Opening Day is 10 days away. Where do roster battles stand?

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Speaker 1: Hi, This is Jace om Utah. Welcome to The Philly Show.

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Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, The Philly Show with Ruben Tomorrow Junior Jim Salisbury, I'm todds like it's Monday morning. It's Saint Patrick's Day. Happy Saint Patrick's Day. Any either of you guys?

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Speaker 3: Irish?

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Speaker 4: Oh not Irish? Ruben, o'marrow.

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Speaker 3: That's today. You can today you can get rid of the A. Put in a O with a little hyphen.

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Speaker 4: There you go, there you go.

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Speaker 1: I have a lot of Irish blood in me.

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Speaker 3: Yes, all right, but what are you gonna do, Jim? Today?

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Speaker 1: I'm actually gonna have corn, beef and cabbage for dinner and love it.

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Speaker 4: You Where are you going?

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Speaker 1: Right right here in my kitchen? Okay?

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Speaker 3: Really okay? So you do that you do?

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Speaker 4: Or is your wonderful wife an making it?

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Speaker 1: Actually I'm gonna make it. I go slow cooker, I do extra seasoning, extra pickling spice, and I put it in there and slow cook it all day and then you know, halfway through I had the carrots, potatoes and the cabbage. I love cabbage.

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Speaker 4: Thinking, maybe, Jim, I think we should have a pod.

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Speaker 3: What is it called?

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Speaker 4: A one of those.

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Speaker 1: Food show cookbooks. Yeah, we should. I love it sandwich. I always get a big one too, so I can have extra corny.

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Speaker 5: Stow it out to the fans to see if they think we should go with the cookbook with the cod Pod cookbook.

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Speaker 3: Jim, you like cabbage?

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Speaker 2: That was I think one of you guys said that was in the postgame spread in the nineteen fifteen World Series in our last episode.

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Speaker 4: I like cabbage too, just a bowl of cabbage. I like this kind of cabbage.

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Speaker 3: Oh yeah, there you go, blue some glues.

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Speaker 1: So yeah.

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Speaker 2: Today Phillies are at home today Monday, Saint Patrick's Day game. It's always fun fanatics and green. They're wearing the green cab. The tiki bar is going to be slammed after the game. A lot of fun. Yesterday, the Phillies were in Serviasoda and a couple of things happened that made me think about kind of these bench battles that are going on. I want to get your guys takes on it. Max Kepler and Brandon Marsh both leave the game yesterday with injuries, Kepler with a bruised lower back, Marsh with a bruised lefknee.

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Speaker 3: They're fine. They took them off for precautionary reasons.

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Speaker 2: But in the moment, you're sitting there going, oh my gosh, like that's all they need to do is lose two outfielders before, you know, ten days eleven days before opening day. And it made me start thinking about some of these bench battles that they've got going on, and I wanted to see what you guys just takes. You know, first of all on the outfield depth, but also on how do you think these bench battles are going right now?

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Speaker 3: You have Cody.

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Speaker 2: Clemens in the mix. I think Johann Rojas is probably gonna make the team. I know we talked last week. I left them off my opening day roster. They're going to give Brandon marsh some some run. Ruben wanted Rojas on for sure. Carlos Royo is in camp, Cal Stevenson, Buddy Kennedy, Oscar Mercado, those are kind of the healthy bench candidates in camp. You guys see this, where do you guys see this thing standing right now with and that's now ten days to go before opening Day.

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Speaker 1: Well, when I saw those two guys leave the game yesterday, I was like, you know, it kind of accentuated for me, how thin they are out there in the outfield, not only in personnel, but in production. It's to me, it's a real kind of question mark of the team. They really need production out there more than they got last year on the whole, you know, across the three spots. And it's been really encouraging that Kepler swung it so well. And I saw he kind of he likes hitting in a lineup that has all those studs in. It sounds like it takes some pressure off from I saw one of his quotes. But as far as you know, to me, Cody Clement is gonna be hard to keep off. I know he's left handed and you kind of ideally would like a right handed bat. But man, he's been swinging a really really, really good Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Cody Clemens is betting three sixty one this spring, two doubles, one triple, two home runs, seven.

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Speaker 3: RBIs ops over one thousand.

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Speaker 2: So he's he's he's doing his job to stay on the team.

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Speaker 1: So now you think Rojas is going to make it.

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Speaker 2: Well, you know, I'm just thinking when I saw marsh go down, I saw Kepler go down yesterday, I'm going, oh my goodness.

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Speaker 3: But here's the thing about Rojas.

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Speaker 2: So one of the reasons why I said maybe he doesn't make the rosters because he hasn't played in the outfield yet. So he's going to start throwing the bases today Monday, and he's probably gonna do it one more time, Rob Thompson said, and then he said he's he'll probably get in the field after that, so he could get in center field. You know, I guess as early as midweek, later this week, before the weekend. So, I mean, how many games, Reuben, do you think he would need to play in the outfield. I mean, just one game just to show you can go out there and make a throw before he's.

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Speaker 3: Fit fit to play.

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Speaker 5: No, I think he's gonna be fine, and outfield play is not the issue. I know he's been tracking five balls and doing his work out there. Paco Figure one of the better outfield coaches in baseball, and I'm sure that they're working to keep him fresh. It was interesting to see ed Mundo Sosa get the work that he got in been watching these guys on the backfield. He's been busting his rear end to try to get more and more comfortable. Is getting better out there. I think that the coaching staff is starting to fee a little bit more comfortable at him out there.

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Speaker 4: So that's a good thing.

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Speaker 5: But I still think that Rojas is I mean, defense is the last thing that they have to worry about on with Rojas.

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Speaker 4: I think he does need to get out there and get reps.

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Speaker 5: But if he plays about you know, four games, five game, I think he can get He still has a chance to get you know, three or four games or whatever, and they can go and send him down to the minor leagues and have him go out there and shag and play defense.

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Speaker 4: There's a lot of things that they can have him do.

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Speaker 5: Right now, he's getting as many at bats as he can, and he's getting him in.

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Speaker 4: A lot of games. It's actually performed, he said, over three hundred. He's done well.

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Speaker 5: He's finally I talked to Kevin Long about him quite a bit, and he said he's starting to just be himself, be a little bit more athletic and not trying to, you know, lift the ball out of the ballpark and not trying to do you know, he's just trying to be within himself. The one thing that he does need to work on, he definitely does have to start bunting more consistently, and I have to stop banging on this, banging on my desk because I keep hitting my desk and making too many sounds for this podcast. Anyway, the the the reality is that he's he has to, you know, play that short man's game.

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Speaker 4: I think Cody Clements is making this ball club.

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Speaker 5: I don't know, there's any question in my mind that he's making this, that he's going to make.

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Speaker 4: This ball club.

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Speaker 5: He's too valuable a left handed bat off the bench. I know this doesn't sound like the right piece, but mar Shaan can also hit right handed. And if they get into a pinch late in the game and they're losing and they might have to use that other that other bat, Marshan's right, you know, he's switching her. So that that that I think factors in a little bit, and the fact that Edmund's.

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Speaker 4: Still on the bench and a viable right and at Bad as well.

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Speaker 5: I think Cody clem is making this ball club, but I think Marshan's making this ball club. And unless something were to happen as far as health is concerned to one of the catchers.

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Speaker 4: I don't think that's good to change.

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Speaker 5: And I think Stubbs may end up be ticketed to to Lei Valley so that this team can keep all their assets with Rojas.

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Speaker 1: If you're that committed to giving Brandon Marshall run in center field against righty's and leftis, you know, play him every day. I just think it makes sense to have Rojas playing every day in Triple A, working on those things you talked about getting better and bring him. You know, if there's a need in everyday need, then you bring them and it's not hard to get him here quickly.

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Speaker 5: But my feeling on that is Jim that I don't know that they view him as an everyday center fielder. I don't know if they view him that he needs that development and they and they probably feel like they want to. I think Crawford's their centerfielder of the future, and I think they're seeing that and so.

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Speaker 1: But I still think, however, you view him as a regular or a semi regular or a bench guy, game speed reps, game intensity reps are still going to help them even it's even going to make a better bench player down the road.

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Speaker 4: So yeah, no, I don't disagree with that.

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Speaker 1: That's the way I would.

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Speaker 5: They're trying to put the best twenty six players out there on the field every day, and I think that's probably why they'll go with Rojas and Center.

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Speaker 4: Could be wrong, but you're and you may be right. They made the backup correct.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, let's talk more about that backup catcher spot.

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Speaker 2: I when I ask you guys a couple of bullpen questions right after these words.

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00:09:46
Speaker 2: We're back backup catcher Spot. I want to Garrett Stubbs this spring. He's having a really nice spring, like he has stepped up. He's batting three seventy five, two doubles, ops over one thousand and three walks forced to recouts. Marshawn batting two sixty one one one double, three RBI six fifty ops, three walks.

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Speaker 3: Three strikeouts. I know, small sample size.

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Speaker 2: For both, but is there anything that maybe Ruben, this might be a question for you since you were in that seat ten days before opening day. You have two guys going right now, the guy with options has I guess you could say offensively outplay the other player. Is there anything that he could do in the final eight great for league games where you go you know what, I know, Marshawan's out of options, but I just don't see how we cannot put this other guy on the team, especially knowing his history, how valuable he is and how valued he is in the clubhouse. Is there anything that he could do in those final ten eight eight Great U League games to go? All right, We're going to figure out how we figure you know, we're going to figure something out down the road if one of these guys gets hurt and we lose Marshaan.

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Speaker 4: I don't think there is I really don't, and I think he's in a really tough spot.

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Speaker 5: It's unfortunate, But I mean, as someone who would be running the organization, I'd have to be selfish, and being selfish is making sure I keep all those assets.

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Speaker 4: They don't really have anybody else that I think that they feel comfortable with. Should they lose stubs, you know.

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Speaker 5: My feeling is, or should they lose Marshawn like to waivers or to the waiver wire. I just don't think that they have anybody they feel comfortable with to be able to do that job. I know they picked up, you know, some catchers and signed some catchers, made a trade for one. I just don't think that either one of them are to the point where they feel comfortable with that guy having to catch perhaps sixty seventy eighty games whatever, whether the case may be.

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Speaker 4: So in case.

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Speaker 5: People go down, and I think it's unfortunate. It's a situation that's happened before. It happened with my buddy Gary Bennett. I think we've talked about it in the past. Gary Bennett had a great year. Uh, when you're backing up Mike Liberthal, Tom Prince was signed to a multi year deal. We had, he had, he had options. We had to send it back. It was a very difficult thing to do, but we had to keep all our assets now. It ended up that he end up being back in the big leagues at some point that year. But uh, it wasn't fair. Game's not fair sometimes, man. But as far as sometimes it's a business, and in this case, I think it's going to be a business unless something were to happen to Marshawn along the way and they're not gonna go with three catchers.

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Speaker 4: It's just not gonna happen.

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Speaker 5: I don't think it gives him so less, so much less flexibility, so that would be the only other way, and.

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Speaker 4: That's not gonna happen.

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Speaker 1: Super tough call, I mean, ye stubs, stubs very popular in that clubhouse. Uh. He's been a contributor to three postseason teams. And you know, one of the things, you know, on the list of things you want from your from your backup catcher, you want a guy who's gonna add to your chemistry, not be a troublemaker, but really somebody who can handle the staff. And he's very one, very familiar with the staff. Staphf likes thrown to him. He he's an outstanding game planner, he is. It's just a big part of that pitching unit. So, but depth is really valuable. And if if you want to know how valuable it is, if you know you're gonna break camp, you're gonna break camp with two catchers, real Mudo and somebody else. One of those guys gets dinged and has to go on the i L for a couple of weeks and you've you know, lost one of those guys. Who are you gonna bring? Right? You know we're gonna bring. So what do you think is gonna happen? Todd?

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Speaker 2: I mean, I still think it's gonna be Marshan for the same reason that both of you guys think it's gonna be Marshaan. He just you got to plan for the worst. You know, it would be what you don't want to happen is three weeks into the season, JT gets banged up, or you know, Stubs gets banged up, and now you're digging a little bit deeper into the in the system and find yourself a little bit more shorthanded. So I understand. I was just kind of more curious because it is interesting that Stubbs has played pretty well this spring. He's kind of done what he's needed to do so far, and he still might not It still might not be enough.

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Speaker 3: Matt.

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Speaker 1: No, it's like somebody gets stinged up, and you know, you said, if you keep Stubbs and somebody gets stinged up in three weeks and you're like, okay, let's bring march on. Oh we can't. We traded to the the Marlins claimed him on waivers, or we traded him in this you know.

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Speaker 5: It's I've actually I've actually lived this myself. I mean I had a really good spring myself. On a personal note in ninety four, I think it was I had a terrific spring with the Cleveland Indians and we had so many players I didn't have any options.

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Speaker 4: They had to throw me through waivers very very late. I got through and went to Charlotte.

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Speaker 5: But but they were really at some point, you know, they decided to keep Manny Ramires on the team.

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Speaker 4: Imagine that.

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Speaker 3: And so.

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Speaker 5: You know, these are difficult calls, man, and there are things that sometimes have to happen. But in this case, you know, you got to keep all your assets, and I think this is the only way they're.

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Speaker 4: Going to be able to do that.

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Speaker 2: So Matt Strom yesterday threw from ninety feet. He's pain free. He says, the inflammation's out of there. You know, again, ten days before opening day. Not sure what he's going to throw from today, but likely he's going to open the season on the injury list, he said yesterday. He's like, I think I'll be ready, but I got to listen to what they want me to do. So there's really only a handful of guys in camp that could maybe fill his spot in the bullpen. I'm going to say right now, Taiwan Walker is on this team. He's gonna make the bullpen one way or the other. The guys on the forty man roster still in camp competing for a bullpen job would be Devin Sweet, Michael Mercado, Tyler Phillips, and then Kyle Tyler. Kyle Tyler's a starter. He's thrown the ball pretty well this spring. And I asked Rob Thompson after the game yesterday, I think he threw like another scoreless inning. I said he came into camp as a starter. He said he was gonna be a starter. But he's still in camp. He's been throwing an inning or two. He's like, He's like, is he could you see him.

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Speaker 4: As a reliever?

00:16:07
Speaker 3: Say, yeah, I would. I would throw him into the mix.

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Speaker 2: So I'm not saying he's gonna make the team as a reliever, but he's in camp. He's pitching out of the bullpen, he says. Rob Thompson says he could be a reliever. The not only non roster reliever in camp right now is a Bill Chrismet, who has has a lot of big league experience with the Padres this Springy's six appearances two point three five ERA, seven and two thirds innings pitched, two ear in runs, one walk, seven strikeouts. Devin Sweet, who I mentioned earlier, got a little big league time six innings pitch, three earned runs, three walks, five strikeouts. You know, Michael Mercado had two good innings yesterday in Sarasota, struggled early in camp, and then Tyler Phillips's out of options has struggled. He's got seven walks and seven and two thirds innings a spring, given up eight runs. So I just wanted to throw those names out there. He has have any thoughts on any of those guys. You talk about preserving depth, piece pieces, but Christmas throw on the ball really well, he's a non roster guy. You have to bump somebody off. I imagine though, that's a lot. That's a lot different than talking about the number two catcher and losing a potential number two catcher.

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Speaker 5: Right, yeah, it is. I mean it is different. You know, catch catching is one thing. Uh, and you have you start putting these guys sort of in a in a box and trying to figure out which guy is the best guy. I think that there's enough depth overall that they have with their overall pitching to be able to get through this, okay, And you know that I think the decision is sort of negligible because I don't think that this player is gonna he's going to be pitching in like real big situations, and he's going to be somebody that's going to create just a little bit more depth in the bullpen.

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Speaker 4: You really can't play strong. He was just too darn good.

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Speaker 5: He's not a guy that he's you know that that that replacement is gonna have to be a guy like Alvarado who's gonna step into his sort of his role, I would think with the way he's pitching.

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Speaker 4: So, you know, my feeling is just like in.

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Speaker 5: Most situations, when you're getting down to it, it's going to be a you know, a decision that has made. Once you find out late in this spring, you know when the pitchers have a little bit of intensity and anxiety.

00:18:20
Speaker 4: Uh, you find out a lot.

00:18:22
Speaker 5: About those guys when they know that they're on the cusp, when they know that they're on the bubble. To see how they react when they pitch in the last two or three outings before they break camp, and that'll tell you a lot about the guy's ability to be able to step forward when he has to pitch in Citizens Bank Park or in a major league ballpark.

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Speaker 4: And so my.

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Speaker 5: Feeling is for these guys these last two or three outings that they have are big for him. The Chris Mets of the world, the Tyler Phillips is the world, the Tylers of the world, They're all really important innings. Devin Sweet and I think it's going to be down to at the end of the day, trust, does Caleb Coffam and Rob Thompson trust these guys to be able to throw strikes and get outs in the major leagues? And which guy's going to do it the best. I know that Tyler Phillips hasn't had a great spring. At times okay, other times not great. I know that the way he competes Devin Sweet sometimes okay, sometimes not so okay? Can he throw enough strikes great change up? Chris Matt's been really really good, pretty consistent throughout the spring. I think it's going to be get down to the point where, Okay, can this guy really pitch when it's super tight and when they know they have to make a decision on them here in their last couple of outings, it'll be inph.

00:19:50
Speaker 1: You have to factor in that whoever is the guy that gets that final bullpen spot is not gonna potentially will not be here for long because Strom is going to come right back so if you put Chris mat on the forty. Now, when Strom gets back, you got to get him through to keep him in the organization.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, I don't know if he has options or not. Does Chris man have options? I'm not sure. That's something that you have to find out and somebody. So it is a factor, There's no question.

00:20:25
Speaker 1: I don't know where. Yeah, I don't know if he has options or not. But I mean the fact that that person might only be here a short time and then, you know, whatever the roster machinations are, you could potentially lose that depth depending on where they are with options and whatnot. I think you have to factor that and that he's only going to be here a short time. You know, you hope, you hope Strom's back like that.

00:20:47
Speaker 2: You know, guys, it's Monday, So it's time for Best Week by Manco and Manco Baby Best of the Best, Baby Best of the Best by Manco and Manco's where we pick our best Phillies player performance, play whatever we wanted, the best best corn, beef and Cabbage in Westchester Gym. If you want to give a shot out, if you have a name there, so let's start with you.

00:21:15
Speaker 3: Jim let's start with you. Who do you get for best of the week.

00:21:19
Speaker 1: So I'm kinda, you know, not really, I'm coloring outside the lines here. I'm not going to give you one guy. One thing that's really impressed me on this, you know, Manco, Manco. Best of the best is the way this pitching staff is throwing strikes. I mean, it's really impressive. Every time I look at the box score, you know, all your main guys are pretty much throwing strikes. And I just was gonna, you know, go over a couple of things here. Christopher Sanchez eleven and two thirds innings, seventeen k's just two walks. Jose Alvarado six innings, fifteen k's three walks. Okay, that's three walks. The rest of these guys have all walked one batter Lozardo ten k's one walk, Wheeler nine k's one walk, Nola eight k's one walk, Romano seven k's one walk, Kirkring six k's one walk, Taiwan Walker nine of the third innings, five strikeouts, just five strikeouts, but just one walk. Ranger Suarez four strikeouts, just one walk. I mean, I know these are not full workloads, full spring workloads. But you know, two weeks before the home opener, less than two weeks before opening day. You know what's the expression. They're flooding the strike zone.

00:22:49
Speaker 4: Oh, I like that.

00:22:51
Speaker 1: That's my that's my like. I like my pizza flooded with pepperoni, sausage and onion. That's my favorite combo. And these guys are flooding the the strike zone. So that's my Mankel and Manco best of the best.

00:23:03
Speaker 5: That's why you're one of the best. Gym great call. I like that, call, Todd, what do you got?

00:23:10
Speaker 3: You know?

00:23:10
Speaker 2: So last week on Friday, we talked about Trey Turner maybe turning things around. And you know Friday against I think, yeah, it was against the Tigers, right, Rubin, you were here. Trey Turner strikes out on seven pitches to open the game against Trek scoob but he filed off five pitches, struck out swinging on the seventh pitch. Next at bat, hits an O one change up to right center field for base hit. And then a fifth inning against schooble hits a sacrifice fly to right center field and then he had another hit. Yesterday in Sarasota, had a walk. So Trey Turner started Spring zero for fifteen, three walks, seven strikeouts, and then the last week or so, you know, last week, I should say, four for nine, four walks, two sacriflies, one K and the last you know how many games.

00:23:59
Speaker 3: So he's really kind of turn it on.

00:24:00
Speaker 2: And I asked him yesterday or a couple of days ago about it and about.

00:24:05
Speaker 3: The schoobl game.

00:24:05
Speaker 2: After the School Schoobl game, I said, what do you take out of these at bats?

00:24:09
Speaker 3: You feel like you're kind of coming around?

00:24:10
Speaker 2: Because we were talking about it, he said, I feel like in two weeks one of those pitches I filed off in the first at battle hit hard somewhere he striked me out. But I but I liked the first six pitches. The last one was up, but the battle was there. The approach is coming, It's getting there, and I wanted to I thought this was kind of an interesting thing. Kevin long I mentioned that Tray Turner told him he's like, as long as I feel good with three or four games ago, you know, I'm fine. And so I asked him about that. I said, how do you you know? Is that is that true? He said, yeah, I feel like there's a little bit of a false flag when you start out the spring really hot, at least for me, I feel like the pitching changes a little bit. Guys start to throw different pitches, you know, toward the end, start trying to do certain things. So I feel like early on success for me isn't as much of a big deal at the end of the camp. I'd rather be struggling early in camp than struggling at the end of camp. So he says, right now, I kind of feel like I'm getting to where I need to be.

00:25:00
Speaker 3: So again, just.

00:25:01
Speaker 2: Small sample size, just one week. But Trey Turner I thought, had a really good week. He looked a lot better at the plate, and I think as the Phillies try to figure out their lineup, I think it is going to be Trey Turner and lead off spot. I don't know why at this point you wouldn't, I think, give it a shot. So it's encouraging to see Trey Turner kind of show a little bit more offensively just spring training. He doesn't care as batting averages, but just to see him kind of turn things around a little bit going into the final ten days before opening day is an encouraging sign.

00:25:31
Speaker 4: Yeah, great call.

00:25:32
Speaker 5: Todd and let me just add on to that, he played really well defensively, a couple of excellent plays to his left Jimmy Rang's esque type plays where he went to his left and spun and made a couple of really good throws. Looks like he's securing the baseball well. I mean he's again he's somewhat shaky at times defensively, but I think again for him, it's the work and the confidence.

00:25:55
Speaker 4: Even though he's been a veteran guy, I think.

00:25:57
Speaker 5: Confidence is a big thing for him, especially offensively, and I think that he seems to be turning the court. Have been doing a lot of work with Bobby Dickerson on the backfields, uh, on the excuse me, on the on the small field there, and on the half field, and and and and it's starting to pay off. It looks like he's uh looks more confident, looks more competent and uh, I think that was part of this turnarout in his game as well. So pretty good call as far as uh my call is. I love the way Alvarado's throwing the baseball right now. He's the best of the best, the Manco Manco Manco and Maco best of the best for me, just with the way he's throwing the baseball, and it's very timely.

00:26:39
Speaker 4: With Strom having gone down and for him to be able to step forward. I really believe that if he gains the confidence and continues with the.

00:26:47
Speaker 5: Confidence came into in the camp, you know, you can I know they're trying to soft shoot a little bit.

00:26:53
Speaker 4: He's really in good shape. He's different. I know they say that he doesn't.

00:26:57
Speaker 5: You know, his weight's not all that different, well and redistributed, but there's no question in my mind that he is leaner, and he is stronger, and he looks much better.

00:27:05
Speaker 4: And I think he's put the work in. I think he's confident about his stuff. The ball is coming out of his hand like lightning.

00:27:12
Speaker 5: And not only that, but the most important part of it, he is his command of the strike zone is really very good. And if you know, it's no he's flipping in a little different breaking ball from time to time.

00:27:25
Speaker 4: But his breadan.

00:27:27
Speaker 5: Butter is that sinker cutter combination, and he's throwing it at one hundred miles an hour and bringing it and throwing strikes with it. He's been the best of the best for me, and I hope he carries it into the season, because that is a monster weapon out of the bullpen with that kind of art.

00:27:47
Speaker 3: That's some good stuff, guys. And let's close on this.

00:27:49
Speaker 2: I wrote a you know in spring training, Jim, you know, at the end of camp, you're kind of looking for story ideas. You feel like you've written everything like fifty times, and so that's when you.

00:27:57
Speaker 1: Write them all again. All the stuff he wrote in the first week, you revisit.

00:28:01
Speaker 3: Exactly right, exactly right. And so yesterday I wrote a little story at MLB dot com. I found this.

00:28:08
Speaker 2: They tweeted out or put post on Instagram this graphic.

00:28:12
Speaker 3: Before camp opened, they did these wind studies.

00:28:15
Speaker 2: Stat Caast can now measure the wind effect at ballparks, and I thought it was interesting. Citizens Bank Park the wind has prevented forty eight balls from leaving.

00:28:27
Speaker 3: The yard over the last two years.

00:28:30
Speaker 2: There's only three other parks in baseball that have lost more home runs or prevented more home runs because of the wind. I think it was Kaufman Stadium, t Mobile Park in Seattle, of course, Wrigley Field in Chicago. And I just thought it was interesting because you guys, remember this in two thousand and four. In those first several years, like man, Citizens Bank Park got crushed for being such a.

00:28:49
Speaker 3: Cheap park band box.

00:28:54
Speaker 2: And turns out last few years at least it's actually killed a lot of home runs because of the and so it's still kind of home run friendly.

00:29:02
Speaker 3: I talked to Bryce Harper, brought it.

00:29:04
Speaker 2: Bryce Harper has lost supposedly six home runs over the last two years because of the wind. He goes, eh, six runs would be pretty good. Yeah, he had that over average of his thirteen year contract. That's thirty nine lost home runs that would stay true.

00:29:19
Speaker 3: So big difference. But what did you guys? What do you guys think of that? Was that surprising to you? Is it? Do you care at all? I mean I talked to some of the players. They're like, it's interesting.

00:29:26
Speaker 2: We do talk about the wind a lot, but we're not also not obsessed about it.

00:29:30
Speaker 3: But I did. Again, I think remember what John Smoltz said years.

00:29:33
Speaker 2: Ago, David Wells, Jake p vy Leo, my own, all these guys kind of crushed it us in Bank Parking.

00:29:40
Speaker 3: Maybe it's not so bad.

00:29:43
Speaker 1: Well wind, as you know, Todd is my least favorite a lot, and it's.

00:29:49
Speaker 3: Jim in the press box. Ruben Jim in the press box. He has everywhere.

00:29:54
Speaker 4: He's got no organization.

00:29:56
Speaker 3: He spreads everything out. Here's nothing, he has nothing, weighed down on loose papers. Everywhere wins. A stiff breeze comes through that goes everywhere. Jim gets very angry.

00:30:06
Speaker 1: I guess Bryce Harper is probably his least favorite element. He's lost thirty nine home runs.

00:30:11
Speaker 2: Well, he could potentially lose it over the thirteen years.

00:30:15
Speaker 1: And then he hits three, didn't he hit three in an ice storm last April?

00:30:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's right.

00:30:21
Speaker 1: How do you figure this stuff? You know, you gotta you know, you gotta play in the elements. I mean, obviously you can't play in a downpour they cover the field, but sometimes you playing the cold sometimes you know, it's like, you know, you just deal with it, and uh, you know it does. Citizens Bank Park is kind of open, so you can see where the wind would affect it. It's not like they get a lot of stuff out in center field blocking the wind. Like I look at City Field, you almost feel like you're in a like almost feel like you're in a dome without a roof. You know, there's these big sides to it. So it's something something to keep an eye on. But it is interesting to hear that the park has denied some home runs when you frame it against some of the critiques against the park when it first opened. But you know, you had a lot of people cutting on the park and saying you'll never build a pitching staff there. But I think we park the park opened at four and seven years later you built a one of the best pitching staffs ever. So you know what, you put the ball in good spots in the strike zone and change speeds and you pitch. You can you can you can win in any park. But I mean I'm getting off not on the topic at hand, which is the wind. It's interesting and it also just tells you how sophisticated stat keeping is these days. They can measure all that stuff.

00:31:53
Speaker 5: I have to say this. I talked this up as you know, you can't don't worry about things you can't control, right, I mean, you know, and I think the players have taken the right attitude after having seen that article Todd. It just seems like the players are like, Okay, whatever, what are we going to do? And I think it was a bit it was a big deal when we first opened the ballpark. There's no question it was a little short. We moved it back and it probably saved I think we did a study. I think my man j. McLaughlin helped me do a study about that. I think it saved us maybe thirty home runs during the course of the five season.

00:32:31
Speaker 3: After the four.

00:32:32
Speaker 5: Season opened opening up and that you know, had those flower bed home runs that were that probably a little cheap.

00:32:38
Speaker 4: We moved it. We moved it back.

00:32:40
Speaker 5: Was it five or ten feet down the in the left sea left side of the field of the outfield. But I think that this is basically paying playing fair And I think, Jim, you make a great point, and to dovetail on onto some of the other topics we talked about.

00:32:58
Speaker 4: The great thing about what Caleb Coffin.

00:33:00
Speaker 5: Is brought to this organization for me is the combination of understanding pitching and being able to get guys mechanics to the point where they're throwing consistent stripes and they're not so much caught up in velocity and spin rate. Those are important, but they don't put those first. What's first is throwing strikes, and that's what you're seeing this spring, and that's what you've seen generally from this staff, and that's why it's pretty darn good. There's their walk to strikeout rates are excellent. It's one of the why it's one of the better staffs in baseball. They will give up some hits, there's no question about it. But I think Caleb Coffin does a pretty darn good job. And if you do that as a staff, the wind, the sun, the rain, none of it matters because if you're getting out so you're getting soft contact, you're getting your job done.

00:33:54
Speaker 4: And I think Caleb's done in a really nice job in that area.

00:33:58
Speaker 2: Jimmy, remember you talked about how sophisticated stat keeping is. Do you remember this isn't really stack keeping, But do you remember in two thousand and four, I know you remember this, but do you remember in two thousand and four when like Kevin Millwood was on home plate with a golf range finder. He was looking at the distances on the wall because he didn't believe him and they were they were not labeled correctly.

00:34:20
Speaker 3: They were they were moved over a few feet.

00:34:22
Speaker 2: And so Jim and I went up to Larry Shank, the former VP of Media Relations Public. We went up to the baron and we said, we would like to measure the wall distances. Now that they because they changed them, they moved them over and whatever they said, these are correct.

00:34:38
Speaker 3: These are correct. Said, well, let's just how about we just go out and measure.

00:34:41
Speaker 2: So Jim and I one day, real early we went out with Larry Shank Mike Baughculter, the groundskeeper at the time, who was not happy with us, as I recall, and he took it.

00:34:51
Speaker 3: He took a tape measure at home plate.

00:34:53
Speaker 2: And we would string it all the way down the left field line and we went to every marking around the field.

00:35:00
Speaker 3: They were correct, but that was a fun day.

00:35:04
Speaker 1: It was an interesting thing.

00:35:06
Speaker 4: I didn't like you guys very much.

00:35:09
Speaker 3: Do you remember us doing that?

00:35:10
Speaker 4: I mean, I remember, Look, all times have changed.

00:35:19
Speaker 3: But think about you were doing your job.

00:35:22
Speaker 4: You were doing your job, and that's you know, he can't fault.

00:35:25
Speaker 5: That doesn't mean I wasn't pissed off at you.

00:35:29
Speaker 1: You weren't the only one.

00:35:30
Speaker 3: But that's right. I know, I know, I remember.

00:35:32
Speaker 2: I remember the late great David Montgomery, the all time greatest people ever.

00:35:36
Speaker 3: He was not really thrilled.

00:35:38
Speaker 2: We speaking the ballcart, the ballpark and the distances and stuff. But but the pitchers had made it such a huge thing, first that that first year, and then when they realized that the distances are on the wall were incorrect, you know, they they moved him over whatever, ten fifteen feet or whatever.

00:35:55
Speaker 3: We said, let's just all right, and you said, you moved. Let's just go on prove it, you know, and they were correct.

00:35:59
Speaker 1: It was a little like a brush fire in the clubhouse because you know, they open the park, it's playing small, and one pitcher starts complaining. Then the next picture starts complaining. Before you know it, the whole staff is just the whole club was pitching wise is complaining about the And I remember writing a story about it, and I remember talking to Ed Wade about it, and he was not particularly thrilled with that kind of questioning, but he had a great quote. He said, you know, we only been open two months. I think it's a little too early to declare Citizens Bank Park at the at the foothills of the Rockies, you know, because I think I may have done some comparisons to Course Field. But you know, in due time, like I mentioned, you pitch, you pitch good, you like a you know, I still believe in keeping the ball down, keep the ball down in good spots, and then you know, ride it up top when you have to. Like you pitch and you can, you can win anywhere. And they prove have proven that over the years. They've had some two really good pockets of winning here and twenty twenty five should be another one with this pitching staff.

00:37:21
Speaker 5: And it's because of their pitching, not necessarily the offensive players that they have.

00:37:25
Speaker 4: But I do believe that in my heart of hearts that.

00:37:28
Speaker 5: You know, they put themselves in this position to have success and to be a World Series contender because of their pitching.

00:37:33
Speaker 3: Mm hmm, well, ruben o moro. Enjoy your Saint Patrick's day. I'll stay here, Jim, enjoy your corn, beef and cabbage.

00:37:41
Speaker 2: Maybe send us a little food pick once you get it going, send it to We want to see what it looks like.

00:37:47
Speaker 1: I'll definitely and then you know, I'll definitely, uh, maybe I'll make a sandwich tomorrow. Next time we do a podcast.

00:37:53
Speaker 5: I need an honest assessment of your own uh you know, of your own makings and doings.

00:37:59
Speaker 1: I'll nail it.

00:38:00
Speaker 3: So we will be back later this week with more phillies. Talk guys, so I'll talk to you later.

00:38:05
Speaker 1: Smell your letter, boys, Samilli, you Jim.

00:38:08
Speaker 2: The Philly Show is brought to you by the Foul Territory Network. Subscribe to The Phillies Show on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. If you like us, give us a review, Follow us on Instagram, TikTok x, Facebook, and threads. Find Rubens analysis before, during, and after Phillies games on NBC Sports Philadelphia, on the Sports.

00:38:27
Speaker 3: Radio ninety four, WIP Morning Show, and MLB Network. Find Jim at all phl y dot com. Find me at MLB dot com, the Phillies Beat newsletter, and MLB Network