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I do not expect any interest .... Phillies anyone?

dawgduice

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Jun 2, 2006
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Can they be this god awful with the "future" even more bleak? Is it at all possible? They have the "...." to ask ANYONE to buy a ticket !!!
 
The best things for the Phils is to lose 115 games this season. Then maybe someone will wake up in the organization. They should can Amaro before the all-star break. I can't believe he survived this past off-season. A record of 8-17 is right where most thought they would be after 25 games.
 
Maybe he has a "super-secret" plan. Just disgusting to TRY and watch. As a fan I try to look at the glass half-full, but how can anyone.
 
This will be a tough year for fans. I am hardly checking box scores anymore and am just sick about where this team is going this year. SI picked them to have the worst record in MLB this year and they're on a pace to do it. There is absolutely nothing positive, or even remotely redeeming about the roster, except for Hamels, Giles, Papelbon. The demolition can't start too soon!
 
I'm a lifetime fan and will always watch if the opportunity arises. That's not to say I'll watch the whole game though. Frustration has its limits. Last week there was a game in which at least three sacrifice bunt attempts resulted in the lead runner being forced out at third. The bunts were horrible. It's hard to believe such fundamentals are lacking on a major league team.
 
Seems like a lot of overreaction here. Any objective analysis of the Phils for this season indicated they would be awful. There's not a lot they can do to change that.

Howard hits an occasional HR, but his days of carrying a team seem to be a distant memory. Utley has had a slow start, but is the least of their problems. Gavis is a good defender, and has done better than expected with the bat this season, but his offense is still too inconsistent. Asche is OK, but doesnt' have the offense to occupy a corner infield position.

The outfield is still a work in progress. Herrera has been a pleasant surprise in CF, but is still learning the position. His offense was missing the first week or two, but he's done very well with the bat since then. Revere has done better than expected in left, defensively, but still doesn't have enough pop in his bat, or enough discipline at the plate. Francoeur and Sizemore are glorified backups. Ruiz still is an excellent defensive catcher, but his offensive inconsistencies are a bigger issue with the current lineup than they use to be when they were at/near the top of the heap.

The pitching staff was expected to be a disaster, and has not disappointed (so to speak).

The minors actually have a number of good things going on in them. Franco is their prospect that is closest to the majors. He disappointed in spring training, but has done very well so far in AAA. At AA, they have a staff of starting pitchers that are their best pitching prospects. Their shortstop to be is their #1 prospect, and I believe he's been doing well at AA.

Things are likely to be exceptionally bad for a few years, and prospects don't always pan out. They'd have to get lucky, or get overwhelmed by offers for Hamels enabling them to rapidly improve, to be able to compete with the top teams in the NL in the near future.
 
Seems like a lot of overreaction here. Any objective analysis of the Phils for this season indicated they would be awful. There's not a lot they can do to change that.

Howard hits an occasional HR, but his days of carrying a team seem to be a distant memory. Utley has had a slow start, but is the least of their problems. Gavis is a good defender, and has done better than expected with the bat this season, but his offense is still too inconsistent. Asche is OK, but doesnt' have the offense to occupy a corner infield position.

The outfield is still a work in progress. Herrera has been a pleasant surprise in CF, but is still learning the position. His offense was missing the first week or two, but he's done very well with the bat since then. Revere has done better than expected in left, defensively, but still doesn't have enough pop in his bat, or enough discipline at the plate. Francoeur and Sizemore are glorified backups. Ruiz still is an excellent defensive catcher, but his offensive inconsistencies are a bigger issue with the current lineup than they use to be when they were at/near the top of the heap.

The pitching staff was expected to be a disaster, and has not disappointed (so to speak).

The minors actually have a number of good things going on in them. Franco is their prospect that is closest to the majors. He disappointed in spring training, but has done very well so far in AAA. At AA, they have a staff of starting pitchers that are their best pitching prospects. Their shortstop to be is their #1 prospect, and I believe he's been doing well at AA.

Things are likely to be exceptionally bad for a few years, and prospects don't always pan out. They'd have to get lucky, or get overwhelmed by offers for Hamels enabling them to rapidly improve, to be able to compete with the top teams in the NL in the near future.


Tom, have to say you are "smoking" something. While I do understand some of the "problems" and actually do not blame Amaro for everything (bad luck and the elimination of PEDs hurt the older players) it is clear to me that the Phillies will be returning to "small market" baseball for many years to come. In fact, I believe it will take at least 3-4 years to rid themselves of the contracts being paid to senior citizens. After that, they will have enough cash to "buy" some free agents and make another "run". The Phillies "ownership" will not spend any "more" money until current contracts end, they have set the cap despite the massive cable deal they just signed. In short, they will not cut into their profits. Their minor league system is a mess. Maybe 2 guys that might be major league capable. There is not one player on the team (ex. Hamels, Papalbon) that would be on the field for Miami let alone a good team. They are painful to watch and I have seen some terrible teams, but this one is by FAR the worst.
BUT, there is a silver lining! In short order "Phillies Franks" will include a free ticket in every pack of dogs :)
Amaro was home grown and that is a major problem. For goodness sakes HIRE someone from the Cardinals or Giants to replace him !!!! Those teams have a clue how to be relevant and good EVERY year.
I feel much better now :)
 
Can they be this god awful with the "future" even more bleak? Is it at all possible? They have the "...." to ask ANYONE to buy a ticket !!!
From reading this thread, I guess any hopes of the Bucs and Phils playing for the National League title are pretty slim. :(
 
The Phillies knew this season was lost and Gillick has indicated that much already(as well as the next few seasons). Amaro is a dead man walking as GM but he does have skills in certain areas. He will move onto the administrative side after this season. Firing him before or during this season would have been pointless and a waste of money. He can still give valuable input without having any actual decision making ability. Gillick has the final word.

There is some good things going on in the minor leagues and it is starting to look like there might be some guys emerging as potential really solid players as well as the guys we hope are stars. People thought the Red Sox were heading down a similar trail a few years ago. Smart people can turn longterm problems into short term problems. The Phillies aren't going "small market". Actually the opposite most likely once things are cleaned up. Middleton will have full ownership power soon and he is a little George Steinbrenner-like it seems like as far what kind of money he is willing to put in.

There is no way anyone can seriously try to spin the job Amaro did as GM as anything other than a trainwreck.
 
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Yeah, I fear for the Phightins for the short-term definitely, but hopefully not for the long- term. I knew going into this season that this might be one of their worst teams ever -- and that's saying something. The sooner they can trade/get rid of all their vets so they can begin a complete rebuild, the better.

And dumping Amaro goes without saying.

I will say I don't think the farm system is as bad as rated.
 
Quite a big baseball fan here and watch NL East and Pirates a lot. Sure there might be a little positive here and there but compared to the rest of the division the Phillies are in trouble long term. The rest of the division is loaded for long term success. The only team in the east the Phillies farm system are ranked above are the Marlins. I think your view Tom is a little too optimistic.

The Mets and Braves are loaded with players nearing the major league level. The Mets have 2 top of the rotation arms that will probably join the major league roster later this summer with Syndergaard and Matz. The Nationals aren't hurting in this department either as they are near top 10. The Mets after a long rebuild are top 5-7 farm system and are built for the long run.

The Phils are light years behind the Pirates. The buccos are pretty solid at the major league level with numerous guys near ready from a top 5 farm. The Phillies need to tear it down and really are a couple years late. They could have sold higher on some of these guys they held on to and really built up the farm system. It seems the future of baseball isn't a big spending spree, it is more about building up with young under control players and supplement in some free agents here and there. The Cards and Pirates have this down, the Mets learned the hard way, the Phils are now learning the same.
 
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Iron Pigs are 6 and 18 so far.
There's very little talent besides Franco on this team so don't expect the Phils to turn around quickly.
 
It seems the future of baseball isn't a big spending spree, it is more about building up with young under control players and supplement in some free agents here and there. The Cards and Pirates have this down, the Mets learned the hard way, the Phils are now learning the same.

Everything you said is well said and impossible to argue. I think by the end of this minor league season the Phillies farm will be from 10-12. Lots of guys stepping up bigtime since the last rankings. I am talking going into next year ranking by BP and BA. That's not factoring in what they will get in the Hamels trade or any other trade or having what it looks like will be a guaranteed pick in the top 5.

The best thing you said is about how teams are doing business now. The Phils almost were loyal to a fault similar to what the Steelers do. Even without a cap the Phillies did this @ a time when things were shifting to the point that it made it all 10X worse. Amaro traded the system away when systems became more valuable than old veterans. The Phillies built their powerhouse the way the Pirates are now. The Phillies kept their farm guys that grew into stars to the point that they needed to be sent out to the pasture. The way is through the farm for sure and being willing to spend for the extra parts. Having a deep system can still help land you an already established star though when you are ready to make a run and that will never change.

Hamels HAS to require a blue chip prospect though.
 
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Hamels has to bring a nice prize who could help things dramatically. You have to trade guys when you can get something in return and let guys move on at other times. I am familiar with the Mets rebuild and it took a while.

Traded Beltran for zach Wheeler

Trades Dickey after cy young for Syndergaard and Travis d'arnard

Travis d'arnard is a young top shelf offensive catcher.

Mets let Reyes walk and with the pick they gained they drafted Kevin Plawicki who is another outstanding offensive catching prospect who is catching right now for the Mets and doing well in D'arnards DL stint.

Marlon Byrd netted the mets Dilson Hererra and Vic black. Black was solid in the pen last year and Dilson Hererra has stormed thru the system and broke thru to the big club last year as a 20 year old. He is currently starting at second with wright on DL at age of 21. What a steal that trade was.

Duda, wright, Flores, Murphy, lagares, Harvey, neise, Gee, familia, degrom are all home grown.

Sandy Alderson has been criticized non stop for not spending money but when he took over they had numerous paralyzingly contracts and a terrible farm system. What he has done is remarkable even though it has been criticized a lot. The rebuild has been very successful and he always wins these trades. What will happen when he starts shopping Harvey a couple years from now, Sandy may not be loved but they better hope he is around when they have to deal with the Harvey situation a couple years from now. No way they will or should pay a long term contract to a power pitcher no matter how good he is, that could hamstring them financially with so much powerful pitching depth in the system.
 
As far as the minor leagues (that is the descriptive name for a reason). I recall reading an article written by two major league scouts that stated 95% of players in single A and double A NEVER make it to the majors.
I cant't find the article, and I am not that knowledgable to verify if those numbers are correct. BUT I do see why Amaro is holding out for AAA level players for Hamels. AND I also see why there is reluctance to part with same from other teams.
If the Phillies had used the Eagles (through most of Reed's tenure) as a model they would have moved aging veterans before they were worthless. That being said the "player contracts" in baseball make it somewhat difficult.
I also have to assume the money being made by the owners has little on nothing to do with attendance at games. The BIG $$$$$$ (way out of proportion) is from the Cable TV deals.
 
Can they be this god awful with the "future" even more bleak? Is it at all possible? They have the "...." to ask ANYONE to buy a ticket !!!
I thought the season was over already. Do you mean there is more to come?
 
Clearly there is little financial incentive for the Phillies to "do something" as attendance drops will cost the Phillies 40-60 million this year :) BUT, that is more than made up by cable TV. Very few people realize the it is the cost of cable deals with major sports that cause the high charges with cable. The costs are buried in EVERY home that receives cable, sport fan or no. The alternative would be "pay per view". ALL the leagues and cable companies do not want that. Also why do you think there is no "ala carte" choice in the cable industry, only "packages".
 
As far as the minor leagues (that is the descriptive name for a reason). I recall reading an article written by two major league scouts that stated 95% of players in single A and double A NEVER make it to the majors.
I cant't find the article, and I am not that knowledgable to verify if those numbers are correct. BUT I do see why Amaro is holding out for AAA level players for Hamels. AND I also see why there is reluctance to part with same from other teams.
If the Phillies had used the Eagles (through most of Reed's tenure) as a model they would have moved aging veterans before they were worthless. That being said the "player contracts" in baseball make it somewhat difficult.
I also have to assume the money being made by the owners has little on nothing to do with attendance at games. The BIG $$$$$$ (way out of proportion) is from the Cable TV deals.
I'd have to think that is true. I read "Prophet of the Sandlots" about Tony Lucadello, the late, great Phillies scout. Looked up the players discussed in the book. Those numbers seemed to be accurate. And he was one of the best--over 50 Major leaguers signed including Mike Schmidt and Mick-ey Mor-an-din-i. BTW--look that book up if you are a Phils fan--or even just a baseball fan. Very insightful.

Oddly enough, the Pirates president is from the Philly suburbs. My brother played ice hockey with him in HS.
 
Seems like a lot of overreaction here. Any objective analysis of the Phils for this season indicated they would be awful. There's not a lot they can do to change that.

Howard hits an occasional HR, but his days of carrying a team seem to be a distant memory. Utley has had a slow start, but is the least of their problems. Gavis is a good defender, and has done better than expected with the bat this season, but his offense is still too inconsistent. Asche is OK, but doesnt' have the offense to occupy a corner infield position.

The outfield is still a work in progress. Herrera has been a pleasant surprise in CF, but is still learning the position. His offense was missing the first week or two, but he's done very well with the bat since then. Revere has done better than expected in left, defensively, but still doesn't have enough pop in his bat, or enough discipline at the plate. Francoeur and Sizemore are glorified backups. Ruiz still is an excellent defensive catcher, but his offensive inconsistencies are a bigger issue with the current lineup than they use to be when they were at/near the top of the heap.

The pitching staff was expected to be a disaster, and has not disappointed (so to speak).

The minors actually have a number of good things going on in them. Franco is their prospect that is closest to the majors. He disappointed in spring training, but has done very well so far in AAA. At AA, they have a staff of starting pitchers that are their best pitching prospects. Their shortstop to be is their #1 prospect, and I believe he's been doing well at AA.

Things are likely to be exceptionally bad for a few years, and prospects don't always pan out. They'd have to get lucky, or get overwhelmed by offers for Hamels enabling them to rapidly improve, to be able to compete with the top teams in the NL in the near future.

Reading's pitching staff is awesome. I hope they dont bring a single prospect up though until at least 2017. No reason to waste them in the majors, including Franco, Quinn and Crawford.
 
Phils just need to dump Utley (who when the season started I thought should stay but not after the first month) and Howard and the trade Hamels and Papelbon for whatever they can get near the trade deadline. Phils are in for a hurting for at least this year and next. Maybe in 2017 will the pendulum start to swing to the positive but unless something crazy happens, 2017 is not a playoff team either. Take the lumps this year. Try to grab at least a couple of decent free agents next year so it is not so bad and bring up the hot prospects, and then shoot for 2017 to really try to start to turn around.
 
Reading's pitching staff is awesome. I hope they dont bring a single prospect up though until at least 2017. No reason to waste them in the majors, including Franco, Quinn and Crawford.

I was going to go up to Akron this summer to see the R-Phils play (July 10-12)--but I got All Star Game tickets and have to be down in Cincy that weekend. Too bad as there is a doubleheader on the 11th--and doubleheaders are rare these days.
 
This rebuild could take up to 5 years. They should get rid of Amaro before the trade deadline and let the new GM make the trades.
 
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Can they be this god awful with the "future" even more bleak? Is it at all possible? They have the "...." to ask ANYONE to buy a ticket !!!

Can't get much worse, can it? Team BA: .221 .Team Slugging Pct. : 276.

OUCH!
 
This rebuild could take up to 5 years. They should get rid of Amaro before the trade deadline and let the new GM make the trades.

They pretty much did already. It's over. Gillick is in charge for a while. If he doesn't stay in place for a few more years I would bet they might even go after a huge name GM.
 
Reading's pitching staff is awesome. I hope they dont bring a single prospect up though until at least 2017. No reason to waste them in the majors, including Franco, Quinn and Crawford.


BMW, I am not that knowledgable about the minor leagues. But, is as you think the Reading pitching staff is "awesome" why do all of the "experts" indicate that the Phillies farm system in among the very worst? Hey, I'm all about them being wrong because if you are right then there is some hope :)
 
BMW, I am not that knowledgable about the minor leagues. But, is as you think the Reading pitching staff is "awesome" why do all of the "experts" indicate that the Phillies farm system in among the very worst? Hey, I'm all about them being wrong because if you are right then there is some hope :)

Link: Fab Five?
 
This rebuild could take up to 5 years.

It may well take that long. The Nationals are in very good position with their ML lineup, and a good farm system. The Mets have shown a good bit of discipline as they rebuilt, and are showing the results so far this season. They have a number of nice prospects still in the minors. The Braves has always done a nice job with their farm system, so barring injuries they'll pretty much always field a strong team. The Fish have been inconsistent for a number of reasons, but there is talent in their farm system. So even if the Phils made a lot of excellent decisions, their turnaround is not going to be all that quick.

They should get rid of Amaro before the trade deadline and let the new GM make the trades.

I don't pretend to think that Amaro walks on water, but I think he gets blamed for a lot of things that aren't all that fair. I don't have any issues with the trades he made before the Pence trade with the Astros. Well, perhaps an issue with the trade of Lee to Seattle. Most of those trades were very solid, as they were in a position to win a WS, and you have to take advantage of that situation. The Pence trade was a combination of things. Werth was seeking more money than the Phils could offer, and Washington vastly overpaid him. Problem was that the Phils really didn't have a viable backup. That lead to the Pence trade with Houston, but Pence was not a great fit for the Phils, and the Phils gave up way too much. The mistake was compounded by the trade of Pence to the Giants, where the Phils didn't get enough back in return. The bulk of the issues with the team have been:

- Howard was as good a power hitter as there was, but since his Achilles injury he hasn't been a shell of his former self. The Phils have tried everything possible to trade him, but nobody wants him unless the Phils pay 80-90% of his contract.
- Utley was well on his way to a place in the HOF until he had leg issues. That's another situation that's hard to anticipate. He's a fan favorite, and he recovered nicely from his injury issues last year, but his contract makes it very hard to trade him
- Doc was a tremendous pitcher, and not much of an injury history, and within a season he went from Cy Young quality to retired
- Cliff Lee's elbow issues are comparable to Doc -- hard to lose a guy that is so dominant. With the recurrence of the issues in the Spring, the Phils couldn't even give him away at this point

The team was built around starting pitching, and the offense of JRob, Utley, Howard. Now they have about as bad a starting pitching staff as there is, JRob was traded, and Utley and Howard can't carry a team and their trade value is somewhere between limited to non-existent. The team imploded very quickly, and will take quite some time to rebuild. Gillis is very shrewd. With him in control, I doubt that Amaro will make any trades that are bad for the Phils.
 
BMW, I am not that knowledgable about the minor leagues. But, is as you think the Reading pitching staff is "awesome" why do all of the "experts" indicate that the Phillies farm system in among the very worst?

This is kind of amusing. You started this thread, then preceded to tell me I was smoking something even when all I did was provide some information (not opinions), and then you finally indicate that you're not all that informed about the minor leagues. So you're basically saying that you're arguing based on emotion, and don't know too much about the facts. That's usually a winning approach.

The Phil's pitching staff at AA does not represent their entire farm system. I'm not sure why you are even asking a question about the Reading staff being at odds at the evaluation of the entire farm system.
 
It may well take that long. The Nationals are in very good position with their ML lineup, and a good farm system. The Mets have shown a good bit of discipline as they rebuilt, and are showing the results so far this season. They have a number of nice prospects still in the minors. The Braves has always done a nice job with their farm system, so barring injuries they'll pretty much always field a strong team. The Fish have been inconsistent for a number of reasons, but there is talent in their farm system. So even if the Phils made a lot of excellent decisions, their turnaround is not going to be all that quick.



I don't pretend to think that Amaro walks on water, but I think he gets blamed for a lot of things that aren't all that fair. I don't have any issues with the trades he made before the Pence trade with the Astros. Well, perhaps an issue with the trade of Lee to Seattle. Most of those trades were very solid, as they were in a position to win a WS, and you have to take advantage of that situation. The Pence trade was a combination of things. Werth was seeking more money than the Phils could offer, and Washington vastly overpaid him. Problem was that the Phils really didn't have a viable backup. That lead to the Pence trade with Houston, but Pence was not a great fit for the Phils, and the Phils gave up way too much. The mistake was compounded by the trade of Pence to the Giants, where the Phils didn't get enough back in return. The bulk of the issues with the team have been:

- Howard was as good a power hitter as there was, but since his Achilles injury he hasn't been a shell of his former self. The Phils have tried everything possible to trade him, but nobody wants him unless the Phils pay 80-90% of his contract.
- Utley was well on his way to a place in the HOF until he had leg issues. That's another situation that's hard to anticipate. He's a fan favorite, and he recovered nicely from his injury issues last year, but his contract makes it very hard to trade him
- Doc was a tremendous pitcher, and not much of an injury history, and within a season he went from Cy Young quality to retired
- Cliff Lee's elbow issues are comparable to Doc -- hard to lose a guy that is so dominant. With the recurrence of the issues in the Spring, the Phils couldn't even give him away at this point

The team was built around starting pitching, and the offense of JRob, Utley, Howard. Now they have about as bad a starting pitching staff as there is, JRob was traded, and Utley and Howard can't carry a team and their trade value is somewhere between limited to non-existent. The team imploded very quickly, and will take quite some time to rebuild. Gillis is very shrewd. With him in control, I doubt that Amaro will make any trades that are bad for the Phils.
 
Tom,
I have to say your analysis is pretty good. I especially agree on Amaro. I can't recall when so many players just went BAD. Generally there is a slow period of decline. Rollins, Utley, Howard, Halliday, and to some extent Lee. Actually at one point ALL of these guys looked like HOF guys (maybe Halliday still makes it). The tied up money is their biggest problem. Until that is off the books their can be no real free agent signings. That is really the only way to "shorten" a rebuild period unless you have a "loaded" farm system. Kind of mostly bad luck.
 
The "going small market" thing was by far the most incorrect thing. They are in the big money for the long haul, hopefully the farm and future drafts make this fun. I really am wondering if they win 60 this year. Poor Ryne Sandberg, actually don't like a lot of his moves but he has no chance. The Cubs system was overflowing with young talent that we are seeing now and the Cubs sucked @ the time but everyone thought he'd get that job. Instead he got this.
 
Halladay has to make the HoF. The 300 rule doesn't work anymore. He was one of if not the best for an extended period of time. Nobody will ever win 300 again, maybe not even 250?

Pedro and Halladay are the two best I have ever watched.
 
The "going small market" thing was by far the most incorrect thing. They are in the big money for the long haul, hopefully the farm and future drafts make this fun. I really am wondering if they win 60 this year. Poor Ryne Sandberg, actually don't like a lot of his moves but he has no chance. The Cubs system was overflowing with young talent that we are seeing now and the Cubs sucked @ the time but everyone thought he'd get that job. Instead he got this.

PSU, I probably did not "totally" get the "small market" thing correct. The Philles in recent years did spend. BUT they have an organizational cap ,which is higher than many, that they do not want to exceed. I get that. So, I guess until they free up more money in "their" cap by ending contracts we will have to wait. My point was, they, as many bigger market teams, have a great deal more money they "could" spend. But, I do realize it is a business and cutting into profits is always a challenge. Sometimes spending more is not the answer.
 
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PSU, I probably did not "totally" get the "small market" thing correct. The Philles in recent years did spend. BUT they have an organizational cap ,which is higher than many, that they do not want to exceed. I get that. So, I guess until they free up more money in "their" cap by ending contracts we will have to wait. My point was, they, as many bigger market teams, have a great deal more money they "could" spend. But, I do realize it is a business and cutting into profits is always a challenge. Sometimes spending more is not the answer.

Yeah I agree with all of this. I thought you seriously meant they were going to stop spending.
 
BMW, I am not that knowledgable about the minor leagues. But, is as you think the Reading pitching staff is "awesome" why do all of the "experts" indicate that the Phillies farm system in among the very worst? Hey, I'm all about them being wrong because if you are right then there is some hope :)

Tom basically already answered this but here you go. http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?t=t_ibp&cid=522 I think a lot of those rankings about our farm system were before we got Eflin and Lively. I will say they have no hitters outside Franco, Crawford, Quinn and Tocci. Although I really like all of them. Especially Tocci at 19 years old who's in his 4th year with the Phils.
 
Reading's pitching staff is awesome. I hope they dont bring a single prospect up though until at least 2017. No reason to waste them in the majors, including Franco, Quinn and Crawford.
I sure hope Reading has good pitching, because they can't hit a lick. Granted it is only one game, but I saw them play Friday night and they had a grand total of four hits (3 singles and a bloop triple) and struck out 14 times. They couldn't hit the change-up from the Portland pitcher and were constantly swinging at pitches in the dirt. It looked like an entire team of Ryan Howard's trying to hit.
 
Howard was 100% Amaro and was a $100+ million dollar mistake and is the big reason that the Phils cannot sign any other decent free agents. Look at St. Louis not giving Pujols the same type of deal even though Pujols was younger and better than Howard. Anybody who knew baseball knew that Howard was going to be 50/50 coming back from an Achilles, especially at his age. When you make a mistake of that magnitude, you can be blamed. Good GM's do not make the simple, popular move like Amaro did.

Utley...tough call there. Amaro probably could have hardballed a year or two shorter contract or at least a team option to shorten a small amount. They should have also traded Utley at trade deadline or waiver deadline last year when maybe he had a small amount of value based on leadership and experience, even if they had to eat a little contract. Now he is worth nothing as you said, that is 100% Amaro.

Pence trade was noted bad.

Those are three very bad things that Amaro did.

I also question the whole Oswalt signing. Phils did not need 'another ace' and especially an aging ace with a history of injury. They should have taken that money and tried to build some farm system up. Another bad Amaro move.

Chooch...guy is running on fumes. No way should he have been catching the amount of games he has been the last few years. A good GM would have had his next guy up catcher in place back in 2012 and had chooch mentoring him and catching maybe 60-80 games per year. Try to milk a few more years out of him as he works so well with pitchers.

Lee...Amaro had to hold onto him in 2014 spring training because Amaro was still saying they had a chance. Again, a good GM would have recognized there was no chance and gotten rid of Lee when somebody would have taken teh contract.
 
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