Jayson Werth is going to be a free agent at the end of the year. If the Phillies don’t re-sign Werth, rookie Domonic Brown will probably become their starting right fielder.
There is some debate about whether Domonic Brown will do as well as Werth did, and whether it would be a good decision to re-sign Werth. Here, I am going to explain the reasons why each player would be good or bad for the Phillies.
There are rules all over. From signs, to laws, to just customs and traditions, rules are everywhere. And rules are what I am going to talk about here.
If you look at baseball, you will see many rules. The most important of them are the unspoken ones. I believe it’s time to add another rule to this list.
Just like players shouldn’t run across the mound, they shouldn’t act. When I say that, I mean if a batter doesn’t get hit by a pitch, they shouldn’t don’t pretend they did.
A lot of the time batters act like they got hit by pitch when replays show they didn’t. Umpires, however, will assume they did, and let them go to first base.
Obviously, a player should know whether they got hit by a pitch or not. I understand when players trap the ball and act like they caught it. Sometimes the players themselves don’t know if they made the catch. But if you get can’t tell whether you got hit by a baseball coming at you 90 miles per hour, you seriously need to see a doctor.
Some people think that instant replay should be used in baseball because umpires make too many bad calls. A lot of those calls are made because the players pretend that they got hit by the pitch or made the out.
If you were an umpire, it would be hard to make a close call. There is pressure on you to make the right call, and sometimes it is hard to decide which call to make. Having players fake things makes it even harder, because you’re not sure whether to believe them or not.
Note to Chase Utley, Derek Jeter, and others: The game of baseball is not about acting. If you want to make like Chuck Connors and change to a career in acting, go for it. But please don’t do it during the baseball games.
I think that not acting should be a new unspoken rule, or maybe even an actual rule in the rulebook. There are plenty of ways to enforce it, with one possibility being the enactment of instant replay to see if the players were faking or not.
I know that some people think acting is part of the game and all, but I disagree. I think that if players stopped faking things like getting hit by a pitch, umpires would have an easier time making calls and the future of baseball could be changed dramatically.
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There have been a lot of disputed and controversial calls in MLB playoff history.
From Jeffrey Maier to Steve Bartman, to balls called strikes and safe runners called out, there’s controversial calls in every postseason.
In this article, I’ll recognize the most important and most controversial calls in MLB playoff history.
Tonight’s game between the Braves and Giants is the fourth game of the National League Division Series. The Giants are up two games to one, but there anything can happen. Naturally, many baseball fans will be watching tonight’s game.
Since the Phillies finished off their sweep over Cincinnati last night, whoever wins this series will play them in the League Championship Series. Lots of Phillies fans will probably be watching the Braves-Giants game, but they may not know which team to root for. So I’ve got some answers for those fans. Based on statistics, I can tell you which team the Phillies will have a better chance of beating in the NLCS.
Last night’s postseason no-hitter by Phillies ace Roy Halladay kind of gets us thinking that maybe people are right when they say that this is the year of the pitcher. This stands as the sixth no-hitter of the year, including two perfect games.
There have even been more than just no-hitters and perfect games. There have been near no-hitters, one-hitters, complete game shutouts, things like that. Here I am going to recognize some of the games in this season that have hinted that this year may truly be the “year of the pitcher”.
The Phillies are looking very good. They just clinched the National League East for the fourth time in a row, and they are going to head into the postseason soon. Earlier in the season, we probably wouldn’t have expected this, but here they are, looking great.
With October coming up and a playoff berth guaranteed for the Phillies, it brings up a big question: Will this team do as good of a job in the postseason as they have done in the last few years?
The Phillies have won three consecutive division titles and two consecutive National League titles. They have had a very good team in the past, so I am going to talk about this team versus the teams in the past three years.
I will arrange it into three categories: additions and losses, advantages and disadvantages, and similarities and differences.
Roy Halladay has been an ace for the Phillies this year. He is 20-10 with a 2.53 ERA. But with a division title just beyond the Phillies’ grasp, there are a lot of questions about how Halladay will perform in his first postseason.
Although he pitched very well for both the Phillies and the Blue Jays, the postseason is new to him. There is a lot of debate about whether his playoff performance will be as good as his pitching in the regular season. I am going to talk about why Halladay will dominate in what could be the biggest opportunity of his career.
Something that is commonly overlooked in baseball and other sports is the fans. Yes, the players are the ones who are playing the games and winning them. But the players aren’t the only people who influence the outcome of the team. Fans do too. Especially in Philadelphia.
I’m not saying that the players don’t make the team win or lose. I’m just saying that the fans can influence the way that the players play, and that they deserve a lot more credit than they usually get.
If you looked at the standings on July 22, you would see that the Phillies were behind the Atlanta Braves by seven games. Most teams in this position would think there was no hope of making a playoff berth. But the Phillies didn’t give up, and look at them now.
They are in first place in the National League East by five games. And I think that I can truthfully say that the fans played a big role in the Phillies success.
When they were down, the fans didn’t give up. No, they just tried to come up with reasons why the Phillies would make a comeback and make the postseason. But what some fans may not have realized was that by doing this, they were making another reason in itself.
Because what they did showed the players that the fans still had faith in the team, and that made the team have faith in themselves.
Also, as you may know, the Phillies fan base is well known for their greatness. And I don’t think it is a coincidence that the same team has won three consecutive division titles and two consecutive National League pennants. And where did most of the Phillies accomplishments come from? You guessed it. Comebacks.
The Phillies have had a lot of success in the past couple years. And for most of their success they had to make a comeback before they were able to win anything. I believe that the reason the Phillies have had so many comebacks is because so many of the fans never lose faith in the team. And this really makes a big difference.
The Phillies fans are great. They believe in the team day and night, whether they are in first place or last place or somewhere in-between. In this way they are the key to many of the Phillies accomplishments.
So I have something to say to all you fans out there:
Thanks, guys.
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This year has been a crazy year for the Phillies. There have been many ups and downs, and there may be many more to come. The team has had some injuries, they have had some slumps, they have had some winning streaks, etc. To sum it all up, they’ve basically had everything. And for the most part, they have still done good throughout it all. Here are some of their main strengths and main weaknesses.
As the season is coming to an end, there are many debates about who will win division races, who will win the awards, and how it will all end.
We all know what is statistically true, but there are other things that matter too. Fans pay much attention to baseball, so they know and understand a lot about which players and teams are good and which are not.
So I would like to hear what you think, as fellow fans. I will put out the facts and after that, it’s all up to you.
Tell me your (possibly biased) opinions by commenting at the bottom of the page.
National League East
Let’s start out with the National League East.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies are first in the division in front of the Braves.
They have three aces: Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. They also have a strong offense led by slugger Ryan Howard.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are second in the National League East by 0.5 games.
They have a strong starting rotation featuring Tim Hudson, Jair Jurrjens, and Tommy Hanson. They also have a very good starting lineup with Omar Infante and Troy Glaus.
These are the two main teams in the race, so I will skip over the others in the East.
National League Central
Cincinnati Reds
The Reds are leading the National League Central by six games.
They have a very good team this year. They have a strong starting rotation, with rookie Mike Leake and Bronson Arroyo. They also have a strong offense led by Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals have not been as good as expected this year.
They have some of the best starting pitchers in the league in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. They also have a good offense, with Albert Pujols as their best hitter.
As in the East, the rest of the teams are not close to winning, so I will not talk about them.
National League West
San Diego Padres
The Padres have surprised everyone this year—they are currently leading the NL West by two games over the Giants.
They have good pitching with Heat h Bell and Mat Latos. They also have good hitting with Miguel Tejada and Adrian Gonzalez.
San Francisco Giants
The Giants have a very good starting rotation with Tim Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Barry Zito, and Jonathan Sanchez . They also have a good offense with Aubrey Huff and Buster Posey.
Most of the other teams in the West are not likely to make the playoffs, so I will not talk about them, either.
Colorado Rockies
The Rockies are four games behind the Padres. They have a good offense, led by Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki. They also have a strong starting rotation with Ubaldo Jimenez.
So there you have it—all of the teams who are close in the playoff race. Comment at the bottom to express your opinion.
National League Wild Card
The teams who are close to winning the Wild Card were all mentioned above, so I won’t say them again (but you can still say who you think will win the Wild Card by commenting).
NL Cy Young Award
As you know, almost any pitcher can win the Cy Young, but I have narrowed down the main candidates that have been talked about.
Roy Halladay
Halladay has been the main ace of the Philadelphia Phillies this year.
He is 17-10 with a 2.36 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP, and 196 strikeouts. Even his good record is deceiving because he has not had much run support this year by the Phillies.
He has also pitched a perfect game this season against the Florida Marlins.
Ubaldo Jimenez
Jimenez is perhaps the most talked about pitcher in the National League.
He is 18-6 with a 2.79 ERA and 178 strikeouts. He had a great start to this season, with many good games, including a no-hitter.
Near the middle of the season, he had a few rough outings, but recently he has been doing very well and is one of the main Cy Young candidates for this year.
Adam Wainwright
Wainwright is one of the St. Louis Cardinals’ aces. He is 17-10 with a 2.34 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP this season. He also has 184 strikeouts.
Josh Johnson
Johnson is another great pitcher. He is 11-6 with a 2.30 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and 186 strikeouts.
Chris Carpenter
Chris Carpenter is the other ace for the Cardinals. This season, he is 15-5 with a 2.90 ERA, and 158 strikeouts.
Tim Hudson
Hudson is one of the Atlanta Braves’ good pitchers. He is 15-6 with a 2.41 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He has 117 strikeouts this season.
Tim Lincecum
Lincecum is one of the San Francisco Giants’ great pitchers. He is 13-9 with a 3.69 ERA and 199 strikeouts.
Johan Santana
Santana is probably the New York Mets’ best pitcher. He is 11-9 with a 2.98 ERA and 144 strikeouts.
There are the main candidates for the National League Cy Young award. Now, let’s go to the Rookie of the Year.
National League Rookie of the Year Award
Here are some of the main candidates for the NL Rookie of the Year.
Jaime Garcia
This season, Jaime Garcia is 13-6 with a 2.35 ERA.
Starlin Castro
Castro has a .317 batting average, 40 RBI, and three home runs this season.
Ian Desmond
Ian Desmond currently has a .286 batting average, 58 RBI, and nine home runs.
Jason Heyward
Jason Heyward has a .285 batting average with 16 home runs and 65 RBI.
Gaby Sanchez
This year, Sanchez has a batting average of .280, 73 RBI, and 16 home runs.
Those are the main candidates for the Rookie of the Year award. Now, let’s talk about possible National League MVPs.
National League Most Valuable Player Award
Here are some of the main MVP candidates for the National League.
Joey Votto
This year, Joey Votto has a .321 batting average, 32 home runs, and 98 RBI.
Albert Pujols
Pujols has a .308 batting average, 35 home runs, and 97 RBI.
Adrian Gonzalez
Gonzalez is currently batting .307 with 27 home runs and 89 RBI.
Carlos Gonzalez
Carlos Gonzalez has a batting average that leads the league at .340. He also leads the league in RBI at 100 and the third most home runs with 32.
Those are the main 2010 NL MVP candidates.
So, comment at the bottom to tell me your opinion on the matters discussed.
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