Travel And Anticipation

YESTERDAY IN POSTSEASON PLAY:

The Royals and Mets spent yesterday traveling to the east coast while the rest of the baseball world spent the day in eager anticipation of the match-up of two young, hard throwing, pitchers that are set to take the mound in game 3. This could either mean a contest dominated from the mound or we could be seeing some really long homeruns. Maybe both. These duels don’t happen too often in the World Series so sit back and enjoy a potential glimpse at future dominance.

Game 3 Preview:

These guys throw fastballs that buckle knees and test nerves and shatter bats. They challenge the body for sure, but they challenge the mind, too. Are you willing to crowd the plate when the guy out there is throwing 100 mph? OK, just checking. Take all the time you need to answer. Welcome to Game 3 of the 2015 World Series on Friday at Citi Field. This is power pitching versus power pitching -- Mets right-hander Noah Syndergaard and Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura. At a time when 95-mph fastballs have become almost commonplace in baseball, these guys have power that's special even by the new normal. Syndergaard's fastball averaged 97.4 mph this season, tying him with Yankees right-hander Nathan Eovaldi for tops among Major League starting pitchers, according to Statcast™. Ventura is a tick behind, with a fastball that has averaged 96.8 mph this season, which is third among big league starters. Syndergaard's fastest pitch was clocked at 101.4 mph this season and touched 99 mph three times in the first inning of his last start. Ventura has cranked it up as high as 100.6 mph this season. They generate all that power from different body types. Syndergaard is 6-foot-6, 240 pounds and 23 years old. He's the physically imposing textbook definition of a power pitcher, with a release that looks absolutely effortless. No team in baseball has handled 95-mph (and up) fastballs better than the Royals this season. They're also quick to point out that the Mets' kid pitchers are more than hard throwers. "It should be fun," Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer said. "I'm sure there'll be three digits up there a lot of times. Those guys over there, they don't just throw hard. In looking at Syndergaard's last start, he mixed up his stuff against the Cubs a lot. It wasn't just going out there and trying to pump heaters. I don't think you're going to see either guy doing that." Yordano is a year older than Syndergaard at 24. He's listed as 6 feet, 180 pounds and generates all that velocity with a whiplike delivery in which he drives smoothly off the mound to home plate. Part of the game inside the game on Friday will be the radar-gun readings at Citi Field. Hitters will use them to gauge how hard the pitcher is throwing in the early innings and if the velocity diminishes as the game wears on. And in a game like this, might both pitchers be glancing at their own velocity -- and also that of the other guy? Mets manager Terry Collins said it's far broader than that. "Both sides do [look at the radar-gun readings], believe me," he said. "You go to any park nowadays, and every team is looking to see how hard the guy is throwing. Because nowadays there are so many hard throwers that you kind of have to gauge. "I think it's become a huge part of the game to know how hard somebody is throwing. Because you've got to make adjustments at the plate. And all the film that you have on all these guys, you can't get a true feel until you get in the batter's box." Royals manager Ned Yost said: "Everybody looks at it. That's the first question they ask in a new stadium. Everybody up and down the dugout is asking, 'Where is the radar-gun reading?'" For his part, Ventura said there are more important things than simply throwing hard. "Right now I'm not focused on velocity," he said. "I'm simply focused on pitching deep into the game, keeping the game close and giving my team a chance to score runs. I just want to do my job." Likewise, Syndergaard said his game is to locate his pitches, mix them up and change speeds. If he does those things, he'll be effective at both 93 mph and 99 mph. Both pitchers have taken different paths to get to Game 3 of the World Series. Ventura was Kansas City's Opening Day starter, but spent a month on the disabled list at mid-season with an irritated nerve in his pitching elbow. He had some very good starts and some very bad ones after his return. He hasn't finished six innings in any of his four postseason starts, but is fresh off his best outing -- one earned run in 5 1/3 innings in the clinching Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against Toronto. Syndergaard made his Major League debut on May 12 as the latest in a string of heralded Mets prospects. He has been as good as advertised, especially in the postseason, during which he has a 2.77 ERA after two starts and a one-inning relief appearance. Collins said Syndergaard was in the conversation to start Game 1 of the World Series. "When he first got here, we saw 96 [mph]," Collins said. "What he's doing now, I have never seen that. I've never seen 98, 99 and 100. I've seen good, good power stuff. But I've seen a guy grow and learn how to pitch here, where he will go to his secondary stuff in certain counts." One of the best parts of all this is that Syndergaard and Ventura are so good and so young that they could rank among baseball's elite pitchers for years to come. But they may never pitch on a bigger stage than this one. They're both capable of delivering a World Series memory. Here's hoping.

POSTSEASON PREDICTIONS: Read my post from October 6th to see how many I have gotten wrong!

CURRENT POSTSEASON PICTURE:

World Series

Kansas City leads Series 2-0

Kansas City at New York

Game 3: Friday, October 30, at 8:00 PM

PHILS PHACTS:

Crawford Goes Down In AFL – J.P. Crawford's time in the Arizona Fall League has come to an end after just five games. The Phillies' top prospect, ranked No. 5 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, was the highest-ranked prospect in the Fall League this season. Crawford went 3-for-20 (.150) with three singles, two walks and six strikeouts for the Glendale Desert Dogs. Crawford sustained a mild left thumb sprain while making a tag in a Fall League game. An MRI exam revealed a partial tear of the UCL ligament, but it will not require surgery. Crawford's thumb will be in a splint for the next three to four weeks, but he is expected to be 100 percent healthy by Spring Training. The 20-year-old Crawford is a two-time Futures Gamer who spent most of the year in the Double-A Eastern League in 2015. He hit a combined .288/.380/.414 over 430 at-bats between Clearwater in the Florida State League and Reading in the Eastern League. To replace Crawford, the Phillies have sent infielder Drew Stankiewicz to Glendale. Stankiewicz was an 11th-round pick of the Phillies inn 2014 out of Arizona State who split the year between Lakewood in the South Atlantic League and Clearwater.

We Have A Dubee Sighting – Roy Halladay once said he respects few pitching coaches more than Rich Dubee. Dubee served as the Phillies' pitching coach from 2005-13, when the organization won one World Series, two National League pennants and five NL East championships. Dubee, who spent the past two seasons working in Atlanta's Minor League system, will return to the big leagues next year as the Tigers' pitching coach. Detroit announced the hiring Thursday afternoon. It is not a stretch to say Dubee has some supporters in Detroit. He is close with Tigers bench coach Gene Lamont. He worked for years in Philadelphia with bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer. He spent one season in Philly with hitting coach Wally Joyner. Dubee also served as Jim Leyland's pitching coach with the Marlins in 1998. Leyland is the Tigers' special assistant to the general manager.

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, there are some former Phillies still making headlines in the playoffs this year.

Returning To Basic And Moving Forward

PHILS PHACTS:

Charlie Knows Best – Nobody credits Charlie Manuel more for his hitting success than Jim Thome. Thome not only credits Manuel with improving his swing, but helping him believe he could be a successful hitter in the big leagues. Manuel made Thome feel good about himself, and Thome carried that confidence to the plate. Perhaps Manuel can help Ryan Howard, whose production has been slipping for several seasons. The pair is working together this spring. Manuel was reluctant to talk about Howard because he is sensitive to the fact he is a guest instructor and not the manager or hitting coach, but he said he hopes to help. "I do that with everybody," Manuel said. "I always talk about the positives. I always tell guys they can hit. Every one of these guys need it. Ryan has known me for a long time. I think he feels very comfortable around me. That's good."

Moving Forward – The Phillies tried to set a tone Tuesday, when they held their first full-squad workout at Carpenter Complex. But before that, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. and manager Ryne Sandberg stood up in front of the players, coaching staff and team personnel to give their annual talks. Amaro's message: Put the offseason behind us and move forward. "Giving us a common goal and a common feel," was how Phillies' ace Cole Hamels described the speeches. "I think just so we can develop our own personality and chemistry, because that's what we're supposed to do now. "That's behind us." That is an offseason in which the front office said it is building for the future with an eye on being competitive again in a few years. Moves included Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd and Antonio Bastardo being traded, and speculation continued that Hamels, Cliff Lee, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jonathan Papelbon could be moved at some point. "I think everybody did a really good job of getting us all on the right page," Hamels said. "We're starting something fresh. What happened five years ago, four years ago is completely over. It's a new design." Sandberg said he set the parameters and priorities for camp and the season (e.g., being a good baserunning and situational-hitting team, etc.). "That was loud and clear," Sandberg said. "It was very positive. I told them about how excited they should be at this time of year."

Just Missed – The Phillies, like just about every other big league club, could have used a talented prospect like Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada in their system. The Phillies said they had interest, but how much is uncertain. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Tuesday the organization had contact with Moncada's agent until Monday, when MLB.com reported Moncada agreed to a record-breaking $31.5 million contract with the Red Sox. Did the Phillies offer him a contract? "I'm not going to get into it," Amaro said. Moncada is under 23 and had not yet played five years in the Cuban professional league, which put him under different amateur guidelines than Cuban outfielder Yasmany Thomas, who signed a $68.5 million deal in December with the D-backs. Under Moncada's guidelines, the Red Sox must pay a 100 percent penalty because they surpassed their annual international bonus allotment. In essence, they paid $63 million for the 19-year-old prospect. The Red Sox also cannot spend more than $300,000 on any international player for the next two signing periods (2015-16 and 2016-17). Of course, if Moncada lives up to the hype (many compare him to Robinson Cano) he would be worth it.

Davis Joins The Booth – Ben Davis said Tuesday he could not pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Davis has been named Jamie Moyer's replacement in the Phillies' broadcast booth on Comcast SportsNet. He will be a color analyst with Matt Stairs and Mike Schmidt. They join Tom McCarthy and Gregg Murphy on the TV team. Schmidt will be back during Sunday home games, but he is negotiating a contract for Saturday home games as well. He said Tuesday he had not heard if there has been a resolution to those negotiations. "When I got out of baseball I had to find that transition," said Davis, who played seven seasons with the Padres, Mariners and White Sox. "What can I do next? I was very fortunate to get my foot in the door with SportsNet and do the pre- and postgame shows. That was a blast. I loved doing that, but talking baseball in the sense I can now, it's going to be just a ton of fun. I just flat out love baseball and I love talking about it." Davis grew up in Delaware County and attended Malvern Prep. He was the second overall pick in the 1995 First-Year Player Draft. "This is a dream come true," Davis said.

ON THE RECORD:

The Phillies will look to rebound this season from a 73-89 record last year. While uncertainty abounds, there is little question that the franchise is in rebuild mode based on the moves and statements that have been made during the offseason. The only question that remains is whether or not the young and veteran talent on the team can work together to disprove Gillick’s predictions either this year or next.