. Realize it was one game and two innings, but Pinto threw strikes and got some outs. No matter what happens for him going forward he has to get an A+ for perseverance. Red’s announcers said he originally started with Phillies I think they said 2011. Briefly with Phils and others. Has played in China, Korea and Mexico. That is a kid that loves to play baseball. Best of luck with the Phillies. Not really a kid anymore.

    Great job Bryce. Said it was his 2nd of career for 3HR night. I got the good fortune to see one. Thanks Bryce.

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    1. Former Paul Owens award winner.

       https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-151571262

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       1. And much discussed in his prospect days. Those of us who were around back then are very familiar with him.

          It’s actually very cool to see a former prospect come back and give us some much needed help. Just hope he can be effective enough to stick around.

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    2. Four innings. Pinto really saved the bullpen and Thomson last night.

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       1. He did. He held down the fort with a long and solid outing. Having a competent 13th guy on the staff is actually very important for the reason you mentioned.

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       2. Fun story

          https://x.com/MattGelb/status/1775338769039667249?s=20

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32. Just saw something. Bryce set a record last night. Only player in modern history to hit 3 HR and score his 1,000 run in same game. They went back to 1901 for reference. My goof on typing two earlier. But an excellent job.

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33. Bryce is an amazing player. What a joy for us to watch a future Hall of Famer. What so impressed me last night was the location of the pichtes that he hit for home runs #1 and #3, both of them perfect strikes low and away at the bottom of the box, just amazing he could do that kind of damage with a pitch in those locations.

    by the way you can watch Mick Abel pitch against Rochester for free tonight on milb.tv they have a package where you can watch any minor-league baseball game all year for $29.99. I’m sorely tempted to purchase it

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34. Before you read would you be able to guess the top 10 payrolls in baseball? And would you believe the differential between top and bottom is a staggering $245 Million.

    Which is higher than all but 3 MLB teams

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/mlb-payrolls-2024-full-list-of-every-baseball-team-from-highest-to-lowest/ar-BB1l1h8J?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=4600696a5f7a4dc2b0d3400a5d8e4edc&ei=33

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    1. Virtually every team in the top 15….are large market classified teams….except at 11, the Cardinals….the Cards get the extra Round A or B draft selection in the Rule 4. Seems like an injustice IMO.

       The bottom 15…all cosidered small market classification…except the Nationals at 19.

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    2. The A’s shouldn’t be considered an MLB franchise at this point. They don’t field MLB players, they don’t try to win, and they don’t even have a stadium to play in after this year.

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       1. What happens wgen you decide to move…years in advance…should just pick up and leave and play in the Vegas Triple A stadium until their stadium is built..site of the Tropicana Resort At least they would pack it out….10K max attendance.. The A’s applied to relocate to Las Vegas after their lease with the Oakland Coliseum expires at the end of this season.

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       2. Agreed they should have been forced to sell a long time ago.

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    3. MLB system is very broken. Insane that the Dodgers can spend over $1bn in one offseason on a few players, and 5 teams have a payroll of under $100mil. The system is totally rigged. If I was a fan of a small market team I would be really mad

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       1. Kind of but if done correctly you can build really good teams with a moderate payroll.

          It’s not easy you need the right guy heading up the scouts

          The Orioles obviously, the Reds are starting to see dividends, the Pirates when Skenes and Johnson come up are going to be a really tough out.

          And the Rays year after year…

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          1. I remember a guy that worked for me in the late 90’s and early 2000’s and was a Yankees fan. Every time someone mentioned a prospect from the A’s, Royals or Rays, he would say, ”let them break the player in and we will sign him when he is great”.

             Almost like the’50s when the Yanks used the KC A’s as a farm team.

             LikeLiked by 1 person

             1. Yes, exactly. The small market teams are farm systems for the big market teams. It is an impossible ask to have a farm produce stars from every draft. Think how messed up the Phillies would be if we were limited in payroll. Even after having a top 10 pick for 5 years in a row. Those picks yielded 1 star (Nola), 1 mediocre (Bohm) and 3 busts. The Orioles are outliers. If we were limited to $150 mil in payroll our team would be a bottom basement team. No Harper. No Trae. Likely no Wheeler.

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                1. Who knows may come down to two leagues……a Large Market League…and a Small Market League…..and meet in the World Series.

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                2. Relocate A’s back to Philly. We can use them as a “farm” team.

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                3. The A’s should be relegated.

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35. Romus. My son is going to try to take the grandkid Friday evening here in Indy to see Paul Skenes pitch. He will not be at Indy long. Maybe only start there.

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    1. Don…….they will keep Skenes there as long as it takes, in preventing the Pirates from starting the clock too early on his service time. The sooner his clock starts the sooner he reaches free agency…and if he is anything as projected to be, he will want the big dollars from a big time contending team in a large market…translation…Dodgers, Yankees, Sox etc etc. And at some point down the road, Skenes may qualify for the Super Two designation, which is a player in the top 22%, in terms of service time, among all those who have amassed between 2 and 3 years in the majors. So it behooves the Pirates to dealy him a few weeks longer than normal if he begins to perform well at indy.

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       1. Romus. Yep, I went over that today with my son. He looked up and says season is 187 days and player have to be on roster or injured list for 172 days to get full year of service time. So, 16 days must be the magic number. He may stay a little longer. He threw very little last Summer and not much game action this Spring. He threw 46 pitches at Louisville other night. Skenes thought 46 was too. many.

          Are you at the park. See it is a delay and weather look awful. It is really cold and windy here. Maybe some snow here tonight. 30s next few days here.

          Saying they are going to try their best to get game in.

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          1. Don…yep very chilly, maybe just plain cold, blustery winds and rainy…ideal baseball weather! I rememeber went to a game like this….a year prior to Harper’s arrival on the scene…..was so cold, went to concession in the Hall of fame for a hot chocolate…they hande me a packet of Swiss Miss and handed me a cup of hot water.

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             1. Funny

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                1. That is how they serve you when you are dressed like Heidi.

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36. At this early stage of this baseball season, Logan O’Hoppe and Brandon Marsh lead their teams in OPS. Both should be fun to follow this season.

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    1. I absolutely love this trade. Really a great example where everyone wins. Both look like impact players. Both teams needed the other position. Win-Win-Win-Win. Everyone won that deal.

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    2. both teams will be in trouble if that continues, considering their superstar teammates! that said, itd be nice to have them both

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       1. I have been following the Angels box scores this year and Moniak rarely plays. Their OF is not really playing well; anyone know his status?

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37. How do you guys activate the like button?

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    1. click it

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38. Jim…….v1again…….thanks, forever, I haven’t been able to utilize the button even by clicking it. 

    So, on this rainy day, I went to war with Word Press so to speak. Bottom line, it works now, but I’m …..no longer “Skeet”…….new moniker is ”oldruff” … for some reason they changed it.

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    1. Skeet. New oldruff. I tried a couple times back when Jim switched, and I could not get it to work either, so I just quit trying. I am fine just reading everyone’s post. I just enjoy all of you. Thanks.

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       1. I learned that when you are from Philly the Like Button is unnecessary for anything.

          LikeLiked by 1 person

    2. Well, that’ll take some getting used to.

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39. I’m willing to bet that Ernie wouldn’t have said tonight, … “Let’s Play TWO”!

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40. Romus. I noticed tonight on one of the plays at 2nd that the pitch metrics are on both ends of the scoreboard in right center. 

    Not off to a good start. Runner picked off. Boot routine grounder to 2nd. Now not another great one at first. Looks really cold.

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    1. Cold and very, very wet. It’s miserable conditions to play baseball in.

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       1. When we hit, we all do it together but when we don’t ….

          Easier when you get 6 runs.

          Rojas so overswings.

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41. Yes. Wheeler and Montas are both really good. Should be 0-0. Red’s announcers were talking about how well the field drains. Said the Phillies have a system under the field that actually sucks the water down and then pumps it out. Brantley said if you are down on the lower level, you can hear the pumps running. I applaud the fans who are hanging in there. I saw some at 4 o’clock when the Reds broadcast came on. What a long night but as a fan you sure want to see the game. Just bad for them.

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42. Oh no, I just remembered my bane from last year. On our getaway games we usually lose and get shutout. Let’s not continue it this year.

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    1. Amaing post by Denny

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43. Denny. No shutout. Announcers made an interesting comment couple inning ago. Said Wheeler is one of only 4 pitchers in baseball to win at least 12 games each of the last 3 or 4 years. Forget which one. Not many wins anymore for starters.

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    1. Yup no shutout, and at least we got their starter out of the game.

       I remember when we wondered who might be the next 30- game winner. Not anymore.

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       1. i love your post. Makes me think of a young Romus When Jim does best posters of the yr. I think you can win

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44. Do not know who made the decision…Dombrowski, Thomson or Long….but Rojas should have been at LHV…..he swings aggresively too hard thru fastballs. He is also overly pressing at the plate. Not even sure he has a two-strike approach at this point.

    His defense in CF can be handled by Pache, or Marsh when Thomson decides to put Merrifield’s bat in the lineup.

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    1. the MLB list of great defensive CFs that had a hard time at the plate is long. But some if they can just manage what Rocco said can hang around for a while.

       But yeah it was pretty obvious to myself and I know Murray that it wasn’t a good call to start him here nor was it to trade Cave.

       Rojas has the ability to hit. He just needs to unlock it. MLB is just not the place to figure it out.

       But they loved Merrifield and Topper can’t resist forcing a guy like that into the the LU. Maybe we’ll start seeing him in RF because Nick is lost at the moment.

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       1. Nick is hitting like Dom Brown and fielding like Bobby Abreu. Bad RF combo.

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45. Romus I watched some of his at bats. Just my opinion, but he will never be a hitter. If he doesn’t lay off those he high fastballs Really doesn’t know the strike zone. Shame if he was 250 hitter with a 320 obp would be a real asset cause of his defense. And speed to steal bases

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    1. rocco…agree..but he can be a hitter like he was in the minors……just needs to get confidence and learn a little more vs Triple A savvy pitchers.

       Very difficult to learn in the majors on the fly vs MLB pitchers. But what do I know!

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    2. Absolutely right Rocco. Anyone thinking Roman Quinn or Willie Mays Hayes?

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46. And just to add I don’t know how you guys look at it but we just lost 2 series to teams we outspend by a combined 137,000,000

    If I’m John Middleton I have those guys in my office saying WTF!

    I can stomach a bad loss but not losing series to clubs we outspend by that amount of coin.

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    1. The Silver lining is the Mets are way worse LOL

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       1. Lol.

          I would have the farm people in the office and say hey get it together. 

          Build it now!

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    2. DMAR…….I agree with what you say, also what yuo said earlier in the week about starting seasons in northern tier cities…….Phillies should start every year on the road in warm weather cities…at least the first week of April…then come home around 2nd or 3rd week of April.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. Romus I’ve been with the same company for 18 years. I am blessed to be able to work from home (since 2018) not because of the pandemic but because our office space lease was up for renewal and they wanted an exorbitant increase in rent.

          The company CFO said FU to the building owner and sent 10 of us to home offices. 

          As and agency we help business build, grow and brand their businesses. 80% of it is anecdotal common sense. The other 20% is data aggregation.

          Starting in warm weather and rooved stadiums is a no brainer.

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          1. Right now we should send some of the team to play in their home offices.

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    3. I am somewhat perplexed by those that are critical of Johan Rojas with no mention of the rest of the guys who are struggling. For example, have you observed Castellanos? His body language is that of aloofness which to be fair is almost just part of his normal character. Apart from that, he looks disengaged both on offense and defense. Have you ever seen a hitter check his swing as much as Castellanos? To continue, he appears to be guessing almost every pitch. His bat speed appears to be slow. He just looks lost. Too often as a Philly, he has looked as he does now. When I watched him while he was with the Cubs and Reds, he was different. He looks depressed. Anyhow, back to Rojas, I have a different take. He doesn’t appear to be that far off to me. He is not striking out a ton. His swing path does appear to be less downward steep like chopping wood, and now more on the flat side, so that is an improvement. I like what I see and think he will improve with time. Like Dombrowski has said, if we are to the point of complaining about Rojas’s hitting, then the rest of the guys are not doing their job. 

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       1. Rage the difference is you didn’t have the option of sending a $20 mil a year guy to AAA. I mean you could and I am in complete agreement with your chracterazation of Nick as aloof and the optics of seeing him flounder as he is.

          But Rojas had never played a game in AAA and after he was exposed in the playoffs it should have been clear he needed more seasoning. And seasoning beyond and offseason and a handful of ST games.

          A couple weeks ago it was all hail KLONG. I saw those posts and shrugged thinking to myself if he’s so great why do we have guys looking at Fast Balls down the middle and swing and misses at balls a foot off the plate.

          Oh and we are currently 20th in team OPS. Guess who is 1st.

          I don’t want to spend a whole season being a bore to you all with my rants but I painted a picture a while back of DD and his time at Detroit.

          He peaked at a WS loss and then continuously went backwards from there. I see those same signs here.

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          1. Rafe not rage which is what this team does to me….sorry!

             I often channel my inner Zach de la Rocha for any of you who know who that is. Huge fan of revolution if that’s not sharing too much.

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             1. Just remember

                Zack is still worth close to 28 million and lives in a mansion. It’s so easy to preach all this big talk about money is evil when you are sitting on a pile of money. Maybe he should be Sports team owner.

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                1. Yes Denny I can’t say I ever fully identified with his politics but his angst partnered with Morello’s riffs always seemed to fire me up.

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                2. Whatever we need to get fired up!

                   Any player use his music as a walk-up?

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       2. Is Liam here yet?

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47. Rojas has 1 hit, 1 BB, and 4 ks in 17 at bats while Castellanos has 7 ks, 4BB, and 3 hits in 20 at bats. We cannot demote Castellanos but can sit him down on the bench and light a fire under him. Let’s analyze the mechanics of Rojas’s swing. He doesn’t appear to be chopping wood anymore. His swing is more flat with less movement. His swing decisions are not horrible as he appears to be seeing the ball and not totally lost. Remember, we have him in the lineup for defense. Instead of being critical of him, let’s take a deeper look at Turner, Castellanos etc. 

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    1. you can’t compare the two Castellano has a track record. Rojas who I love can’t be in the lineup. With the way he is hitting. I don’t care what swing you see he needs a tree trunk , to hit the pitches he is going after. Over his head fastballs

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48. Here is what is disappointing to me. The Phillies now have lost 6 of their last 8 games at home. They were so dominant and NOW. I have always wondered why MLB schedules games early in April in the East. Here in Indiana for the high school games one day may be 30 or 40 and Windy. Next day may be 70 and Windy. Always windy here in April. One other thing the last two nights the Phillies except Wheeler were dressed like they were in a blizzard. The Reds like a day on the beach. Just the perception it gave watching. 

    As I watch these first few games there are just many maybe even most players who just seem like they have World Series and NLDS fatigue. Really seems to be no life from anyone at the moment. My 29-21 start for the first 50 games looks like a pipe dream. The one exception is Wheeler. He has been lights out and to think he has given up 1 ER in 12 innings but has only a loss to show for his efforts is sad. Really sad.

    In the end last night, it made no difference, but the Reds announcers were perplexed that Topper with the bases loaded and Bohm available did not use him to pinch hit with the bases loaded against Wilson. Then had him hit two batters later for Rojas next inning with no one on base. Both Marsh and Bohm struck out but at least play the odds. I realize Marsh has maybe had the best at bats, but he does not hit lefties nearly as well.

    One final thing. I did think Soto looked good. If he can throw strikes he will help. Last season he just seemed to have a hard time doing that.

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    1. Don, when I started to respond I was going to be 100% in accord with your assessment of the way the teams dressed and played this week. But then I remembered how Harper dressed for 3 homers. Now I’m in a conundrum, I am leaning both ways. Maybe I should check the analytics.

       LikeLiked by 1 person

       1. Denny. That is funny. I think it was v1 who said Bryce took out being angry with the 3 HRs. As I watched the last two nights the perception, I got was the Reds wanted to be there playing. The Phillies on the other hand appeared to be saying we have to be there. With the exception of Wheeler. He was and has been both games ready to play. I even texted one of my buddies who is in D.C. at the moment that Wheeler did not even have sleeves on under his uniform. I thought he was great.

          Regarding NC I have never been a big fan. I realize he almost single handily beat the Braves last playoff. When I watch him in the field of at bat, he reminds me of Dave Kingman of by gone years. All or nothing. He swings or half swings at some awful pitches. I am surprised he ever has strikes thrown to him. You can almost sit at least 3 or 4 inches off the plate and get him out. Also, to me his bat looks really long and probably pretty heavy. Someone mentioned the slow swing.

          One thing for those who would know. I was thinking the Reds had a young left hander last season who beat and struck out a bunch of Phillies hitters at least once and maybe twice. He was good. I saw there next 3 projected starters for their next series, and he was not among them. Maybe he got hurt. That is not unusual. But I forgot his name. 

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          1. At the end of my non illustrious career I basically guessed on every pitch. sometimes I hit it, most times I looked like a soccer goalie that guessed wrong on a penalty kick.

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       2. Denny Don has a lot of land, do you think you could land your private jet there to see the eclipse,? Romus and i would love to go with you

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          1. Rocco. I have a ten-acre corn field Denny could land in. It is over a quarter mile long. Might be a little bumpy but once you are on the ground you would be fine. We also have an almost new Keystone Avalanche RV. You could stay in the main area and Denny and Romus could bunk in the back bedroom.

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             1. It’s always better when you are on the ground. I’m stopping for some special guests, so there won’t be any room for Romus with me in the bunk room.

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          2. No problem. I’m in the process of developing my flight plan right now. you 2 are in my 1st class section.

             I have some special guests to pick up first, let me know your closest airport or biggest field.

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49. LOL Jake Peavy just said on air live to Mark DeRosa “we both love big b00bs” not sure what he was meaning to say there….

    He quickly corrected himself but you could see Mark and Lauren about ready to burst. They prudently went to commercial…

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50. I’m in 100% agreement with Rafe. It seems like Rojas is the new whipping boy for the fans. When he got picked off (which should not have happened), the boos were overwhelming. When Nick got picked off, you barely heard any. Rojas offers 1 thing that no other Phillies player has to offer and that’s elite, game saving speed and defense. If he doesn’t beat out that throw for the double play, that whole inning is different. When Nick is not hitting, he offers nothing else to this team. Low wage making Rojas is not the problem with this team. If all our super star multimillion dollar players step up and perform like they are being paid to, then Rojas should be the least our worries. Also, I was hoping that Trea would have gotten off to a better start this year, but we can revisit that a month into the season.

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    1. I don’t think you are correct in your assessment and I don’t believe that Rojas is our new whipping boy! I believe instead, that everyone on here wants Rojas to succeed. Some of us happen to believe for him to do that, he needs to be at AAA a level that he has skipped.

       You mentioned Nick and Trey struggling out of the gate and they surely are, all the more reason to send Rojas down because he isn’t going to make a difference until we are hitting on all cylinders.

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       1. I think both of you make really good points. I do not think Rojas is going to be the whipping boy. I think he has game. I do think right now he lacks confidence. Confidence is so big. Hopefully some better weather comes into play and the entire team starts to play better. There are 26 guys on the team, and they all need to do their part for team to succeed. They need to find the edge they had at end of season and again look like they are having fun playing. The Reds were having fun. Phillies need to find that. Just my two cents.

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       2. Everyone wants Rojas to succeed……but wlll he succeed at the plate at this rate? He is pressing and possibly enduring a slow torture. He needs to rebuild confidence and wipe the doubt.

          The Phillies did the same with Franco in his 2nd or 3rd year with options still on the table. That was not desirable for him in the long run.

          So here is the scenario that may play out… if .the next 75/100 ABs for Rojas is more of the same…..now what do the Phillies do…probably they send him down.

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          1. Probably the worse example ever but here it goes, Mike Schmidt in 1972, hitting below the Mendoza line and …… But maybe!

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             1. Yes…..the talent is there, just hope it all comes together for him

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                1. I find all the stress over Rojas to be a little amusing. It’s very rare that a hitter will skip AAA and, even when one does, it’s typically an elite hitter. Rojas isn’t an elite hitter (at least not yet), so it wouldn’t be any surprise at all if he needs 200-300 ABs in AAA and, if he keeps struggling in the big leagues, I expect that’s exactly what will happen and, you know what, it will be fine – we will get okay offense and great defense from Pache and between Pache, Marsh and Merrifield, we will have left and center covered until, hopefully, Rojas comes back more seasoned and ready to go. This sort of thing happens all the time with young players. 

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             2. Yes, Denny, bad example. Schmidt only played in 13 games in 1972. Although, he did bat only .206 in a SSS of 40 PA and 34 AB. 

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                1. How about 1973: 443 PAs, .196 with 18 homers and 52 RBIs?

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51. All the crying about the results of 1 week of games being played in the rain is rather sad. This team has started the last 2 years playing like crap and ended the season is good shape. 

    Maybe take a deep breath, relax a bit, and give the team a few weeks to see what happens. They’ve already addressed on of their early issues with the DFA of Brogdon. If Rojas continues to struggle, he will be sent down to AAA but it’s not going to happen after 20 at-bats. 

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    1. DAM your right, games we lose now mean nothing, cause we are going to do the same thing, chase the braves, and then beat them in playoffs, I forgot no reason to play well coming out of the gate, we are the phillies, This is why i don’t like Thompson, He never set up the bullpen in the exhibition games, Which i believe cost us two games so far,

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       1. rocco……you know the expression…..go to the well enough times it may dry up.  Nats , Marlins, Cardinals, Cubs, Padres, and DBacks are not going to hand the Phillies a play-off spot….assuming the Braves, Dodgers and Brewers win their divisions….It would be nice if the team started their spurt a month or so earlier than, lately, the normal June time-frame.

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          1. Head to Head is the tie breaker for the WC so dropping 2/3 to the Reds is a big deal. As it will be against a bunch of other teams in the central because that division is likely to be really close.

             You may have 3 teams with 88 wins from that division and only one of them get the division. 

             And everyone knows the Dodgers run away with the West so how we play the Pads and D-Backs is also important. Sorry I don’t believe the Giants are a factor and we all know the Rockies will lose 100+.

             The sense of urgency must be there now IMO. If they wait like they did last season they could find themselves on their backs looking at the ceiling asking what the H just happened.

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       2. No, I look at the Phillies and see a team that’s better than most of the other teams in the NL and expect that will be proven out over 162 games. Yes, it would be great if they started playing better in April/May but to read the comments, the season is already over and the players have quit trying.

          Also, they are not better than the Braves so yes, they will be looking up at them in the standings again unless Atlanta’s starting pitching implodes with Morton/Sale injury histories.

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          1. 100% I should lean more into your optimism. I do really like the guys on this team and would love to see them win the last game of the season.

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       3. Thanks, now I’m thinking about the end of games in ST. I just got over it, now I’m obsessing again. thanks, lol.

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52. Romus. You are spot on. Look at all the Likes for you. My feeling has always been that a loss in April counts just as much as a loss in September. Throw the Reds in there as well. They just took 2 or 3. I do worry some about the WS, NLDS hangover effect. I know it is cold. But just as cold for the other two teams as well.

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53. I agree that we all want Rojas to succeed, I just think the chorus of boos he got after he was picked off was not necessary and a little too much for the young man. How about the fans cheer him on like they did for Turner. Lets try and lift his spirits and show our support for him

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54. Romus. Check out my reply to Rocco up above on the eclipse.

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    1. Yeah….Don, thanks, but I will pass on the invite. Where yuo live will bea almost a bird’s eye view of the event. Wear your special glasses.

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       1. Romus. Rocco said he will pay Denny for the flight. We are exactly in the middle of the black line. Fishers where I grew up as a kid is the longest period of darkness in county. It is about 20 miles South of me and only 15 minutes from Indy. I have NO idea what it will be like here people wise, but most say it will be crazy. I am guessing people start showing up Saturday.

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          1. Don……question….if you look at the elcipse by using a mirror…..will it still damage the optic nerves?

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             1. Romus. I have no idea. My wife said to tell you that we have extra glasses. I know very little about the eclipse.

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                1. Don..I found out…NO mirrors, relctive rays will stay damage the retina.

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                2. ..reflective

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             2. Romus. Just take a nap. It will be dark. LOL

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             3. Romus. I forgot to mention that on the local tv stations the eclipse and Indiana State playing in NIT final and Purdue in Final Four are about the only things being covered.

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          2. I’ll probably just stay here in Eastern Carolina. I’m usually in the dark, so it won’t be any difference for me.

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             1. Denny. I told my wife you came to Indiana to get a puppy last Fall. I thought it was a big breed, but I forget what breed you said.

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             2. Denny my wife wants to go to Myrtle Beach. How is it? It’s 11 hour right from me. Hoping you could Uber us. I am too old to drive that far

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                1. rocco….Myrtle Beach from Phily yuo can make in less than an 11 hour drive..LOL…just under 600 miles. How’s your wife’s bladder?

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                2. Astronaut diaper.

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                3. Yeah it’s about 12 hours from Indy to MB, about 11 to Charleston, SC, which is calmer.

                   Let me know the date, I’ll make the trip, meter is running.

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55. Denny. I told my wife you came to Indiana to pick up a puppy. I told her I thought it was a big breed, but I forgot which one. Thanks.

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56. Denny. I told my wife you came to Indiana last Fall to get a puppy. You said breed but I forgot. Told her I think it is a big breed. Thanks.

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    1. Yeah 1st week of December. Near Notre Dame, Lakeville.

       Native American Indian Dog,; Malamute, Huskey, Shepard.

       Doing great, 90 pounds, smaller than my other, 100.

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       1. Romus looking over rosters at Reading. Clearwater. LHV. Trying to see what position players we have. You know anything about Villars ? Is he a I’m whit prospect.

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          1. meant legit prospect

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             1. rocco…..LOL…..any realtion to Jonathan Villars?

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                1. ‘relation’

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                2. Guessing he means Jordan Viars, 3rd round pick a few years ago

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57. Don53,

    In reference to the young lefthander on the Reds, who’s name you cannot recall, is it Nick Lodolo?

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58. Rafe. Yes. I did not see him as one of the next 3 starters. He must be hurt. I thought he was really good, and I did see him a few times later in season. They added Montas but he would be better than the guy Tuesday night. Thanks. I knew someone would know.

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    1. Don….. left tibia injury from last season….. scheduled to return in April sometime from their reports..

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       1. Romus. I knew if I mentioned him the Phuture Phils would know. I just thought he was pretty good. Reds have decent rotation. Also, important as someone mentioned about the tie breaker deal with these NL teams you only play a few games against. I know the season is long and 162 but each game matters.

          Indiana is getting all excited for Monday. I still have room. LOL

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          1. The new dog has a foot infection and the bill for that and a couple items was $330+, plane is grounded, can’t afford fuel. watching eclipse from living room.

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             1. Denny. Oh no on the young pup. I am well aware of vet costs. We started the Winter with 6. 3 dogs. 3 cats. All rescues. We have lost 2 of the cats. One was around 20 and the other close to 30. The old one was going downhill but on a couple of the nice 70 days in early March I let him out for a while. First day was fine. Second one of the dogs and I went to get mail. About 1,000 feet from road. Got back he came up to me and ate some and then went back out with another cat. I went back out a few minutes later and could never find him. I looked everywhere. Now our big dog is like 17 or 18 and he is going downhill fast. We have hardwood floors and if he gets down, he cannot get up. Fine on the carpets. So now one of us is trying to always stay around. We spend more for animals’ food than we do for us. Hope he gets better. Let the plane rest. I have no idea how crazy it will be here pretty soon. I am guessing people start showing up Saturday. We are exactly in the middle of the black. I am 30 miles straight North of Indy.

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             2. Denny. I just went back and looked for Matt13 post. Anyway, on November 30 Hinkie asked about your new pup. Said he went to Ohio in 2005 and got a Bernese Mt. Dog. He had asked you what breed your new pup was.

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                1. Man, it must be tough having older animals, you must have much satisfaction along with the heartache. Bless y’all.

                   yeah, I remember about Hinkie’s post, prayers for him.

                   I’ve just had 4 friends gone in past 6 months: 75, 70, 70 & 69. All from PA.

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                2. Denny. It is but we have always had lots of animals. Really hard when you lose them. I was a farm kid so always lots of everything animal wise. The cat that was around 30 and he was. My late brother had him forever and then when he passed in 2011, I ended up with him till a few weeks ago. It was as though he just disappeared into thin air. I have 14 acres and it is open around here. I looked everywhere for him for two days.

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59. Today is the home opener for Jersey Shore. Very excited for this group. Hoping Miller gets there at some point while Crawford is still there. I pick a few games later in the month to head down to.

    I’m not sure how well they are going to pitch or when Wen Hui Pan is coming back but he is another player I really want to see live.

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60. I’m sure we’re all still thinking about Hinkie and hoping he and his fam are ok. I was especially thinking about him the other day watching Glasnow dominate the Giants. Glasnow was a Hinkie favorite.

    Then I think how did the Dodgers get him and seemingly not give up much and retain Bobby Miller? And then extend him for $120 million.

    That’s a trifecta franchise in the sense that A. They can spend whatever B. They can trade for whatever C. even though they aren’t drafting high they are still scouting and developing what they do draft very well.

    Whatever secret sauce Friedman developed (and its still alive and well in Tampa minus the bankroll) I wish we could bring some of that here.

    My father used to say if the grass is greener over there its probably getting better care.

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    1. I have been thinking about Hinkie a lot too.

       Happy that today is opening day for most MiLB. Will be fun to follow.

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61. Romus you feel that earth quake, Dam i am not leaving my house,

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    1. Rocco. Denny says his plane is grounded as well. Stay safe.

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       1. Sold the plane, funds used for building my bunker.

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    2. Eclipse, Earthquake, the end is near.

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    3. rocco……I feel the earth move under my feet…I feel the sky tumbling down…..I feel my heart start to trembling/

       ……nah did not even feel a tremor…was in a gym

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       1. Carol King love her. Saw her with Allman brothers. And sea train.

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       2. Not even a tremor while watching the young girls doing their step aerobics?

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          1. denny how is Mythe beach?

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             1. Wet, wild, windy, cold but none of that is happening on the golf course.

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62. I didn’t feel anything in Mt Airy. On the radio it’s being blamed on the City Connect jerseys. %)

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    1. Lester Holt is just on tv now talking about it. Says a 4.7 earthquake in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Wow. Rocco you were not kidding. Hope Romus is fine. Al Roker is talking now.

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       1. Romus lives in bucks county. Those rich people have big brick house so he is okay.

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63. Pretty strong here in Eastern Bucks county….

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    1. dmar. I too am worried about Hinkie. He was always nice to me. Plus, as you said he always had his favorite guys he wanted Phillies to get or young guys who he felt were good potential draft picks for Phillies.

       I have one more I have thought about and not seen but Matt13 was always really nice to me. I believe he said his grandkids are in Florida. I think it was maybe last Winter when I remember a post. Word Press has changed usernames, so I just never said anything.

       Hope all of you are safe.

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64. FYI. CBS has an article up now with the Phillies City Connect uniform with picture of Harper. Maybe all of you have seen them. First time for me. I am not sure what I think. Just sent my son a pic to see his response. Bryce did not think they would go the blue and yellow combo. Article says they will wear them 12 times. Bryce did have the hat on that Jim said was a Spring Training hat. This hat is blue as well. I had liked that hat in the Spring. Just letting anyone else know if you have not seen it. Maybe something that grows on you. Maybe not.

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    1. It’s a look. If you like that sort of “out of the box” look, you might like it. If you like uniforms with a traditional flair, you might not like it so much. I don’t hate the uniforms, but their other home uniforms are so damned good that it’s a high bar to match. 

       On the whole, I think there are much better City Connect uniforms – the ones for the Giants are amazing (but someone else rated them last, so who knows?), and I like the Rockies and D-Backs, off the top of my head.I also liked the Braves’ jerseys, which play off the old Hank Aaron-era jerseys they wore when I was a kid. I also really didn’t like the Red Sox uniforms, but they are apparently very popular.

       I do like the hat, however.

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       1. In fact, I don’t know why the Phillies don’t ever wear their red liberty bell hats during the regular season – they are great. It would be a nice change of pace.

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          1. Catch. I really like the liberty bell hat. Even this blue one looks nice. We tried to find them back when we saw them and never did or at least I think he did not. I looked on Phillies stuff to no avail. Jim mentioned they were Spring Training hats and might be available later. I need to ask my son. I did see his kid had a new Phillies hat on a couple days ago. I have made both of them into Phillies fans.

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             1. Don…shame on you…making the kids Philies fans…a life of emotional torture awaits them now! Probably not too late for them to have a second choice.

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                1. Yep. At least they are not Cowboys fans. That is depressing. Oldest grandson is big Tigers fan. One of the Lions coaches a few years back was married to gal who went to Purdue with my daughter. Little grandson got two baseballs at Reds vs Phillies last year. So that bought him in. He is going to game on 22nd again.

                   Also heard at noon on tv that Indy is expecting people from all 50 states and 26 countries in Indy area.

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                2. My daughter married an Atlanta Braves’ fan, now 3 grandkids are Braves’ fans. in football, Bears. 

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          2. Catch. My son just got back and told me he thinks the blue uniforms are really cool.

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65. Just watching MLB game now. I aimed to mention the other day and it may be too late, but MLB Extra Innings was on for some of these first few games for free. I have Direct TV and my channels start at 720. Not sure if still available or if you can get it on other services. Just wanted to throw it out. But almost every game is available. On 720 you can have 8 games on at a time if that many are being played. It is the best $160 or so I spend a year. I just saw them flash a promo other night. Then forgot till now. Sorry if too late.

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    1. A lot of services are offering free for the first couple weeks of the season (select games, usually).

       But they’re also blacked out in local markets, so anyone anywhere near Philadelphia can’t watch the Phils even if they’re one of the free games.

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       1. In the Carolinas we are blacked out from Nationals games. I think it is for attendance at the games, but also think it’s because of sympathy of having to watch the Nationals.

          Mets, Nationals & Miami 4-18.

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       2. I just really like the Extra Inning package. Almost all games from all the teams are on for me. I get a chance to watch many here early in the Spring. Afterwards in the Summer when we are busy not so much. Plus, I think it costs me like $160 for 6 months of baseball. We cannot go to the grocery and spend less than that. I just wanted to point it out.

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66. Blue Liberty Bell hats are on the Phillies web site. 5 hats. Pretty sharp.

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67. Looks like Strider is to have MRI on elbow. Just pretty normal these days.

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68. Looks like Bieber is also done for the season. Cross our fingers for the Phillies guys. Saw Braves article saying “Oh no the season is over” regarding Strider. Really early in season for some big-time injuries.

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    1. Braves might be ripe for the pickings right now:

       Morton 40

       Fried, fragile

       Sale, fragile

       Lopez, former reliever

       5th, ?

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69. That is why Phillies need to start playing like they did last night. I thought it was a good game. Little crazy baserunning but overall solid effort. This should bring Braves back to the pack quite a bit.

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70. Don, the blue ST hats were different from this city connect crap.

    I guess I’m one of those “get off my lawn” guys. I like the traditional stuff – the travel grays, the home white with red pinstripes, and the red cap with the swirly P. The cream ones are okay and I tolerate but don’t really care for the powder blue and burgundy. 

    I see this city connect stuff for what it is, just another merchandise money grab by millionaires and billionaires.

    I watch the Phillies on a streaming service that is commercial-free. But, tonight I had to listen to a five-minute infomercial during the second inning that lasted at least three batters. Tmac and Raj (pimps and shills) talked effusively about how this city connect stuff represents a special connection between the city and the team. I wonder how special that connection will be if the city/state chooses not to fork over millions for the next stadium.

    Sorry, rant over.

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    1. I agree. I’m also fairly minimalist in my taste, but I find the Phils’ city connect jerseys to be a tasteless money grab. They couldn’t even be bothered to come up with some interesting themes for one of the oldest cities in America. Literally the birth place of our nation and we get… SS looking lettering and the wrong colors.

       If they wanted to go with completely new colors to sell merch, they should have just made it Phanatic themed.

       Although I will say some of my favorite non-standard Phillies stuff is black. But that’s because black and red is a very clean color combination. And it at least still uses the Phillies red.

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       1. i agree with both of you about the city connect uniforms and the announcers being shills as they cannot like the Jerseys but are willing to be salesman / frauds. They are ugly as hell with font that elicits darkness. 

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          1. the announcers are Phillies employees so of course they are going to promote the stupid city connect unis

             mlb does it because it works and people buy the stuff.

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          2. Pure money grab – and a huge wasted opportunity. Given Independence Hall, Boathouse Row, Billy Penn, there are so many iconic Philly-based models that they could have chosen.

             The fact that Tom and Rube consistently have to comment ‘wow, more fans in the Connects’, or ‘there’s so may subtle references to the City in the design…’, means they failed.

             Things that work – Powder Blue, Birds Kelly Green, or even the Phanatic Batting Practice hats – don’t need to be mentioned.

             What really hit the point…. last weekend the Nats wore their – very simple gray + light cherry with the Cherry Blossoms. Simple, stated.

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       2. Of course the city connect jerseys are a money grab. All merchandise are a money grab. Harper jerseys are a money grab. Same with Phanatic dangle hats. But nobody is forcing you to buy them.

          If the Phillies want to put out city connect merchandise, I’m ok with that. More choice for all. I’m still only going to buy what I like.

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          1. Obviously the goal of merchandise is to sell it. But the issue with the City Connects specifically are mainly two things.

             1. They’re marketed as being “deeply rooted” in the city, but the ones for the Phils are just straight dumb. As many of them have been after the first wave or two. The theme and style for the Phillies’ version could not have been made by a person who’s spent a single minute inside the city. Their design looks like it was made by a foreign tourist who has only briefly looked at travel brochures for Philly. They have nothing to do with the heart of the city or the team that’s representing them.
             2. But more importantly… the players don’t wear the other merch they’re trying to sell us. They started this nonsense with stuff like the Veteran’s Day or 4th of July uniforms, and it just has no place on the field. The fans are already being bled dry by price of admission, price of concessions, watching ads between each half inning, and even having ads all over the field and sponsorships for EVERYTHING. The field is named after a sponsor, the bullpen is named after a sponsor, the *4th inning* is named after a sponsor. It’s greedy, it’s ridiculous, and it’s repulsive. They don’t need to be turning the players themselves into billboards (with these god awful uniform patches) and mannequins as well. Stop trying to monetize every second of our lives. Let us enjoy something. They’re already making more money than they can ever spend. Baseball is sacred to its fans and the stunts they’re pulling are sacrilegious.

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          2. Had a longer reply that may come through at some point, but the difference is mainly that they’re using the players and the game itself as an advertisement for this merch.

             It’s one thing to sell merchandise. It’s another to try to monetize every square inch of the baseball field.

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             1. Besides that fact that MLB now allows advertisement on jerseys, but have you seen the OF wall at the Bank? The whole OF wall is pretty much an advertising board. So the Phillies are trying to monetize every inch of the field. And they are not alone.

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                1. I’m aware, and I addressed that in the longer reply. None of that means we have to like it. And just shrugging your shoulders and saying, “well they’re already doing it other places” is what emboldens them to keep shoving more of this dreck down our throats.

                   I know a lot of the posters here are older, so they can surely remember a world where not every waking second was an advertisement. Well that world is quickly disappearing. My niece and nephews will likely have more of their lives being advertisements than not.

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                2. @DanK, the Phillies are not going to listen to you or me concerning that advertising issue. They are going to do whatever they want. But if you want a positive spin on it, the more money the Phillies make, the more they might be willing to spend…

                   Either way, I can’t control their advertising. What I can control is how I react to it, and I don’t let it bother me that much.

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    2. Thanks Jim. I only saw the red ST hats with the liberty bell. I liked those but have never seen any of them available. I just happened to glance at Phillies shop and saw the blue hat. I am old fashion as well. You had mentioned that the red was only for ST so I had not even looked till yesterday. I understand your point on the city connect stuff. Some are kind of weird in appearance.

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    3. I agree with you about the uniforms. I think the city connect uni is ugly.

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71. count me out on the city connect jerseys. I think it could have been a hit, but having no red in it …

    doesn’t make it feel like a “Phillies” uniform

    I guess you could say … it just doesn’t connect with me. Hats good, Love patch is good… just needs red imo

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72. Braves Strider probably done for the year and most of next if he needs TJ on his damaged UCL…..Braves cannot keep their pitchers healthy.

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    1. Fried got lit up again last night but lucky for Braves that they put together a very good beer league softball team behind them. They won 9-8.

       Fried has an 18.00 ERA after 2 games, 5 IP, 10 ER, 12 H, 4 walks.

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       1. Yeah..Strider got lit up Friday night then came out complaiinng of forearm soreness…Snitker said does not look good. Strider had Tommy John surgery in Feb 2019, during his sophomore season at Clemson. The severity of the tear will determine whether Strider needs a second Tommy John surgery, the less invasive internal brace procedure, or can rehab the injury. The 25-year-old Strider had an uncharacteristic outing Friday.

          The Braves, like the Dodgers…..are all bats now.

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          1. Best case, Strider is out 3 months. Worst case, he’s returning after the AS break in 2025. And the odds of recovering after a second TJ are improving but still not great. The poster child for a second recovery is Nathan Eovaldi but he had 9 years between surgeries. If Strider goes under the knife this year, it’ll only be 5 years between surgeries, and Strider is not the biggest guy either.

             Another thing is that the Braves heavily backloaded his 6/75 deal, presumably to coincide with the Braves not paying Morton, Fried, Iglesias by the time Strider’s big money kicks in. Strider is still owed 4/73 after this season.

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             1. Yeah……think they will err on the side of caution and keep him out a little longer, if he does not need TJ., but needs an internal brace procedure or therapy…….but he does have a pretty violent motion to the plate. So will beinteresting how they go forward with him. When it comes to financial contracting…the Braves seem to have a wizard financial adviser….they always seem to come out on top.

                What I will never understand….virtually all the young prospect HS pitchers and college arms throw the 95plus FB velo anymore, even my neighbor son Ethan Pecko in the ;Stros org throws hard…why not have the pitchers get the PRP procedure at the end of their season. Pitchers throwing like that from age 14 and up will most all time have fraying of the UC ligament going on..be it very mild to the TJ necessity of a tear…….do preventive maintenance and get the healing done after each season and either delay TJ or avoid it altogether.

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73. Romus. I saw Clark and MLBPA laying blame on the shortened pitch clock. Think it was the Yankee reliever who said he felt a pop in his elbow on the last pitch he threw other night. 

    Braves won 9-8 yesterday. They may need to do that a lot going forward. Just hoping Phillies can keep the guys healthy.

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74. Romus. This is not scientific based. Just the eye test. Something that I think is a contributing factor to these arm issues is that these kids are throwing hard all year around. So many kids have been pushed into focusing on simply one sport. Whatever that is. If a kid around here who has talent is not in football or basketball or whatever they are at one of these baseball facilities most of the Fall and Winter throwing. They simply do not allow their body time to recuperate and heal. I am now aware of a handful of kids around here 17 and under who have had TJ surgery. Few weeks ago, at one of these facilities the owner who I have known for years only spoke of how hard some of the kids were throwing. My 2 cents.

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    1. Yeah Don….kids starting to throw hard, very early in their life….Dads are there, pushing their kids to be a MLB star…or a college ride for three years or more….the way of the world.

       Maybe have the kids learn how to throw a knuckleball….they will rarely need an operation on their arm or shoulder.

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       1. Romus. I am around a lot of people during the season, and I have never heard anyone mention that PRP procedure you speak about. I am not familiar, so I am of no value. Sounds like it is a healing process. My guess and it is only a guess it requires some down time and as I have mentioned the kids playing baseball only are throwing all year around now. I know first-hand.

          A quick question. I saw beginning of game today and Kevin Frandsen is one of the Nats tv guys. Is this the first year or has he been there for longer.

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          1. Nola had it in in Sep 2016…..avoided TJ since…also Maso Tanaka had it wtth the Yankees and it helped him….does not help everyone however. Dr Andrews did it….but things have progressed it would appear from just a decade ago. 

             Andrews’ own site has this to say about PRP injections:

             Patients can see a significant improvement in symptoms. This may eliminate the need for more aggressive treatments such as long term medication or surgery, as well as a remarkable return of function. In addition, PRP has been reported to accelerate tissue healing by as much as 50%… PRP therapy helps regenerate tendons and ligaments but it is not a quick fix. This therapy stimulates the growth and repair of tendons and ligaments, and requires time and rehabilitation. Through regular visits, your doctor will determine when you are able to resume regular physical activities. On average, patients return to sports between 8 to 12 weeks after the PRP injection.

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             1. Romus. I believe the last sentence tells you why it is not used. Kids and parents are not going to take 8 to 12 weeks off for something that cross your fingers might never happen to them.

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          2. https://www.hss.edu/condition-list_prp-injections.asp

             Platelet-Rich Plasma injections…use your own blood platlets for for healing.

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    2. There is a strong opposite pov on that exact point by some pretty knowledgeable pitching instructors. That is the reason for all of the arm injuries is that pitchers do NOT throw all year. That if they did that their arms would be stronger. Alan Jaeger is a big proponent of this view and many agree with him. Many pitchers do long toss year round say they have no arm pain.

       My pov…If you throw hard, a lot, you will have an arm injury. No one knows how to stop it. There is no secret formula to prevent it. It is a matter of time. There are some mechanical movements that increase the probability. But even so, it is inevitable for hard throwing pitchers.

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       1. I think, over time (it may take a while), training and usage patterns will help reduce the likelihood of TJ surgery. We have to remember that we are still in the early stages of the new era of ultra-hard throwers. When I was a kid, a few teams had guys who came out of the bullpen and threw around 96-99, but basically, anyone who threw over 95, was deemed a flame thrower. Guys like Todd Worrell, were exceptions and essentially nobody touched 100 MPH except someone like Nola Ryan and then Randy Johnson. The game, however, has changed dramatically over the last 15 years or so. An average guy out of the bullpen is throwing 95-97. There are essentially no righties that comes out of the bullpen throwing 92-94 unless they have a true out pitch. We learned this the hard way during 2020, when Matt Klentak gave us a bullpen from 1994 – it just doesn’t work anymore.

          It took a long time for teams to religiously limit pitch counts. The result, I believe, is that there are many, many fewer careers ended by shoulder injuries. They’ve done a great job with that. Now, they need to learn how to train and rest pitchers to help reduce elbow injuries. I suspect in the next 5-10 years, there will be progress in this area, but I guess we will see.

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          1. My son is 15 (freshman in high school) and all of the top pitchers on his club team have had arm injuries and the most used pitcher on his club team just had Tommy John surgery at 15.

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             1. v1 and Catch. Both of you make really good points. I do not have any scientific data. All I know if what I have seen. My grandson is 17. Two of the kids he has played with at different times have had TJ. Believe both at 15. Both are back playing. I have heard others mention a few more in the area.

                I am a big fan of kids doing multiple sports. But that became an issue in the 80s. Now it is much less likely though some do. One of you mention long toss. These facilities at least here in Indiana are not conducive to that very well. Usually, the big area if one has it like 40 kids or so out on it and the pitchers have those cage areas to throw that are maybe 100 feet at best. Just too cold here to throw outside very often.

                Back in the 70s when I played, I played with two kids who would be those flame throwers. One got hurt. One did not. The one who did not play three sports. One who did only played baseball. May mean nothing. There were no pitch counts back then. Coach handed ball to you, and you were expected to finish game. Summer after my junior year I played on two teams. High school and legion. Pitched usually at least 3 times a week. Two teams played 7-8 games because weekend were DH days. But I finally hurt my shoulder the following summer in State Legion tourney. Felt as though someone stuck a knife in the shoulder. 

                On a quick light note grandson and parents went to Florida and visited a couple schools last week. Went to the Palm Beach area. But at one of the spots, they stayed they saw Tom House who I think had different ideas on pitchers. They thought he may have something down there now. Not sure on specifics.

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75. By the way, I don’t know about everyone else, but I’ve been keeping an eye on Oliver Dunn. He’s gotten off to a great start with the Brewers. He was really, really good last year in the minors for the Phillies – with lots of power and plenty of walks. I get why he was traded, but if he ends the year with a lot more WAR than Alec Bohm, I must admit, I will be a little bit annoyed. You just have to be able to scout your own players, regardless of their draft pedigree – at some point, that becomes much less relevant (and, at some point, almost entirely irrelevant). Hopefully, some of the players they got for Dunn will pay dividends, but early on, this trade is looking like a big win for the Brewers.

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    1. Catch,

       Yes, I have been following him and agree with your viewpoint. He has power, a great eye, can steal some bases and appears to play pretty good defense. He can play second and I imagine he could be put in LF. Personally, I could see him being better than Bohm. Yesterday, he hit leadoff for the Brewers.

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       1. There are several players on this Phillies team that have a reputation as being very good that, frankly, I don’t think are all that great. The two most obvious ones are Castellanos and Bohm. Both have their selling points, and it’s still possible Bohm may take a large leap forward, but, the last few years they have been just okay and, to me, very replaceable.

          The last guy is Turner. It’s still early, but, on the whole, he hasn’t been the star we saw with Washington and L.A. except for a magical month and a half. What bothers me the most about him is how frequently he looks overmatched at the plate. Again, it’s early, and he does have a good history but if you look at him and the totality of DD’s big FA signings, on the whole, they’ve been mediocre at best, with no great move (so far) and some really bad ones (Castellanos and Walker come to mind). Where DD shines, to my thinking, is in the shadows – the Alvarado trade, the Turnbull signing, the Marsh trade (even if O’Hoppe becomes very good, it’s a solid move, at worst) the series of moves to pick up good arms to staff the bullpen and on it goes. You’d think it would be easier to sign the stars than to find value lurking on the low end of the talent pool, but DD defies expectations. 

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76. Abel must have been rusty yesterday with all the rain outs last week and throwing his schedule out of whack.

    NL Central is hot…..30-16 overall and the Pirates jumping out early.

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    1. It was also probably cold as hell in Rochester. His velocity was down in the low to mid 90s. Last year, he routinely sat between 96-98 – when it warms up, his velocity probably will as well.

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77. Not much to panic over in just 30-40 PAs for most of the starting 9 but some of these guys should be looking at their BBs to K ratios and looking to clean that up in the next series.

    Especially Turner just 1 BB to 12 Ks is not a good ratio especially when he is hitting in front of BH. 

    Schwarber’s 4 to 11 still irks me but only because its out of the LO spot.

    Stott is 6 BBs to 4 Ks with an overall 375 OBP seems to make the most sense as the LO. 

    Marsh has to clean it up 1 BB to 10 Ks ouch. That said he’s batting 280 with a couple of dingers.

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    1. DMAR…more and more looking like Stott should be at the top of the order, followed by Turner and Harper…..plus Stott will get the added AB thru the duration of a game. So por favor, give Thomson a call and see what he thinks about your idea!

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       1. Thomson’s lineup sheets come pre-printed in pad form (25 to a pad). Already printed in lead off position is the word “Schwarber”, so ……. don’t think por favor will cut it, after all this is one less name he has to write …… and think of the extra writing entailed when twin bills happen.😎

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       2. Well he wouldn’t listen to me Romus but collectively maybe we should all pound the GM’s email address 🙂

          My other notable stats are team stats. But again as Charlie would say it ain’t hittin season yet

          Runs scored Dodgers are 1 with 69; Braves are 6 with 56

          Phillies are 22nd with 36

          OPS Braves lead with a team 886; Phillies are 17th with 674

          From the pitching side a 4.22 ERA isn’t great and ranks 19 but way too early for that stat to have any weight.

          WHIP rank is 13 with a 1.23 and you should be able to muscle up a bunch of wins if that figure holds throughout the season (if your OPS numbers to start to climb into the upper 700 range or 800 range even better)

          I think we’re way better than those numbers so better days are ahead!

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78. One thing that has my BP up is how inept we are at base running this month, maybe just a bad run, no pun intended!

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    1. I agree about the baserunning. We just don’t look ready to play as they appear asleep at the wheel. Does the manager deserve to take some heat for that? I tend to think he is largely not to blame as the veteran players should be leading the team as opposed to the manager. 

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79. I have 2 boys that played at high levels. 1 is a pitcher the other 3rd base.Both had arm injuries with PRP injections. The 3rd basemans injections didn’t make a difference. His arm was never the same and never played another game. The pitcher had PRP junior year of highschool and made it half way through his senior year of college. Just now his arm is starting to act up again. The amount of training players today undergo to make the player more explosive is the root cause. Over use is also an issue. Coaches at all levels many times don’t have the players best interest in mind. I beleive we have reached the limits of what the stucture of the arm is capable to withstand. Nolan Ryan along with a few others are the exception not the rule

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    1. I think you make many good points. I was told long ago that pitching a baseball is not a natural arm movement. Conversely throwing a softball in a windmill motion does not put the stress on you or shoulder. I did both. Never experienced an issue after learning how to pitch fastpitch softball. Only issue was trying to throw overhand hard after injuring shoulder. I have no scientific info. I agree that the Nolan Ryans, Bob Fellers, Tom Seavers are the exception.

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    2. Scott Waxler…..thanks for that info on the PRP protocol…..it is not 100% full proof from what many medical people will say….for some like your one son, it just did not adhere….others it may last a longer time……I am a little surprised Nola’s has held up for now going on 8 years.

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       1. Romus. The success may be the result of the damage that has occurred. I do not know that, but it may be some factor. Believe it was the Yankee reliever who said he heard a pop in his elbow on the last pitch he threw. I have never really heard if you get much of a warning when the injury is going to happen. Nola must have got some warning, but it seems to others it is one pitch.

          Mine was one pitch. My shoulder was fine the pitch before. I saw when Don Gullet passed over the winter that the article stated his career ended when he had a double tear of the rotator cuff. I had never heard of that reference before. But that ended his career in the late70s or early 80s. Forget. Think Don was 73 so he was one of the guys in this area along with Tom Underwood who made it to the big leagues. Two very different kind of pitchers. One other was Carl Erskine who spoke at one of my high school banquets.

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       2. When I look at Nola’s mechanics , he is not a max effort pitcher. He also uses his bottom half really well. I think this takes some of the stress off the arm.

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80. There have been some interesting moments on the base paths in these early games. Think Saturday Stott went halfway on the deep fly to center. Could have tagged and then scored on the wild pitch. Instead ended up at 3rd. I place that on the runner. If the ball had been missed, he most likely scores anyway from 2nd. I thought Phillies looked better over the weekend. Hope they can keep it up this week. Think the weather finally begins to improve.

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81. Given that there are a lot of good athletes on this team, the baserunning has been shockingly bad. It’s on the players, but it’s on the coaches too. This team runs into more outs than any team I can ever recall watching – watching these unforced errors is maddening. And it doesn’t help that the team’s best player does whatever the heck he wants on the bases without consequence (and, he also runs into more than his fair share of outs). I love Harper, but when other players see that, they take his lead – at least that’s how I see it.

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    1. Not much that can be done with the aggresiveness he has on the base paths….I am sure he is aware of the risks he takes. It is frustrating when it does not work and results in an unattend out. At some point in his career he will temper it I would think.

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       1. Romus. I see this afternoon that Verlander gave his thoughts, and he feels the main culprit to the arm injuries is the velocity that the guys are throwing. Plus, they are throwing harder at younger ages.

          One of the things that may be good for Nola is that he is not one of those upper 90s guys. Maybe that will help him going forward. Also, maybe he got treatment before there was too much damage. Let’s hope so.

          My quick take on baserunning is some are good, and some are not so good. Not all really fast guys are good baserunners. Conversely some not as fast are very good. A lot is the ability to read the pitcher and likewise the outfielders on balls hit out there. Also, knowing what you are going to do. Always tried to teach kids to anticipate rather than react to situation.

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82. The Brewers flipped their lineup on the fly before Sunday’s game. It worked to perfection. (msn.com)

    Oliver Dunn is batting leadoff again today.

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83. I saw about a dozen R-Phils games last year. Rojas was an incredible CF, as we all now know. De La Cruz could muscle some long home runs. Oliver Dunn, had good stats, but I was not impressed. But what do I know? The Brewers and v1again saw something. But we did get Hendry Mendez in the Dunn trade and he is hitting a cool 667

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84. Another one bites the dust

    Framber Valdez Scratched From Start Due To Elbow Soreness – MLB Trade Rumors

    This is something that nobody wants to consider, but could the vaccine be a contributing factor to these injuries. Do you recall Didi Gregorious and what he said? I don’t wish this to be inflammatory, but I really do think it should be considered. Obviously, the injury itself is caused by the immense amount of force being applied to the elbow. Perhaps the healing process is effected by the vaccine? Cytokine storm so inflammatory storm type process may be taking place? I don’t know, just a thought. I know it is an unpleasant one but it is a factor that should be considered. 2021 was the first year in a dramatic uptick though there was an uptick earlier in the timeline as well. Consider that 2021 was the beginning of the vaccine rollout. 2022 and 2023 though were tame so who knows. 

    

    12:36 PM (4 hours ago)

    

    

    

    to me

    

    MLB pitchers to have Tommy John surgery in the first 100 days of the year since 2010, according to the 

    @MLBPlayerAnaly database: 2010 -4 2011 – 2 2012 – 6 2013 – 4 2014 – 11 2015 – 9 2016 – 4 2017 – 5 2018 – 5 2019 – 5 2020 – 6 2021 – 11 2022 – 3 2023 – 2 2024 – 9

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85. CBS has an article up now on 4 possible reasons for the pitching injuries. Pretty good read if anyone is interested. Just an FYI.

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    1. Saw that article too. 34.2% of pitchers who appeared in a game last year have had TJ at some point. That’s crazy.

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86. So far the return on investment for Turnbull has been extraordinary.

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    1. Turnbull is making himself a lot of money entering FA next season at age 32.

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    2. Awesome signing so far. Huge. Hopefully it maintains.

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       1. When I watched his first outing, I kept asking myself how he went 3-17. He did not look like that kind of pitcher.

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87. Oh and I’ve noticed a disturbing trend with Alvarado. He’s not getting A LOT of the calls on the edge of the zone. I’m not sure if it’s just that the umps are trying to be historically bad this year, or that his stuff is so good that he’s fooling them.

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    1. I told my grandson on Saturday that when Alvarado is on, he is almost unhittable. He made two great pitches to the guy he walked on Saturday. Both were perfect. One thing I have noticed so far in all the games I have tuned into is there have been many missed balls and strikes. Not just Phillies games. Guess the umps did not get enough work in Spring Training. At least if they are consistent players can adjust. That has been lacking at times.

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    2. I thought overall the homeplate umpire did a fairly good job last night. Most of the game he established the just outside the box (rhb) as a strike ……… but, he wasn’t calling the inside (rhb) pitch. 

       He was pretty consistent with that til the last two innings when he departed from calling the outside strike. I’m pretty critical especially of balls and strikes and would like to see ROBO or a variation thereof. 

       Dan….you didn’t happen to see Angel’s gaffe of a few days ago did you? Wow, only reason I can think of that he keeps his job is the union!

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       1. He had multiple, but yeah I saw them all. He may have surpassed that non-strike call on Castellanos dead center of the zone as the single worst call of the year. And I think he’s definitely taken over worst called game of the year (despite there being a game where only something like SIXTY PERCENT of the strike calls were correct).

          I wasn’t particularly unhappy with the ump last night, he just happened to continue the trend of Alvarado not being given the edge of the zone. But the umps overall have been horrendous. It’s unsettling how bad the zones have been called.

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          1. I think MLB is INTENTIONALLY nor replacing, disciplining, investigating or cracking down on the bad ball and strike umpires. I think they want to expose them and, ultimately, displace them with technology. We will know in the next year or two whether I am right about this, but, certainly the bad umpiring is being exposed and it seems worse than ever.

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             1. Someone mentioned Angel but he has been so bad for so long. One of the umps during the Reds series was all over the place. Balls were strikes and strikes were balls on a consistent basis. There was one and I forget which team was pitching the ball was right down the middle. Ball 4. Even the announcers froze for any comment.

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88. Why does Castellanos never sit a game, it’s been bothering me. Is it in his contract?

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    1. deference to the vets and guys making big $$$

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    2. I love watching baseball games and particularly love watching the Phillies play…but I find it painful to watch Castellanos play. His at bats are terrible. He has zero approach. His base running is horrendous. I don’t see what DD likes about him.

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       1. v1. I am with you. Back in the day he was a big doubles hitter. I do not think NC and Gold Glove have ever been mentioned in same sentence. When I watch it appears to me, he uses a monster size bat. He seems to check swing on many decent pitches and then just wave usually at a pitch a few inches outside the plate. Going back, he reminds me of Dave Kingman. Kingman was an all or nothing player. He might hit one 450 or K 4 times. The last two series last year speak to that. He was great vs Braves and then nothing vs Dbacks. It appears he is here to stay and in right field on an almost daily basis.

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       2. Baseball, maybe more than any other sport, is most enjoyable when watching someone play such a nuanced game with intellect and a cerebral approach. It’s why we loved Chase Utley. And Lenny Dykstra, although it’s hard to think of him these days as intellectual and cerebral, but he was when he played. Probably Pete Rose also but a bit before my time. I think in today’s world, Bryson Stott might be the guy with the most potential in this regard and Nick Castellanos, to your point, might be the worst now and maybe the worst over a longer period of time. The approach is just horrific to watch and although I’m in Italy for 5 weeks and unable to watch, his results are not surprising at all. 

          The player who ages well is the one who gets smarter at a faster rate than his physical decline…think Moyer, Jamie. On the other hand, the one who ages worst is the one who’s purely reliant on physical skills and hasn’t learned along the way. I fear this is the true definition of who Nick Castellanos is. 

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89. Nobody has mentioned Rojas’s good game. That is a definite positive. JMills, I share your frustration with Castellanos. I don’t know what the answer is. If I was biased searching for positives, Castellanos appears a little closer with his timing and is a bit more balanced. With that being stated, he went from looking aloof and completely lost to looking just slightly better. It is progress though Let’s hope he goes on one of his heaters and stays in that zone for a prolonged period. 

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    1. The challenge is not Rojas in CF, it’s Nicky in RF. Maybe a day off tonight – Whit LF / Johan CF / Brandon RF?

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    2. Didn’t want to disrupt his mojo. Hope he can repeat that performance. It doesn’t take much for me to keep him up. If he could do .230 — .245 this year, I’m good with that!

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90. MLBPA is blaming the pitch clock as causing more Tommy John surgeries. That seemed pretty illogical to me, so I looked at the data.

    I found this list of MLB players that had TJ. I don’t know who created it but it seems pretty thorough https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gQujXQQGOVNaiuwSN680Hq-FDVsCwvN-3AazykOBON0/edit#gid=0

    According to it, here is the count of MLB TJ injuries by year:

    2023 94

    2022 104

    2021 161

    2020 82

    2019 136

    2018 146

    2017 160

    2016 158

    2015 171

    2014 157

    2013 112

    2012 116

    2011 80

    2010 80

    2009 77

    This shows that TJ’s went down in 2023, the first year of the pitch clock. While that is not a complete statistical analysis, it is pretty clear that there is no correlation between the introduction of the pitch clock and an increase in TJ injuries.

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    1. Thanks so much for posting that data; it confirms my hunch. Amaro spoke several times recently about how pitchers don’t condition with running as much as they used to. They get tired with the clock because they aren’t in good enough shape to maintain the pace of the game.

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    2. You’re right that it’s not a real analysis either way, but I think their argument is implementing the even faster clock is the cause. As in, pitchers were able to adjust to last year’s clock over time, but now they’re really hurrying themselves along and causing them to strain their arms.

       It’s a complex issue, and there’s definitely more than one contributing factor. But continuing to change pitching so rapidly can’t be good for them. Juicing the ball, sticky stuff ban, pitch clock, faster pitch clock, limited disengagements, etc. all happened within just a few years. And while I get the reasoning for each of them, changing pitching so fundamentally so quickly can can absolutely have the effect of increased injuries. it’d be nice if MLB would take the chance to observe possible negative side effects of their changes before making more of them.

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       1. I don’t think it is a complex issue and I think there is only one factor impacting the increase in TJ…I think it is 100% because of the focus on velocity and spin rates. The reality is that faster velocity improves performance. And the game is all velo. And to throw high velo a person has to throw max effort a lot. And that puts extra strain on the arm. I think it is that simple.

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          1. v1. The CBS article seemed to suggest the same as you have here. Plus, the young kids throwing much harder at an earlier age.

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             1. Yes. Almost every club team tournament has velocity readings on every pitch. All posted to a public website for anyone to see.

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91. Don’t need to go down for a “rehab” when the Phillies come to town and you don’t need to go to Starbucks to get a cup of “Jo”. Wow, ouch!

    13 K’s, actually we are averaging 9 per game so we raised the “bar”! 11 games 99k’s. 13 k’s (one shy of absolutely nothing happened for half the game).

    Is the Grand Shaman of Hitting (KL) responsible, the disciples, or both. Weary of swing & miss and we are very good at it…..and I’m almost sure that Wheeler is……2.xx era and a 0-2 record.

    Hey, have a great “hump day”….we’ll get em today!😉

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92. I didn’t go through the trouble of getting the app to watch last nights game. I just did gameday on my phone but one of you who watched can you explain the following

    Marsh singled in an inning and a Rojas SAC got him to 2nd. Later in the game it was 1st and 2nd One Out. It appears they had Rojas swinging and a DP happened. 

    Question is did the SAC appear called or was Rojas just trying to get a good bunt down? And if you are attempting to SAC a guy to 2nd why not try to SAC for a 2nd and 3rd?

    For me I watched him last season demonstrate he is not very good at bunting but I guess he has to keep trying.

    Seemed to me they had chances last night but too many rally killing DPs! Hopefully they can take the series today but you have to win games when Wheeler is on the hill.

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    1. dmar. I had game on and off at times. Rojas laid down a really nice bunt down 3b line and Arenado made a great play and just got him at first. I do not think anyone was on at that time. So, I missed what you are referencing. Several double plays. The most disappointing aspect to me is the Phillies have now wasted 3 really good starts by Wheeler. One other thing that stood out to me was the sac fly to Marsh to make the game 2-0. A good throw most likely has a chance to get the runner. The throw ended up 20 feet or so up the 1B line. Guys used to make good throws to home pretty frequently. Does not seem to be the case anymore. Next guy hit soft grounder to Harper, and it is 3-0 instead of staying at 1-0.

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93. I encourage everyone to take a peek at the standings across MLB. They are meaningless for the most part in April but still interesting:

    The NL Central has every team at 500 or above so does the AL East.

    The NL East has every team but 1 (The Braves) below 500. Same for the NL West

    The Bucs come to town this weekend and they are playing some really sound baseball. Not sure how long they keep Skenes down but Jackson Holiday will begin his MLB career tonight in Boston.

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    1. We all know that prospects fail but Jackson Holliday is as “can’t miss” as they come. A .949 career minor league OPS at age 20? That’s insane.

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       1. I said this in ST and will say it again. If you’re betting on anyone to become the next Mickey Mantle, bet on Holliday. His upside is as high as it gets. Orioles now have the best group of prospects and first or second year players as I can ever recall.

          It shows you how mediocre our system has been over the last 15 years.

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94. Nola sitting upper 80s today. Concerning. Hope it is nothing.

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    1. Nobody’s talking about it, but . . . Wheeler’s velocity is down too.

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       1. Could it be that pitchers are using less velo due to being aware of so many elbow injuries?

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    2. This was written in a story about the game

       It was difficult for Nola to get his footing on a slippery mound and grip the wet ball, causing him to forgo his typical velocity in order to achieve any semblance of command. It changed how Realmuto called the game, too.

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       1. Great detail. Thanks.

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95. They are all over Nola’s sequencing like they know exactly what is coming..

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    1. I’m more concerned that the Phillies were able to muster only 1 hit off Lance Lynn in 5 innings. Last season, Lynn gave up 1 hit per inning. The Phillies did get 4 walks but still.

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96. Leaving them loaded with Schwarber and Turner going down inorder is a tough pill to swallow.

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97. Painful to watch these guys in their anemic attempt to hit a baseball. 13 k’s again today ……….. opposition 4.

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    1. Skeet…I think the Phillies ought to consider getting another brand hitting machine.

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       1. 👍

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98. The Phillies held on for the win today, but it feels like they are underachieving badly.

    Pirates are coming into town for 4 games and our old friend Bailey Falter is pitching Friday night.

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99. I know the team is not hitting and overall, other than Marsh and an occasional assist from Harper and JT it is a shame to waste the pitching that continues to keep them in games – all nail biters.  Every time I have watched a game (other than the first 2 of the Cards games) the weather looks simply dreadful. Rain, snow, ice, winds, mud, and likely pestilence – it is almost tough to measure any team when they are playing in such awful weather conditions. Is that a factor ? It is hard to determine….. 

    Secondly, it has been pointed out by many above – I don’t think I have ever seen such terrible umpiring. Where did these guys come from ? They are uniformly blind – missing pitch after pitch. Simply amazing that these are major league umpires ??????

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    1. Rojas and Castellanos hitting twins:

       BA

       Rojas 161 Castellanos 163

       OPS

       Rojas 429 Castellanos 428

       Early and these numbers will change, but, frankly, Castellanos has worn thin on me. He might regain his form with a change of scenery.

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       1. Was not a fan when Castellanos got signed. The issue now is that he’s still owed 2/40. If the Phillies want to move away from him after the offseason, the Phillies will have to eat half that contract (or more) and get a long shot lotto ticket in return. Or the Phillies can do what the Red Sox did when they cut Pablo Sandoval and ate the majority of his remaining contract ($42M).

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          1. Honestly at the time I was on board with all of these signings Turner Schwarber and Castellanos.

             Now I have a bit of buyers remorse LOL!

             The old hooker theory which is the value of services offered are greatly reduced once performed.

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             1. yes, no painless way out now, but it might be best for the Phils to cut their losses and move on.

                Having said that, I’m still hoping Castellanos can recover his hitting form.

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                1. If they had the Kehoni’s they find a LH option and platoon him until he proves he’s corrected himself. (where are you Jake Cave)

                   Same problem as last season he casts his hands way out; starts way early to catch up to velocity and is often just guessing FB and not getting it.

                   And on the oft chance he guesses right his head is pulling off. 

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                2. DMAR……..do not think they would ever do that to Castellanos….he probably would not appreciate that…..then again this is a guy with over 5500 MLB PAs with approx. 4300 vs RHPs, he should not need to be platooned vs RHPs at this point in his career.

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       2. Frank ………. I noticed for the most part Castellanos will “pile on” during garbage time, not necessarily when there is a pressing immediate need!

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          1. oldruff, Agree. I hate to see Castellanos coming up in clutch situations.

             Bohm, on the other hand, seems like the coolest dude in the joint in the clutch.

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       3. Frank ………. I noticed for the most part Castellanos will “pile on” during garbage time, not necessarily when there is a pressing immediate need!

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100. Just a thought of mine. Phillies stand 6-6. But 0-3 in Wheeler starts. So do you guys see the glass half full or half empty with this start. Realizing the hitting and baserunning has been woeful to this point. Pitching I think all would agree overall has been good other than the Brogdon appearances.

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     1. Don, agree. And I notice that Thomson has let the starters get up their pitch counts in the past two games. I’d kinda like that trend to continue. Maybe we need to back off analytics a little and realize an excellent pitcher throwing more than 100 pitches a game is often better than that guy going all out for 80 pitches and then moving on to bullpen roulette.

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        1. SWFL. Good points. I noticed Wheeler went over 100 the other night. Not sure what final total was. Also, that will help BP guys as well. I wonder what they do when Walker returns.

           We have known for a while that this team is really not suited for the long 162 game haul. Much better suited for the short series and hope a couple guys get red hot. But I get so frustrated seeing all the Ks. Like Schwarber and Turner yesterday my grandson other night in 1 run game with runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out strikes outs. Next batter strikes out. No runs. He has to find a way to put the ball in play. That stuff just did not happen back when I played. But it is the norm now.

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101. It has become almost a given that K Long is a great hitting coach. And he’s no doubt a guru. But have we over estimated the guy? Is he over-coaching some guys to the point that they are over thinking, not hitting naturally, at the plate.

     Or maybe it’s just a slow start and everything will be better when Charley’s hitting weather arrives.

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     1. Established MLB hitters shouldn’t need much technical or mechanical coaching. 

        What I suspect he isn’t very good at is his approach planning. Or maybe the players just don’t want to listen or maybe someone else is supposed to be responsible for that.

        Most MLB pitchers have certain signatures. Things they are going to try and do to you to get the count in their favor. 

        There are very few situations where a hitter should ever come off the FB in a favorable count. Our hitters seem to take a lot of FBs down the middle and then start chasing out of the zone.

        The only one that doesn’t seem to do this is Harper.

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        1. DMAR….I think the barometric pressure affects the Phillies hitters…. drops before bad weather…lower air pressure pushes less against the body, which means body tissues expand,  putting pressure on joints …okay maybe not a good plausible excuse.

           How about…..as meteorologist Uncle Charlie use to say….hitting weathers not here yet.

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        2. dmar. Paragraph 4 just drives me crazy watching on my tv. Take one or two fastballs and then swing at breaking pitch out or down. 

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102. Tonight the Phillies will face 22 y/o Jared Jones. His K rate is 13/9 his BB rate is under 2/9. He’s basically a FB Slider guy. Under 10% of the time he’ll mix in a Curve and Change Up. His FB sits 97 his slider about 88.

     Hunt that FB middle away make him prove through a few innings he can get command the inner half Every pitcher makes a few mistakes be prepared to capitalize on them.

     Go get em boys!

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     1. Over-under for Phillies strike-outs…..new kid pitching who hitters have not seen regularly……have to say 11.5.

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        1. Romus. 13 seems like a familiar number. Yikes.

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           1. Sounds like we’re all adequately frustrated and impatient.

              Dmar, agree with Don: You hit it in Paragraph 4. Hopefully, it won’t be the only hit we see tonight.

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        2. LOL – that’s hilarious. And so true!!!

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103. The Mets doing us a solid and spanking the Braves pretty good.

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104. Watched a rookie closer from the As mow down Rangers’ Semien, Seager and Langford……sit at velo 101-102,T103 ..Mason Miller.

     https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=miller002mas

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     1. Romus. He did the same to the Tigers last Saturday. My grandson is a Tigers fan and kid was really bringing it. They started out with him as a starter and switched to BP. They mentioned control issues have been in the past. I think he threw 2 innings on Saturday.

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        1. Today he threw two pitches….FB and slider. Looked like he had good control of the FB…….I guess he will go to the well until it dries up. Not sure he can keep that velo up after 50 pitches however…maybe beside the control issues in the past there may have been a drop in velo after awhile. But for one inning…sheeesh…he was bringing it.

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           1. Romus. On Saturday he was sitting at 102 on most FBs. I am sure he threw a few sliders but mostly just heat. I think he pitched 7th and 8th innings. I know it was 2 innings but not sure which ones. They said where he played. Was it Gardner- Webb?

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105. I freaking love Ranger Suarez. Sign him now!!!

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     1. I know you love Suarez but he’s a FA in 2026 at age 30. Since he’s so close to FA, I don’t think he would be that willing to give a hometown discount. This is similar to when Nola had 1 year left and obviously didn’t take a discount.

        There are no guarantees but Andrew Painter will likely be given every opportunity to grab a rotation spot in 2025 or 2026.

        I think signing Suarez will be influenced by how Cristopher Sanchez performs this season (and next). If he performs well, then the Phillies might consider letting Suarez walk since they can’t sign everybody.

        And the Phillies still have 22 year old Mick Abel at Lehigh.

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        1. I still think they could sign Suarez to a reasonable deal and I think, among the “big three”, he could easily end up being the most productive of the three over the next several years. I didn’t say he would be the most productive, only that I think that’s very possible.

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           1. After this season, here are the remaining contract years:

              Nola 6

              Wheeler 3

              Walker 2

              The jury is still out on Sanchez so he’ll need to prove that last season wasn’t a fluke. Then you have Painter and Abel in the mix.

              Suarez will easily get 4/80 as a FA. He should get 5/100+ if teams start spending again.

              At a certain point, shouldn’t the Phillies need to at least give the young guys a shot? I mean the Phillies are giving $66.5M to Nola and Wheeler for the following 3 seasons. $84.5M if you include Walker (for the following 2 years).

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              1. This team is going to try to get Walker to have some good starts and then, once he’s shown he’s healthy, I suspect that sometime this year (if all goes well) or next year, he’s going to be moved. And the market will be there for him if he’s solid. Maybe they will have to kick in $2-4 million a year on his salary. But someone will want him if he’s doing his normal thing – he would be incredibly valuable to a team like the Orioles who hit like crazy and need solid innings. I mean Kyle Gibson, who is frankly awful, got $13 million this year from the Cardinals. I expect Walker to be dealt. But you don’t forego signing Ranger because Walker is around. 

                 Yes, you can’t sign everyone, but you sign the essential guys and you sign them as soon as you can to save on salary. Ranger is a guy you keep and if you don’t keep him, you’ll regret it.

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106. Yes, Ranger was great again. Think Pirate announcers said Phillies may be wearing everyone’s favorite City Connect uniforms this weekend. They were showing them on tv. I am working on something so maybe did not hear correctly.

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107. Stott has really been pressing lately. So I’m really happy to see him get one in a big spot. I know he’ll be his usual self here in the near future. 

     My buddy still calls them the day care I call them the minimum wage workers. Bohm got his bump to $4 mil this year but Stott and Marsh are still making $768K and $766K.

     A few weeks in and I am still scratching my head on why they gave Whit $7 million.

     I’m pretty sure Weston Wilson could produce better than what he is giving for much less. Its not like this team lacked for veteran leadership and unless I’m mistaken its not like he won anywhere he was.

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     1. As everyone here knows, I don’t value backups that much so giving Merrifield $8M (includes $1M buyout for 2025 club option) to backup multiple positions wasn’t my favorite move. He’s 35 and has been a starter most of his career. Seems like the Phillies are starting him a lot just to justify his price tag:

        Merrifield PAs: 23

        Sosa 4

        Pache 4

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108. As I was watching the Phillies game I was flipping to the Orioles Red Sox. Jackson Holiday obviously has me intrigued and he is still searching for his first hit. They have him batting 9.

     In 2 games he is 0-8 with 4 Ks. Maybe fitting that he gets it in Baltimore this weekend.

     Anyway that is a pretty exciting young team. Talk about day care 7 of their starting 9 position players make a combined $17.2 million roughly.

     6 of our starting 9 make a combined $121 million. That’s 7x greater than the Orioles outlay.

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109. Having watched the Orioles in spring training – 13 games – I can attest this team is loaded. Their AAA team is far better than the Oakland A’s and sports something like 3 or 4 top 100 minor league players (depending if Holiday is up or down). They have players like A. Miller at several positions – BUT the team has little payroll and won’t expand it nor do they have the starting pitching depth. Nonetheless – you’ll see them in the playoffs for sure.

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     1. You do know they were recently purchased by private equity billionaire David Rubenstein?

        I predict they will spend but spend wisely.

        But again and over and over just having a high payroll team means very little in terms of winning championships.

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110. The only Phillie’s player to be in the top 50 in OPS is Brandon Marsh. His rank is 21 just behind Matt Olson and Juan Soto.

     Interesting is that Logan O’Hoppe is at 26.

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     1. Trade seem to work out, so far, favorably for both teams. Offensively I have no complaints with Marsh…….if you go by a positional value system, O’Hoppe, as a catcher has the edge over a LFer.

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111. Good clip on cause of TJ from a Doctor who does these surgeries.

     View this post on Instagram

     A post shared by Cole Newell (@cnpitching)

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     1. Let me see if i understand, so the cause is the grip trying to produce higher RPM?

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        1. Yes. Combined with pushing the limits of velocity by throwing max effort. Verlander said it the other day in an interview. Pitchers are throwing many more max effort pitches now than ever before because they know the focus on velo. Along with a focus on spin rates. 10 years ago no one heard the term spin rates. Certainly not measured on every pitch.

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           1. v1. One of these articles mentioned all these 15- and 16-year-old kids having TJ and that by 26 they will have old ligaments. Grand Park has that measuring device like you mentioned at every diamond starting with the 13-year-olds. Not sure if at any of the little guy’s diamonds. Seems like lots of factors. Sometimes luck comes into play as well.

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              1. My opinion is that the reason that young kids are having TJ is the same reason that MLB pitchers are having TJ…chasing velocity. Every club tournament posts velocity publicly. Kids know if they want to get recruited or drafted they have to hit a velo number. The more you throw max effort the more risk of injury

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           2. Hmm, so do we anticipate a trend of pitchers lowering velo? Or is it already happening, interesting 🤔.

              This is going to affect the market, given that we have seen Nola going 90-88, Wheeler going 93 -95 recently.

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              1. So I have a hot take that few will like…I think there is no stopping this trend of TJs. Velo gets results. And Velo causes injuries. I think it is unstoppable

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                 1. v1. I agree. Seeing Strider is done for season. Should be good for Phillies cause.

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112. Aidan Miller ranked 7th of 3B from MLB.com……the youngest of the top 10.

     https://www.mlb.com/prospects/3b/

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     1. He is a candidate for promotion to Jersey Shore imo

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        1. What? The season is like 2 weeks old. It’s not like he’s got a 1.200 OPS or anything. Why does everyone always want to promote prospects here when they’ve had a good little stretch? Teams should almost always err on the side of caution in promoting a prospect too soon because promoting a prospect before he is ready is counterproductive. Prospects, through their play, tell you when they need to be promoted – they toy with the competition or clearly are not being challenged. We are not there yet with any of the prospects we’ve seen thus far, although two or three more starts like the ones he just had and, probably, Klassen should move up a level. But that’s about it so far.

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           1. Agree…….premature promotions can be counter productive, especially to a kids confidence if he struggles. As for Klassen, he has had a great start…..but have to realize right now he is facing many 19 thru 21-year olds….and he is equivalent to a senior in college….I like to see how he will fare down the road against older and more advanced hitters in hi-A or doubel A…..that will be a more truer test for him….but it is good for him now, to do well at CLW. And like tosee him pitch at least 90 innings this season wherever he winds up……he has not pitched more than 60 innings in any one season at any level.

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           2. Yes, I figured that he seems advanced for Low A, an I read that the Phils org likes to put it’s prospects Ina position to struggle early so they can figure out adjustments, but I agree with you.

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113. Have to beat a dead horse today but that Bailey Fater trade just but us last night…

     I hated it when it was announced and still do. Can’t see why we would trade a starting pitcher (albeit a middling one) for a backup utility infielder… especially since we already had Kingery, Wilson and Clemens.

     I know we’re not talking all stars here but I’ll never understand why DD made this move. Our star studded lineup could only muster 1 run in 5 innings against him.
     Sheesh

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     1. Andy. Bailey looked good. Think that may be only run he has given up so far. I only got Pittsburgh telecast and I think they said that.

        After the game I was thinking the Phillies do not have to worry about going 12-0 with their new City Connect uniforms. Looked weird to me. I do like the Liberty Bell on the hat. I liked the red ones in Spring Training but have not found them. Blue ones are available.

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        1. Stripe down the side of the pant should be red…..have some red in the marketing $$$$ uni.

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           1. Red stripe down the leg ….. border wars revisit ……. bushwackers and Jay hawkers, huh?

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     2. Bailey Falter’s time in Philadelphia was up, he needed a change of scenery. Last season, when Andrew Painter went down, Falter was gifted a starting rotation spot. In 7 starts, he delivered 5.13 ERA, 1.438 WHIP, 6.2 SO/9, -0.3 WAR. In his career with the Phillies, he had 24 starts which led to 0.8 WAR. He was replacement level and he got replaced. I have no problem with him not being on the Phillies.

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114. Nice bunt by Rojas, the nicest I’ve seen him execute since Reading!

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     1. Rojas laid down a really nice bunt during Cards series. Arrenado made a bare-handed play and just got him out at first. Bunt was very good.

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115. I’m quickly starting to resent Thomson. Rojas sits for two days for a mental reset. Cool, makes sense.

     Castellanos, with the same batting line but no redeeming quality of defense, continues to never miss a game. Marsh, our best hitter this year and most of last year and gold glover in left (plus decent back up CF) is still relegated to platoon duty. Whit Merrifield, he of the NEGATIVE 9 wRC+, has almost enough PAs to qualify as a starter.

     As far as I can tell, the only sure way to get play time is to be over 30. Because being younger than that and good at defense, offense, or both only means you’re in a rotation.

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     1. Dan…I feel your pain. The rational at times is confusing, while being frustrated trying to make sense of it. As for Castellanos…..the boos are now cascading down.

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     2. Dan and Romus. Last night watching Merrifield drop a fairly routine liner got me to thinking back to my coaching days. When a new kid would move in, he always was considered better than the players you had who had been there for years. It never failed. I saw it over and over. Most times the kid was not as good as the ones you had.

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        1. So far, with Merrifield, I’m getting a serious Michael Young vibe. It’s very early and, for the most part, he played well last year, and this is a new role. But he may just be done. Who knows?

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           1. Catch – funny you said that – Merriefield = Michael Young. I thought the same thing.

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116. I noticed yesterday that Pache has a really difficult time staying on his feet! It doesn’t seem to matter whether Left or Center field. They probably would have tried him in Right, but the guy there is a fixture to speak and it was time for him to break out!

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     1. Skeet…you got me thinking on OFers staying on their feet….remember Lonnie Smith from the early 80s….called him skates

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        1. Yeah….LOL….I do remember him……. never quite sure when he was on 1rst whether he was going to steal a base or dig a trench!

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117. Question on the TJ surgeries & velocity/max effort issues

     curious (may have to repost this in the updated thread) – we seem to all be noticing more TJ injuries, that is part is likely do to Painter, and now Strider. I agree, that high velocity is here to stay … however … I wonder if the MLB might start implementing a ramping up period per year and starts …

     I mean, when we all freak that a MLB pitchers velo is down, I would think at some point teams start treating arms like achillies heel injuries. These injuries sky rocket on age 40+, and usually come from a quick start movement from a stand still. Not to say it’s exactly that same as obviously pitchers warm up, but I’d bet at some point teams say we know you can throw 98+, let’s have you s throw that in June & July. Or even later in the season. and make sure the velo/effort starts low, then ramps up as the game goes on, almost like an extended warmup

     for me, yes …I’m no professional athelete, I gradually increase my efforts while running a mile or lighting in hopes of starving off injuries. knock on wood, so far so good.

     the max effort needs to be saved for specific spots. That is tough with the money on the line in terms of contracts but something has to give, and it can’t keep being ucl ligaments

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     1. Tac….the issue is not at the MLB level…..it is when the kids are 14 thru 17/18 years old at the HS levels….they are maxing out their UCLs at that time….the ligament begins the wear and fraying and then tears.

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        1. Romus. You got it.

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     2. I get the reasoning, but statistically the only way you should “save” that max effort is if it’s exclusively for the playoffs. Otherwise, it would actually make sense to use it to start the season.

        All regular season games count the same, and there’s always the possibility of getting hurt it other ways. So if you save it for later, there’s a chance you just never use what you were saving. You’d be better off stockpiling wins early on.

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118. Casty won a game with a walk-off single and Rojjas has gotten on base a little more, but their competition remains tight:

     BA

     Casty 190 Rojas 189

     OPS

     Casty 456 Rojas 466

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     1. IMO, not starting Rojas at LHV was something they may come to regret. The guy down there now who is tearing it up, and is on a minor league contact…meaning at some date either in May or June he could walk….is David Dahl, a lefthanded bat with OF experience.

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        1. Agree, one third of our lineup is below the Mendoza line (like masque of the Red Death), so I can think of two readily we could send along for companionship! That would be a lot of salary down there don’t you think?

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119. A really good thread on TJs from a well respected pitching development instructor. The entire thread is good, but here are a few highlights

     1. Velocity is here to stay because it is so effective

     https://x.com/TreadAthletics/status/1779883696943743370

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     1. I found this post to be very interesting and also provide a possible solution.

        https://x.com/TreadAthletics/status/1779883707102277911

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        1. If velocity + fatigue is the core root cause of the UCL issues. And if velocity is not going anywhere because it is so effective, then the only solution is to reduce the fatigue factor. How do you do that?

           1. Non-controversial tactic: Increase the roster size with a minimum number of pitchers on the roster that is above the current roster limits. This makes it easier for managers to reduce workload.
           2. Controversial tactic: mandate a maximum pitch limit.

           I know that the pitch limit is very controversial. I can hear the complaints now, “this isn’t little league!” But a hard limit is intended to stop managers from hurting themselves in the long term to win a game in the short term. MLB pitchers are type A bulldogs. You don’t get to the show without wanting the ball. So pitchers can’t be trusted to tap out either. I believe that hard pitch count limits + expanded rosters will reduce TJ risk.

           Note, it will also make the game more exciting because by definition, we will have non-MLB quality pitchers added to rosters and pitching in games.

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           1. v1. Good points on this issue. Funny you mention the pitch counts. Grandson first game was on a 65 pitch. Game tied 1-1 after 5 innings and he had thrown 62. First year coach and 40-degree weather and grandson talk him into another inning. On 85th pitch gives up a 3-run home run. Point is the next day he was really sore and had to only DH. The most he had thrown in bullpen deals was 50 pitches. Kind of goes to your points of fatigue and type A.

              Then yesterday at the 9-year-old game. Kid pitching on other team threw right at 60 in 3 innings. Last fall because he goes to same school as little grandson coach had him throwing 90 to 100 every game in the Fall. For me this is one of the big issues. I see it all the time.

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              1. If that happened in our Little League the coach would be suspended. We have a very hard rule on that. The point is that kids (or even grown adults) don’t always have the presence of mind to make the right long term decision.

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                 1. v1. I agree. The guy is a travel team coach. He is a weird dude. Kid is by far their best. Told my son when they get in tournaments this Summer there will be pitch limits. My grandson is on a different team, but they just so happened to play a practice game yesterday. All the games last Fall were just that. So stupid that he threw the one kid so much. Because of Game Changer you can follow any team and it keeps pitches.

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           2. The maximum pitch limit will never happen. Not that pitchers are doing complete games anymore, but there would likely be no single pitcher no-hitters anymore. Imagine if the Phillies had to take out Michael Lorenzen in the 8th inning because of a pitch count. And what would the number be? 90? 100? Most starters don’t throw 100 pitches anyway. Aaron Nola threw 100+ pitches only 12 times last season. So the number would have to be 90. That means most pitchers would be out of the game by the 6th inning. Then this taxes the bullpen.

              The Players Association would be all for increasing roster sizes because an additional pitcher means more salary. The owners might not be happy because of the added salary. MLB won’t be happy because more pitchers means longer games and less scoring.

              There’s no easy solution for these injury issues. If a player wants to throw max effort and risk getting injured, it’s their choice. The teams don’t really care because if somebody gets hurt, there’s always somebody else willing to take their place. It’s up to the pitchers themselves to say, I don’t want to throw 98 any more. I can get find a way to get hitters out throwing 94.

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              1. “The teams don’t really care because if somebody gets hurt, there’s always somebody else willing to take their place.” << Spencer Striders don't grow on trees.

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                 1. They don’t but baseball goes on. Strider is really effective because he’s throwing 98. There will be no shortage of pitchers willing to throw max effort to take Strider’s spot. Whether they are effective is besides the point.

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              2. ” If a player wants to throw max effort and risk getting injured, it’s their choice”….and that is the bottom line. Pitchers’ know the risk…same as the NFL in a contact sport. They are willing to take that risk on becsue the reward may be plentiful for them.

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              3. Guru. Here are a couple things on your pitch count. I believe it was in the state tourney in New York last Spring. I may have wrong state. Tennessee comes to mind as well. Anyway, kid throws a no hitter. But last pitch was his 121st. His team had to forfeit the game they won.

                 Also, here in Indiana I saw one of best pitchers get to 120 after 6. Put another in and lost in last inning. The other team early in game was taking pitches to get his pitch count up and they did it and won. Like 2-1 or 3-2 final. There are just so many things out there anymore.

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120. v1. The point I failed to mention with the young ones is so many coaches and I will go up in the high school levels are not really in tune with what is best for the kids.

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     1. The majority of coaches and colleges don’t care about player’s health. All they want to do is win games. That’s what they’re paid to do.

        There’s a reason why in the LLWS, there are pitch limits and limits to when pitchers can pitch on consecutive days. To prevent coaches from abusing a star pitcher’s arm.

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        1. Guru. Good points. I do think now colleges are more in tune with what is right vs wrong. But high school and travel is a different story. In Indiana the only limit is during the State Tourney. Even that is a little out of tune. A few years ago, I knew a high school kid who pitched most of his team’s games in the Spring. Does not happen at present because now baseball is more popular in Indiana and teams are scheduled almost daily. Most have about 30 games. Travel for the most part do have pitch limits, but teams play so many games now kids still throw probably more than they should.

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