Philliedelphia

Vance Worley Traded on the Same Day He Planned to Purchase an Engagement Ring

According to David Murphy of the Daily News , former Phillies starter, current Twins starter Vance Worley was traded on the worst day imaginable. 

After a workout on the elliptical, Worley returned a call from Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. in which he learned he was traded to Minnesota. Not an ideal situation for Worley after having just shipped all of his belongings, including his collection of cars to Philadelphia from North California. Not only did Vance have to ship it all back, but he had to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend on the same day with the trade news racing through his mind. Total bummer. 

Ruben Amaro Jr., killing the marital vibes of young pitchers since 2012. 

We wish the best of luck for Vance over in the midwest, and also on his engagement! 

CBS3 Anchor: The Phillies "Aggressively Pursuing" Giancarlo Stanton

Yes, we would love Giancarlo Stanton on the Phillies.  Before everyone freaks out... let's look at this rationally.

Here is the original source for this, WIP-FM's Anthony Gargano:

To CBS-3 news anchor Chris May that became:

I suppose it's possible that Giancarlo Stanton showed up to Marlins camp still pissed off about the Marlins many moves...

...and they're thinking about trading him.

I did write before about the extraordinary circumstances that it would take to get Stanton from the Marlins, including taking on $11million .500 pitcher Ricky Nolasco and $1.5 million utility man Greg Dobbs while emptying the system of any prospects that they have.

I suppose a Stanton who is a distraction in Marlins camp could be a good candidate to move, but I do not think that the Phillies are a team that would be able to get him away from the Marlins.  Should it happen, of course I would love it, but don't get your hopes up.  

I am a CBS-3 viewer and a fan of Chris May's work, but I think that when we can see his source say Phillies GM Ruben Amaro is "doing due diligence", that does not translate to "aggressively pursuing".

Cole Hamels And His Family Continue To Grow With Adoption Of A Baby Girl

(Photo: @JeffSkversky)

Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels has been a father of two for the last few years, but today (technically since December 24th) Cole Hamels is a father of three.

Cole Hamels and his wife Heidi have adopted a baby girl, Reeve, from Ethiopia. Reeve, who was abandoned at birth, was found by Ethiopian police in a field and was later taken to an orphanage where the Hamels' adopted her.

 

In a story by Channel 6 ABC's Jeff Skversky, Hamels says that it's a happy moment for his family of five.

"The sense of joy overcomes anything. [There were] tears, I'm glad they were not sad tears; obviously, the most joyful, exciting tears I think I can ever shed. We're just so happy," Hamels said. 

The process, which lasted about four years, did not stop the Hamels' from traveling to Ethiopia numerous times to finalize the adoption process.

"It's very, very time consuming, obviously worth it in the end; it's not nine months like a biological child, so, I don't know, I feel like I've been waiting on her my whole life," Heidi said.

The Hamels tell action news that they plan to keep their family growing and will not hesitate to adopt a child from Ethiopia again.

Congratulations to Cole and Heidi, who are parents yet again.

Follow Erik on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.

Phillies Spring Training TV Schedule Released

Photo: Philliedelphia/Steve Gallo

Spring Training is right around the corner!

It's been a long six months without Phillies baseball and starting next week, the Fightin's will be in Clearwater gearing up for the 2013 campaign. The Phillies will play their first game on February 23 against the now-American League team, the Houston Astros. The Phillies' games will be broadcast on Comcast Sports Network, The Comcast Network, ESPN, and myPHL17.

If you aren't headed down to Clearwater this year, you can watch almost every game as long as you have a TV and cable.

H/T to Philly.com

Follow Erik on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.

Open Letter to Rubén Amaro, Jr.

Dear Ruben, 

I am writing you today to say thank you. You are probably wondering why I am thanking you, well its not for the (in my opinion) poor decisions over the last couple years with ignoring the bench and the bullpen, but I have to give it to you, this winter you have totally redeemed yourself with one signing. No, not the signing of Michael Young, or the signing of Mike Adams, or even the trade for Ben Revere.

This thank you is strictly based on the signing of one Chad Durbin. Not becuase he will help the bullpen this season, its because my wife Lisa (@Princess3730) is again a Phillies fan. She was very upset with you after the 2010 season when you did not resign Chad Durbin and decided that she was done with the Phillies. You see, Chad Durbin is her all time favorite player.

She is what you would call a "fan girl". Sure there are fan girls for alot of ball players but she takes fan girl to a whole new level. In 2011 we drove to Cleveland to see an Indians game to see Chad Durbin. I am actually surpried she has not followed him home after a game. She knows the limits of stalking and fandom though, so she knows her limits.

During the 2011 season when Durbin was on Twitter they would tweet each other (no i didn't get jealous) and she even kind of broke the story last weekend that Durbin was signing again with the Phillies thanks to a tweet from a Durbin family friend.  

At any rate, this signing makes our home a happy home come baseball season. We can finally sit down together again this season, watch and cheer for the Phillies just like before. I can't wait for that feeling again. So in closeing, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You for bringing 2008 World Series Champion Chad Durbin back to the team. You have my support (for now) with this ONE signing. 

A fan of yours again,

Steve Trapani

 

Quick-Lee Diminishing Returns: Phillies Designate J.C. Ramirez For Assignment

Screen capture of video from mlbprospectportal.com

After the Phillies added Chad Durbin today they needed to clear space on their 40-man roster.  To find that space the Phillies designated for assignment minor league reliever J.C. Ramirez.  Ramirez is best known (or perhaps only known) for being part of the Phillies return in the infamous trade of Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners in December 2009.

At the time, Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. stated that the deal was absolutely necessary to replenish the Phillies' diminished farm system:

If we had just acquired Roy and not moved Lee, we would have been in position to have lost seven of the best 10 prospects in our organization.  That is not the way you do business in baseball.

Those seven players were Travis D'Arnaud, Michael Taylor, Kyle Drabek, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, and Jason Knapp.  Looking at those seven players today, the Phillies gave up a still-catching prospect, a backup catcher, a utility infielder, and a bunch of injury-ridden pitchers.  Hardly anything to overreact about.

But the Phillies did give up Lee.  They received Ramirez, reliever Phillippe Aumont, and outfielder Tyson Gillies.   At the time, Ramirez was coming off a class A season where he pitched to a 5.12 ERA and an 8-10 record.  Ramirez only showed a couple flashes of brilliance.

One was in 2010, when considered "a young Pedro" (as in Martinez) he seemed to shake off a rocky 2009.  Tyler Dunn of the Daily News wrote:

Ramirez is turning into the potential gem of the bunch. The 6-3 righty will start his second game in Reading tonight against the Bowie Baysox. He knows Lee's shadow isn't going anywhere. So the happy-go-lucky 21-year-old does his best to use it as positive energy.

But 2010 was not so great, either.  He was 3-4 with a 5.45 ERA at AA Reading and 4-3 with a 4.06 ERA at class A Clearwater.  The year ended with a torn labrum.  But 2011 would be another season of promise, right?

After starting off 4-0, Marcus Hayes of the Daily News did a piece on Ramirez that praised his new-found success.  Finally the team was seeing the potential:

"Now," said Phillies player development czar Chuck LaMar, "everybody's starting to see the J.C. Ramirez we traded for."

Ramirez is glad to display it.

"I deserve this. I worked hard. I deserve this," Ramirez said.

After that 4-0, Ramirez went 7-13 and saw a 1.03 ERA inflate to 4.50 before the season ended.

2012 was mostly spent at AAA Lehigh Valley but included a demotion to Reading.  Ramirez was 3-2 with a 4.28 ERA as a reliever at Lehigh Valley and 0-2 with a 3.68 ERA at Reading.  Those numbers were not inspiring enough for the Phillies to put stock in Ramirez going forward.

By designating Ramirez for assignment, he is removed from the Phillies 40-man roster.  Over the next ten days they have to do something with his contract.   He could be traded, released, or put through waivers to outright him to AAA Lehigh Valley, which means Ramirez could stick around.  Ramirez was selected over Joe Savery.  One thing seems clear: Ramirez is a dud.

Let's see how Cliff Lee in his prime for Phillippe Aumont and Tyson Gillies works out.

Return of a Champion? Could Chad Durbin Return to the Phillies?

There is a buzz that former 2008 World Champion reliever Chad Durbin could return to the Phillies.

"Family friend" Ashton Kennedy tweeted on Twitter that he was happy that Durbin was returning to the Phillies. Check out the tweet here:

 

Durbin has been a member of the Indians Nationals, and Braves organizations since leaving the Phillies. Durbin and the Phillies' planned 2011 reunion was snarled by the addition of Cliff Lee. So, we know the two sides like each other.

Kennedy deleted the tweet, prompting speculation that it was a bit premature.  If accurate, would be the second signing this offseason leaked out by family or friends. Mike Adams' family announced his signing before any reporter.

Durbin had a solid 2012 with the Atlanta Braves, going 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA pitching in a career-high 76 games after being released by the Washington Nationals in Spring Training.

Delmon Young Will Get Paid $600,000 Extra To Eat Less

Photo: Erik Seybold's glorious photoshop skills

Delmon Young has a lot to work for in order to make all of his incentives. Not only must Young stay out of trouble off the field, but he must also watch what he eats. Looks like no cheesesteaks for Delmon.

In a report by Philly.com's Matt Gelb, Delmon Young is eligible to gain an extra $600,000 if he can keep his weight under 230 pounds.

Young's one-year, $750,000 contract includes bonuses based on his weight, according to The Associated Press. Young must be weighed six separate instances, the timing of which will be chosen by the Phillies. 

Each time he makes weight, Young receives $100,000. The first three times he must weigh 230 pounds or less. He must weigh 235 pounds or less for the last three weigh-ins.

Young says as of Tuesday's physical, his current weight tips the scale at 238 pounds. He needs to lose eight pounds before his first weigh-in in order to get paid his incentives.

Young's other incentives include $250,000 for being on active roster for a week and an additional $100,000 each for 40, 80, 120 and 160 days. 

It seems to me like the Phillies are trying to shape Delmon Young into a respectible and fit teammate as both will benefit the organization and himself.

Follow Erik on Twitter @ErikSeyboldPHI.

Phillies Get Young-er...Sorta... As Delmon Young Joins the Phillies

Photo: Wikipedia Commons

The Phillies are Young-er.  As in they signed their second Young of the offseason.   According to Todd Zolecki, the Phillies have signed former Tigers, Twins and Devil Rays outfielder Delmon Young.  The deal is reportedly $750,000, though it does not specify whether the deal is a minor league deal or major league deal.

Young has an infamous past.  Before he ever hit the major leagues, he was involved in this incident shown below, where he threw his bat at an umpire after striking out:

 

Then there was the more recent incident where he was charged with assualt and with a hate crime.

At $750,000, he will earn less than Juan Pierre did last season.   The risk is really low, Phillies fans.  Yes, Young is not known for his defense.  And, if Domonic Brown or Darin Ruf cause a fuss with their bats, he can easily be cast aside for one of them.   It's not worth getting bent out of shape; it could help, not hurt.

The Tigers got to the World Series with Young hitting behind Prince Fielder, fifth in the lineup.   Two seasons ago he hit 46 doubles and drove in 112 runs while hitting 21 home runs.  Despite clutch hitting in the 2012 playoffs, the Tigers chose not to re-sign him.

Report: Phillies add Brian Bass, Tom Cochran, and Joe Mather

Utility player Joe Mather even pitched the Cubs out of a jam in August 2012. 

While the Delmon Young rumors are cooking up, Jeff Schuler of the Morning Call reports that pitcher Tom Cochran will be returning to the Phillies organization as will Brian Bass who pitched in Lehigh Valley during the 2011 season. Also in the mix is outfielder/third baseman Joe Mather who got a nice handful of at bats with the Chicago Cubs last season hitting a .209/.256/.324 clip (better than Michael Martinez I suppose).

Not looking good for Mini Mart who's already facing utlity competition from Freddy Galvis and Andres Blanco.