Keeping them Together: The Phillies Best Chance of Winning

Burger BaronessIf a team ever needed a break from a sport, the Philadelphia Phillies are right up there in first position. This disastrous half season of woeful injuries and worse playing, have many fans wanting to rebuild and drop the all stars that helped build the pennant-winning machine. After the heartbreak of last October,  coupled with the poor performances at home, I understand the sentiment. But we can’t. We just can’t give up that easily.

We cannot let the All Star break be the end of Charlie Manuel and Cole Hamels’ tenures with the Phillies. The Phillies in the past few years have prided themselves on having one of the strongest starting rotations. Regardless of how this year plays out, all the pitchers will still be pitching for the next three years. Cole will be pitching for the next 10 years. It is imperative that the only move the Phillies make is to sign Cole Hamels and restore the faith that the organization is dedicated to winning championships through pitching.

The boos for Charlie Manuel down at the stadium are classless. The manager has had little to work with in the bullpen and it might be a slight miracle that this team actually won 37 games.  According to the Phillies salaries, the Phillies have sat around $65 million due to injury with Halladay, Lee, Utley and Howard. Looking at the League salaries, that would put us right next to the St. Louis Cardinals and about 10^thon the list. The relief pitching has hurt the Phillies bad in April and June, and in May, the bats went silent. The luck and pluck of the past years seems to have run dry, but changing Manuel would say we are giving up on this nucleus of a winner. A winner he brought to this town.

The Phillies have some time before they have to rebuild. The players are in their early thirties and Halladay is their oldest pitcher. All the talk about the Phillies ages and being past their prime is ridiculous. The oldest player is Placido Polanco at 36. He may have to be replaced but if the rest of the team comes back healthy, then this team gives the Phillies the best chance to win a World Series in the next 3 years.

The Phillies are playing with a lack of confidence. They are a winning team and the past few years they had that strut and belief they could win. The team, losing the last 9 of 11, shows how confidence can slip so quickly. If the front office decided to sell an essential piece like Victorino or Hamels, then the whole team will fold like a house of cards. Play out the season and give the team a chance.

I am not ready to give up the dream of walking down Broad Street with the Phillies in the next three years. I waited for 28 years for 2008 and I am not ready to rebuild. This team is solid in every position except for left field. They have freedom to experiment.  If everyone stays healthy, this team is good enough to get back into the wildcard race and end up 10 games above .500.

All we need is a little faith in the team that made this city a winner again. Cole must stay. Manuel must stay. Victorino, Lee and Halladay must stay. The team needs to begin again in Colorado on Friday. They will need to play great ball together to get to next year. If not, the house will fall and we will have no hope for a parade any time soon.

You can follow James Dugan on facebook and on Twitter @jamesduganlb. Purchase his new book through Amazon What Baseball Teaches: A Poetic Odyssey into 2008 Season of the World Champions Philadelphia Phillies

Comments

[Patrick Edmonds]

It's amazing to see how far a team can drop on account of injuries. And while I see some promise in the return of a healthy starting lineup, I'm just wondering if this team hasn't dipped too far into disarray to recover. Something has to change. Realistically, what turned the corner for these teams the past few years has been a major acquisition, or two, around the trade deadline- Lee in '09, Oswalt in '10, Pence in '11. Amaro must pull off some of his magic and sure up the bullpen and find another solid bat to step in because without a strong bullpen, it doesn't matter how good your starting pitching is or how many runs you have, your team can't consistently win.

As far as the anti-Manuel campaign goes, I can't stand it. No manager in baseball could be successful with this club. Imagine the Yankees losing Rodriquez, Cano, and Sabathia. Tell where they would be. In last place.

[bennythejetrodriguez]

First let me agree that Charlie Manuel is not to blame for the Phils' horrendous first half. Now let me say that he must go. As much as the team has been plagued by injuries and a bullpen that can't record an out, they have also lost many games because of mental errors and poor fundamentals. They give teams extra outs. They fail to score runners from second with no outs or third with one out. They have poor situational at-bats. They have base running blunders. To me this indicates a team that no longer responds to a manager to whom they have been listening for more than eight seasons.

It's not Manuel's fault. But it is time for a change to the culture of the team.

As for Hamels, I would love for the Phils to trade him to a contender for prospects during this lost season and then sign him to a long-term deal in the offseason. Wishful thinking perhaps, but one can dream.

Still, I think the Phillies are due for a hard fall within the next year or two (if it hasn't already happened), and they could be bad for a quite a few years as their demise is simultaneous with the rise of some really young and really talented divisional foes (Nationals, Braves, Marlins, in that order).

[Patrick Edmonds]

Benny raises a legitimate point about changing the culture of the team, but I think Manuel deserves more time and one more shot at making this thing work again. He was at the helm of our World Series, when we didn't have the talent we do today, most wins in team history last year and most wins as a Phillies manager, five straight division champs, so he definitely deserves the extra year. If at this time next year, assuming everyone is healthy and Hamels returns and we make a few key acquisitions, and we're in a similar situation as this year, then he needs to be let go and everything needs to be imploded.

By the way, it's not so far fetched to believe your hopes for Hamels could come true; he actually brought up that prospect himself just yesterday, referencing Cliff Lee as an example. I just think you're going to have to pay him so much more if he goes and wins a WS with another team or even plays well, like Lee did with the Rangers, or risk losing Hamels altogether. I'm not sure what immediate value you'd get for him, and while prospects may seem interesting to some, I'm with Dugan that I want another championship now, not 20+ yrs from now.