Looking to follow your favorite Philadelphia Phillies player on Twitter? Avoid the fake accounts!
Below I have put together a list of current Philadelphia Phillies players on Twitter. This list will be updated as needed, and feel free to keep this chart in check by sending any that are left out or inaccurate. Send a tweet to @Macho_Row or use the contact page to send any recommendations or fixes.
no commentsFans of the Philadelphia Phillies do not need to look far to get coverage of their favorite baseball team. There are plenty of options to feed your appetite for Phillies coverage from the area's top media outlets. Heck, the Philadelphia Daily News and Philadelphia Inquirer each have two reporters assigned to covering the Phillies once again this season.
In the chart below you will see ten of the top beat reporters and columnists covering the Phillies in the 2013 season. Soon I will have a chart to help map out your Phillies coverage in the blogosphere, which can be a bit overwhelming at times if you are just getting started with checking out all that there is to offer.
no commentsThe Philadelphia Phillies open up the Grapefruit League schedule this week, and that should serve as a nice reminder that baseball is not that far away. Todd Zolecki has posted the pitching schedule for the first week's worth of games on his MLB.com blog. Perhaps most notable is the news that Cole Hamels will take the first official start of the spring on Saturday against the Houston Astros, with Roy Halladay tabbed for the Sunday start against the Detroit Tigers.
Much has been made recently about who should get the Opening Day assignment for the Phillies. Not that we want to judge too much on the first spring training games of the year, but it would seem to suggest that Hamels will be the Opening Day starter for the Phillies for the first time in his career.
Hamels as the Opening Day starter is a move I have long endorsed based off of last season and Hamels' place in the franchise's history. We'll see if that turns out to be the case in due time.
Check out the full pitching schedule reported by Zolecki.
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Instead of a morning round-up of links today I thought it would be fun to take a look at the projected Opening Day lineup for the 2013 Phillies.
A few things to keep in mind when putting this together:
Remember that catcher Carlos Ruiz will be serving a 25-game suspension. This makes Erik Kratz the most likely candidate to receive the opening day job behind the plate.
I believe Charlie Manuel is a creature of habit. As much as fans will discuss the idea of moving Jimmy Rollins out of the lead off spot, I cannot envision Manuel doing that, especially for opening day. Also there is little reason to expect Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to be removed from their normal spots in the lineup.
Darin Ruf may very well win a roster spot when the team comes north but for now I'm rolling with newly acquired outfielder Delmon Young to be named an opening day starter in left field. Right now I'll take a stab at Domonic Brown backing up his strong statements just enough to get the nod in right field for opening day.
I also buy in to the concept that would see Cole Hamels get the Opening Day assignment on the mound after being the top pitcher in the rotation last year, which lines up Roy Halladay for the home opener in Philadelphia. For the time being, that is why I will have Hamels penciled in at the bottom of my Opening Day lineup.
Without any further ado, here is my first guess at the Opening Day lineup. Feel free to critique and over-analyze away, and let me know why I'm right or wrong in the comment section below.
Roy Halladay says he is feeling good and he cannot envision playing in any other city. That sounds like good news for Phillies fans, right? Halladay is entering the final year of his contract in Philadelphia and it will be a critical one. Halladay statistically has been on the decline since his arrival in Philadelphia in 2010 and he was worn down a little bit last season. He is still the workhorse of the staff in many respects but with velocity dropping there is reason to be concerned. Hey, he's still a very good pitcher. Nobody is saying he is not. But it is no secret that he needs to change part of his approach on the mound. He's smart enough to know that it sounds like, so that is a positive sign.
Doc confident he can rebound with healthy season - Todd Zolecki, MLB.com
Roy Halladay hopes for healthy, effective 2013 - Jim Salisbury, CSNPhilly.com
Roy Halladay confident back, shoulder injuries in past - Matt Gelb, Philly.com
Roy Halladay says he will pitch 320 innings if it means winning a World Series - David Murphy, Philly.com
Health, age force ace veteran Halladay to adjust - Hal Bodley, MLB.com
A defining year awaits Roy Halladay - Jayson Stark, ESPN.com
Ruiz apologizes
All too often in sports we see stories of athletes shrugging aside their problems. That was not the case with Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz on Wednesday. Meeting with the media for the first time since receiving a 25-game suspension, Ruiz apologized publicly to his teammates and the fans for putting himself in the situation. Apparently it got a little emotional for the Phillies catcher. It's OK Chooch. Just don't let it happen again. Your fans will forgive you (surely many already have).
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According to Topps baseball cards this year the all time record holder for most base hits in baseball is simply known as "all-time record holder." Or at least that is likely how Pete Rose would be listed on the back of a baseball card printed today.
As Chicago Side Sports points out, the baseball card company is not using Pete Rose by name on their baseball cards, but they will use the names of other players who own records. Was this an error? Something that slipped through the cracks? Does somebody at Topps have it out for Rose, who continues to try and wiggle his way back in to the good graces of Major League Baseball?
Not quite.
The reason may be fairly simple. It all comes down to - what else - money.
no commentsRelief pitcher Juan Cruz is back on the free agent market. Jayson Stark reports via Twitter the reliever and Phillies have parted ways.
no commentsRHP Juan Cruz is a free agent again. He'd signed a minor league deal w #Phillies but 2 sides agreed to part ways, GM Ruben Amaro Jr said
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) February 13, 2013
With spring training now underway in Clearwater it is time to return to our morning round-up of Phillies coverage from the beat, blogs and beyond. Here is a look at some o the top stories from yesterday and more. We will be doing this every weekday throughout the season.
The Phillies have a new conditioning and training center in Clearwater. And it is beautiful.
How is Roy Halladay doing? Todd Zolecki of MLB.com interviewed Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee about the status of Roy Halladay. Dubee says "It’s going to take him a while to put all the pieces together in his delivery," but notes that is what spring training is for. Reading through the interview honestly does not leave me a whole lot of reason to feel overly confident about Doc returning to 2010 form.
Hamels on opening day, Halladay in home opener? Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com is already exploring the potential pitching rotation for the start of the season and it is rather interesting. Cole Hamels could realistically be the Phillies opening day starter this season after a strong 2012. In Salisbury's column the idea of having Hamels receive the opening day assignment and having Roy Halladay get to start the home opener is explored and it makes sense. But let's also remember Hamels does not have a great track record in his first starts of the year.
Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News has 5 more burning Phillies questions about the formula for success this season. Among them, the impact Mike Adams will have on the bullpen and the annual debate of whether or not Jimmy Rollins is an ideal leadoff hitter.
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Today is Kevin Stocker's 42nd birthday. Drafted in 1991, Stocker made his major league debut with the Phillies in 1993 and what a doozy it was. Stocker's debut turned out to be a 20-inning game lasting over six hours against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Mitch Williams blew a save in the ninth inning by allowing two runs, walking three batters and a single to force in one run and Larry Andersen gave up a single for a second charged run to Williams. Mike Williams gave up a run in the top of the 20th inning when Jose Offerman scored on a throwing error but the Phillies picked up the win in the bottom of the inning when Jim Eisenreich and Mickey Morandini were put in to scoring position on sacrifice bunt off the bat of Stocker (Stocker was safe on a fielder's choice) and Lenny Dykstra brought them home for the win on a walk-off ground-rule double.
Stocker struck out twice in an 0-for-6 debut but did scored one run and walked twice.
Other players to play in that game? How about Omar Daal, Roger McDowell and Pedro Martinez coming out of the Dodgers bullpen?
Source: Baseball Reference
no commentsPitchers and catchers reported today, and by all accounts everything seems to be going well. As expected our timelines are being filled with warm images of players stretching, throwing baseball's, running and more. While these images bring a smile to our face as we get a glimpse of summer in the middle of February, I was more taken by this image of the new conditioning and training center at the Carpenter Complex.
