Snapshots Opening Day Brewers @ Phillies 2014 04 08

The Phillies Home Opener started off with lots of promise, but ended with a 10-4 loss and the heavy weight of disappointment,  

The long list of grievances for the day included

- Old man winter keeps his dying fingers clutched upon us - Opening Day was delayed a day and when it did come was a bit windier and colder than expected.
-That same windy weather caused the thrilling Navy Leap Frog parachute drop to be cancelled. This is the 2nd consecutive time this has happened for a Phungo Opening Day trip.
-Before we even left for the stadium it was announced that Chase Utley would be out due to the flu.
-The Phillies had a series of fielding gaffes and looked like they were in the first day of spring training rather than the first day of the regular season.
-Kyle Kendrick who we finally decided may have a big season, completed imploded and was unable to execute a big pitch when needed.
-and Finally the player who got top billing on the sports day did it in the game we were attending, unfortunately he was the one guy on the field you couldn't possibly root for - Ryan Braun.

Even with those complaints Team Phungo had a fun day and we are looking forward to the 2014 Phillies season with guarded optimism.

Snapshots


2014 04 08 Steve Carlton & Jamie Moyer

The honorary first pitch was thrown out by Jamie Moyer who was accompanied by Steve Carlton. The pair of southpaws represent the Phillies two World Championship teams.


2014 04 08 Ryan Braun

This is Braun batting in the 6th inning when he flied out to to center. Oddly I took about a dozen pix of Braun and not one was during one of his HR ABs. In addition to his three Homers Braun also robbed Carlos Ruiz of a muli-RBI hit at a key point early in the game.

As I mentioned above, it is tough enough seeing your team get beat badly - it is much worse when the one guy that is out there having a career day is the one guy you just want to boo loudly,

2014 04 08 Kyle Kendrick

Interesting shot of Kendrick taken from the upper deck. After Tuesday's game my enthusiasm for his 2014 season is less than it was earlier in the week.


2014 04 08 Marlon Byrd

Marlon Byrd returns to the Phillies after eight years crisscrossing the baseball landscape.

 
2014 04 08 Phillies Starting Line Up Cards

Starting Line Up Cards are updated for 2014, but they are not affiliated with Topps. The cards do sort of remind me of the Topps Stickers that have come out the last couple of years.
  

2014 04 08 Sixto Lezcano Jersey

I didn't expect to see one of these. Sixto Lezcano played for the Phillies as well as the Brewers and actually was a contributor to the 1983 Wheeze Kids.

2014 04 08 Phillie Phanatic

My favorite Photo of the day - The Phanatic looks a bit dejected here, standing in front of the backdrop of excitement provided by the Opening Day logo.

Sources
Baseball-ref

Happy Anniversary Hank Aaron: 1975 Topps #1

Forty years ago today on April 8 1974 Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's career Home Run Record.

 

1975 Topps #1 Hank Aaron '74 Highlights

To honor the event Topps made Aaron the first card of the 1975 Set. The first 7 cards of 1975T are dedicated to highlights of the 1974 season, with a newsprint style synopsis of each event on the reverse: 

1975 Topps #1 Hank Aaron '74 Highlights

For a very enjoyable trip down memory lane check out archive.org which has a couple of radio calls of Aaron's historic homer including a tremendous one by Vin Scully. The Hall of Fame broadcaster's call starts at the 52 second mark of the audio, and for me is the best of the three.  
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Topps had put together Baseball Highlight subsets previously, but I think 1975 is the first time they were dedicated to the previous season. Just a few weeks ago we talked about an Aaron card from a similar 1959 Topps subset.

Brewers
The Phillies are hosting Milwaukee this week making this a good time to feature Hank Aaron's other 1975 Topps card:

1975 Topps #660 Hank Aaron

That is one loved card right there.

After Aaron hit his record breaking Home Run he finished out the 1974 season with the Braves and was traded to the Brewers during the Off Season. The trade returned Aaron to Milwaukee where he started in Major League career before the Braves moved to Atlanta. 

Phun Phact
Hank Aaron was on the first and last card of 1975 Topps,  similar to Ted Williams who served as the bookends for the 1954 Set.

More Hank
Phungo HoF Index

Sources & Links
Topps #1 Club
Baseball Card Database
Dean's Blog
Archive.org
Baseball Hall of Fame

Home Opener: 2009 Topps #103 Kyle Kendrick

We are experiencing some transportation issues at Team Phungo HQ, but that should not keep us from making the jaunt down to the ball park for tomorrows 2014 Phillies Home Opener.

2009 Topps #103 Kyle Kendrick

Every time I hear Kyle Kendrick's name I cringe. They are a number of factors, he originally came up as a low ceiling back of the rotation starter with little fanfare, He is romantically connected to a low level reality starlet whom I find annoying, but mostly because I have heard he has a penchant for boy bands.

As far as your starting pitching draw is concerned going to the Home Opener when your team begins it season on the road is a gamble. This year we get Mr Kendrick.

As I have noted I cringe, but everybody that I discuss the now 29 year old Right-Hander with notes that he has some pretty strong stretches in the last couple of seasons. Kendrick also had a nice 2014 debut going 7 innings vs the Rangers giving up only 1 run on 5 hits and a walk.

2014+
Another thought that may make Phillies fans shudder is that Kendrick's number 1 age comp (according to Baseball-Ref/Bill James sim scores) is Joe Blanton. In 2010 Blanton spent his age 29 season with the Phillies. He 9-6 with a 4.82 ERA (85 ERA+, -0.1 WAR) - Those numbers point to a flat out average MLB season.

The remainder of Kendrick's top 10 comps all pitched 100+ innings at age 29, half exceeded 150 innings with the average at 150 innings. If you take out the one pitcher that got injured Carl Pavano (2005 Yankees) and the pitcher who was a 1930s era swingman (Johnny Marcum) the average among the remaining eight pitchers is 168 innings. The Kendrick 10 pitched to an ERA+ of 92 at age 29 with an average WAR of 1.29. If we remove Pavano and Marcum again and ALSO Adam Eaton's PUTRID 2007 season we get ERA+ 98 with a WAR of 2.0.

Beyond 2014 the best Kyle Kendrick can expect is to be Tood Stottlemeyer who pitched 8 additional season starting at age 29, with 183 starts and 76 wins. Stottlemeyer had a career WAR of 16.5 at 29+. Several of Kendrick's current comps remain active so his average 29+ comp is likely deflated - 4 Years, 31 Wins, 4.0 WAR. The worst that his contemporary comps fared was Eaton who had 318 inning left and pitched to an ERA of 6.40 for the remainder of his career.

Phungo Sez
I am going above the box on this one. Based off of last weeks outing versus the Rangers and Kendrick's solid spring results I am projecting a breakout season. 12-9 for Kyle with a 3.83 ERA, 111 ERA+ and a +3.8 WAR. That right I am giving Kyle Kendrick the same 2014 WAR as Cole Hamels.

I cannot belief how much I just wrote about Kyle Kendrick.

Phillies 2014+ Index
Cody Asche WAR + 1.8
Cole Hamels WAR +3.8
Ryan Howard WAR +1.0
Kyle Kendrick WAR +3.8  

Phils projected W total via WAR thru 4 players 62.4.

Sources
Baseball-ref

Sunday Night Baseball: Don Sutton 1968 Topps #103

Once again this week the Dodgers are featured on Sunday Night Baseball. If you count the the Australia globe trek it makes this the 3rd time the Dodgers have been the focus of the MLBs young 2014 season. Tonight we take a look at Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton

1968 Topps #103 Don Sutton 

Every time I debut a Hall of Famer here I think why haven't we gotten around to this guy before.

Don Sutton's career spanned 23 years, 16 of which were spent with the Dodgers. He amassed a total fo  324 wins. Among players born since 1940 there are a grand total of 5 pitchers with 324+ Ws: Maddux, Clemens, Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton. Despite this it took five election cycles for the BBWAA to put Sutton in the Hall of Fame. With the exception of Clemens the other four were all first ballot qualifiers with Lefty getting in at the lowest pct 95.6% - well above the requisite 75%.

The big differentiating factor for Sutton are:
1) Unlike the other four, He never won a World Series, or Cy Young Award. It should be noted that while Sutton didn't win a WS ring, he participated in four World Series including 3 with the Dodger    2) Sutton was often accused of scuffing the ball - but never suspended.

Brewers
With the Brew Crew coming into Philadelphia this week, I just wanted to note that one of the four clubs Sutton played for post-Dodgers was Milwaukee. He was part of the 1982 squad that won the American League pennant and took the Cardinals to 7 games in that years World Series.

Dodgers #20
Sutton left LA via free agency in 1980, after which several players wore #20, until 1997. The Dodgers officially retired Sutton's #20 on August 14 1998. 

Braves
Don Sutton has spent most of his post playing career in the Broadcast booth for the Atlanta Braves. This season he is the color commentary half of the radio team which is led by Jim Powell.

1968 Topps
For me this set ranks right at the bottom among vintage Topps offerings.  The dotted brown borders remind me of an old musty suitcase. That being said, I am fond of the Don Sutton card. So much so that he made the Paul Lynde square on my 68T HoF Page

Phun Phact
Topps first two Don Sutton solo cards both mention Sandy Koufax on the flip side. One in the text (1967) and one in the -toon (1968)

Sources
Don Sutton HoF Index
Baseball-Ref
ESPN
Los Angeles Dodgers
Atlanta Braves
Baseball Card Database

Ryne Sandberg and Rick Renteria reunite at Wrigley

Last summer Team Phungo got this snapshot of Ryne Sandberg and Rick Renteria exchanging lineups prior to a Padres Phils game.

2013 09 11 Rick Renteria and Ryne Sandberg

At the time Renteria was a bench coach and Sandberg was likely still Interim Manager. Today (weather permitting) the two will once again meet at home plate. This time it will be as opposing managers during the lineup announecement for the Home Opener at Wrigley Field.

1966 Topps #254 Ferguson Jenkins/Bill Sorrell RC

The Phillies are on a travel day between the opening series’ for the Rangers and Cubs. There are several players that tie the three teams together including Mitch Williams and Jamie Moyer. Today we are going to feature one of their pitching brethren Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins.

1966 Topps #254 Ferguson Jenkins/Bill Sorrell RC

Yes Fergie Jenkins’ rookie card was issued with him wearing Phillies pinstripes. Unfortunately the Philllies traded Fergie to the Chicago Cubs in a deal that returned an end of career Larry Jackson. Jenkins pitched for several clubs, but the two teams that make up the bulk of his Hall of Fame career are the Cubs and Rangers.

Career Highlights include Jenkins’ 1971 Season in which he won the Cy Young Award (backed up by modern WAR numbers that also would have made him NL MVP).  Fergie led the league in Ws twice ('71 & '74), four times he led the league in CGs and K/BB ratio 5 times. For his career he won 284 games vs 226 losses. 

Despite his long and successful career Jenkins never got the opportunity to play in the postseason.

Phun Phact

During Jenkins 1971 Cy Young Award season he HIT 6 home runs.

Fergie Jenkins HoF Index
1970 Topps #240
1984 Topps #456 Cubs Team Leaders 
1984 Topps #706 Active Career Wins Leaders
Phungo HoF Index Page

Sources

baseball-ref

1989 UD #338 Mike Maddux

Five days after the Phillies won the 2008 World Series, the Texas Rangers named Mike Maddux their pitching coach. He has held the position since. The Rangers have posted sub 4.00 ERAs each of the five seasons they have been under Maddux's tutelage. During 2013 the staffs 3.62 ERA and 1309 strike outs were both good enough to rank 4th in the AL.

1989 UD #338 Mike Maddux

Mike Maddux's MLB playing career began with the Phillies in 1986. He spent four years with the local 9 before being released. Maddux hung on for another decade bouncing around with 9 different teams before retiring in in 2000.  His best years were a pair of seasons with the Padres in 1991-92 and he reached the playoffs as a member of the 1995 Red Sox.

Maddux is, of course, the older brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux. As a coach for the Rangers Mike Maddux were #31, the same number the Greg wore while playing for the Cubs and Braves.

1989 Upper Deck
Maddux is one of 29 Phillies players in the inaugural UD release. 2014 marks the 25th anniversary of the historic set. One of the cool features of 89UD was the 2nd photo on the back

1989 UD #338 Mike Maddux (b-side)

This is a fine example of good use of the flip side photo. There is something interesting about the shot, looks to be the bullpen in the old vet. Maddux's hand is close to the camera. The landscape format fits the player nicely.

I don't have a big UD collection but we will try and focus on the set a bit throughout the year. The Phils that are in the set are listed here:

11 Ron Jones

31 Kevin Gross

33 Jeff Calhoun

35 Ricky Jordan RC*

207 Kent Tekulve

219 Steve Jeltz

229 Phil Bradley

240 Lance Parrish

246 Von Hayes

317 Milt Thompson

319 Bruce Ruffin

336 Juan Samuel

338 Mike Maddux

340 Bob Dernier

406 Mike Schmidt

409 Don Carman

427 Shane Rawley

430 Jackie Gutierrez

448 Darren Daulton

511 Steve Bedrosian

513 Chris James

515 David Palmer

532 John Russell

534 Greg Gross

684 Mike Schmidt TC

704 Dickie Thon

720 Tommy Herr

730 Floyd Youmans

741 Jeff Parrett

Sources
Baseball-ref
Texas Rangers
TeamSets4U