Phillies Baseball

The Phillies had interest in left handed reliever Brian Fuentes when he was still with the Colorado Rockies during the 2008 season and it was reported that the Phils wanted to trade for the lefty before the trade deadline along with outfielder Matt Holiday but the Rockies were asking for too much in return.

Now the lefty, who became a free agent after the season ended, has signed a two year contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim to become their new closer.

Fuentes will replace single season saves leader Francisco Rodriguez who signed a deal to become the Mets closer earlier this off-season.

Fuentes is 11-27 in his career with a 3.41 ERA and 115 saves in 139 opportunities. He has struck out 480 hitters in 422 innings pitched.

Sports Illustrated baseball writer has joined the staff of the MLB Network as a ‘baseball insider’ on the studio team.

Verducci has been writing for Sports Illustrated since 1993 and will continue to write for Sports Illustrated while working with the MLB Network.

Verducci has also worked as a field reporter for TBS during the playoffs.

In other MLB Network news, in conjunction with the 2008 World Series Champion Phillies, shortstop Jimmy Rollins will be a guest on the network for their debut on January 1st.

Rollins will appear on the network show Hot Stove at 6pm on New Year’s night as the network’s first special guest.

Rollins won the NL MVP award in 2007.

The MLB Network is only days away from its debut, which will be the largest debut by a network in cable television history.

The network is scheduled to debut in over 50 million homes across the United States.

The MLB Network will include a nightly Hot Stove Show that will cover the latest rumors and transactions of the day throughout the entire world of Major League and Minor League Baseball.

Then, following the debut Hot Stove Show on January 1st at 6pm, the network will air Don Larsen’s perfect game from the 1956 World Series in its entirety.

Once the game is complete the network will air an interview with battery mates Yogi Berra and Larsen.

To say that the Phillies lineup will be loaded with lefties when the first pitch of the 2009 season is thrown is an understatement.

After the signing of free agent outfielder Raul Ibanez; the Phillies roster has six natural left handed hitting players and two switch hitters.

Along with Ibanez the Phillies also employ Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Geoff Jenkins, Matt Stairs and Greg Dobbs.

Their two switch hitters are Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins.

Will it really matter if the Phillies don’t sign a right handed power hitter to split up the lefties in the lineup?

I doubt it. When you have that many talented and dangerous bats in a lineup you can only walk so many hitters before forcing in runs.

It is also too difficult to pitch around that many hitters without making a mistake.

2009 should be interesting for the Phillies and their fans coming off their first World Series title since 1980, especially with all of those lefties on the roster.

Two of the Phillies draft picks from the 2003 Major League Baseball draft helped the Phillies, in one way or another, win the World Series in 2008.

The Phillies have a lot of home grown talent on their Major League roster including Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Brett Myers, Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Madson but none of them were drafted in 2003.

The two players I am talking about are Michael Bourn and Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick made his ML debut in 2007 and dominated in the rotation.

Kendrick had a decent first half in 2008 but struggled in the second half and was removed from the rotation. He was replaced by JA Happ, who had some dominating starts down the stretch run.

Some might consider Joe Blanton as the replacement to Kendrick in the rotation but that isn’t totally true.

The other draft pick from 2003 I am speaking of is Michael Bourn. Bourn played a big role in the 2007 NL East Title winning season with his speed and defense but was traded in November before the 2008 campaign.

Why does he matter? He was sent to the Houston Astros, with Geoff Geary and Michael Costanzo, for closer Brad Lidge and infielder/outfielder Eric Bruntlett.

Bruntlett filled in admirably for shortstop Jimmy Rollins at the beginning of the season when he was on the DL and played an important role off the bench late in games as a defensive replacement for the heavy footed Pat Burrell in left field.

Lidge went 41/41 in saves in 2008 and another seven for seven in the playoffs. He struck out Eric Hinske of the Rays to clinch the World Series title for the Phillies.

So, looking back on things, the draft picks of Kendrick and Bourn helped out in ways that no one could have imagined at the time that their names were called in June of 2003 by the commissioner of baseball.

By the way, both of those picks were made by current Astros GM and former Phillies GM Ed Wade, who traded Lidge to Philly.