Promise to Park prevented Phils from smartest move

The Phillies and Reds conclude their series in less than two hours. In the meantime, a look at Ruben Amaro’s first notable mistake as GM.

When Ruben Amaro Jr. assured free agent Chan Ho Park of an opportunity to win a spot in the Phillies’ rotation, he put the team’s credibility at stake. The Phils reportedly wanted Park in the bullpen all along and had several good young pitchers, including J.A. Happ, lined up to compete. But if the 35-year-old outperformed the other candidates in spring training, the Phils would have no choice but to be men of their word and award him a spot in the rotation, despite years of well-documented failure in the role. Park pitched well, and with the team’s integrity at stake, was awarded the fifth starter job. It would prove to be Amaro’s first bungle as GM, making a promise he knew his team wasn’t completely willing to keep.

If Park wasn’t willing to accept the Phillies’ bullpen-only terms, the Phillies should have moved in a different direction. Park isn’t exactly a difference maker, and on the heels of a World Series win, the Phils shouldn’t have resorted to making concessions to a career mediocrity like Park.

Today’s lineup: Rollins, Utley, Ibanez, Howard, Stairs, Victorino, Dobbs, Ruiz. Game chat fires off shortly.

Comments

[G-Town Dave]

I seem to remember a very intelligent Beerleaguer poster expressing these very same thoughts on more than one occasion ...

Ah, yes! 'Twas I! ;-)

[Albert]

Wow, that is a lot of lefties.

[J.R. King]

Random prediction: Dobbs gets a hit and an RBI sac fly before being pulled for pinch hitter Pedro Feliz.

[Kevin M]

Well the move to acquire Park received mixed reviews if I remember correctly. When Park came out and said he was going to be a starter that certainly raised the red flag for me.

Hopefully Park can regain his form in the bullpen and become an asset when called upon and then we can avoid all of the talk of Amaro's first real free agent pitching signing.

[Tony D]

White Sox trade for Peavy:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/baseball/mlb/05/21/peavy.trade/index.html

[MyersAtTheBat]

reposted from the last thread...

seems like we're one pitcher short of dominating the NL East. what would you think of picking Fausto Carmona out of Cleveland's doghouse? he's been wretched so far this season, but it seems like he could use a change of scenery. i don't watch a lot of Indians baseball, but his mechanics look alright on MLBN. he'd be cheaper than Lee or Harang or any other frontline option and he'd fit well in CBP as a groundball pitcher... might also help to stop the HR hemorrhage. sneaking pitching help through the backdoor, ahem Blanton, worked last year. thoughts?

[josephmjamison]

I completely disagree...everything is based on performance. If Park looked good as a starter, he wouldn't have been moved. Same goes for Happ - if he isn't cutting it, the Phils will put someone there who can get the job done.

Remember, we're talking about a #5 starter here, not a top-notch pitcher. Most teams go through this as well.

[Bubba]

The good news -for today, at least- Bruntlett is not the first RH - PH bat off the bench

[MG]

JW - I tend to take a slightly different take on this. The Phils did do right by Park and award him with a starter's nod after his spring training performance. However, Park should have realized that his staying the rotation was contigent on performing at a somewhat passable level.

Simply put, Park didn't do that and has been one of the worst starters in the NL from a statistical standpoint. The Phils gave him enough starts to prove he deserved to stick and he didn't deliver. This wasn't a knee-jerk reaction after 1-2 starts.

Yeah Blanton and Moyer has struggled just as much but both guys have a track record that Park doesn't. As a 5th starter, Park should have known he would be the first to be replaced in the rotation if he really struggled.

If you ask me, Park has no one to blame but Park for his failure to stay in the rotation. I can understand he is disappointed about not staying there because of a pride/dollar standpoint, but the reality is that he was generally awful as a starter and should appreciated the fact that the Phils' offered him a spot in the first place/came through on their end.

As a guy who is working as a self-employed consultant right now, you need to constantly deliver to keep your place at the table. Park simply didn't do that.

[Albert]

MG is right on about this. The Phillies gave him ample time to show he should be in the rotation, and aside from two good starts he was awful.

[mvptommyd]

Ugh, so sick of talking about Park. Fact is he earned his right to be the starter (Even though I hated it from the start). He went 1-1 with a 7+ ERA. So he is in the pen, Happ is in. Although the Phillies went 5-3 in games Park starter.

Anyway on to more important things like RAAAAAULLLLL. He is the Anti-Burrell. 14 HR's, 37 RBI's, .347 AVG....I love it.

[NEPP]

The Phillies held up their end of the bargain...if Park really has a continuing issue with it, I would recommend a quick trade or a waiver if they can't move him. For now he should just shut up and pitch out of the pen.

[NEPP]

We should have sacrificed the draft pick and just signed Juan Cruz to bolster the pen instead of chasing after Crap Ho Park...having Cruz available instead of our current 7th inning options could have saved us at least 1 or 2 wins already.

[Goody]

RSB: Great job on last thread. My fav was Dernier's ISTP. He slid home head first and laid there with his face in the dirt and pounding his fists in the ground for what seemed like an eternity. It was as though the whole world stopped for a moment.

[sneed]

I think the whole Park situation is overblown. In fact, it might work out in our favor if he turns out to be a good reliever for us in the middle innings, just like he was for LA last season. The way I see it, Park probably wouldn't have signed here without being given a shot to start, so now that we tried we can put him in the pen where he fits us best. Further, he could easily replace Durbin in the role of the more than 3 out middle inning guy that Charlie likes to overuse/feels comfortable with.

Also, Happ showed up, pitched well, responded well to the pen "demotion" and seems to be poised and ready to move back to a rotation spot. He's about to upgrade our rotation and he's 26. He has some good minor league splits and I think he's going to be one of the better stories for the first half of our season.

7 lefties in a row today. Loved it.

[CJ]

mvptommyd: The problem isn't that he earned it, the problem is that he was given the right to earn it despite having a 7 year track record of being an ineffective starter.

We all told you, and other Park supporters, exactly what would happen when the regular season started.

We're 5-3 in Park's starts despite his pitching, not because of it. And perhaps we'd be better than that had the correct decision been made at the beginning to put Happ in the rotation and Park in the bullpen.

[NEPP]

The ever popular SEPTLOOGY in effect...

[G-Town Dave]

CJ: Hallelujah & Amen! Park never should have been told he'd have a chance to compete for a starting spot in the first place, & the Phillies ended up paying for a dumb decision that was, by every account I have read, Rube's & ONLY Rube's.

[NEPP]

Scott Lauber thinks Pablo Ozuna will be called up for the Yankees series and not John Mayberry Jr.

Anyone hear anything else on the possible callup?

[Jack]

NEPP: If a beat writer says something like that publicly, then I would expect the official move to come right after the game.

Most of us assumed that Ozuna would be the move instead of Mayberry, just because Mayberry would make too much sense.

[Wayne]

Bastardo was promoted from Reading to Lehigh Valley. Will we see him in Philly this year?

[RSB]

JW: this nails it. This is why I didn't understand the Park signing in the first place. As a reliever, okay. But if this is what they had to do in order to get him in the bullpen...really, was he worth all that? He had a solid season last year, but it's nothing the Chad Durbins and Clay Condreys of the world can't routinely give you. I mean, big deal. Chan Ho Park. You're going to disrupt your pitching plans for that?

Hopefully he will begin justifying his presence on this team, which has been far less than necessary to this point.

[Doohickey]

I guess Werth's me-like display of batting prowess last night earned him a rest today?

[RSB]

Stairs is becoming the Businessperson's Special special.

[Brian G]

Willard Preacher: Rollins inside the parker was against the Nationals, and it was actually a triple and error. It was bottom ninth with 2 outs and the classic MVP play by Rollins. Could've/Should've been thrown out at home but it was the perfect time to be aggressive. Just checked and as I remember it was the game where Howard hit a 2 run walkoff in the 14th. And before Rollins play Alfonseca had blown a very good Hamels start by giving up 3 runs in the top of the ninth to put us down 5-4.
Just a great great play.

[AWH]

Well, I'm not going to crucify Jr. for his promise to Park, and as many of you know, I am not shy about ripping the FO.

The fact is Park outpitched Happ in ST in a limited sample size, at a time when neither was facing top notch competition. I'm sure the FO didn't expect it, but that's what happened.

Happ seems to have raised the level of his game when the season started. Park, OTOH, seems to be pitching no better than he did in ST. The difference: Park is no longer facing career minor leaguers and the results are what they are.

Maybe Park needs to be a reliever and be able to reach back so his FB can hit 93-95? Maybe that's what it takes for him to be effective?

[bay_area_phan]

Promising Chan Ho Park a chance to start because you want him in your bullpen is like promising some really hot, but incredibly bitchy, woman that you might marry her because you want her to go on a date with you.

Actually I take that back. It's like promising a slightly above-average looking, but incredibly bitchy, woman that you might marry her because you want her to go on a date with you.

[AWH]

Jack and NEPP, I really wish the Phils would let us know what they're thinking regarding Mayberry. If he, at the age of 26, cannot cut it in the majors, then maybe they need to reevaluate things.

I see no downside to giving him a limited callup for interleague play. They sure could use a RH power bat.

One thought: Maybe Ibanez doesn't want to DH, and they fell JMJr. plays better when he's in the field as well.

[J.R. King]

On Rollins' triple+error against the Nationals:

I remember walking around Center City at lunchtime and every single person eating outside was talking about Rollins' play. It was the beginning of the Phils capturing the city's attention.

[AWH]

bap, she doesn't even have to be bitchy.

It's like promising any woman you'll consider getting married when you really have no intention of getting married. Then....oops, she's nocked up and you feel compelled to do the right thing.

I believe Meatloaf released a song about that back in the '70s.

[J.R. King]

John Mayberry Jr. is 25. He will turn 26 on December 21 of this year.

[Paul]

Thanks for the good insight, JW. I think if the Phillies end up missing the playoffs by a game or two, the decision to promise Park a tryout will loom very large.

[EastFallowfield]

Phils went 5-2 in Park's starts, both losses to Mets.

[EastFallowfield]

His other game was a relief inning before his first start...

[GoPhils]

Paul ... With all due respect, that's just dumb. Yes, Park sucked and deserved to be pulled out of the rotation, but the fact remains the team was 5-2 in the games he started. What you're telling us is if the Phils miss the playoffs by two games it will be because they would have been 7-0 in those games if Happ had started instead? That's absurd under any circumstances but doubly so when you consider that one of the team's losses in a Park start came when he gave up zero runs against Santana and the Mets.