Articles by Rich Wilkins (406)
Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. Let me get a couple of obligatory points out of the way on Jimmy Rollins, before I make my main point: I do not believe the Phillies are favored to win anything, or for that matter will win anything. I also think that a $189 million team has to try […]
As we approach March 31st's Opening Day, I came to realize that my first baseball tickets of the year are the exhibition game on March 28th with the Pirates. For that reason alone, when you realize how close the season is, you start looking more seriously at the Phillies roster decisions. I think it goes […]
Jesse Biddle throws for the Phillies Jesse Biddle, shown above, is one of the decisions facing the Phillies in assigning minor leaguers this Spring. He's not alone. Tommy Joseph, Maikel Franco, and more are tough calls too. So what do I think they look like? For a primer, here's my big league projection. Here's my […]
A week ago, I put out a projected roster for the 2014 Phillies. A week later, a lot of what I wrote feels reinforced. Most of the changes are in who contends for the last spots, not who wins them. The Line-Up: Locked- Revere, Rollins, Utley, Howard, Byrd, Brown, Ruiz, and Asche appear set. Franco […]
Photo by Rich Wilkins This will be my second attempt at predicting the 2014 Phillies roster this Spring. In my first attempt, I said the line-up was mostly locked, the rotation now had some depth, the bench was concerning, and the bullpen an open question. Now what? The Line-Up- Still Locked: Ruiz, Howard, Utley, Rollins, […]
I've seen a lot of losing, as have all Philadelphia sports fans who are about 30 years old. I was one month old when the Sixers won the 1983 World Championship, and wouldn't see another championship until 2008, at the age of 25. I haven't seen once since, either. I saw lots of heartbreaks along […]
Now that camp is open, it's time to take a look at the potential roster of the 2014 Philadelphia Phillies. There are some obvious competitions for the both the 25 man and 40 man rosters, and some of the events of the last day or so change the outlook. So what do I see really […]
Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. So yesterday I said I wanted to be optimistic about the infield. Today? Cole Hamels Ok, so last year's team went 73-89. Cole Hamels went 8-14. That was in a year where I predicted a Cy Young. Now, yes, wins and losses are a bad stat. Yes, we should ignore […]
Chase has me feeling optimistic.Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. There hasn't been much optimism over the 2014 Phillies this Winter. That's how it goes when you go 73-89, and make no major signings. People temper their excitement. I want to be excited though, so I'm going to make up reasons to be, from now until […]
So, it's not even Spring Training yet, but we're thinking about baseball today. The Phillies roster picture is certainly not clear yet, but the IronPigs is even further out. For one, you need to have an idea where the MLB roster is at, and secondly, you need a clue into their thinking on prospects. From […]