I Want My Baseball With The Fake Signatures

Growing up, I can clearly recall those Sports Illustrated commercials after every major sports championship. Sign up for a year's worth of issues and you would get that cheesy fucking leather bound edition featuring your favorite team and the baseball/football/basketball commemorating their great accomplishment. God, how I wanted to have my own Sports Illustrated issue of the Phillies/Eagles/Sixers/Flyers (yes, I actually cared about basketball and hockey back then). I looked forward to one day having my commemorative Philly sports issue more than the annual masturbatory swimsuit edition. 

Well, tonight is Step 1 towards finally picking up the phone and ordering my very own yearly subscription of SI. In fact, if the Phillies win it all, why stop there? I will buy every fucking crappy T-shirt, pennant, boxed DVD set, mug, program and God knows what else with the phrase "Philadelphia Phillies 2008 World Series Champions" printed on it. My apartment will resemble that of a Nascar fan's pad, i.e. totally classless, and I could absolutely care less. The Phillies just need to win four more. I need to go on a senseless spending spree. I need that fucking baseball with the fake signatures.

The Modern-Day Babe Ruth

I had this exchange with my co-worker this morning after the Phillies stunning come-from-behind win over LA in Game 4 of the NLCS, highlighted by a Matt Stairs (are-you-fucking-kidding-me) two-run blast off closer Jonathan Broxton to put the Phils ahead for good:

Me: "Unreal game. The best part is that in two years Matt Stairs will become a slow-pitch softball legend. He just officially became a member of the Phillies last night."

Co-worker: "I know. He's the modern-day Babe Ruth. If Babe Ruth played today against minorities and superior pitching, he would be Matt Stairs."

The guy has a point. And before you get all defensive about shoving Ruth in the mud, let's get something straight - Matt Stairs is a helleva hitter. His career .266 / 254 / 864 numbers are no joke. Yeah, they pale next to Ruth's numbers but some of the other comparison's are there. Both are heavy-set guys, Stairs listed at 5-9, 210 and Ruth at 6-2, 215 (although his weight was reported to be as high as 260). Both played a number of years before they became full-time regulars (Stairs because he didn't fit the prototypical standard for what a ballplayer should look like, Ruth because he was a pitcher). And finally, both actually TRIED to hit homeruns on a regular basis. Check out this gem of a quote from Matty Stairs after last night's game -

"My whole career, even back in the early days, my approach was try to hit the ball out of the ballpark," said Stairs. "And it's something I enjoyed doing. In batting practice, I try to hit every ball out of the ballpark. I'm not going to lie, it's fun. I try to hit home runs and that's it. I'm not going to hit a single and steal second base. So I think the biggest thing is to get up there, swing hard and elevate."

That's phenomenal. And do you know what? If the Phillies go on to win the World Series, Matt Stairs can look at his ring and know that that he deserved it. It doesn't matter that he only played in 16 regular season games with the Phils. The future slow-pitch softball homerun champion won a pivotal NLCS game that could propel them to greatness.

Philly Wasn’t Built in a Day

While killing time at work by visiting as many sports sites as possible in between meetings yesterday, I stumbled upon an ESPN chat with Baseball America’s prospect guru Jim Callis and couldn’t help but ask a simple question about how this year’s Phillies squad was constructed:

David (Philly): How much credit does Mike Arbuckle get for the Phillies success? Rollins, Howard, Burrell, Utley, Myers, Hamels and even (sadly) Gavin Floyd have all been great picks.

Jim Callis: (2:30 PM ET ) Not as much as he deserves.

Well, now that the Phightins are in the NLCS, it’s time to give Mr. Arbuckle some major props. Arbuckle was named the Phillies Director of Scouting in 1992, so let’s take a look at his first 10 drafts with the Phils (1993-2002) and how they have impacted the 2008 NL East Champs. Players selected in the past six years (2003-2008) have not had the time to be evaluated properly as baseball players often take four or five years just to reach the big leagues, so we will exclude those drafts.

Baseball scouts often say that a successful draft will produce 1 ½ players, or one starter and a role player. Using this metric as a barometer for success, I have separated impact and complimentary players from each of Arbuckle’s first 10 drafts. Guys who only had a cup of coffee in the majors were excluded from my analysis. Each draft was given a grade based on the quality and quantity of major league players selected (round/overall pick are in parenthesis):

1993 MLB Draft Grade: A-
Impact Players
Scott Rolen (2/46)
Complimentary Players
Wayne Gomes (1/4)

Commentary: Not a bad first draft for Arbuckle. A Georgetown basketball recruit, Rolen was a first-round talent whose stock had dropped because of signability issues. Arbuckle rolled the dice that Rolen would forgo a college scholarship to play professional baseball and he went on to become the best third baseman of his generation before back and shoulder injuries derailed a sure-fire Hall of Fame career. Gomes could never harness his power curve to become the dominant closer he was projected to be, but he was effective for a year or two.

1994 MLB Draft Grade: F
Impact Players
NONE
Complimentary Players
Wendell McGee (12/338)

Commentary: Let’s call 1994 a sophomore slump for Arbuckle. First round draft pick Carlton Loewer was a total bust and McGee was the only player selected to receive any real playing time in the bigs. I remember Wendell from when he played for the AA Reading Phillies. He signed some cards for me and was a real nice dude. He could really play centerfield, but no stick and no batting eye is not a recipe for success.

1995 MLB Draft Grade: D
Impact Players
NONE
Complimentary Players
Marlon Anderson (2/42)

Commentary: Anderson was a great role player for the Phils, playing second base and all three outfield positions while coming through with some clutch hits. Still, Anderson alone does not make for a productive draft. First round pick Reggie Taylor looked like Tarzan, played like Jane.

1996 MLB Draft Grade: A
Impact Players
Jimmy Rollins (2/46)
Complimentary Players
Adam Eaton (1/11)

Commentary: J-Roll is the Phils catalyst, clubhouse leader and one helleva ballplayer. Jimmy can hit, hit for power, cover some serious ground at short, throw darts across the diamond and run like someone’s chasing him. You know, just your everyday 5-foot-8, MVP, gold glove shortstop. Once upon a time, Eaton was a filthy pitcher who could spot a 94-mph fastball to compliment an unhittable curve. Obviously, that pitcher is long gone.

1997 MLB Draft Grade: B
Impact Players
J.D. Drew (1/2)
Randy Wolf (2/54)
Complimentary Players
Derrick Turnbow (5/146)
Johnny Estrada (17/506)

Commentary: J.D. Drew was the consensus #1 talent in the draft – and it wasn’t even close. The only 30-30 player in NCAA history, Drew was going to be Mickey-fucking-Mantle. Injuries derailed his career, but he’s still an All-Star caliber player. Remember, it’s Arbuckle’s job to pick um, not sign um. Everyone remembers Wolf’s fan club, but few people seem to remember that he was an All-Star left-handed pitcher who threw too many innings too soon. Larry Bowa compared him to Tom Glavine and the comparisons where not far off before Wolfman ran into some arm injuries. Turnbow’s high-90’s fastball translated into one good year as a closer for the Milwaukee Brewers and Estrada was a key player in the Kevin Millwood acquisition.

1998 MLB Draft Grade: A
Impact Players
Pat Burrell (1/1)
Complimentary Players
Jason Michaels (4/104)
Ryan Madson (9/254)
Geoff Geary (15/434)
Nick Punto (21/614)

Commentary: My unhealthy man-crush for Pat Burrell started when the Phils selected the strapping, 6-foot-4, 225-pound homerun-hitting third baseman from Miami with the first-overall pick of the 1998 Draft. 250-plus homeruns later, Burrell is still a vital cog in the Phillies quest for a World Series championship. Watching him swat two homeruns in the series-clinching win over Milwaukee in Game Four of the NLDS brought pure joy to my heart. Michaels, Burrell’s college drinking buddy, was a decent fourth outfielder and Punto is a solid utility infielder for the Minnesota Twins. Madson’s superb September performance played a key role in the Phillies capturing their second straight division title and Geary was included in the package for Brad Lidge last off-season.

1999 MLB Draft Grade: B-
Impact Players
Brett Myers (1/12)
Complimentary Players
Marlon Byrd (10/306)

Commentary: Myers might just be the key to Philly winning a World Series title in 2008. If he continues to pitch in the post-season like he did against the Brewers in Game 2 of the NLDS, the Phils have a legitimate chance of going all the way. A bulldog on the mound, Myers mixes a 89-94mph fastball with a devastating curveball that ranks among the best in baseball. When he can throw his curve for strikes and effectively mix his four seam fastball and sinker, he is a devastating pitcher. When his location is off…...he can post some of the worst box scores you have ever seen. Byrd’s star in Philadelphia quickly faded but he has experienced a rebirth with the Texas Rangers over the last two seasons.

2000 MLB Draft Grade: A+
Impact Players
Chase Utley (1/15)
Complimentary Players
Taylor Buchholz (6/175)

Commentary: Arbuckle receives an A+ grade for this sole reason - the 2000 MLB Draft was one of the worst in history and the Phillies walked away with by far the best player despite picking 15th overall. Other than #1 overall draft pick Adrian Gonzalez, no other 2000 first round draft selection aside from Utley has ever been named to an All-Star team. Chutley is the best offensive second baseman in either league and his defense has risen from mediocre during his fist season in the bigs to gold-glove worthy. His tough-as-nails attitude and natural leadership skills further enhance his value to the organization and the Phillies wisely locked Utley up to a long-term contract last off-season. Buchholz was the Colorado Rockies best middle reliever this past year and served as the Phillies main prospect in the trade for closer Billy Wagner following the 2003 season.

2001 MLB Draft Grade: A+
Impact Players
Gavin Floyd (1/4)
Ryan Howard (5/140)
Complimentary Players
NONE

Commentary: Howard is the greatest power hitter in the game, winning two home run titles, two RBI titles and an MVP award in his first three full seasons. His second-half surge is one of the main reasons the Phils overcame the Mets in the NL East this year. Howard was supposed to be a high pick following his junior season at Southwest Missouri State, but a dreadful senior campaign had him plummeting in the draft until Arbuckle stopped the free fall in the fifth round. After struggling with his command in the strike zone for four years, Floyd went 17-8 and threw 206 innings this season with the Chicago White Sox, playing a key role in Ozzie Guillen’s squad making the playoffs. Sadly, the Phils traded him for Freddy Garcia, an overweight pitcher whose velocity had dropped from 95mph to 86mph overnight. Blame it on GM Pat Gillick, not Arbuckle.

2002 MLB Draft Grade: B+
Impact Players
Cole Hamels (1/17)
Complimentary Players
NONE

Commentary: Although Hamels is the only player of note selected by the Phillies in 2002, who wouldn’t want to come away with a legitimate #1 left-handed starter in the draft and call it a day? Me neither. Arbuckle gambled that Hamels had fully recovered from a broken left arm that ruined his junior year of high school and it paid off big time, stealing a top-5 talent with the 17th overall pick in the draft. In the future, Cole Hamels will win 1 Cy Young... and 11 Cole Hamels.

Looking back at Arbuckle’s first 10 drafts, he was responsible for selecting the following players who have played pivotal roles in the Phillies quest to win the World Series this season: Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels. In addition, Scott Rolen, J.D. Drew, Randy Wolf, Marlon Byrd, Taylor Buchholz and Gavin Floyd are starring for other teams.

Pat Gillick has expressed that he will retire as Phillies General Manager after this season and his successor has yet to be named. Here’s hoping the Phillies realize that the best man for the job is right under their nose. As GM, I have faith Mike Arbuckle can build a championship-caliber ball club. In fact, he already has.