Thursday: No news is good news for this blogger

We're in the dead of winter, yet this has been the busiest time of my writing and editing life. I just wrapped up a complicated A1 news piece that's taken most of the week to assemble. Then last night, I finished my end of the 128-page 2009 Phillies annual I've been working on since October. It hits stands February. Details on that later. So I'm finally in the clear to take a quick breather and post, but I have no idea what's happening in the world of Phillies baseball. So I'll throw out the name "Feliz" and let you talk amongst yourselves. Back to breaking minor league transaction news tomorrow.

Comments

[baxter]

hero. pariah. Feliz.

[J.R. King]

He'd make a GREAT righthanded bat off the bench if the Phils had someone to play everyday at third

[fan]

This may not be popular but I am very ok with Feliz in the line up everyday with Dobbs coming off the bench and spot starting. I love his glove. He wins you more games in the field than he costs you at the plate.

[J. Weitzel]

It all worked out. Feliz's glove, plus there's a lot to like about saving Dobbs for a big spot late in the game.

[baxter]

I just like his last name because its phoenetically the same as the name of his team.

[clout]

Harumph!

[thephaithful]

Didnt have a great season at the plate but had more than his share of big hits, including the postseason.

[Beerleaguer Feeding Frenzy]

FELIZ!! Num-num-num-num

[MG]

The favorite whipping boy on Beerleaguer the past year or so.

First prediction of 2009 - Feliz won't even hit 10 HRs this year with the Phils (because of missing time due to injury and a bad back hampering his power stroke).

[Dave X]

Spots by OPS+ last year :

3B - 80
RF - 90
C - 95
1B - 111
SS - 116
CF - 118
LF - 119
2B - 143

[ozark]

I'm fine w/ Feliz. He can pick it at 3rd and is more than capable of getting a clutch hit. If his back is 100%, he's a 20HR/75RBI threat.

[mikes77phillies]

Feliz had more big hits in the world series than anybody on the team(plus a double play that Dobbs would have never turned). He earned his salary for 2009 in the 2008 World series alone.

[mike cunningham]

I kept ignoring clicking on the Bonds teammate testimony headline. Then I had a sudden thought. Jeff Kent just retired. Maybe it will be him?

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28900576/

Nope.

Former Phillie http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28900576/>Bobby Estalella

[mike cunningham]

from last thread:

@deutsche phan: "I thought I did a decent job counting out there. Other than a few hundred thousand there in the $4 million range where I got confused, I thought I was pretty consistent. I'm not really sure how I lost count."

Phantastic.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Feliz - let me second the HARUMPH because "it is what it is"

p.s. screw Bobby Estalella.
What's wrong with Jim Johnson?

[MG]

JW - "128-page 2009 Phillies annual I've been working on since October."

Is this something you releasing for sale in traditional print method or something you are doing independently?

[MG]

deutsche phan - Hands down one of the funniest and most creative comments on here in a while.

[Alby]

Couple of interesting Phillies notes in Jay Stark's latest Rumblings column:

"The Phillies have tried relentlessly to deal roleless outfielder Geoff Jenkins for a right-handed-hitting outfielder in the same situation somewhere else but have had zero luck -- in part because Jenkins' backloaded contract pays him $6.75 million this season (plus a $1.25 million buyout of his 2010 option).

"The Phillies have zero interest in right-handed-hitting free agents Jay Payton and Emil Brown. Their No. 1 right-handed-hitting bench option these days is Nomar Garciaparra, but only as a part-timer at first, third and short."

[Hugh Mulcahy]

$6.75 mm this season?? that's wors than I thought.
we'd be better off with Cecil Cooper or Sixto Lezcano - today.

[Andy]

We should just dangle Feliz as trade bait to all the other teams that wanted to sign him to a two year contract last off-season.

.

.

(I'm sure he could learn to speak Japanese.)

[Andy]

Actually, every time I read baxter's first post on this thread I break up. In a paraphrase of Mr. Utley:

"Absolutely brilliant. Absolutely effin brilliant."

[Andy]

How much payroll has Seattle dumped already this off-season? I'm sure they wouldn't mind dumping their high paid 3B for about a half dozen dudes in the Phils' minors. I'd toss in Eaton with salary considerations.

[AWH]

"The favorite whipping boy on Beerleaguer the past year or so."

[coughs]

Ummmmm, MG, I think you're forgetting Adam Eaton.

[Cory]

feliz is hot

[MG]

AWH - Eaton is just really a sad sack and not a whipping boy so much. Feliz has both his backers and detractors who both can be pretty vocal and irrational at times.

Reality is that the Phils couldn't move Jenkins or Feliz unless they ate a significant portions of each player's salary for this year.

Phils probably want to move Jenkins because he is a left-handed bat but I also privately am willing to bet is that they see a player who really looked terrible at the plate for much of last season & never really had one of his patented hot streaks for a month or so.

[MG]

Jenkins is "ok" as the 4th OF on this team. LH-bat with some power who is an ok PH option/occasional starter against RHP. Plus, he is at least an average defender in either corner OF spot.

What the Phils really need for a 5th OF is a guy who can play CF and spell Victorino if needed. Nobody on the roster who can fill that role now and Werth showed last year that he isn't something you can start in CF defensively.

[J.R. King]

Charlie doesn't mind Werth in CF. Neither do I, really.

[mikes77phillies]

Werth can play CF. He just is'nt as good as Victorino. But now that he is the only RH power bat in the lineup, I wouldnt want him killing himself on defense in CF. He and Victorino both have had injury issues in the past. I would have liked to have Gabe Kapler as the 5th OF as insurance.

[GM-Carson]

To be completely honest, I ended up hating Pedro Feliz a lot less than I thought I would. Grounding into double plays and swinging at ridiculous pitches early in the count still pisses me off, but his glove was as advertised and that did go a long way to help stabalizing the pitching staff. He was hurt too during the last 3 months of the season, so I imagine that hurt his offensive numbers a bit too. As long as Charlie keeps plugging Dobbs in at 3rd a couple times a week, then I'm ok with Feliz overall, just as long as he's used properly.

[J. Weitzel]

MG: It's published by Maple Street Press, which publishes nice, full-color team annuals focused on die-hard fans and assembled in many cases by team bloggers. I even pulled some fellow Beerleaguers into it. More later.

[Alby]

"To be completely honest, I ended up hating Pedro Feliz a lot less than I thought I would."

That might be because, weak as he was offensively, it was actually a better performance than most of us expected -- which means, even without the back injury, he's probably due to regress to his normal, even weaker, level.

"What the Phils really need for a 5th OF is a guy who can play CF and spell Victorino if needed."

To quote David Byrne, stop making sense.

[Lake Fred]

A thread about Feliz bores me. Yawn...

[Lake Fred]

Am I the first commentor that needed to set up a Typepad profile in order to post a comment? More Big Brother intruding into my life. Another password to remember.

[clout]

The Stark item on Jenkins makes a lot of sense, but it should be noted that the need to move him is a direct result of Amaro's decision to replace Burrell with a lefty.

Jenkins and Stairs now have no role on this team and neither is moveable unless the Phils pay a substantial portion of their salaries. That likely would put a righty hitting vet out of their price range. So the best you could hope for would be some fringe prospects.

The good news is that the Phils have no interest in Payton or Emil Brown. Right call, Rube!

[Andy]

LF - That's what happens when you make fun of Pedro Feliz threads!

[Andy]

Reading the column about Estalella testifying in the Bonds trial made me think that it would have been far more interesting if they had called in Dutch Daulton.

[Andy]

clout - What I really think Junior would like is to dump Eaton's and Jenkins' salaries.

[Lake Fred]

clout, you're right. Junior GM'ed himself into an expensive lefthanded outfield corner.

[clout]

Feliz was a lightning rod for Day One. Some quotes from day he was signed:

"I don’t like the prospect of another guy down at the bottom of the lineup who won’t take a pitch." - Weitzel

"I like this move." - Carson

"Horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible move." - CJ

"This was a stupid move." - MG

"I like the move." -Len39

"I think i just threw up in my mouth." - Tony

"I am revolted." - BAP

"(Among MLB thirdbasemen)Feliz was dead last in runs created per 27 outs, dead last in secondary average, dead last in pitch seen per PA, dead last in walks per PA, third from the bottom in isolated power, next to dead last in extra base hits, third from the bottom in HR per AB, dead last in OPS, dead last in OPS+, dead last in SB/CS ratio, dead last in B.A." - clout

"Considering the park he is coming to, I could see a 22-27 HR season easily" - kdon

[AWH]

Andy, Eaton's money is dead - a sunk cost. that God he didn't cost tham the WS last season!!!

Jenkins is a bench player at this point - unless he has a miraculous rebound - and as such is overpaid.

The chance of "dumping" their contracts is probably less than zero.

[AWH]

That should say:

"thank God he didn't cost them the WS last season".

[Bubba]

Haven't read much lately on how Pete Happy's rehab is progressing.
Anybody know anything current?

[GM-Carson]

Clout- are you serious, I said "I like the move"? On my blog I post- rope, knot, jump- as in suicide!

[Zudok]

Feliz must play every day just like, when it counted, so did Abe Nunez. Defense. Dobbs is great off the bench but cannot play the corner. Feliz was a serious ugrade from Nunez, even at .250.