Articles by Rich Wilkins (406)
From minor league deals to deadline deals… When the Phillies signed Juan Pierre, his value was pretty low. He signed a minor league deal, and was only guaranteed $800,000 when he won the 25th slot on the team. There was no guarantee he'd make it through the year. There's still not. The Phillies regular left-fielder […]
For the third straight year, the Pittsburgh Pirates drafted the top pitching arm in the pre-draft rankings, nabbing Mark Appel at #8 overall in the draft. This makes sense for a team that hasn't had a winning season since Barry Bonds left town in 1992. This is how you rebuild. Too bad Appel didn't sign. […]
Last week I broke down the value of Shane Victorino on a trade, and where he could go. I determined the Dodgers, Yankees, Pirates, Reds, Tigers, and Indians were potential buyers. I said the Dodgers were the most likely trade partner, but that I'd like to move with the Yankees. Tonight we move to the […]
I want to start by making mention of something: Shane Victorino has been a really good Phillie. He is not a Hall-of-Famer, sure, but he was a major, major part of the best run in team history. He was an almost symbolic part of them bullying the Mets out of the way, and taking over […]
Just admit it- you got it totally wrong. We all did. The blowhards on ESPN did. The national writers did. Everybody did. Sure, this team looked sluggish from the day they got to Clearwater, sure they had major injuries strike before opening day (in fact, before the final out of 2011 was recorded), sure they […]
From the Phillies Facebook, yesterday Chase Utley returns, and in his very first at-bat, homers. Ryan Howard returns, and in his very first at-bat, doubles. In that time, the Phillies have gone 1-8. They lost the first five games with Chase Utley. They're 0-1 with Howard. And neither has been too bad. The truth is, […]
I got a chance to see Ryan Howard's rehab, first hand tonight in Allentown. The IronPigs won the game 2-1, sweeping the double-header from Pawtucket to go two games up in the division after the day. Ryne Sandberg's crew won both games without using a starting pitcher. Not bad. Sandberg's upbeat about Howard and Utley. […]
There won't be as many Phillies in the mid-summer's class as there have been in recent years. This is a product of being in last place 78 games into the season. While we'll only have a couple in San Diego, the Phillies affiliates in the minor leagues will be represented- and even host an All-Star […]
On the way into Citizens Bank Park tonight, I predicted the Pirates would beat the Phillies 10-4. I'm at that point with this team. They entered the game at 34-40, so why would you believe they would beat a team that's played reasonably well this year? Well, for one night, they played like the Phillies […]
I put this up to feel better. Look at that price- Grandma's on to something for these Phillies. The minor leagues- refuge from Phillies' hell. Alright, I'm going to jump from topic to topic. I've got lots to write tonight. ************************************************************ We'll start with some bad news that is not related to the team on […]