As second baseman Robinson Canó fielded the final out of the 2009 World Series, the Philadelphia Phillies saw their hopes of a repeat title vanish. The New York Yankees, who captured their twenty-seventh World Series championship with the win, defeated the Phillies in six games.
For the Phillies, getting to the fall classic for the second consecutive year was not easy. The season had seen its ups and downs. Jimmy Rollins had an offensive slump for most of the year, and this lack of support at the leadoff spot often placed a burden on the rest of the lineup. However, offense was usually not the concern. Pitcher Jamie Moyer, with an ERA of 4.94, earned twelve wins thanks to the huge amount of run support he received, and was eventually demoted to the bullpen. During a September matchup against the Astros, Moyer injured his groin and abdomen, and missed the rest of the season and postseason. Cole Hamels, coming off a fourteen win season in 2008, only managed ten wins in 2009, and held a rather mediocre ERA of 4.32. Reliever J.C. Romero’s season barely saw the light of day, pitching just 16.2 innings over 21 game appearances. Romero served a 50 game suspension after testing positive for banned substance, and fought an elbow injury all season. Brad Lidge was probably the biggest disappointment of the year. After what some might call a perfect season, with no blown saves in forty-one opportunities, Lidge gave up a league leading eleven in 2009, only three short of the major league record. His 7.21 ERA was the greatest out of any closer with twenty saves or more in baseball’s history. The drastic turnaround of all three pitchers had fans upset and questioning their qualifications to be members of the reigning world championship squad.
Thanks to some breakout seasons and consistent hitting on offense, the Phillies were able to remain the team to beat in the National League. Outfielders Jayson Werth and Raul Ibañez produced 36 and 34 home runs, respectively, the most for both players in their careers. Ryan Howard had the golden touch most of the season, hitting 45 home runs and batting in 141 runs. Chase Utley was the all-around player that Philadelphia knows best. With 31 home runs, 32 extra base hits, and 23 stolen bases, he remained the heart of the Phillies’ offense. With this production and the late season pickup of pitcher Cliff Lee, the Phils found themselves back in the championship series. However, after the series worked its way into the blistering November cold, the Phillies ultimately could not finish the repeat, and had a long offseason to regroup and try again in 2010.
The Phillies used their time wisely this past winter, attaining some new players to help all areas of their roster. The most recent pickup was pitcher José Contreras. Contreras, who enters his eighth season, has previously been a starting pitcher for the Yankees, White Sox, and Rockies. This year, he will take on a new role as a reliever for the Phillies, adding some much needed depth to their bullpen. Contreras has been known as an inconsistent pitcher, and that is why scouts for the team believe he will be best suited to start in the bullpen. However, as a powerful pitcher with experience, Contreras may see some starts this season, especially if the Phillies rotation cannot stay healthy. On his new position, Contreras stated, “I’m ready. I’m prepared to open or be in the bullpen; if I have to carry the bats, I’ll carry the bats. I just want to win.”
A second acquisition brings a familiar face back to Philadelphia in Plácido Polanco. As a member of the Phillies from 2002 to 2005, Polanco batted with an average of .300. His consistency at the plate should prove to bring a new dimension to the start of the lineup this year when he bats second behind Jimmy Rollins. Additionally, Polanco brings a strong presence to the infield, holding a career fielding percentage of .990. This type of well-rounded player is just what the Phillies are hoping for, and they expect similar results from Polanco this year. Like Contreras, Plácido will be taking on a slightly new role. Accustomed to his usual position at second base, he will be moved over to third base, replacing Pedro Felíz, who signed with the Astros in December. As a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, Polanco feels comfortable making the transition. “I played third in college, I played third in St. Louis, and I played third in Philly; it’s just a matter of getting used to it again.” Polanco showed up to spring training a week early to prepare for playing at the hot corner, and plans on using his spring training games to fine tune everything before the season starts.
The biggest news of the offseason came in a blockbuster four-team trade in which the Phillies traded Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners. In return they received prospects. They were then traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for pitcher Roy Halladay. The trade also involved the release of some of Philadelphia’s top prospects, including Kyle Drabek, son of Cy Young award winner Doug Drabek, along with catcher Travis d’Arnaud and outfielder Michael Taylor. Many fans were disappointed about giving up Lee after his superior performance down the stretch last year. According to Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr., the trade was well worth the losses. “Being able to acquire one of the finest pitchers in all of baseball is something very special for our organization,” he said in a press conference alongside Halladay, “he is a pitcher we have coveted for a very long time.” Just looking at some of Halladay’s statistics proves why bringing him to Philly makes this one of the biggest trades of the last decade. Entering his thirteenth season, Roy is a six-time All-Star, a Cy Young Award winner, and has accumulated 148 wins, 49 complete games, and fifteen shutouts in his career. Bringing this kind of consistency and control to the top of the Phillies pitching rotation may now make it the best in the National League. Roy, a right-hander, will lead the rotation with south paw Cole Hamels in the second spot. If Cole can play like he did in 2008, this will surely prove to be a fierce duo. On weighing the options of playing in other cities, Roy said, “this is where we wanted to be, it was a bottom line for us,” and, “there are things not only in business, but in life, that you know are worth it, and I think this was one of those things.” If Halladay can continue his success, fans will surely see that their new leading man is the real deal.
It might be noteworthy to mention that Halladay will wear the number thirty-four on his jersey. This is not only Cliff Lee’s old number, but also the same number worn by pitching great Nolan Ryan, the all-time strikeouts leader. With nearly 1500 strikeouts in his career already, Philadelphia fans can expect to see many fanned batters from Roy this season and similar results to those produced by Lee in the fall. Whether you believe in omens or not, Halladay is going to bring the heat this summer.
With spring training underway in Clearwater, Florida, the Phillies are looking to work out all the kinks from last year. Specific interest is being directed towards the aforementioned pitchers Jamie Moyer, Cole Hamels, J.C. Romero, and Brad Lidge.
The sure Hall-of-Famer Moyer enters a remarkable twenty-fourth season, and at forty-seven is the oldest active player in the league. At this point, Moyer is battling for the fifth spot in the rotation with Kyle Kendrick. With memories of last year still looming, people are wondering how much longer Moyer can go on, and if his $13 million contract is worth it. Jamie has the slowest fastball in the league (80.4 mph on average) and underwent three surgeries during the offseason. As for the battle for the fifth spot, pitching coach Rich Dubee reportedly said that it was “Moyer’s job to lose”. Moyer will have his work cut out for him once again this year. Yet, the veteran stands by his decision to keep playing. “Certain portions of my career, my back has been against the wall, and I kind of thrive with that, I enjoy that. This was another one of those situations.”
On another note, Moyer needs only sixteen strikeouts to pass former Phillies great, Robin Roberts for 40th place on the list of all-time strikeout leaders. If Moyer strikes out ninety-four, as many as he did last year, he will march all the way to 35th on that list.
After receiving the loss in game three of the World Series last year Cole Hamels remarked on his season, “I can’t wait for it to end. It’s been mentally draining.” After many tough games for Cole, he realized that 2010 would have to be different. As a player who used to skip spring training, noting that, “I used to be able to get away with it,” he now sees that will no longer do. “Guys have made the adjustment to my pitching; now I have to make the adjustment.” Hamels, a pitcher known primarily for his fierce fastballs and changeups, has been using his time in spring training to work on his curveballs and cut fastballs. When mastered, these pitches will give more options for Cole, and more trouble for batters. More importantly, he is working on his mentality during the game. After giving up a home run on just his second pitch of a preseason game, Hamels kept his composure and finished the outing without any more runs. After the game he stated, “It’s a lot easier to play baseball when you’re at peace and you’re calm. When you’re fighting yourself, you’re just going to make the game that much harder. When I give up that hit or home run, it happens.” This is a good sign for Phillies fans who saw too many of Cole’s outings have a snowball effect after giving up a home run last year.
As the Phillies left-handed set-up man, J.C. Romero is a crucial part of the Phil’s bullpen. After his shortened 2009 season and an offseason elbow surgery, he is back in spring training. Romero hopes to be able to be on the field for the Phillies first home stand on April 12, and on his being able to throw comfortably he remarked, “I feel great. Sometimes it’s scary because I don’t remember the last time I threw the ball without any pain.” The winner of game three and the championship clinching game five in the 2008 World Series, Romero just wants to be back to his old self. Eager to be able to help his team again, he still realizes, “I have to be wise. I have to be one hundred percent ready so that I don’t have any setbacks.” Whether he will make his target date or not is uncertain, but Romero should be ready to go early in the season and will have a lot of determination.
Offseason knee and elbow surgeries have kept closer Brad Lidge from participating in many spring training routines, but he has finally started to participate in batting practice sessions and fielding drills. Lidge says that he has been progressively feeling better, and his hopes remain on being able to play by opening day. However, he realizes that rushing things won’t be the best idea. “Things are going well, so we’re pushing as hard as we can without being unintelligent.” Lidge’s current goal is to regain his control, and then he will move on to building up his velocity. In the end, Lidge will need to rebound from last year, proving to his critics that 2009 is a thing of the past, and that he is still capable of being the Lidge who helped bring a championship to Philadelphia in 2008. Seeing both Lidge and Romero back early in the season could bring back some much needed relief to the Phillies, and put them in prime contention for another pennant run.
The long wait for a fresh start is almost over. After some key offseason transactions and recovery by some major players, the Phillies appear to be one of the toughest teams in the league once again. The Phils will shoot for a third straight National League championship, something that hasn’t been achieved since the St. Louis Cardinals did it from 1942-1944. With close to three million tickets already sold for Phillies games this year, it is clear that the fans are excited for another great season of baseball. As for the players, manager Charlie Manuel stated confidently, “We always look at the fact that we could play better. We’ll be really pumped up to get back to the World Series this year. That’s our goal, and we’re going to work to achieve it.”
