TBOH’s Extremely Rational 2012 Phillies Round Table, Part 2
Ah, the second parts of things. When the aspects so beloved about the first part are developed even further, based on the responses to their initial counterparts. It’s quite romantic.
Here, the writers at TBOH once again sit down at this very, very round cyber-table and openly discuss various important topics about the 2012 Phillies. Be sure to check out the first part, as we lay the groundwork for this visually stunning sequel.
What will Heidi Hamels demand in Cole’s new contract?
Ethan Seidel: Never underestimate the power that the wives hold in contract negotiations.
Heidi has done a lot of great work with the Hamel’s foundation, which she and Cole founded in 2008. I’m sure they don’t have too much trouble catering to the wealthy for donations to their non-profit, but these organizations always need a steady stream of cash. If I were Mrs. Hamels, I would ask the Phillies (or the highest bidding team) to set up a sizeable endowment for their foundation to see it thrive beyond the life of Cole’s playing days.
Oh, and of course a fly new whip for Mrs. Hollywood.
John Ricco: An apartment in the Comcast Center. Living in Two Liberty Place is so four years ago.
John Stolnis: Well, for starters, she’s gonna ask for a lifetime supply of Uggs. That’s for certain. Plus, with all the children they’re having/adopting, my guess would be she’d ask for the world’s largest Moon Bounce House. I’m talkin’ more square footage than the interior of the Constitution Center. That would be fly.
Justin Klugh: I don’t know, what do women like? Colorful sand? Hey, that’s not bad. Like, in a transparent cube.
This is a very different group of faces than the 2008 squad. Is Charlie Manuel still the best guy to lead them?
Stolnis: Right now, yes he is.
Cholly just seems to get these guys, even if his in-game decision-making can still leave you scratching your head from time to time. While Manuel did admit that this group doesn’t have the same drive and determination they did in 2008 and 2009, they are still a supremely talented team that respects Charlie and plays hard for him. Not only that, is there really anyone else out there that would get anything more from these guys? I doubt it.
That said, Charlie needs to fix some things about himself. He stayed with slumping veterans far too long last year, and it killed them in the NLDS. And he seems unwilling to use lefty specialists solely against lefties. Other than that, though, Charlie deserves to coach as long as he wants. He’s proven himself, and he’s still the right guy for the job.
Ethan: The ’08 squad had hitters like Utley and Rollins in their prime, putting up a lot of crooked numbers in the box score. Manuel is a hitter’s manager, but the identity of the Phillies has shifted to the mound. He has his general in Rich “stone face” Dubee to handle his deck of aces, but Manuel’s bread and butter is coaching the guys at the plate.
What Manuel has going for him is that most of the core Phillies from 2008 are still in the clubhouse. Utley, Rollins, and Ruiz are great leaders on the field and know exactly what Manuel is trying do in the dugout. While his sound bytes may be starting to sound a little stale to us, there are no signs that he’s lost the ear of his players.
Justin: I don’t fear change at all, so I can answer this question objectively: Charlie Manuel will always be the best guy to lead this team. I don’t care if it’s a completely different team, or a team that doesn’t mesh well with his coaching style, or a team that hates the shit out of him for some reason.
Charlie Manuel should always be the manager of the Phillies, and I don’t fear change remember, so when I say that even when Charlie retires they should replace him with a bronzed statue of himself and give every new manager the title of “co-manager” with the statue, you have to acknowledge that I’m saying it objectively, because I said I was. Okay? Great.
Ricco: Being a lousy, no-good, frontrunning fan since 09 (quite literally), I can’t imagine the team being managed by anyone else. Also, being a a lousy, no-good, pocket-protecter-wearing saber nerd, I am of the opinion that managers don’t make much of a difference. So yeah, he is.
Which young reliever would you like to have a breakout season just as Michael Stutes and Antonio Bastardo did in 2011?
Justin: Justin De Fratus, barring any further body-things.
It’d be nice to have somebody homegrown making a difference at the back end of the bullpen to counterweight the big offseason acquisition. I hope he doesn’t mind wearing Ryan’s number and us calling him “Ryan” and accidentally giving him Madson’s jersey to wear and putting him in our phones as “Mad Dog” and calling him in the middle of the night “just to see if he’s still there,” because if he ever left, we “don’t know what we would do.”
Ricco: I like to think that Phillippe Aumont will be that guy. He’s got some filthy stuff and by far the coolest name in the farm system. [EDITOR’S NOTE: He’s also a giant, who would grind your bones to make his bread if you were against him in any way.]
Stolnis: I know the popular answer is Phillippe Aumont right now, because his stuff is simply electric. But with Dontrelle Willis gone, I think Jake Diekman will be the guy this year.
He probably won’t start the season in Philadelphia, but I think he could be with the Phils by May or June, and with his side-winding delivery, could be a nightmare for left-handed hitters. He’s looked terrific so far this spring, and who doesn’t love a side-arming lefty? Plus, Rich Dubee has a man crush on him, which definitely plays in his favor.
Ethan: Sure, it’s the dental school of pitching, but everyone needs clean teeth.
After great deliberation, my choice for breakout bullpen stud is Phillipe Aumont. As bad as he was in 2010, his numbers last year (split AA-AAA) were freakishly good. A 13.1 SO/9 ratio isn’t too shabby for a young pitcher, and it was even higher when he arrived in Lehigh Valley. So far this spring he has shown no ill signs from his disastrous first season with the Phils.
Steadily clocked in the high 90’s, Amount’s got the arm that gives scouts wet dreams. He won’t start the season in Philadelphia so that he can continue to get regular work, and make AAA hitters look silly. Aumont can get a little wild at times, but isn’t a 96 mph fastball more intimidating if you don’t know where its going?
Once Jose Contreras or one of the other Phillies bullpen arms goes down management will be hard pressed not to give Aumont his much-deserved opportunity. Charlie can be slow to trust young pitchers in pressure situations at first (see Stutes and Bastardo last year), but expect to see Aumont in big games come August.