June 2006 Ex-Phillies Report

An ongoing look at former Phillies. Readers are encouraged to contribute their own ex-Phillies report not listed here in the comment thread below.

Ricardo Rodriguez, now pitching for Triple-A Richmond (Braves), was tagged for three runs in six innings yesterday in a 6-3 loss to Charlotte. The 27-year-old right-hander has pitched well for the Braves, going 3-5 with a 3.90 ERA since being dropped by the Phils. Rodriguez was the player to be named later in the Vicente Padilla trade with Texas, but never pitched a game for the Phils. He was released before the end of spring training.

For the first time in his career, Jason Michaels is an every day player. The 30-year-old former fourth outfielder has played in 52 games with the Tribe, 51 of them in left field, batting most games out of the No. 2 hole. Defensively, he ranks 8th among LF with a .851 zone rating. After a 2-for-4 night against Oakland, he’s is hitting .289/.349/.399 with 4 homers, 4 stolen bases and 12 doubles. Michaels was traded to Cleveland for veteran reliever Arthur Rhodes.

No team fusses over their roster more than Texas, where Robinson Tejeda has already been optioned to the minors twice. The 24-year-old right-hander, who was traded to the Rangers for David Dellucci, was recalled from Oklahoma on May 2, pitched a five-inning win against the Devil Rays, lost his next start to the Yankees, and was optioned back to the minors on May 9. On May 19, he was recalled once again, pitched a 5-inning, one-run no decision against Houston, then got beat up his next start against the Angels. The next day, he was optioned back to Oklahoma, where he is currently pitching for the Redhawks. Tejeda is 1-2 with a 7.71 ERA, 12 strikeouts and 14 walks in his four appearances with Texas.

How does Ryan Howard compare with Jim Thome? Close, but Howard still hasn’t matched Big Jim’s output this season. Thome’s terrific 1.092 OPS (third in baseball) has given the White Sox a potent offensive punch to compliment Jermaine Dye and Paul Konerko. Thome is tied with Howard with 21 homers. The deal has worked out great for both sides, but GM `Ken Williams of Chicago deserves a lot of credit for taking a chance on the big slugger.

Tomas Perez should retire and get ready for coaching. After falling one strikeout short of breaking a major-league record for strikeouts in consecutive at-bats, he hasn’t been able to save face. He’s hitting .173 with a .463 OBP, some of the worst production in baseball. In spite of this, he’s starting in a little less than half the games for Tampa Bay and has appeared in 41 games total. Perez does have two home runs on the year, two more than all of last season. Sad as it sounds, he’s still proving to be a bigger asset than utility replacement Abraham Nunez. According to Win Shares, Perez is the better overall contributor than Nunez this season.

Inning Endy Chavez has been anything but buried on the Mets bench, called into duty because of some injuries in the outfield. Chavez filled in yesterday for Xavier Nady in right field. After an 0-4 game, he’s still hitting a respectable .270 with a .691 OPS.

Jose Offerman’s stint with the Phillies was about as long as Alex Gonzalez’s. The 37-year-old native of the world’s greatest baseball town, San Pedro de Macoris, D.R., is hanging on to the dream at Triple-A Norfolk (Mets), where he’s hitting .264 with 2 homers. The pinch-hitter was released by the Phillies less than a month into the 2005 season.

Todd Pratt is striking out once every three at bats for Atlanta, but life is still good for the 39-year-old catcher. Pratt is mentoring Brian McCann, the game’s best young National League catcher. He's hitting .221 with a home run in 68 at bats.

Comments

[Martin]

Ex Phil Has-Bean, Jason Grimsley was a Bad-Bean, and was released by the Diamondbacks.

[pawnking]

Placido Polanco, starting third baseman in the alternate universe where the Phillies made the playoffs in 2005 and advanced to the WS instead of the Astros, is currently hitting .282, with an OBP of .301 and slugging.327. All are around career lows for him.

[Jeremy]

Let's not forgot one of the most debated, Vicente Padilla. He's currently 5-4 with a 5.29 ERA and a 4.58 FIP. Also, you can kinda count Billy Wagner who is 3-0 with a 2.48 ERA (3.32 FIP) and 12/15 in save opportunities. Kenny Lofton is also doing an adequate job for the Dodgers, with a .319/.379/.413 line in center field.

Still, of all the players on the Phillies that have left the team since last year, I'd say that Thome and Wagner are the only two that are having productive seasons. And in both their cases, their replacements have basically met or exceeded their production.

[J. Weitzel]

Keep 'em coming. I've been in and out of the office shooting video of the Reading Classic bike race all afternoon, so I kept this list short.

[el123chico]

julio franco is still playing baseball somewhere. doesn't he count?

[Tom G]

How's Ugueth Urbina doing in the Venezuela Penal League?

[RickSchuBlues]

I think it's fair to say that aside from Polanco, the Phils don't really miss any of these guys. There aren't any Ryne Sandberg types that really stand out and make you wince. Michaels is doing precisely what I always thought he'd do as a regular: respectable average, low power numbers.

Speaking of ex-Phillies, anyone catch a glimpse of a shaggy, grey-haired Terry Mulholland in the Diamondbacks dugout? Lefties really do get nine lives in this game. Maybe more. Think of it: it's been ten years since his *second* tour of duty with the Phils.

[Billy Mac]

The other player who is making a nice reserve contribution is Ramon Martinez. Phils would take him over Nunez.

Ramon Martinez, Dodgers - 64 ABs, .359 ba, .900 ops; has played 1b, 2b, 3b, ss;

Some additional 2005 Phillies alumni. Most are not in the MLB.

Michael Tucker - cut by Nationals in spring training ; out of baseball ?

Marlon Byrd - Nationals - 132 ABs, .227 ba, 690 ops

Terry Adams - Pirates minors ?

Matt Kata - Reds minors ?

Tim Worrell - Giants; 7.63 ERA; 6 saves

Amaury Telemaco - out of baseball ?

Aquilino Lopez - Padres minors ?

Pedro Liriano - Giants minors ?

[Nat]

If you're going as far back as Julio Franco, that encompasses every active player and any such list has to include Scott Rolen and Curt Schilling.

But back to the more recent past. I had the Dodgers-Mets on the other night when Vin Scully, as part of that constant patter of anecdotes, biographical tidbits and statistical oddities that drives RickSchuBlues nuts, let out that Inning Endy Chavez once won a batting crown in the International League.

I found this factoid so astonishing and improbable that I had to look it up. Sure enough, he did, while playing for Ottawa in about 2002. Further examination of his career stats reveals that what the Phillies got last year was basically the worst of his career to date.

I also learned (RSB, if you're reading you should stop here because this is a Scully-ism) that he has a brother named Ender in the Nationals farm system. Imagine that! Endy and Ender. I wonder if there is a third brother, Endest Chavez. If so, the Mets should get all three of them on the same roster, then go find Duaner Sanchez's missing brothers, Duane and Duanest.

[J. Weitzel]

If I had time to write this post as a column, the point I'd hammer home is what RSB said - the Phillies don't miss these players. Of a list that would include Michaels, Thome, Padilla, Perez and Pratt, I wonder how many of them Ed Wade would have kept. Possibly all five.

[J. Weitzel]

Nat - when I'm on vacation later this summer, I'm handing you the key to Beerleaguer. I've never laughed so hard at a comment.

[Book]

What will come of tonight's game? I liked to say the winning streak continues, but this O'Connor kid pitched nicely against the Phils last time until being knocked out by a hard grounder to the toe, and Eude left a lot to be desired from his '06 debut. Brito really needs to step up tonight, much the way Madson did yesterday. Brito isn't as bad as his last outing, but it would be tough to suffer through that again...not to mention a huge loss of momentum the Phils are gaining right now.

[Book]

Just read Sheffield is likely out until September for the Yanks, and they're already without the services of Matsui...so once again strike up that rumor mill with the possibility of saying goodbye to Burrell or Abreu. I like both players, and see their value to the Phillies current team, but I have a feeling something is going to be done.

[yt]

Well, we know the yankers don't mind salary, so thats not an issue. But the question remains Book, what do they have that we want?

[Book]

I contest that the Yanks really don't have much of anything that the Phillies want, let alone need. Maybe a 3 way deal can be worked out so everybody goes away happy. I'd hate to see Burrell's bat taken away from the middle of the Phils lineup, or Abreu's on base ability subtracted, but we need starting pitching badly!

[yt]

UTLEY!

[RickSchuBlues]

Rolen and Schilling. Oh, yeah...*grimace* I was trying so hard to be positive...

[Lake Fred]

Schilling just won his ninth game of the year...as an ex-Phillie.