Phils Beat Papelbon Again, Sweep Nats

Aaron Nola pitched like an ace.

The First Place Washington Nationals were 8-1 at home before the Third-Place Phillies completed a 3-game sweep of them there Thursday.  The Phils have now won 6-out-of-seven games and are a mere 2 1/2 games behind Washington, sandwiching the Second Place Mets, who have won 6-straight and 9-of-10.  

Starting pitcher Aaron Nola S.O. 7 with 7 innings of 2 hit shutout baseball.  Closer Jeanmar Gomez recorded his 7th save  (#2 in the NL) with another scoreless 9th and the Phillies beat Jonathan Papelbon yet again, causing him more misery against his former team.

Thursday, Nola reached 37 S.O. on the season, which ranks him #4 in the NL.  His 0.88 WHIP ranks #7, although he is 1-2 and did not record the win.

In the top of the 9th with the score knotted at nothing apiece, the Nationals brought on relief pitcher Felipe Rivero and his 1.54 ERA.

Herrera, a true lead-off hitter.

Phils CF Odubel Herrera was the first to face him.  Herrera was 0-for-2 on the night.  He had been struckout looking in the 4th and lined out to right in the 6th.  However, while it could appear he had been unproductive, that is far from true.  In fact, he drew a lead-off walk and attempted a steal, but was caught to start the game.  It's terrific to see his aggression on the base paths, where he ranks #7 in the NL in stolen bases.

Herrera has a .453 on base percentage (#4 OBP in NL) with 22 walks (#2 in NL).  That's amazing when you consider he isn't a power hitter or playing for a First-place team, which means nobody is pitching around him, which they are Arizona's slugger Paul Goldschmidt who leads the league with 1 walk more than Herrera.

Herrera's ability to draw walks and utilize a scrupulous eye at the plate makes him arguably the best true leadoff hitter the Phillies have seen in quite some time.  Without opening a debate or drawing extensive  comparison, it is well-known that Jimmy Rolllins, who loved to leadoff for the Phils, had an Achilles heel in that role: his putrid .324 career OBP.

Herrera lead off the 9th with a single to center field.  Then, SS Freddy Galvis doubled to deep left center, moving Herrera to 3rd base.  Sensational 3rd baseman Maikel Franco was intentionally walked to load the bases with still nobody out.  Then, sadly (and strategically debatable), Darrin Ruf was brought in to pinch hit for Ryan Howard.  (Wow, sign of the times.)  The Nationals, desperate to salvage a game of the series and maintain their dwindling first place stronghold behind their franchise-best start, which shrunk daily throughout the week during the Mets win-streak, countered with  closer Jonathan Papelbon.  Papebon promptly S.O. Ruf on 3 pitches.

Rupp's double sails over Jayson Werth.

However, with 1 out, the next batter to face Papelbon was catcher Cameron Rupp.  Rupp fouled one off, then another.  Papelbon had the hitter right where he wanted with 2 quick strikes.  With 1 out and 2 strikes on Rupp, none of the bases loaded runners had scored and the score still read 0-0 with Rupp facing an 0-2 hole.  Then, Rupp drew a ball.  Then another.  It was a 2-2 count.

On the next pitch, Rupp doubled to deep right (he has a .480 SLG % with 1 HR and 7 2B in 50 AB) to plate Herrera and Galvis and put the Phils on top 2-0.  

"It's always sweet, especially sweeping these guys in your division," Rupp said. "A lot of people write us off saying we don't want to win. That's not true. We come out here and play."

Gomez has authoritatively taken the reigns from Giles.

Then, 28 year-old Gomez came in to swat the Nats in the bottom half of the inning.  He surrendered a lead-off single to  Ryan Zimmerman, but then induced a fly out followed by a Jayson Werth ground out double play to SS to end the game.

Gomez has been amazing for the Phils.  He is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP.  Meanwhile, Kenny Giles, who Gomez has replaced, is 0-2 with a 7.45 ERA and a 1.86 WHIP for the Astros, who the Phils traded him to late last year for a bunch of promising prospects, including Vincent Velasquez, who has been one of the Phils best starters this season: 3-1, 1.78 ERA (#6), 33 S.O. (#5, behind teammate Nola) and 0.87 WHIP (#5).

Herrera and Galvis score the winning runs in the 9th.

The Phils won 3-0 to complete the impressive sweep in Washington, their first since 2009.  

They return home for a weekend series against Cleveland before beginning a 10-game road trip.

The Phils are young, competitive and exciting.  They haven't been that combination for a long time.

Phils Relish Embarrassing Papelbon

Walkoff win!

For the Phillies it was just another chapter in the psychological undressing of Jonathan Papelbon.  7/28/15 the Phils traded their all-time leading closer (123 saves) and Boston's all-time leading closer (219 saves) to division rivals Washington.  While neither the Phillies or the Nationals were playoff bound last season, it was widely considered that Papelbon (who was 17-for-17 in saves for the last-place Phils at the time) would squash them under his cleat at ensuing divisional contests in coming seasons, while closing for the up and coming Nationals.  Already touting one of baseball's most stocked minor leagues, Washington got off to its best start in franchise history this year at 9-1.  Then came Sunday.

Harper's record power vs. Phils.

Washington was looking to sweep the Phils Sunday after pounding their lights out for two straight nights for a cumulative score of 17-2, giving them 7-straight wins.  It looked like a cinch when defending NL MVP Bryce Harper hit his 6th HR (2nd in NL) and 15th RBI (also 2nd in NL) 428 feet to right center in the top of the 10th inning off reliever Jeanmar Gomez to put Washington on top, 2-1.  

Bryce Harper has now hit HR in 6 consecutive games at Citizen Bank Park.  When Harper hit his solo HR Sunday, he tied Cubs infielder Ernie "Mr. Cub" Banks for a record at Phillies' stadiums.  Banks hit 6-straight at Connie Mack stadium playing against Phillies legendary pitcher Robin Roberts.  No Phillie has ever done it.  The closest was Chase Utley, who hit HR in 5-straight at Citizens Bank Park in 2008. 

Then, Papelbon met his fate in the bottom of the 10th when he faced an unlikely nemesis: SS Freddy Galvis.

"I played behind him, so I know how he pitches," Galvis said of Papelbon, who blew a save by allowing a HR to Galvis in his 1st game back in Philadelphia last September. "I know what his ball does."

With one out, Peter Bourjos (hitting .189) doubled to left off Papelbon (5-5- in saves, 1.80 ERA coming in).  Then with 2-out, Andres Blanco (.308) PH an RBI single to left to tie the game at 2-2, then advanced to second on the throw with veteran base running (at 32, one of the older Phils).  

Galvis isn't exactly, well, Bryce Harper-- or even Andres Blanco for that matter.  Entering the at-bat, Galvis was 0-for-4 with a .205 batting average.  However, he drove a Papelbon 2-strike fastball to left over the head of former Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth (himself no Galvis these days, hitting just .171 at age 36 after hitting .221 last year) to plate Blanco and win the game.  Galvis stomped on 2nd base and players rushed to him from the Phillies' dugout to celebrate.

Still playing, for what it's Werth.

"I just didn't execute," said Papelbon, who was 5-for-5 in 2016 before blowing the save vs. his former team.

Improbably, it wasn't the first time Galvis had beaten Papelbon since the two parted ways.  

In his first trip back to Philadelphia in September, Papelbon surrendered a HR to Galvis (blowing a save opportunity). 

Galvis is now 3-for-3 with a HR, a 2B, a walk and 2 RBIs against Papelbon.

Meanwhile, Papelbon is 1-2 with a 12.27 ERA in four games against the Phillies since joining Washington.

Pivetta: 6-foot-5, 220 pound Rottweiler.

The Phils return for the famed yet infamous closer was Double-A right-hander Nick Pivetta, 7-6 with a 3.02 ERA in 18 games/17 starts between Class A Potomac and Double-A Harrisburg last season.

Pivetta, a 22-year-old Canadian, was a 4th-round draft selection in 2013. He was ranked by Baseball America as the 10th-best prospect in the Nationals' organization.

Papelbon chokes Harper 9/27/15.

Infamously, Papelbon grabbed his crotch in response to Phillies fans' boos after blowing a save during his waning days in Philadelphia.  He added another in a string of career sideshow low-lights when he attacked his superstar teammate-NL MVP Harper in the Nationals’ dugout last season. The fight broke out after Papelbon was vocally critical that the 22-year-old Harper had failed to run out a pop fly. Harper retorted that he would be happy to “fight [Papelbon] right now,” and Papelbon took him up on it. The next inning, Papelbon promptly surrendered a two-run HR.

The Phillies open a 3-game series in Philadelphia against the defending NL champion Mets on Monday.  Noah Syndergaard, the toast of NY this offseason, opposes Jerad Eickhoff Monday in a pitching matchup of two quality young starters off to hot starts.

Tuesday marks the follow-up for sensational starter Vince Velasquez, who etched his name in history by S.O. 16 (albeit Padres) while walking none his last time out.

Mon, Apr 18	vs NY Mets	7:05 PM		Eickhoff (1-1)	Syndergaard (1-0)	250 available
Tue, Apr 19	vs NY Mets	7:05 PM		Velasquez (2-0)	Verrett (0-0)	859 available
Wed, Apr 20	vs NY Mets	7:05 PM		Hellickson (1-1)	Colon (1-1)

Velasquez S.O. 16, Makes History

The Phillies 23 year-old right-hander Vincent Velasquez made history Thursday, less than 24 hours after his teammate in the rotation Jerad Eickhoff continued to impress with a 9K, 0 BB stellar performance.

When the Phillies traded their closer Kenny Giles to the Astros in December, Velasquez was a key part of the Phils return. In 19 games (seven starts) for the Astros last year, he posted an ERA of 4.37 in 55 2/3 innings and struck out just over a batter an inning, averaging 94.6 mph on his fastball.

The 2010 second-round pick had been re-ranked at No. 69 on MLB's Top 100 list, and sat at No. 4 on the Astros' Top 30 when the Phils got him.  He entered into the Phils prospect list at #5 before being promoted to the majors.

In his first outing with the Phils on April 9th vs. the Mets, Velasquez sparked a shutout at Citi Field.  His 6 innings were dynamite: 3 hits allowed, 9 S.O., 3 walks.

Thursday, however, he took the next step in a thrilling young career.

He S.O. a staggering 16 and walked none in a complete game shutout of the Padres at Citizens Bank Park to complete a 3-game sweep of S.D.  Velasquez allowed just 3 hits.  He has not yielded an earned run yet this year.

Most impressive, the quality and power of his pitches never faltered throughout the contest. Velasquez hit 97 mph with his fastball on pitch No. 101. His final pitch of the game was 96 mph.

More importantly, Velasquez didn't walk a single batter during the start. He induced an amazing 27 swinging strikes!

"I reached back," Velasquez said. "I wasn't really looking at the radar gun. I was just trying to get a last strikeout and celebrate."

"My face doesn't show it, but it was fun," Velasquez said 15 minutes after striking out the final batter. "I'm fully excited. Man. Gosh, it's still hitting me."

Velasquez is the third pitcher (after Dwight Gooden and Kerry Wood) under 24 since 1913 to strike out 16 and walk none in a shutout.

"It looks like we made a pretty good trade, I'd say," Phillies manager Pete Mackanin said. "How much fun was that to watch?!"

"A young Zack Greinke right there," pitching coach Bob McClure said. "That was like watching the same thing."

"That was incredible," righthander Aaron Nola said. "I felt like it was automatic. It looked like a video game."

"His fastball, I mean, it had every bit of life that it had to it," Catcher Cameron Rupp said. "It got to a point where I was thinking to myself, 'I kind of want to mix in a breaking ball here, but I don't need to.' He was blowing everybody's doors off with it."

Ryan Howard (yes, he's still around) hit his 3rd HR of the season and drove in the only 2 Phillies runs Thursday.  The 2nd-place Phils are now 5-5 and have won 3-straight and 5-of-6.  They will host 1st-place Washington and the Mets in back-to-back series beginning Friday.

Velasquez's complete game 16 S.O. no walk shutout has only been equaled by 1 active pitcher in all of baseball: (now) Washington's Max Scherzer, who Aaron Nola will face Saturday in Philadelphia.

Velasquez now leads the NL in wins (2), ERA (0.00) and S.O. (25).  He is second in WHIP behind L.A.'s Clayton Kershaw.

The 3 young guns: Velasquez, Nola and Jerad Eickhoff in the Phils rotation are making things very exciting and encouraging with an eye to the future, which the organization has so effectively transformed into something bright.

The Kids Are All Right

The Phillies are seeing return on their monumental trade of homegrown all-star Cole Hamels last August.  Tonight at Citizens Bank Park 25 year-old starter Jerad Eickhoff resembled Hamels in his prime.  Even the inferior offense of the Padres couldn't rain on Eickhoff's gem: 7 innings, 4 hits, 9 S.O. and no walks in a 2-1 win over S.D.

It would be one thing if today was the best game of his young career.  However, truth be told this was Eickhoff's 10th professional game, and he is steadily building a resume of consistently dynamic performance and stellar control.  In 2015 he S.O. 49 while walking 13.  His 2.65 ERA was accentuated by his 7th and 8th career outings to finish last season vs. the division leading Nationals and Mets when he S.O. 10 and walked 1 in each back-to-back start.  This season he has S.O. 12 and walked 2 while posting a 1.50 ERA (16th in MLB).

Hamels, 32 years-old for Texas, has pitched 2 games this season and has posted a 2.08 ERA with 12 S.O. and 6 BB with a slightly higher WHIP than Eickhoff.  There's no question who you'd rather hold the ball opening a playoff series in October-- at this point, but Eickhoff is making premier look mundane under the big lights of MLB.  Not bad from the 4-spot of the rotation.

Nola is on fire and opening eyes across baseball.

When you pair his knockout performances with 22 year-old Aaron Nola (#2 in rotation, a control-and-command pitcher featuring a fastball that averages just 90.5 mph), who has 17 S.O. (4th in MLB), no walks and a 0.71 WHIP (6th in MLB) it's undeniable that the Phillies organization took something out of alignment and quickly put it on track for success.  Those seeds are already beginning to blossom.

According to Baseball America, the Phillies farm system ranked between 22nd and 27th in baseball from 2011-2015.  All that win-now trading had taken its toll down the line.  Now?  After the past couple seasons of shedding old snakes and retooling with an eye down the line, Baseball America ranks the Phillies organizational talent #8 in baseball.  MLB does them one better, placing them at #7.  It is very encouraging, if not exciting and a not so modest achievement of altitude in such a short time.

Franco is most exciting Phils 3rd baseman since Rolen.

Wednesday, it was 23 year-old 3B Maikel Franco's hot-hitting again that staked a lead for Eickhoff and the Phils.  Maikel hit his 2nd HR, a solo shot to left (400 feet) with 2-out in the 1st to put the Phils up for good.

When X-rays revealed a small fracture in his left wrist in August of last year, Franco's bid for Rookie-of-the-Year was cut short.

His mark made, Franco is out of the shoot running in 2016.  He has 2 HR and 5 RBI in his first 8 games, an OBP of .455 and an OPS of 1.110.

In the bottom of the 3rd Wednesday, again with 2-out, Franco doubled to deep left center to drive in the only other run the Phils would get or need to win the game.  Franco is batting .379 and looks like he's enjoying every minute of every game with mounting comfort in the big leagues.

Franco and homegrown Nola are more fun to watch and more exciting to route for than any players who have blossomed with the Phils in a long time.  The kids are not only all right, they're a breath of fresh air.

The 2nd-place Phillies have won 4-out-of-5, including beating the NL-defending Mets 2-out-of-3 this past weekend at Citi Field in N.Y.  They go for the sweep with an afternoon game Thursday 1:05pm EST vs. S.D., then host the division leading Nationals (6-1) for a weekend series.  Aaron Nola pitches Saturday night vs. former Cy Young Max Scherzer.

Phils Rebuilding 50 Cents at a Time

On Friday, the Phillies agreed to a new two-year contract with manager Pete Mackanin that runs through the 2017 season. The deal includes a club option for 2018.

Mackanin's first two stints as an interim manager, with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2005 and the Cincinnati Reds in 2007, saw him lose his job at season's end. The third time proved to be a charm: He was give the Phillies job permanently in September after taking over on an interim basis in June.

His interim stint in Pittsburgh spanned only 26 games to end the year - the then-lowly Pirates won 12 of them - before Jim Tracy was tabbed as the team's new leader a week after the season's end.

With Cincinnati, he took a team that was 31-51 when Jerry Narron was fired and led it to a 41-39 record. The Reds replaced him with Dusty Baker after the season, though, and Mackanin again "put that warrior face back on and plugged along and hoped that something good would come of it," Shane said.

It wasn't until no one expected it that Mackanin was afforded his chance. Sandberg abruptly quit 74 games into a miserable Phillies rebuilding season this year. A young and inexperienced team, playing with renewed energy under Mackanin, finished three games under .500 in the second half, a minor miracle considering the roster and the team's major-league-worst 63-99 record for the season.

New Phillies president Andy MacPhail lifted Mackanin's "interim" label in September, signing him to a one-year contract with a club option for 2017. MacPhail had yet to hire general manager Matt Klentak, thus the short-term commitment.

Mackanin has quite a challenge ahead of him in his first full season as Philadelphia Phillies manager. As baseball fans know, the Phillies are moving forward with a massive rebuilding effort. That means Mackanin's roster will be filled with young players looking to find their way at the major-league level, and some older players who are struggling to hang on. 

It's a job designed for a patient individual, because the mistakes will be frequent and frustrating all season long. However, it does seem that Mackanin has a system in place that should in theory limit mistakes being repeated. Because if they don't, everyone pays!

Mackanin is fining his players 50 cents for every little mistake that's made during training camp. And it's not just the players making the mistakes who are fined either, it's everyone in camp. 

"If you don't get a bunt down, everyone pays 50 cents," Mackanin said before Thursday night's rained out Grapefruit League game against the Braves at Champion Stadium. "If you don't hustle, everyone pays 50 cents. If you miss a cutoff man, everyone pays 50 cents.

"It's a way to be picky about little things, like you made it into second base, but you should've slid. You hit a double, but you coasted into second when you should've come around hard in case the guy bobbles the ball. Fifty cents. It allows me to be a real [jerk] about things like that. What, are you going to complain about 50 cents?"

The money shouldn't be an issue, but personal pride should be. That's exactly what Mackanin is playing into here. No one wants to be the reason why the whole team is being fined, regardless of the amount. The fine is secondary to the flack players will catch from their teammates, so that should guarantee sharper focus and better attention to detail.

"When I announce the fines and this week you have $2.50, a half-dozen players get on that guy," Mackanin added.

With that said, even with sharper focus and better attention to detail growing pains in the form of mistakes are bound to take place with such a young roster. According to Mackanin, those mistakes have added up quite a bit, with close to $1,000 in the fine jar already. But continually driving home fundamentals and execution every single day could ultimately pay off for the Phillies.

Or it could be the Phillies way of financing their rebuilding effort.  With an abundance of youth and inexperience around him, Mackanin may be using the tip jar to finance his hidden island getaway.

It's good to see his desire to motivate and cultivate a climate and culture of accountability and conscious performance.

The Phillies are 14-7-2 in spring training and open the season April 4 in Cincinnati.

The material in this post is adapted from various sports news sources, including this blog.

To read more from Phantastic Phillies Insider, click here to be redirected to the site.

View photo

.

Phils New GM Makes First Moves

The Phillies new GM Matt Klentak has been busy this week making moves for pitchers and answering questions about a potential trade for his own pitcher, Kenny Giles.

Phillies general manager Matt Klentak said this week, "There are a number of players on our roster that teams like.  It doesn't mean that we are going to trade them."  And: "I don't want to categorically say that we are or we aren't going to do anything."

In other words, 'I may trade him/anyone if I am offered enough in exchange.'

Reasonable enough from the first manager in a long time hired by the Phils to helm a rebuild.  Yet, more than a little negligent in the tenuous process of grooming fans.

Kenny Giles has become a fan favorite.  Not surprising.  The team is a last place team.  Giles is a first-class performer.  Giles offers desperately needed relief on the field-- and for fans.  His teammates appreciate it too.  They call him, "100 Miles Giles" (because he throws, at times, 100 mph).  He's called upon to save major league games by his coach.  He does, night after night, with almost impeccable consistency.

Giles offers desperately needed relief on the field-- and for fans.

Over the last two seasons, the only relief pitchers with a better ERA than Giles' (1.56) are Wade Davis (0.97), of the recently crowned World Series-champion Kansas City Royals, and the New York Yankees' Dellin Betances (1.45).

He is 24, but his poise says otherwise.  He has just completed his second year in the big leagues, but his resume bests most of his newbie teammates.

The Phillies' roster overhaul has left just four active pitchers with at least three years of major-league service time. Five of the team's 12 pitchers are rookies.

Shedding Giles would be lucrative if a significant package would be the return.  For example, two or three top-tier prospects from a team that needs only a closer to run deep next season.  However, the Phils need to caution against dealing Giles at any cost, because he is controlled for years to come at a modest salary due to his youth.  He is a rare thing.  A closer excelling at the major league level from day one, igniting fans and teammates alike, capable of galvanizing the next generation.

Saturday, the Phils signed right-hander Dustin McGowan to a one-year deal.  He had been released April 1 by the Los Angeles Dodgers after posting a 6.75 ERA in seven spring training appearances.  The 33-year-old began last season as a starter for the Toronto Blue Jays, going 2-2 with a 5.08 ERA in eight starts before being converted to a reliever in May. He went 3-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 45 games in relief, holding opponents to a .215 average.   

On the same day, Klentak made his first trade as Phils GM young tenure as the Phillies' general manager, adding a veteran pitcher to its young starting rotation.

The rebuilding Phillies acquired righthander Jeremy Hellickson from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for pitching prospect Sam McWilliams. Hellickson, 28, joins a rotation expected to include righthanders Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff and lefthander Adam Morgan.

Bizzarely, Hellickson is the pitcher who inadvertently ended Phils Third baseman Maikel Franco's Rookie of the Year bid this past season.  Franco, the most exciting new Phillies player in a while, was hit by a Hellickson fastball back in August which broke his wrist and abruptly ended his season.

Now the pitcher and victim are teammates.

Hellickson, a former rookie of the year and gold glove winner, has a career 3.96 ERA over six major league seasons, the first five with the Tampa Bay Rays. He posted a 4.62 ERA over 27 starts last season, his first with Arizona. He is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility and set to become a free agent after next season. He made $4.28 million last year.

"We like what he has done in his career," Klentak said. "He's a good fit for us.  He's been a steady performer the last five years and he has some hardware on his mantel, a rookie of the year (2011) and Gold Glove (2012).  I think one of the things on top of the obvious is that he's a veteran guy but still just 28 years old. He'll pitch at 29 this season, so we're excited that he's still in his prime. And more than anything, he's a competitor. He wants the ball. We've talked about building an environment and we think he'll be a very positive influence on our staff."

Hellickson posted a 2.95 ERA in 2011, his rookie of the year season with Tampa Bay, and a 3.10 ERA in 2012 but has a 4.86 ERA over the last three seasons. He is known as a fly ball pitcher, having allowed 20 or more in each of his four full seasons.  That is a troubling tag for a pitcher headed to Citizens Bank Park.  Furthermore, despite improving his strikeout rate and improving his walk rate from 2013 onward, his results got worse.  Additionally, from 2011 to 2013 Hellickson's 'hard-hit rate allowed', according to FanGraphs, increased from 23.2 percent to 34.9 percent.  All this spells a hard road uphill for a successful year with the Phils. 

The Phils also got James Russell, who turns 30 in January, posted a 5.29 ERA over 34 innings with the Chicago Cubs last season but posted a 2.97 ERA over 572/3 innings the previous year. He has spent most of his six major-league seasons with the Cubs but logged 241/3 innings for the Atlanta Braves in 2014.

Nine days prior, they claimed Dan Otero, a 30-year-old reliever, who had been a highly-productive contributor in Oakland from 2013-14. The control artist put up a cumulative 2.01 ERA in 125 2/3 innings in that span, with 5.2 K/9 against 1.5 BB/9. He was used particularly heavily in ’14, when he made 72 appearances and logged 86 2/3 frames.

Though he maintained that K:BB ratio in 2015, however, Otero was torched for 35 earned runs in 46 2/3 innings. There was some poor luck in the BABIP (.354) and strand rate (59.5%) arenas, but the righty also saw his groundball rate drop to below 50% while allowing a 14.9% HR/FB rate.

Wednesday, the Phils announced that they had signed five players to minor-league contracts. All of the players received an invite to major-league spring training camp and they are expected to provide depth at the Triple A level during the season.

Two of the players – right-handed pitchers Chris Leroux and Reinier Roibal – spent time in the Phillies' minor-league system during the 2015 season.

Here’s a quick look at the five players:

RHP Chris Leroux, 31 – The reliever had a 3.90 ERA in 85 1/3 innings in the Brewers' and Phillies' organizations in 2015. He has pitched in the majors for the Marlins, Pirates and Yankees.

RHP Reinier Roibal, 26 – Used mostly as a reliever in 2015, he posted a 1.64 ERA in 31 games while pitching for the Phillies’ Clearwater and Reading clubs. He has averaged 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings in four minor-league seasons.

INF Emmanuel Burris, 30 – The veteran infielder has played in 287 major-league games with the Giants and Nationals. He hit .279 and had a .341 on-base percentage for the Nats’ triple A Syracuse team in 2015.

RHP Frank Herrmann, 31 – He appeared in 95 games for the Indians from 2010 to 2012. He pitched in the Angels' and Pirates' organizations last season and registered a 3.76 ERA in 52 2/3 innings. He had 53 strikeouts and 10 walks.

INF Ryan Jackson, 27 – He has spent time in the majors with the Cardinals and Angels. He has hit .272 with a .343 on-base percentage in 680 minor-league games.

What Klentak is consistently saying thusfar is, ' We're going to throw a bunch of young talent into the organization and onto the field and find out what sticks to try to form a nucleus that excels.  Don't expect results soon'

"Players will dictate when this team is ready to be as good as they can possibly be, and players will develop at different speeds, at different rates.  Some will be better than we thought they would be and some will underwhelm us... and what I do know is at the first sign that this team is ready to be good and take that next step-- and I hope it's April-- I know that we will do everything we can to support that group and create a core that's going to last a long, long time."

Klentak seems earnest and focused on following through on the long path that leads to eventual glory.  However, he hasn't faced Philly fans or seasons of losing.  He seems to be bracing himself, and fans, for a long term vision, while allowing us, if not himself hope that the long term might start soon.

Ryan Madson Wins World Series Game

In MLB's comeback story of the year, former Phillies setup man Ryan Madson is poised to win his second World Series title and his first since the one he helped clinch with the Phils in 2008.

Madson, now with the Royals, was pivotal Game 4 winner Saturday in N.Y. vs. the Mets.  Madson put the Royals up 3-games-to-1 with a commanding 7th inning relief appearance.

After Madson was drafted by the Phillies in 1998, he became an integral part of the team's 2008 World Series championship as reliable 8th inning setup man for closer Brad Lidge.  Then, when Lidge left the team, Madson transitioned to the closer role with tremendous success, notching 32 saves and a 2.37 ERA in his final year with the team in 2011.

Then, the Phils parted ways with him during a contract negotiation dispute with Phillies enemy mega-agent Scott Boras.  Madson then spent 2012 with the Reds and 2013 with the Angels, although he never threw a single pitch at the major-league level for either club due to injury which led to right elbow surgery.

January 4th, 2015 Kansas City signed him to a minor league contract, which led to his promotion to the majors on April 4th of this year.

From there, Madson ran with the ball, completing his finest Major League season to date and helping the Royals make their second-straight run at a World Series title (in 2014, the Royals lost to S.F. 3-2 in game 7 in K.C.).

Madson posted a remarkable 2.13 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and .205 Batting Average Against, all career highs at age 35 after 2 full seasons of not throwing a single pitch in the big leagues and post-elbow surgery.  Of note, his 2015 season ERA is precisely what he posted with the Phils during the 2008 postseason: 2.13.

On Saturday he achieved his season-high performance when he came into the World Series in the 7th inning with his team trailing 3-2 to the Mets at Citi Field in N.Y.

Madson faced Lucas Duda, the Mets first baseman who hit 27 HR this year.  Madson fell behind 2-balls to no strikes.  Then worked his way back with a foul and then a strike looking, before Duda drew ball 3 for a full count.  Madson induced a pop-up out on the final pitch of the at-bat, his 6th to just the first batter of the inning.

Next up was Mets star catcher Travis d'Arnaud, ironically a 1st round draft pick in 2007 by the Phillies, one of many talented players shed during the free-wheeling talent spending win-now days of former Phils GM Rubén Amaro, Jr.

Madson dominated d'Arnaud: 1st strike looking, foul ball strike 2, followed by foul ball (again), then strike 3 looking.  2 outs, 1 to go.

However, the next batter was a whole different story.  It was Mets LF Michael Conforto.  Conforto had already achieved fame Saturday night when he hit home runs off of 2 different Royals pitchers in this single World Series game: starter Chris Young and reliever Danny Duffy.

Madson dug in.  First pitch?  Ball 1.  Second pitch: strike swinging.  Followed by ball 2, hitters advantage at 2-balls-to-1-strike.  4th pitch of the at-bat, Madson tiring?  Strike swinging.  Now 2-balls to 2-strikes.

Next pitch ball 3, another full count.  Then, Madson got him.  Strike 3, Conforto struck out swinging and Madson completed a comeback story for the ages.  The Royals would stage a comeback in the next half inning, to take their first lead of the game, 5-3.  That's how it ended.  The Royals walked away with game 4 in N.Y. and now lead the best-of-seven series 3-games-to-1 with 1 more game left to play in N.Y. on Sunday followed by 2 in K.C. (if necessary).  The Royals and Madson need just 1 win in the final 3 games to be crowned World Series winners within days.

Madson will join a growing list of players who won the 2008 World Series with the Phils and who went on to win an additional or more World Series titles since, including outfielders: Pat Burrell, Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino.