Philadelphia Phillies

We live in an age where we can find pretty much anything we want (and lots of things we don’t want) on the internet with relative ease. This was not the case when the Phillies inked 17-year-old German outfielder Julsan Kamara to a seven-year minor league deal on May 13th. Google results yielded very little on Kamara, let alone the sort of in-depth information I look for when I begin to build a foundation of scouting information on an unknown international player. I have since made a few calls and got in touch with Phillies Director of International Scouting, Sal Agostinelli, who was gracious enough to tell me a little bit about Kamara. “We went to (redacted foreign country) to check out (redacted international player whose name I won’t give out until he signs because it can do the Phillies no good for me to tell you who it is) and a few arms out there and I see this German kid. He’s about 6’2” or 6’3” and had impressive raw power, good bat speed, real athletic. Below average arm but, you know, really athletic and good overall skills. I decided to fly back over to Germany for a workout north of Frankfurt where I knew he’d be, we watched him some more, liked what we saw and we signed him. $40,000.” A high profile signing it is not. This isn’t Michael Ynoa or Yasiel Puig we’re talking about here. But before we just dismiss this signing as a cheap lottery ticket, you have to consider Agostinelli’s body of work. He’s signed countless prospects across three continents on the cheap and many have gone on to carve out lengthy professional careers for themselves. Agostinelli signed Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis on the same day in 2006. He inked Maikel Franco, the system’s best position prospect, for just $100,000. He signed Sebatian Valle, who would have netted the Phillies a fine setup man this past offseason if not for a failed physical, for just $30,000. Carlos Carrasco was another Sal Agostinelli signing and he headlined the Cliff Lee deal.  Go look at Baseball America’s Prospect Hot Sheet from May 3rd of this year. Three of the guys on that list were Agostinelli signings. In 1998, Agostinelli ventured down to Panama and scouted a horribly unathletic second baseman who displayed remarkable arm strength. He signed that 19 year old for $8,000 and suggested he be moved behind the plate. That young man has since been immortalized in a mural on 24th & Walnut streets and as a bobblehead that sits atop my cubicle as I write this piece. Sal Agostinelli knows what the hell he’s doing. So be excited for the future because a toolsy new prospect is in the system. Be excited for the future because the Phillies have planted a flag in a growing baseball market. Be excited for the future because Sal Agostinelli hand-picked this kid. Be excited for the future because in 2013 we all desperately need something to be excited about.

Dave Cameron reported last night that Alex Sanabia was apparently caught on video dropping a big ol' loogy on the ball as he was preparing to pitch during his win over the Phillies. This was right after Domonic Brown's home run. Here's the video -- note the incriminating expectoration at the 13-second mark. Cameron's article also includes a gif focusing on the couple of seconds around that time. Is it possible that he's actually spitting on his hand, and not on the ball? Possible, but far-fetched. Now certainly it was a close game for most of the night, but you would think that Sanabia would reserve this kind of risky behavior for the big hitting teams in the league, rather than the light-hitting Phils. This isn't the first time this season (or even this month) that there have been allegations regarding spitters. Former pitcher and current Blue Jays announcer Jack Morris accused the Red Sox' Taylor Buchholtz earlier this month.

Not clear in the sense that his phlegm is clear because his allergies aren’t an issue; clear in the sense that seconds after Domonic Brown hit a home run, Sanabia hocked a loogie on the baseball in plain view of the cameras. According to the rulebook, which these days is used more as a guideline than anything, it says: Rule 8.02: The pitcher shall not — (2) expectorate on the ball, either hand or his glove; Take a look, should he have been tossed? (Thanks Fangraphs)

If I were Cole Hamels, I’d be ticked off too. Hamels left Marlins Park after last night’s infuriating 5-1 loss to the pathetic Fish without speaking to the media. Because really, what was there to say? Anything Hamels said to the media at that point surely would not have been good for anybody to hear. Hamels could not be blamed for being furious at the team’s ridiculously awful offensive performance against one of the worst pitchers in the Majors, Alex Sanabia, who entered last night with a 2-6 record and a 5.00 ERA. He carried a WHIP of 1.455, was averaging just 5.6 K/9 and was giving up more than a hit per inning. Former Phils reliever-turned Phillies post-game studio analyst Ricky Botallico summed it up best… Alex Sanabi is not a good pitcher and “made the #phillies look stupid.” – Ricky Botallico — Seamus Doyle (@saintseamus) May 21, 2013 Of course, pretty much every pitcher makes the Phillies look stupid these days. The Phils allowed Sanabia to pitch into the 7th inning and scored just one earned run on seven hits, with that run coming on a laser-beam home run by Domonic Brown. Other than that, the Phils went 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position and hit into two double plays, enabling Sanabia to escape damage all night long. The bullpen also continued their inability to keep deficits close late, with Justin De Fratus and Phillippe Aumont giving up key runs late. May 20, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels (35) throws during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports But the real story was the Phils inability to score any runs for Hamels, who was fantastic on Monday night. Cole pitched six innings (he would have gone more but was pulled for a pinch-hitter with runners and first and third with one out – the Phillies did not score), and gave up just two runs on seven hits, struck out 10 and walked none. If there was any good news to be taken out of last night’s debacle, Hamels’ performance was it. “Actually this was a nice breakthrough for him,” pitching coach Rich Dubee said. “His stuff was electric tonight. He was 93 to 95. “He’d been a little tense [in previous starts]. There’s a lot of things going on. He’s an accountable guy. He’s got the new contract. Roy [Halladay] going down. That puts a little burden on him. Not winning games. It’s weighed on him. But I thought tonight he was exceptional.” “Again, I think today was a big breakthrough,” Dubee said. “I think you saw electric stuff. I think it got to the point where instead of pitching away from bats and worrying about not getting runs, he got back into the mode of attacking hitters. No walks, one three-ball count. That’s Cole Hamels’ style.” – quotes per CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury Yet, Hamels’ record now stands at 1-7, and the Phillies are 1-9 in games in which he has started. The Phillies have scored just 20 runs in the 62 2/3 innings that Hamels has pitched this season. “Ten Ks and no walks and we only put up one run,” said Domonic Brown. “That’s very tough on me and I’m pretty sure it’s tough on everyone else in here. We’ve just got to do a better job.” Here’s the problem. There is no better. This IS the Phillies offense. This is how it’s going to be all season, barring major changes. So yes, frustration has set in. That will happen when your team fails to win games they absolutely HAVE to win if they’re going to be a playoff team. Miami is 13-32 on the season, yet 4-4 versus the Phillies. Not only that, after last night’s game, the Marlins have a run differential of -69, second-worst in baseball, yet they have outscored the Phillies 28-20 in their eight meetings so far this year. What… is… going… on? Now, the Phils have to be worried about Hamels’ mindset after another frustrating loss for the ace left-hander, as manager Charlie Man

Here’s a rundown on how the Phillies’ minor league teams fared on Monday, May 20.

Julio Teheran pitched 8 1-3 strong innings, Dan Uggla hit a three-run homer and the Atlanta Braves won their fourth straight game with a 5-1 victory over the struggling Minnesota Twins on Monday.

Jonathan Papelbon is in the century club. According to baseball-almanac.com, there is video evidence of his fastball being clocked at 100 m.p.h. during an April 22, 2008 game at Fenway Park. It's a cool accomplishment because there are so few people on this planet who can generate that kind of arm speed.

After Domonic Brown hit a solo home run in the top of the second inning to tie the game at 1-1, Marlins starter Alex Sanabia received a new baseball from home plate umpire Sam Holbrook and promptly glazed it with spit as seen here: Given the various gymnastics that can occur within MLB’s rules, there might be a loophole, but if my reading of the rules is correct, Sanabia violated Rule 8.02 (a)(2): 8.02 The pitcher shall not – [...] (2) expectorate [spit] on the ball, either hand or his glove; You can watch the whole event here, with the infraction occurring about 15 seconds in.

Though there is some interesting memorabilia out there these days, there are a few things you will never see.

In saying nothing tonite, Cole Hamels actually said plenty — Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) May 21, 2013 Cole Hamels pitched perhaps his best game of the season tonight, but his feckless comrades in arms failed to score more than one run against Alex Sanabia, one of the worst pitchers in baseball. So they lost. And the man who signed the richest contract in franchise history left Jeffrey Loria’s Taxpayer-Funded Stately Pleasure Dome without speaking to reporters. Considering that I haven’t gotten tomorrow’s copies of the Philadelphia papers, I don’t know for sure that someone’s going to write a pointed opinion piece about Hamels’ failure to answer to the press this evening, but I hope nobody does. Because the fact of the matter is that Cole Hamels doesn’t owe us a goddamn thing. He dragged this team to the only championship Philadelphia has earned in my lifetime, then turned around a season later to see the National League and batted ball luck take less of a shine to him. And instead of being patient with the best pitching prospect the franchise produced in 60 years, the media and fans that had feted Hamels as a conquering hero turned on him in 2009 like a pack of jackals. And when Hamels, during the 2009 World Series, said he’d like that season to be over, I felt for him, because he’d had a rough time of it. It’s what happens when things don’t go your way for the first time in your life, when the league catches up to you, and when your manager leaves you hanging on the cross in a playoff game while your wife is in labor. But Brett Myers (intent on punching another man for once) and the Philadelphia fans and editorial press had procured a length of rope and were determined to hang Hamels with it. If I were Cole Hamels, and I were one of the more promising talents at my position, I’d have demanded a trade on the spot. Yet Hamels persevered, while the organization put veteran ace after veteran ace in front of him in the rotation while he turned into the pitcher that his potential indicated he might one day become. And yet here he is, finally getting over the hump after a rough start to the season, and the lineup that supports him, one that is paid roughly the GDP of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, can’t scratch out enough offense to bloody the nose of a pitcher who barely merits the sobriquet of “replacement-level.” I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but as far forward as we can see, Cole Hamels is this franchise. Despite fulfilling the wildest dreams of this city’s fans and media, he was met with scorn, and yet he stuck around (and not just for the money–don’t think the Dodgers or Angels wouldn’t have offered him the contract the Phillies gave him and more) past the point where any sane man’s emotional endurance would have given out. So to the writers who might pillory Hamels for refusing to talk to the media–cut the man some slack. Every single Phillies beat writer is a better reporter than I am, and I’ve had athletes stonewall me on deadline and managed to turn out harder stories than “The Phillies wasted a strong pitching performance.” You’re all grown-ups, and you’ll recover. While watching the building furor over Hamels’ media strategy, a thought occurred to me. I’m trying to make a career as a writer, and I’ve had many professional failures. But I’ve never had a professional failure, even one as relatively trivial in the long run as Hamels losing to the Marlins tonight, that wasn’t of my own making. I’ve never had a professional failure viewed with such great regional interest as tonight’s game, and I’ve never been expected to explain myself to a media scrum after such a failure. I can’t begin to imagine  the frustration Hamels might have felt tonight, and the ultimately destructive things he might