A Retraction And An Endorsement

PHILS PHACTS:

Retraction Request – The lawyer for Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman is demanding an immediate and complete retraction to the Al Jazeera report that linked both to performance enhancing drugs. Multiple reports said William Burck, who represents both Howard and Zimmerman, sent a letter to Al Jazeera requesting the retraction. Al Jazeera issued a correction to its written report online, saying, "An earlier version of this article reported on an allegation about possible links between Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard and human growth hormone. The substance alleged was Delta 2, not HGH." That does not go far enough, according to Howard's and Zimmerman's representation. "Al Jazeera tried sneaking out a correction which acknowledges major errors in their story about our clients Ryan Zimmerman and Ryan Howard," Burck said in a statement. "The original defamatory 'report' connected our clients to the use of HGH, but Al Jazeera has now admitted this defamatory accusation was wholly false and unsubstantiated. Al Jazeera's acknowledgment confirms their unforgivable sloppiness and the recklessness of its publication of this false story. Al Jazeera must retract the remaining false allegations against our clients immediately." Earlier this week, Burck called the claims in the report "outright lies" and vowed to fight them in court. "We will go to court to hold Al Jazeera and other responsible parties accountable for smearing our clients' good names," Burck said. Major League Baseball said it will conduct a thorough investigation of the report, whose source has already recanted his comments.

A Strong Candidate For Enshrinement – Even though seven players have been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame over the past two years, many strong candidates remain on the ballot. With Baseball Writers' Association of America voters able to pick a maximum of 10 players apiece, and 75 percent of the vote required for enshrinement, several worthy candidates must travel a difficult road. Results of this year's BBWAA vote will be revealed on MLB Network on Jan. 6, with a news conference involving any electees to be held the following day. It's unlikely Curt Schilling, in his fourth year on the ballot, will be part of that group. The right-hander, who received 39.2 percent of the vote last time around, has a long ways to go. Schilling no doubt has suffered from his relatively low total of wins (216) and lack of a Cy Young Award, perhaps getting overshadowed by his brilliant contemporaries -- and in some cases teammates -- such as Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Pedro Martinez. But when it comes to the most relevant numbers, there is a strong case for the six-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young runner-up as a clear Hall of Famer. Here is a look at that argument: • Schilling's career value stacks up quite favorably. His 80.7 pitching wins above replacement (WAR) ranks 26th all time, according to Baseball-Reference.com, including 14th in the expansion era (since 1961). He comes in just behind Bob Gibson and ahead of numerous Hall of Famers, including Don Sutton, Jim Palmer, Bob Feller, Juan Marichal and Don Drysdale. • Baseball-Reference's wins above average (WAA) compares a player's performance to the league average instead of to a theoretical replacement player, as in WAR. By that standard, Schilling's 54.1 ranks 10th among pitchers since 1901, ahead of such names as Gibson, Steve Carlton and Warren Spahn. • In 1968, baseball witnessed the Year of the Pitcher and responded by lowering the mound. Over the 47 seasons since then, here is where Schilling's career numbers fall in several important categories (a minimum of 2,500 innings was used for rate stats): Strikeout-to-walk ratio: 1st (4.38); Strikeouts per 9 innings: 4th (8.6); WHIP: 4th (1.137); Walks per 9 innings: 6th (1.96); WAA: 6th (54.1); ERA+: 7th (127); Strikeouts: 9th (3,116); WAR: 10th (80.7); Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP): 11th (3.23). • Schilling started slowly, but over his final 12 years (1996-2007), during an era of extreme offense, he went 173-104 (a .625 winning percentage) with a 3.43 ERA (134 ERA+), averaging more than 200 innings and 200 strikeouts per season. From 2001-04, at the advanced ages of 34-37, he led all pitchers in WAR, with an average of 7.8. Schilling also was first in strikeout-to-walk ratio, second in strikeouts, third in innings and FIP and fourth in ERA+. For good measure, he won seven postseason games and two World Series rings. • When it comes to racking up strikeouts and limiting walks -- a crucial part of a pitcher's job -- few have been better than Schilling. The righty is one of four pitchers to record at least three 300-strikeout seasons, along with Johnson, Nolan Ryan and Sandy Koufax. Excluding the 1800s, no pitcher with even 1,000 career innings can match Schilling's 4.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Only one other pitcher with 2,000-plus innings, Martinez, is above 3.78. At his best, from 2001-06, Schilling posted a 6.75 ratio, putting him way ahead of his closest challenger, Johnson (4.70). Schilling was responsible for five of the top 11 single-season marks during that span, and his 9.58 in 2002 was the second-best in history up until 2010. It still ranks fourth. • For perspective on Schilling, examine Tom Glavine, who sailed into the Hall with 91.9 percent of the vote in his first year on the ballot, in 2014. The two pitchers operated during almost the exact same period. Glavine does hold huge advantages in starts, innings pitched and victories (cracking the esteemed 300 mark), and longevity certainly is important. Still, here is how the two compare in some other areas. Pitching WAR: Schilling 80.7 | Glavine 74.0; Total WAR: Glavine 81.5 | Schilling 79.9; WAA: Schilling 54.1 | Glavine 39.1; ERA+: Schilling 127 | Glavine 118; FIP: Schilling 3.23 | Glavine 3.95; K/BB: Schilling 4.4 | Glavine 1.7. • Still on the fence about Schilling? Consider that the three-time World Series champion is one of the best postseason performers in baseball history. In 19 career postseason starts, he went 11-2 with a 2.23 ERA, including a 2.06 ERA over seven Fall Classic outings. Schilling was the MVP of the 1993 National League Championship Series for the Phillies, threw a shutout in that year's World Series against Toronto, and he set a single-postseason record for strikeouts (56) for the 2001 D-backs. That year, he produced a 1.12 ERA, and Arizona won five of his six outings, which included three complete games and a shutout.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Restocked System Shows Potential

PHILS PHACTS:

Phillies Master Farmville – The objective of all Major League franchises is to compete for a World Series title. The reality, of course, is that it can't happen for every team every season. When a team isn't competing, it usually means it's rebuilding time, or they become "sellers," especially during the Trade Deadline and the offseason. Depending on the state of the organization, the hope may be for a quick turnaround, or there could be a long-range plan in place. As the calendar is about to flip to 2016, a bit of retrospection is in order. In the past year, some teams have improved their farm systems more than others. The following list of the five most improved farm systems in 2015 was compiled considering all methods of player acquisition: trade, Draft, international signing, even the Rule 5 Draft. This isn't a ranking of the top farm systems; that's something that will come in the New Year after the new prospects rankings come out. Atlanta Braves: When John Hart was hired by the Braves as the president of baseball operations, after he served the team as a consultant for the 2014 season, one of his first orders of business was to rebuild a once-proud farm system. Atlanta used to thrive annually because of homegrown players, and it was seen as essential to get back to the "Braves way" of doing things. John Coppolella, now the team's general manager, worked in step with Hart to do just that, and no team has done more to restock the prospect shelves. Starting with the trade that brought Manny Baneulos from the Yankees on Jan. 1 and ending with the blockbuster Shelby Miller deal that netted them Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair, the Braves added no fewer than 12 players to their current Top 30 list via the trade market. And that doesn't include the Jason Heyward or Justin Upton trades completed last December, nor does it include graduated prospect Mike Foltynewicz from the January Evan Gattis trade. And Hector Olivera doesn't count as a prospect according to MLBPipeline.com guidelines (we use the same rules that govern the international spending pool). The big deals from this offseason brought in three sure-fire Top 100 caliber players in Swanson and Blair from the Miller deal and lefty Sean Newcomb in the Andrelton Simmons trade. Had that been it, the Braves would still make this list. But then their 2015 Draft haul has to be considered. Not only did the Braves go bold by taking Kolby Allard, an injured high school lefty who had top of the round potential, in the first round, they also added young high school talent (the old Braves way again) with Mike Soroka, Austin Riley and Lucas Herbert. Philadelphia Phillies: The Phillies made most of their noise at the Trade Deadline and during this offseason, breathing some much needed life into a weak system. Two trades -- the Cole Hamels deal in July and the Ken Giles one this winter -- brought in six players in their current Top 30, including four of the top five. When Hamels was sent to the Texas Rangers, the Phillies were able to add Jake Thompson, Nick Williams and Jorge Alfaro, all in the current Top 100 list, along with Alec Asher, who made his big league debut in 2015. The bounty for Giles was Mark Appel (Top 100) and Thomas Eshelman (2015 draftee), both in the current Phillies' Top 30. Vincent Velasquez graduated off prospect lists late this past season, so he technically doesn't count, but he was a top 100 prospect prior to his big league time with Houston. Other trades brought in more talent: Ben Revere netted Alberto Tirado and Jimmy Cordero; Chase Utley's return was Darnell Sweeney and John Richy; Jonathan Papelbon brought in Nick Pavetta. That's 10 Top 30 players (Cordero isn't in the Top 30) via trades. Throw in Cornelius Randolph and Scott Kingery from the Draft, Tyler Goeddel from the Rule 5 Draft and Jhailyn Ortiz, MLBPipeline.com's No. 8 international prospect whom the Phillies signed for north of $4 million, and the Phillies aren't far behind the Braves in terms of restocking success. Milwaukee Brewers: The best deal for the Brewers may have been the one they didn't make at the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline. When the reported trade sending Carlos Gomez to the Mets fell through, they ended up making an even better deal, at least in terms of rebuilding their farm system, with the Astros. It brought in four prospects that landed in their Top 30, including Top 100 prospects Domingo Santana (since graduated) and Brett Phillips. Josh Hader should join them after a strong season and even stronger Arizona Fall League campaign. Adrian Houser threw well following the trade, too. Zach Davies came in a Deadline deal as well, from Baltimore in return for Gerardo Parra, and he made six starts in the big leagues at the end of the year. That gave the Brewers immediate return in both deals, with Davies and Santana both looking like members of the 2016 Opening Day roster, along with some future star-caliber prospects. Smaller deals at the start of the year (Yovani Gallardo) and at the very end (Jason Rogers) also netted Top 30-caliber prospects, but aside from the Gomez deal, it was the 2015 Draft that has helped restock the prospect shelves the most. The successful haul brought in four Top 30 players, with the Brewers getting high-ceiling talent like Trent Clark and Demi Orimoloye as well as intriguing college arms like Nathan Kirby (a first-round talent who had injury issues) and Cody Ponce. Add in the advancement of homegrown players like Orlando Arcia and Jorge Lopez and the Brewers have turned around their pipeline as quickly as any team. Cincinnati Reds: The trading of Aroldis Chapman was the icing on the Reds' rebuilding cake. From the Trade Deadline through the Chapman deal, Cincinnati dealt four players to bring in a dozen new young players. Some have already seen time on the Reds' Major League roster (Brandon Finnegan and John Lamb from the Johnny Cueto deal; Adam Duvall from the Mike Leake trade). Some should help out at the start of the 2016 season (Jose Peraza and Scott Schebler from the Todd Frazier deal). Coming soon might be the best player netted in any of the Reds' trades, lefty Cody Reed, who was in the Cueto deal and is coming off a breakout 2015 campaign. The Chapman trade gave the Reds a potential replacement for Frazier at third eventually in Eric Jagielo and an intriguing arm in Rookie Davis among the quartet of young players received. In addition to all of the trades, the Reds had a very strong Draft haul in June, adding five players to their current Top 30 list, headlined by high school catcher Tyler Stephenson. Cincy even used the Rule 5 Draft to bring in an intriguing player, outfielder Jake Cave, and the club is also considered the favorites to land Cuban infielder Alfredo Rodriguez. Considering the success the organization has had in that market (See Chapman, Aroldis and Iglesias, Raisel), that should be seen as a major addition if and when it occurs. Colorado Rockies: Any time you trade a cornerstone player like Troy Tulowitzki, the hope is to bring in an infusion of young talent to help rebuild. The Rockies did just that in bringing in three arms with big-league futures. Jeff Hoffman is the best of the trio and the one who has the chance to be a true frontline starter. Miguel Castro has Major League time, and as a closer at that. Jesus Tinoco is the farthest away, but he had a very impressive full-season debut. Besides the Tulo trade, the 2015 Draft helped the Rockies turn the farm system in the right direction. Five members of the team's current Top 30 came from last year's Draft after Colorado used its bonus pool -- the second-highest of any team -- aggressively. It started, of course, with getting Brendan Rodgers, who was No. 1 on the Draft Top 200 at the time of the Draft. The other four -- Mike Nikorak, Tyler Nevin, Peter Lambert and David Hill -- all were in the Top 100. That wasn't the only way the organization brought in high-end amateur talent. The Rockies gave Daniel Montano, who was ranked No. 14 on the International Top 30, $2 million in July, and they handed out several other six-figure bonuses to Latin American talent.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

What Will 2016 Hold For The Phillies?

PHILS PHACTS:

Taking Steps Forward In 2016 – The Phillies will begin 2016 with a clean slate. There will be no speculation about their president, general manager or manager entering Spring Training. They have those people in place. There will be no speculation about the futures of Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and Jonathan Papelbon. They were traded last summer. Next year should have little less drama off the field, but it should be more interesting on the field as the rebuilding Phillies look for their young players and prospects to take another step forward. Here are the top five questions entering next season: 1. How can 2016 be judged as a success? That's easy. They need big leaguers like Maikel Franco, Aaron Nola, Odubel Herrera and Jerad Eickhoff to establish themselves and show everybody they should be part of the core going forward. They also need their top prospects to take another step forward. While it is unrealistic to expect J.P. Crawford, Mark Appel, Jake Thompson, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp to make the Phillies out of Spring Training, it is realistic to think some of them could be in the big leagues before the end of the season. But the best thing that could happen to Philadelphia next year would be if its young talents in the Major League and Minor League levels look more and more like the real deal entering 2017. 2. Who will be the first prospect promoted? That's a tough one. Crawford is the No. 5 prospect in baseball, according to MLBPipeline. There may be a scenario in which he plays very well in Triple-A Lehigh Valley and almost forces the Phillies to promote him. But that only will happen if the organization believes he is ready to play every day. He will not join the Phillies as a part-time player. It's not a stretch to think he could be in the big leagues by the middle of the summer. What happens to Freddy Galvis at that point? If he is playing well, he could move to second base, depending on how Cesar Hernandez is playing. Or Galvis could move into a utility role. But again, all of this depends on Crawford's performance in Triple-A. 3. Who will be in the Opening Day rotation? There are so many options at this point, but we know Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton are locks. The Phillies traded for them for a reason; they need some veteran stability in the rotation. Nola and Eickhoff have to be considered favorites based on their performances last season. And then one has to think one of the pitchers they acquired in the Ken Giles trade -- Vincent Velasquez or Brett Oberholtzer -- will be a favorite for a job. But the good thing about what the Phillies accomplished this offseason is almost nobody (maybe other than Hellickson, Morton and Nola) will be handed a job. If somebody really struggles this spring and somebody really pitches well, one of those favorites could be bumped out. But Hellickson, Morton, Nola, Eickhoff and Velasquez have to be considered the early frontrunners. 4. Who will be the closer? There will be a Spring Training competition, but the early favorites are David Hernandez and Ernesto Frieri. Luis Garcia could be a candidate because of his stuff, but the smart bet is on the veterans with experience. 5. Will Ryan Howard be the first baseman on Opening Day? It seems like it. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak met with Howard and Howard's agent at Citizens Bank Park before Thanksgiving. Klentak described the discussion as positive. Everybody knows the Phillies have tried hard to trade Howard, but they have found no takers. If nothing happens before Spring Training, the hope is Howard can produce against right-handed hitters and possibly improve against left-handers. If he can, he will play more often. If not, Darin Ruf should see more time against lefties.

The Case For Billy Wagner – Billy Wagner has taken a slight backseat to Trevor Hoffman in this year's Hall of Fame discussion, but given what Wagner did during his 16 years in the big leagues, there is room for debate that the spotlight throughout the voting season has been focused on the wrong guy. Maybe "wrong" is too strong a word. After all, Wagner, Hoffman and the third closer on the ballot -- Lee Smith, who's back for a 14th try -- have all done plenty to merit consideration. But when the topic of relievers comes up, Hoffman is always mentioned first, as the most likely of the three to gain entry in 2016. This really is for one main reason: saves. Hoffman has 601 of them, second most in history and 179 ahead of Wagner's 422, fifth-highest. While there never was a magic number for closers to guarantee entry to the Hall -- to date, only five closers have been elected -- it's been widely assumed in general circles that Hoffman's total in that lone category is enough to push him through. And it may be. But there is an argument to be made that Wagner might just be the best closer on the ballot. It depends on the voters' criteria, which, thanks to modern-day metrics, largely debunk the importance of the more traditional stats -- especially saves. This isn't some outside-the-box thinking. The save, while useful, is also understood to be flawed -- and not just among numbers-minded analysts. It's pretty much a universal theory. "The numbers that stand out to me are not just saves," Wagner said the day the ballot was announced. "It's the big numbers: ERA, strikeouts, batting average against. How do they show dominance? Those are dominant numbers. Saves are just tied along with it." And that's one of the main reasons why Hall of Fame voting in this particular area has become so murky. The main knock on Wagner is his innings pitched -- 903, the lowest among all elite closers in history by a significant margin. In fact, no reliever has ever been elected to the Hall with fewer than 1,000 career innings pitched. But what made Wagner so elite is what he did while pitching those 903 innings. He had more strikeouts than either of his two contemporaries. His 1,196 K's are just a tick better than Mariano Rivera's 1,173 (Rivera also pitched three more years than Wagner). Hoffman, who pitched four years longer than Wagner, had 1,133 strikeouts. Wagner's career ERA is 2.31, second-lowest to only Rivera (2.21) among pitchers with that many innings from 1920 to present. Dating back to 1900, Wagner has the highest strikeout-per-nine-innings ratio (11.92) among pitchers with at least 900 innings. Wagner's WHIP of 1.00 is tied with Eckersley for the lowest among all elite closers, including the other two on the ballot, Hoffman and Smith. Plenty of evidence exists to support the theory that Wagner was a far more dominant closer than Hoffman, but while Wagner acknowledges that saves don't tell the whole story, they're still a big part of it. And when it comes to Hoffman, Wagner has few doubts about where he fits into history. "It's hard to believe he isn't looked at as a shoo-in as a Hall of Famer, with 600 saves," Wagner said. "His numbers alone speak volumes. I think he has an 88, 89 save percentage. He had a different way of how he dominated a team." Wagner has a point. While Wagner blew hitters away with a 100-mph fastball, Hoffman earned his paychecks by confusing them with a changeup that hitters could not decipher. In addition to saves, Hoffman also has longevity as an ally, something Hall voters will have to take into account as they weigh his candidacy. He pitched 18 years and lasted until age 42. That goes a long way in Hall consideration. For Wagner, his philosophy about the importance of closers is simple: take them out of the equation and see how good your team is without them. "There's only a few people that have demonstrated that they can go out there night in and night out and handle the stress of getting the last three outs," Wagner said. "Doing it on a nightly basis and having the longevity to prove it counts for a lot."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Phillies Stand Behind Howard

PHILS PHACTS:

Howard On The Defense – The lawyer for Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard and Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman vehemently denied a report that they received performance-enhancing drugs, calling the claims "outright lies" and vowing to fight them in court. William Burck of Quinn Emanuel represents Howard and Zimmerman. He released the following statement, condemning an Al Jazeera report scheduled to air on Sunday: "It's inexcusable and irresponsible that Al Jazeera would provide a platform and broadcast outright lies about Mr. Howard and Mr. Zimmerman. "The extraordinarily reckless claims made against our clients in this report are completely false and rely on a source who has already recanted his claims. We will go to court to hold Al Jazeera and other responsible parties accountable for smearing our clients' good names." The Phillies issued the following statement on Sunday night in response to the report: "Ryan Howard has vigorously denied the allegations contained in tonight's airing of Al Jazeera's report titled 'The Dark Side.' Ryan has spent his whole career with the Phillies and, during that entire time, has been an extremely well respected member of our team and an outstanding contributor to our community. We will fully cooperate with any investigation conducted by Major League Baseball and will refer all further questions to them concerning the Al Jazeera report." Howard's representation referred questions regarding the report to Burck's statement. "Major League Baseball was not made aware of the allegations until yesterday and was not provided information other than what has been reported," an MLB spokesman said in a statement. "We intend to conduct a thorough investigation." Howard and Zimmerman were mentioned in an undercover investigative report by the network. The report included Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and other NFL and MLB players, including Taylor Teagarden. But the source in the report, Charlie Sly, has since recanted his comments. "The statements on any recordings or communications that Al Jazeera plans to air are absolutely false and incorrect," Sly said in a story by The Associated Press. "To be clear, I am recanting any such statements -- and there is no truth to any statement of mine that Al Jazeera plans to air. Under no circumstances should any of those recordings, statements or communications be aired." The Nationals stood behind their longest-tenured player. "Ryan Zimmerman has been an integral member of the Washington Nationals family for the past 11 years," the team said in a statement. "During that time, he has been the model for all that we ask of our players to be -- contributing to his team, to his community, and to the game of baseball. "We do not find Al Jazeera's report -- which has already been recanted by their source -- to be credible. "Ryan has unequivocally stated that these allegations are false. The Lerner family and our organization fully support him. We are confident Major League Baseball's investigation will show the allegations levied in the report are unfounded. "We will fully cooperate with MLB, and refer all questions to them at this time."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Happy Birthday Cole Hamels!

PHILS PHACTS:

Nothing to report!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

2015 Proved To Be A Busy Year

PHILS PHACTS:

Season Of Gifts For The Future – Nobody is going to fondly remember the Phillies' play in 2015, but that does not mean they did not have a memorable year. It was memorable because the organization made some momentous changes on and off the field. They are changes that will shape the organization for a decade or more. Here is a look back at those top moments: 5. Giles traded. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak traded Ken Giles to the Astros for five pitchers in December in an effort to build a stronger rotation for the future. It was Klentak's third trade as GM and easily his biggest. If a few of the pitchers pan out, like Vincent Velasquez and Mark Appel, the Phillies believe they will have the makings of a formidable staff. "This was an opportunity we couldn't pass up," Klentak said. "We feel like we've made our club better, both in the short and long term. We hate to lose a player like Ken Giles. I've said all along that we're trying to add good players, but in this case it's an opportunity for us to add five starting-pitching candidates to our system. And it improves the state of our organization moving forward. That's a very exciting thing for us." 4. Top players swapped for prospects. Nobody expected the Phillies to compete in 2015, but they sure expected their top players to be traded before the July 31 Trade Deadline. Former Phillies president Pat Gillick said in August 2014 that the Phillies planned to rebuild, and it started that winter when they traded Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd and Antonio Bastardo. The rebuild kicked into a higher gear in July and August, when former general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. traded Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Jonathan Papelbon, Ben Revere and Jake Diekman for a slew of prospects. It left the Phillies with prospects Jake Thompson, Nick Williams, Jorge Alfaro, Jerad Eickhoff, Alec Asher, Jimmy Cordero, Alberto Tirado, Nick Pivetta, Darnell Sweeney and John Richy. Thompson, Williams and Alfaro are considered three of the best prospects in baseball. Eickhoff is a favorite to win a rotation job in Spring Training. Time will tell on the others, but the Phillies hope many will live up to the hype and speed up the rebuilding process. 3. Hamels throws a no-hitter. Phillies fans had little to cheer for on the field, but Hamels' no-hitter on July 25 at Wrigley Field played better than most movie scripts. Everybody in the world figured it would be his final start in a Phillies' uniform and he made it unforgettable. "Just a surreal moment," Hamels said that afternoon about possibly making his final start for the Phillies. "I mean, it's not what I envisioned. It's not what I thought. It's not in my thought process. I think all I've been thinking about the past couple days was just to kind of correct my pitching, just being able to be out there and enjoy the moment." 2. Klentak is the new GM. The Phillies hired Klentak, formerly the assistant general manager for the Angels, in October and he talked about discipline, culture, information and connectivity in his introductory press conference. He talked about winning, too. "If we are successful in those first four points, we will do a lot of winning," he said. "That is ultimately what this is all about. You know that and I know that. Philadelphia knows that. That's why I'm here. I would not have left Mike Trout in his prime to come here if I didn't believe that, I promise you that." 1. Middleton introduces MacPhail as president. Two important things happened in June, when the Phillies introduced Andy MacPhail as team president following the 2015 season. First, the Phillies hired an outsider to run the show. Second, Phillies partner John Middleton made the announcement. Phillies ownership had stayed quiet for years, but Middleton's emergence from the shadows indicated things are going to be run a little differently at Citizens Bank Park. "I think when you make a decision of that magnitude, I think the ownership group has to come forward and understand that they are the ones making the decision," Middleton said. "We own this decision. … Andy is going to have complete decision-making authority just as Pat [Gillick] has and David [Montgomery] had and Bill [Giles] had before David. You don't want us making baseball decisions, trust us. But we're going to be asking questions of the people who are involved in that process of getting information, sifting through it and making the decision. We need to be comfortable that they are crossing their T's and dotting the I's."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

What A Difference Two Years Makes

PHILS PHACTS:

Just like the rest of the league, the Phillies are home for the holiday…

PHILS HISTORY:

Two years later… How many of the questions from 2013 were answered? Revisit the post and see how different the forecast was just two years ago!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Breaking From A Busy Offseason

PHILS PHACTS:

Quick Start – Phillies general manager Matt Klentak has been on the job fewer than two months, but he has packed plenty into it. Klentak made his first big trade Dec. 12, shipping closer Ken Giles and Minor League infielder Jonathan Arauz to the Astros for right-handers Mark Appel, Vincent Velasquez, Thomas Eshelman and Harold Arauz and left-hander Brett Oberholtzer. Since Klentak got the job Oct. 26, the Phillies also have made three other trades, signed one free agent, selected two players in the Rule 5 Draft, claimed four players off waivers and signed 11 players to Minor League contracts with invitations to Spring Training as they build for the future. Here is what Klentak told MLB.com this week about his experience so far: Have these first few weeks been a whirlwind for you? I would say the early stages felt like a whirlwind. I think probably in the last few weeks, things have gotten down to a bit more of a normal pace. But I've been very pleased with what we've been able to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. Some of those are more apparent, just in looking at the way our roster has taken shape. I've also been pleased behind the scenes with some of the subtle adjustments we've been able to make to our process and just getting to know the group and the way that the group has rallied together. Has the job been what you expected, or have you learned anything new? I think we're all products of our environments and our backgrounds, so naturally having had several different bosses and mentors over the years I've been able to see the industry through a few different lenses. I think the job is definitely different sitting in the GM chair because ultimately the final decision comes down to you. That is certainly a difference from what I'm used to, but it's not something that was unexpected. That's obviously part of the job and I knew that coming in. You mentioned being exhausted after the Winter Meetings, where you worked on the Giles trade. What was that week like? The Winter Meetings are exhausting no matter what you do or don't do. And then when you add on working all week to make a pretty significant trade, yeah, there's very little exercise, you're eating bad food, you're not sleeping very much, there's tons of meetings. I came down with a pretty nasty cold by the end of it, but I think that's the way the Winter Meetings go more often than not anyway. But when you add on a fairly big trade as we were working on with Houston, that seems to shift things even further. So it was exhausting, but I was very pleased. Not only with the outcome of the trade, but with the way that our group gathered together and rallied together to allow us to make an informed decision and make the best deal that we were able to make. When you're in the moment, do you feel any pressure of it being your first significant trade as GM? Not on a personal level. I think we all recognized that this was an important trade for us, whether we made it or not. If we had kept Ken Giles, that was going to be important to us as well. In the moment when you're working on a big trade or a smaller transaction, I think you have to strip out the emotion of it. You have to strip out the significance and just execute a plan. We knew from the very early stages of the offseason that trading Ken Giles was going to be a possibility. We knew what the interest was throughout the industry. Ultimately, we knew generally speaking what we were going to demand in player return if that was going to play out. We maintained our discipline. We worked through it and ultimately we pulled off a trade that we feel really good about. Are you pretty pleased with the way you've executed your offseason plan? I have been pleased with that. The two keys for us heading into the offseason were pitching and balance. And I think we've been able to achieve both goals. We've added pitching both of the veteran variety and some younger arms -- some with higher floors and some with higher ceilings. And I feel as though going into 2016, but likely heading into '17 and beyond, we've helped to build the foundation of pitching in our organization. I've said this before, but if you can pitch, you have a chance to win every single night. That's something we're going to be focused on for years. That's going to be critically important to this franchise as we move forward. Phillies president Andy MacPhail said recently he believes the Phillies will be able to find hitters when it comes time to add them. I assume you feel the same way? I think that's right. Hitters generally regard our park as a good place to play. I know that our ownership is very committed -- and will be in the future -- to bringing in the right players and the top-caliber players to help us. We need to make sure that we are doing our job by providing the foundation, particularly in the pitching department, that allows us to do the other things that we need to do.

PHILS HISTORY:

Christmas Eve is like the black hole of Phillies history!

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

For The Phillies, No News Is Good News…

PHILS PHACTS:

No news coming out of the Phillies front office… I guess the holiday started early this year.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Closer Comes Full Circle

PHILS PHACTS:

Coming Home – Andrew Bailey is 31, which means his earliest baseball memories as a kid in South Jersey include Veterans Stadium, Darren Daulton, John Kruk, Curt Schilling and the 1993 National League champion Phillies. He will have the opportunity to play for his hometown team next year. The Phillies last week signed Bailey to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training. He will compete for a bullpen job alongside recently acquired veterans like David Hernandez, Ernesto Frieri, Edward Mujica and James Russell; incumbents like Elvis Araujo, Luis Garcia, Jeanmar Gomez, Dalier Hinojosa and Hector Neris; and Rule 5 Draft pick Daniel Stumpf. "As a kid growing up in South Jersey, you dream of playing for the Phillies," Bailey said in an interview with MLB.com. "My whole family is a fan of the organization. It's awesome to hear from so many friends and family. The feedback has been tremendous. Everybody is super excited. I look forward to the opportunity to wear the pinstripes. It'll be good to get back home, back to South Jersey. I'm really looking forward to it." Bailey attended Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, N.J. The A's selected him in the sixth round of the 2006 Draft out of Wagner College. The Phillies selected immediately before the A's, taking left-hander Daniel Brauer from Northwestern. Brauer never played higher than Class A Advanced Clearwater. "I think I did a pre-Draft workout at Citizens Bank Park," Bailey said. "I don't know how far their interest went, but I think there was an opportunity there in the sense I was invited to a workout at least. It's an exciting time. I definitely can't wait." Bailey won the American League Rookie of the Year Award with the A's in 2009, and he made the AL All-Star team in '09 and '10. But a shoulder injury has limited him to just 59 games in the previous four seasons, including 10 with the Yankees in 2015. Bailey posted a 1.80 ERA in 28 appearances in the Minor Leagues in 2015 before posting a 5.19 ERA with New York. Before injuries hit, he had a 2.07 ERA with 75 saves in 84 chances from 2009-11. "I'm coming off injuries and working my way back, so it's the opportunity I was looking for the most," he said. "The Phillies presented me with a great one and I hope to take full advantage of it." Bailey said he is healthy and he will have no restrictions when Spring Training opens in February. "The surgery I had was pretty much a reconstruction of the shoulder," Bailey said. "The surgeon gave me an 18-24 month timeframe to be 100 percent. The 18-month mark was Spring Training last year. I was able to go into camp and compete for a job. I came through healthy and ready to go. I worked my way back up and ended up getting called back to the big leagues, which was unbelievable. After that road, you wait so long to get back to what you want, I got a taste of it again, and I look forward to building off that month I had with the Yankees. "If I go into camp healthy and ready to go, hopefully it works out. I feel like I'm 100 percent ready to go."

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

The Force Is Not With Them!

PHILS PHACTS:

Phillies must have gone out to see the new Star Wars movie because there was nothing happening in the front office.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Have Phillies Gotten The Better Deals?

PHILS PHACTS:

Happy, Happy, Happy – The Phillies are starting from the beginning. Since late July, they have traded three formidable late-inning relievers (Jonathan Papelbon, Ken Giles and Jake Diekman) for young starting pitching. "That's an extravagance until you get the first part of the game solved," Phillies president Andy MacPhail said Friday, when he and other members of the Phils' front office served meals to the homeless at the Bethesda Project's Our Brothers' Place in Philadelphia. "Really, starting with the Trade Deadline deals that [former general manager] Ruben [Amaro Jr.] made, our job has been to improve the starting pitching." The Phillies have turned over their roster. Eight pitchers no longer with the organization combined to make 97 starts last season, with a 5.21 ERA. "For us to become a postseason-caliber team, that had to improve," MacPhail said. "That had to be the first thing to improve. What we hope we've done in exchange [of trading Papelbon, Giles and Diekman] is propped up our ability to improve the first six innings through our starting pitching." There is more starting-pitching depth. The Phils traded mid-level prospects for veterans Jeremy Hellickson and Charlie Morton, who will be free agents after next season. They will provide veteran leadership to the rotation. Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, Vincent Velasquez, Brett Oberholtzer, Adam Morgan and others will be in camp competing for rotation jobs, with the first three considered the favorites. Pitching prospects Mark Appel, Jake Thompson and Zach Eflin figure to open the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, trying to push the young pitchers in front of them. "As much as you think you might have, you still don't have as much as you think you have," MacPhail said. "We all know that we're going to have some injuries, we're going to have some disappointments. Whatever starting pitching you think you have, conservatively divide by two. But we still hope we're getting enough of a critical mass that it can matriculate up to the big league level." But what about offense? "I really believe that as our team grows more and more competitive, we're going to be able to find hitters," MacPhail said. "It's going to be an attractive place to come. If they think we're winning games, we're going to get the hitters. But the pitching needs to come from the system and needs to come from trades. That's the approach we've taken. We prefer at the present to be accumulating young starters, and then hopefully we'll get to that market. But not yet." MacPhail said he and GM Matt Klentak have worked well together. But how does the relationship work? Clearly, MacPhail had plenty of involvement in the Giles deal. Friday's trade that sent Dan Otero to the Indians for cash considerations? Not so much. "I think part of my responsibility, given my background, is to chart the overall course, to understand where we are at any given time, to be able to weigh in," MacPhail said. "But it's important that our general manager is able to execute the plan. And he's got to have the autonomy to at any given time look across the table at an agent or GM and make a trade. He can't keep running back to get permission from headquarters. That's not the way it can work. "Matt and I talk all the time. We have a joint understanding of what it is we're trying to accomplish. We try to give Matt as much flexibility as he can to [make deals] when he thinks it's the appropriate time. We have a lot of confidence in his ability to do that, and I think he's demonstrated in a short period here that he's capable of doing it."

Phils Serve The Community – The crowd cheered Friday afternoon when the Phanatic stormed into the Bethesda Project's Our Brothers' Place. The approximately 200 homeless people at Bethesda look forward to his visit every year. It is the day the Phillies prepare and serve a holiday dinner at one of the largest shelters in Philadelphia as part of their "Season of Giving." Everybody got a meal, a Phillies cap and a few good memories. "This event is incredibly important to Bethesda Project," Bethesda Project chief operating officer Tina Pagotto said. "They bring cheer and holiday wishes at a time when so many of our homeless shelter guests are feeling the lowest. It goes so far in making a difference for their spirit. The Phanatic running around, giving hope and keeping people smiling and laughing. It, honestly, is probably the best day for Our Brothers' Place. Just having the support of a powerhouse like the Phillies is immeasurable. We're very grateful." Pagotto said the anticipation from the men is very real, too. "They talk about it leading up to the event, and they talk about it after the event," she said. "The Phillies always bring a nice giveaway, so they'll continue to wear those. They'll share pictures of themselves with the Phanatic. The excitement about the Phillies coming lasts far beyond the day of the event." Phillies president Andy MacPhail, general manager Matt Klentak, broadcasters Larry Andersen, Scott Franzke, Ben Davis and Gregg Murphy and others served food to those in attendance. Phillies chairman David Montgomery addressed the crowd prior to lunch. It was Klentak's first time at the event. "I had heard so much prior to my arrival about the community involvement of the Phillies," Klentak said. "Now I've seen it firsthand for the last two months. A day like this is just tremendous. We have such a supportive community and such a supportive fan base that a day like this, especially around holidays, really means a lot. To meet these folks is really special. "Just to share a smile and a 'Merry Christmas' to people was really nice." Bethesda Project's Our Brothers' Place is an emergency shelter for 149 homeless men. It provides three meals a day and supportive services to more men, including referrals to housing and treatment programs.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Phils Continue Making Interesting Moves

PHILS PHACTS:

Phils Flip Otero – The Indians acquired right-hander Dan Otero from the Phillies on Friday in exchange for cash considerations. Otero, 30, was selected by the Giants in the 2007 Draft and made his big league debut for them in '12. He has spent the past three seasons with the A's and owns a 12-6 career record with one save and a 3.46 ERA in 158 relief appearances. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Indians designated outfielder Jerry Sands for assignment. Otero was claimed off waivers by the Phillies on Nov. 3. He went 2-4 with a 6.75 ERA in 41 appearances for Oakland last season.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.

Phillies Sign Veteran Closers

PHILS PHACTS:

Reclamation Closers – The Phillies entered last season with a mostly inexperienced bullpen, other than closer Jonathan Papelbon. Next season could look a little different. The Phillies on Thursday announced they have signed right-handers Andrew Bailey and Edward Mujica to Minor League contracts with invitations to Spring Training. It continues a trend of the Phils acquiring veteran relievers at a relatively minimal cost. They previously signed David Hernandez to a one-year, $3.9 million contract, but they also signed Ernesto Frieri and James Russell to Minor League contracts and claimed Michael Mariot off waivers from the Royals. Bailey, 31, grew up in southern New Jersey and attended Paul VI High School in Haddonfield. He won the American League Rookie of the Year Award with the A's in 2009, and he made the AL All-Star team in 2009 and '10. But a shoulder injury has limited Bailey to just 59 games in the previous four seasons, including 10 last year with the Yankees. Bailey posted a 1.80 ERA in 28 appearances in the Minor Leagues in 2015 before posting a 5.19 ERA with New York. Before injuries hit, he had a 2.07 ERA with 75 saves in 84 chances from 2009-11. Mujica, 31, went 3-5 with a 4.75 ERA and one save in 49 appearances last season with the Red Sox and A's. He made the National League All-Star team with the Cardinals in 2013 and has a 3.85 ERA in 494 appearances in his career. The recent bullpen additions should create plenty of competition in Spring Training. Besides Hernandez, Bailey, Mujica, Frieri, Russell and Mariot, the Phillies return Elvis Araujo, Luis Garcia, Jeanmar Gomez, Dalier Hinojosa, Mario Hollands, Hector Neris and others. They also selected left-hander Daniel Stumpf last week in the Rule 5 Draft. It is worth nothing that recently acquired Brett Oberholtzer is a candidate for a rotation job, but if he does not start, he seems like a favorite to make the bullpen, because he is out of options. Gomez also is out of options. Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said earlier this week that he has received calls from players looking for an opportunity to close since Ken Giles was traded to the Astros, so the possibility exists that Philadelphia could bring more veterans into camp.

THE BEGINNING:

The Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.