Even a casual observer of the 2005 Phillies knows that Vicente Padilla is struggling and his performances are hurting the team much more than they are helping. Despite that, it is surprising to find out just how bad Padilla has been.
He's Paul Abbott-bad.
In Sunday's Cherry Hill Courier-Post, Kevin Roberts breaks it down, bloggy-style:
The Phillies are still trotting Paul Abbott out there every five days, and it's a mess. They're just calling him Vicente Padilla.
Abbott, 2004: 4.9 innings per start, .291 opponents' batting average, 1.8 baserunners per inning, a 6.24 ERA.
Padilla, 2005: 4.6 innings per start, .311 opponents' batting average, 1.9 baserunners per inning, a 6.79 ERA.
This is obviously unacceptable...
Actually, it looks like Padilla is worse than Paul Abbott-bad. Many had already made up their minds that Vicente Padilla should be removed from the rotation. Numbers such as these just makes the case more urgent.
But removing Padilla from the rotation is only part of the solution. The other part is deciding who should be added to the rotation. Any suggestions?
How about Ryan Madson? While Madson is likely the best candidate to eventually end up in the rotation, converting him from his present role to that of starter in mid-season would be quite tricky, to say the least. Not a slam-dunk whatsoever.
How about Gavin Floyd? Some would say that bringing him back up to the Show and inserting him into the rotation would be just the vote of confidence the prospect needs and he will likely flourish. It is certainly tempting to do that, there is no doubt that the only thing wrong with Floyd right now is his confidence, but that is a risky move as well. What if it backfires and Floyd gets roughed up in his first start? It's possible that you've lost his psyche forever at that point.
How about a trade? Trade for who? And give up what? Rumors swirl around Barry Zito, but none of these rumors seem to come from the A's front office. Also, there is no guarentee that Zito would be the Cy Zito of old, he's been in decline for a few years now. The Phillies are also in a sticky wicket when it comes to trade chips. Sure, there are some promising prospects down the farm [notice I omitted "on" from that phrase, I live in Philadelphia now, I have to start talking like it], but as we all know, the Phillies will not have much financial flexibility in coming years, and those prospects will be a source of much needed cheap labor in 2006 through 2008 or so.
Determining that Padilla's days as a starting pitcher should end is easy. Determining who will replace him is much harder. But that is why Ed Wade is a general manager and we are reading and writing about the Phillies in our pajamas.
Anyone have the over/under on when a "proven veteran pitcher" who has proved to be mediocre will be acquired?
