Articles by Rich Wilkins (406)
Chase Utley is going to be traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with $2 million, for two minor leaguers that we don't yet know the identity of. This will bring his wonderful time in Philadelphia to an end. He will go down as the best second baseman in club history, and a key member […]
In the past I've been accused of not liking some of our 2008 Phillies' heroes, lately that being Chase Utley. I think that's an unfair way to view the different reactions though to Chase Utley's season, and the debate over whether he or Cesar Hernandez should be playing second base now. I think it's […]
Now that the Phillies have traded away Cole Hamels, Jonathan Papelbon, Jake Diekman, and Ben Revere, there's a ton of roster moves that followed. Obviously they start with all of these guys being removed from the roster. Here's what I have: Matt Harrison, obtained for Cole Hamels, has been added to the 40 man roster, […]
Jonathan Papelbon is the all-time saves leader in both Philadelphia and Boston, and he's 12th all-time. He's perfect on 2015, and made the All-Star team. His ERA since the beginning of 2014 is under two, which is outstanding. He more than lived up to his $50 million, four year deal with the Phillies. The […]
I was thinking about this after word broke that Cliff Lee was done for 2015, and probably retiring- Cliff Lee and Chase Utley are both likely to get their buyout checks this Winter, and not be a part of the 2016 Phillies. Next season is the end of the infamous Ryan Howard deal, the Carlos […]
Last night was the 100th game of the IronPigs season. Part-time Phillies pitcher and prospect Severino Gonzalez was pitching, prospect Aaron Altherr is on fire, and they were honoring prospect Jesse Biddle for being pitcher of the week in the International League (AAA) last week. Oh, and they had fireworks on this beautiful Friday night. […]
Let me make a somewhat bold prediction- I don't believe that Cole Hamels will make his start for the Phillies on Saturday. Yeah, I know, not so bold, there clearly are offers out there for him now, but if I'm wrong on this, I'm not sure he'll get dealt before the deadline this year. The […]
About the only nice part about being 29-62 is that there is no pretense that a single game on the field actually matters after the All-Star Break. The Phillies are a basically rotten team, and that isn't going to change in 2015, regardless of what goes on in the front office. The games are […]
View image | gettyimages.com Back before most fans were watching him yet, I was seeing Cesar Hernandez play in Allentown. I'm not all that shocked to see him succeeding in the Major Leagues right now, or that he appears ready to take Chase Utley's job. The passage of time clearly was in his favor, and […]
I like a lot of things the Phillies have done over the last calendar year. I like seeing Maikel Franco playing every day in Philadelphia. I like the Andy MacPhail hiring. I like seeing Crawford and Nola closer to the majors. I liked the Jimmy Rollins trade, and have enjoyed watching Zach Eflin pitch. I […]