Balls, Sticks, & Stuff | Phillies, Eagles, golf and other matters of great importance...

Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino Win Gold Gloves, Chase Utley Shafted Again

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Every year, there are winners of Gold Glove awards who are frankly, undeserving [see "Abreu, Bobby"], and so the award has lost some of its luster. However, all of those mistakes shouldn't take away from the fact that if you win a Gold Glove, it's because the powers-that-be [in this case, coaches and managers] felt you were the best at what you do. And who among us wouldn't want that?

For Rollins, it is his third Gold Glove in a row and the second in a row for Victorino.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

You have to wonder when Chase Utley will win a Gold Glove, if ever.  Statistically speaking, the objective play-by-play data like Ultimate Zone Rating and the Plus/Minus system love Utley's play at second base, but for some reason, the voters don't see it that way.

If you are a Phillies fan, you certainy do see it that way.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Hamels, Myers Verbally Spar [Updated]

Make no mistake, the real story this morning is how Chase Utley and Cliff Lee threw the hopes of a repeat World Series title on their backs and extended the series for at least one, hopefully two, games in New York.

Chase Utley had two home runs and Lee lasted 7 innings against a relentless Yankee lineup.  No matter how the series turns out, we'll talk about how those two have performed to our grandchildren.

But what will also make headlines this morning is a story about two Phillies players who have had more of a love/hate relationship with fans.  According to a Yahoo! Sports report, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels got into a bit of a verbal altercation over Cole's "just put me out of my misery"-type comments following Game 4.

As Myers walked past Hamels near Hamels’ locker he said, mocking, “What are you doing here? I thought you quit.”

Hamels, the witness said, responded with an expletive.

Before the situation escalated, Myers was guided away by a team official.

It's an easy story to believe, after all, Brett Myers and Cole Hamels definitely operate on two entirely different plane of existence.  Brett has tattoos, Cole has delicate bangs.  Brett shoots first, asks questions later while Cole wouldn't pull a trigger without 4 days of rest.

The true personality of the team is really somewhere in the middle and while I'm glad somebody said something to Cole, I'd be more curious to see how Chase Utley or Jamie Moyer or Charlie Manuel or Jimmy Rollins would have handled it [or, for all we know, did handle it].

-----------------

Update: Multiple sources are now debunking the story above. Not sure who to believe at this point. My guess is that Myers did actually say that to Hamels, but jokingly, and Hamels took it that way.

Instant Classic: Chase Utley's 1st Inning Homer

A Conversation Between Chase Utley and Alex Rodriguez

 

[Original image taken from this excellent photo gallery at Philly.com]

Since I'm obviously lashing out at A-Fraud, might as well publish this one too:

Was Chase Utley Safe or Out?

A crucial moment in last night's Game 2 of the World Series came in the top of the 8th.  The Phillies were down 3-1 and Jimmy Rollins was on second base, Shane Victorino on first.  Chase Utley was at the plate, Mariano Rivera on the mound.

With Tim McCarver clamoring for the Phillies to send the runners once Rivera had two strikes on Utley, almost on cue, Utley grounds into a 4-6-3 double-play, ending the Phillies rally before it really got started.  Rivera would go on to lock down the game for the Yankees in the 9th.

Afterwards, in the press conference, Charlie Manuel was peppered with questions about his decision on that play.  He explained his reasoning for not running on the pitch, which was just as good as the reasoning to send the runners, and took another question.  But then, unsolicited, Manuel offered, "By the way, if you want to know the truth, go back and look at it, Utley was safe."

Take a look for yourself [click to enlarge]:

Looks like Charlie's right again.

Phillies Take Game 1, Pundits Scratch Heads

[Thanks to Dan McQuade for the video]

The video above says it all about Cliff Lee's performance tonight in Yankee Stadium.  Nonchalant and easy.  6-1, Phllies win.

Lee went the distance, completing the game with 10 strikeouts, no walks and no earned runs [the Yankees would score one run the 9th on a Jimmy Rollins error].  Alex Rodriguez accounted for 3 of those strikeouts.  You remember him right?  The one pretty much ordained the World Series MVP before a pitch was ever thrown?  Yeah, him.

The offense was initially powered by Chase Utley, who solo-homered in the 3rd and 6th innings. [Those that believe in karma or fate will remember that Chase Utley homered for the Phillies first run in last year's World Series.]  Extreme patience on the part of Utley's fellow hitters would chase [no pun intended] C.C. Sabathia early, and the Phillies were able to score 4 more runs off of the Yankees pen.

Up, 1-0 to nothing, the Phillies are attempting to follow the blue-print they've drawn up over the last two post-seasons -- win Game 1, steal home-field advantage, and then never look back.

If Game 2 of the NLCS Had a Soundtrack

-----------------

As I mentioned earlier today, I'm pinch-hitting a bit over at The 700 Level.  If you've got a minute, I've got a post over there regarding Chase Utley's costly miscue [link].

What a Whirlwind

Shane knocks one out... Clifton Phifer Lee paints the corners... Werth puts on his hulk hands and makes it 2-0... Raul pulls a mini-Holliday... Pete Happy swings at the first pitch [first pitch!?!?!]... Lee comes out for the 8th and gets into trouble, Madson and Ben Francisco in, Lee and Ibanez out... Fly to leeeft, BENNY BABY!!! Charlie's a genius until... Rockies knock around Madson, we're down two runs with only three outs left... Dobbs K's, Jimmy singles... Shane almost hits into a DP... Uts walks... The Big Piece doubles!... Shane almost misses third on the way home, Chase is chasing him, they both score and we're tied at 4!... Werth singles and The Big Piece rumbles home! 5-4 Fightin' Phillies!... Eyre and his loose bodies and sprained ankle come out for the bottom of the 9th... Two outs and two singles later, Charlie calls on Lidge to face Tulo... the Delaware Valley holds their breath... Struck him out!

Interesting Question

From Daily News beat writer David Murphy's Twitter feed:

Just took a quick press box poll. ESPN's Stark, Crasnick and myself all agree that Chase Utley might be the best baserunner in the game.

My reply:

He's good, but I think Utley's DP partner may be better. Rollins might not be as opportunistic, but he turns the bases great.

It's hard to explain in Twitter's 140 characters, but while Utley is a great baserunner -- who else would score from second on a high-chopper that never leaves the infield? -- I think Jimmy Rollins is better based on his technique and overall speed.

Next time you get a chance, watch how absolutely perfectly Jimmy turns around first base on his way to second.  He never appears to adjust his stride in order to hit the base and he never seems to slow down either.  I've never seen anyone do it better and I have to say, a Jimmy Rollins triple is more fun for me than sinking a double-breaking 50-footer for bird.

What do you think? Is Chase Utley the best baserunner in baseball? Is Rollins better?  If Rollins is better, is he the best in baseball?

Somewhere Up There, Harry is Smiling

After Chase Utley's game-winning home-run in the 11th inning over the Mets, we need to hear Harry's classic call.  Click here [original entry here].

Game Thread: Your 2009 Philadelphia Phillies Begin Their Title Defense

Charlie Manuel has posted tonight's starting lineup:

6:59 PM: SS Jimmy Rollins, RF Jayson Werth, 2B Chase Utley, 1B Ryan Howard, LF Raul Ibanez, CF Shane Victorino, 3B Pedro Feliz, C Carlos Ruiz, RHP Brett Myers.

That's three lefties in a row against the Atlanta Braves' RHP Derek Lowe.

Don't forget, the game situation and win probability will update in the right-hand sidebar as the game goes along [the first few entries are from a game used for beta testing].

Utley’s Hip Tweaked, Opening Day Start in Doubt

OK, so that is a lame, weak April Fool’s Day joke, and I apologize.

In other years, I’ve come up with something on this date that fooled at least a few of you, but today, I’m fresh out of ideas.

But consider this:  What if you were in a horrific car accident on September 15th, 2008, and you’ve been in a coma until this morning.  As an avid and devoted Phillies fan and Balls, Sticks & Stuff reader, the first thing you want to do is get online and read the latest news, find out what you’ve missed over these long months.

You log on, and find talk of the Phillies winning the World Series several weeks after your accident.  Since you see the date at the top of the page, you immediately assume this is some sort of April Fool’s joke.  You might even read more and see that not only did the Phillies win the World Series, but that their payroll is north of $130 million and that roughly 1/7th of it is going towards players released or traded away.

Is there any doubt you would close the laptop you are using in your hospital bed, look at everyone in the room and ask with a good-natured smirk, “alright, what really happened?!?”

You know what else, there’s a good chance that at least someone in the room with you would reply something to the effect of, “Yes, hard for us to believe too, but it’s all true.

-----------------

You can find follow Balls, Sticks & Stuff on Twitter and Facebook.  And, don't forget the Phloggers' Pheeds page for more blog-type content.

Observations from Tuesday Baseball in Clearwater

CLEARWATER, FL -- The Phillies looked pretty darn good yesterday against the Reds while Aaron Harang, the Reds starting pitcher, certainly didn't.  The Phils won 8-1 and put up 6 runs against Harang.  More in-depth observations:

• Raul Ibanez looked good in person.  He's certainly a better runner than the player he is replacing on the Phillies and hit the ball to all fields yesterday.

• Chase F. Utley started the game, leading off and of course playing second base.  He reached base on walks several times and on one of those occasions, really motored from first to third.  If I hadn't read some newspaper headlines about a surgery or something he had, I wouldn't know anything had happened.

• John Mayberry looks pretty raw.  On his first at-bat, he waited nicely on a pitch and pulled it down the left field line.  But on subsequent at-bats, he looked impatient and it appears as if his swing has some uppercut.  Physically, he reminds me of Jayson Werth with long legs that cover a lot of ground in just a few steps.  Hopefully Charlie Manuel and Milt Thompson can work some magic and get him approaching plate appearances more consistently.

• Brett Myers appeared as if he's ready to start the season.  He pitched deep into the game and mixed his pitches well.  We're gonna need him to pitch the way he is capable.

• We capped off the evening at the Palm Pavillion Grill in Clearwater, right on the beach.  I feel very comfortable giving it two big opposable thumbs up

More today from the ballpark, stay tuned.

Utley’s a Second Baseman… Don’t Try to Change Him

ESPN.com and the folks at Baseball Prospectus have been collaborating on a series of baseball articles and one recent column, which looked at players who may benefit from a position change, suggested the Phillies move Chase Utley to third base.

The folks at BP do good work, but suggesting Utley move to third base to reduce wear and tear on his body doesn’t take all of the facts at hand into account.  The first neglected fact is Utley’s injury recovery.  It’s likely that a position change is in Utley’s distant future, but you certainly don’t move him when he is just coming off of hip surgery.  As a matter of fact, it probably puts him at more risk for injury by placing him at a position he is unfamiliar with.

Secondly, the Phillies tried Utley at second base during the 2002 season in AAA and he was quite awful, very error-prone and his arm had its limits.  I have no doubt that if you moved Utley to third, he would eventually master it the way he has mastered second base, that’s just his makeup, but why put him through the long learning process if you don’t have to?

Speaking of Utley’s makeup, that is probably the real reason he got hurt.  He plays hard.  Really hard.  So no matter where you move him to on the field, he’s still going to give it the ol’ 110%.  Even at bat-boy he would probably get his uniform ripped and dirty.

Thirdly, Utley’s value is as a second baseman who hits like a thumping corner outfielder.  Fangraphs.com estimates that Utley saves 20 runs a year through his defense over that of an average second baseman.  If you take that away and move him to third base, and lets say he hits the ground running and plays the position at an average rate, you’ve still cost your team 20 runs or approximately two wins.

Two predictions in one: In three years, when Ryan Howard’s contract expires and he leaves for free agency, Utley shifts to first base.

Utley's Defensive Skills Examined

If you've read the 2009 Phillies Annual already [and if not, why haven't you?], you know that yours truly penned an article on the fielding prowess of many of the Phillies position players.  In the article, I mentioned that Chase Utley's offense overshadows his excellent defense, and naturally, backed it up with plenty of new-agey statistical hokus pokus.

Meanwhile, yesterday at The Hardball Times, James Dewan, author of The Fielding Bible and who's statistics I quote in my article, penned a piece examining what makes today's excellent fielders excellent and used Chase Utley as an example.

The bottom line is that it seems as if positioning plays a very, very large role.  Writes Dewan, "So what makes Utley so good? Simple answer: Positioning. And more specifically, positioning against left-handed batters."  Utley -- and other excellent fielders -- appear to shift to their right for right-handed batters and to their left for left-handed batters, putting them in better position to make more overall plays.

Ironically, one of the greatest plays in Phillies history, the one in World Series Game 5 when Utley faked the throw to first and then actually threw home to get Jason Bartlett and deny a go-ahead run, didn't come off exactly the way Utley planned.

During the offseason, Utley has actually mentioned that he was shifted to his left for the left-handed hitting Akinori Iwamura in the top of the seventh.  Iwamura hit a grounder closer to the second base bag than Utley was expecting, and he had to range far to his right to snag it before it went into the outfield, enabling Bartlett to score from second.

Moral of the story?  There's no beating Chase F. Utley.

Chase Utley Will Undergo Surgery on His Right F@#$ing Hip, Rehab Lengthy

That sound you just heard, similar to a record player scratching to a stop and ruining the party, was actually Chase Utley's right hip.

The Phillies announced today that Utley will undergo surgery in the near future to correct the problem in his hip that lingered throughout the season, more so in the latter months than in the beginning.  Utley started out the season tearing the cover off of the ball, but as the secret injury worsened, so did Utley's performance at the plate.  His short, quick, compact, perfect swing became long and slow.

Rehabilitation post-surgery will take anywhere from four to six months.  Pull out your calendar and you'll see that while being ready for Opening Day is a possibility, it's more likely that Utley will return sometime in mid- to late-May.

Despite the chronic injury, Utley still had a great season, particularly when you consider his position.  Second basemen who hit like he does do not grow on trees, nor do second basemen who field the ball the way he does.  The bottom line is that Utley may be worth 7 to 8 wins above a replacement player.  If he misses 25% of the 2009 season, that's probably 2 wins the Phillies will have to make up.  Two wins might not sound like a lot, but in a tight NL East...

The odds on favorite right now to replace Utley will be utility player Eric Bruntlett.  But it also means that middle infielder Jason Donald, one of the Phillies few positional prospects, will most certainly not be included in a trade this winter and he may even see time with the big club in the early going.

Hey, no one ever said defending the World Championship would be easy.

-----------------

Listen to it now, you won't hear it again for four to six months:

-----------------

The surgeon leading the procedure on Utley's hip, Bryan Kelly, M.D.

Rollins, Victorino Earn 24 Karat Leather

The Phillies have announced that shortstop Jimmy Rollins has won a National League Gold Glove for the second year in a row and his teammate, centerfielder Shane Victorino has won his first.  All season long both players, to the naked eye, played great defense. 

Rollins, to Utley, to Howard to win the NL East
[courtesy of thefightins.com]

But in the playoffs in particular, the two, along with Chase Utley, were outstanding.

For the most part, the Rawlings Gold Glove awards have deteriorated into popularity contests or somehow, inexplicably, awards for swinging a good bat [paging Bobby Abreu].  But in the cases of Rollins and Victorino, the NL coaches and managers who vote on the award had their heads in the right place.

For instance, both players ranked in the top-10 at their position in the plus/minus system as well as The Hardball Times revised zone rating.  As a matter of fact, Rollins led the plus/minus system at his position.

Speaking of Utley, he may have been sold short.  In the plus/minus system, he led the way for all second basemen with a +47 rating, far and away ahead of Brandon Phillips, the Gold Glove winner, who had +17.  As for RZR, Utley ranked second behind Phillips, however, he snagged 66 "out of the zone" plays, as opposed to Phillips who had 35.

Given the way opposing managers and coaches revere everything about Utley, you would think they would give him his due.

Whatever the case, congratulations to Jimmy and Shane.  It's an honor well deserved.