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Who Owned Baseball September 8, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB

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(Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)

For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.

Mike Trout had a 5 hit performance, including a pair of homers, driving in 5, as the Angels clobbered the White Sox, 12-3.

Jorge Lopez took a perfect game into the 9th, finishing with 8 plus innings, 1 hit, 1 run and struck out 4 Twins for the 4-1 Kansas City victory.

Anthony Rendon homered, doubled and scored in the key 7th inning rally to help the Nats sweep a double header from the Cubs with a 6-5 final in the night cap. In the first game he also got a hit and drove in a run.

Max Scherzer saved the Nationals bullpen in game 1 of a double header by going 9, striking out 11 Cubs and earning the 10-3 decision.

They all owned baseball on September 8, 2018

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Who Owned Baseball May 18, 2018 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2018 #WOB

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AP

For an explanation of how WOB works, click here.

Jacob deGrom struck out 13 Diamondbacks over 7 strong innings as the Mets came away with the 3-1 victory.

Charlie Morton threw 7 innings, allowing 4 hits and struck out 8 Indians and earned the 4-1 decision for Houston.

Jose Martinez got 4 hits, including a homer, driving in 5 runs to lead the Cardinals 12-4 pounding of Philadelphia.

Wilson Ramos homered twice and singled, driving in 3, as the Rays beat the Angels, 8-3.

They all owned baseball on May 18, 2018

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Who Owned Baseball April 16, 2017 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2017 #WOB Standings

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Katherine Frey/The Washington Post

Bryce Harper got 3 hits, 2 of them homers, the last one was a 2 out, 3 run, come from behind walk off homer in the 9th that gave Washington a thrilling 6-4 win over the Phillies.

Bartolo Colon let up an early solo homer and nothing else as he threw 7 innings of 1 hit, 1 run ball and earned the 9-2 decision for Atlanta over San Diego.

Trey Mancini homered twice and added another hit, driving in 4 as the Orioles clubbed Toronto, 11-4.

Ian Kennedy pitched 8 shutout innings, allowing 2 hits and striking out 10 Angels. He would not get the decision but set up the 1-0 Kansas City walk off win.

They all owned baseball on April 16, 2017 

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Philadelphia Phillies Optimistic About Heading To Spring Training In 2017

By Dan Wanser

Philadelphia held a massive consecutive sellout streak from the time CBP was in its first year until the latter parts of their team starting to decline in 2012.   In 2015, the franchise finished 14th out of 15 clubs at the turnstiles with just 1.8 Million fans.  This was the second straight year of a huge decline.  For those reasons it is okay to slowly build this team up with salary.

Philadelphia held a massive consecutive sellout streak from the time CBP was in its first year until the latter parts of their team starting to decline in 2012. In 2015, the franchise finished 14th out of 15 clubs at the turnstiles with just 1.8 Million fans. This was the second straight year of a huge decline. For those reasons it is okay to slowly build this team up with salary.  Philadelphia even dipped below the $100 MIL barrier in 2016 for payroll, and managed to bump attendance up to 1.95 MIL fans.  With a projected payroll of $104.0 based on recent additions of Clay Buchholz and Howie Kendrick, the club will look to be a little more competitive in 2017, and rise that attendance beyond 2 MIL again.

The Philadelphia Phillies used to be a force to be reckoned with. “The team to beat” started their historic stretch in 2007, ripping off five straight National League East Division titles which included two trips to the World Series and a championship in 2008.

Players like Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard paved the way to the first championship team since 1980, but that all began to spiral out of control when Howard tore his achilles tendon during the final out of the 2011 NLDS.

Since then, the Phillies have not broken the .500 mark and the players that led the parade down Broad Street have moved on to other teams or left the game for good; the 2017 team is not the team of old. Read the rest of this entry

Who Owned Baseball September 22, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

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Photo: Paul J. Bereswill

Asdrubal Cabrera got 3 hits, including a 3 run, come from behind, walk off homer in the bottom of the 11th to give the Mets a dramatic 9-8 win over Philadelphia.

Jeff Samardzija dominated the Padres over 7 shutout innings, striking out 9 to get the 2-1 decision for the Giants.

Carlos Santana reached base 3 times including a homer and 4 RBI to help the Indians inch closer to a division title with a 5-2 final over Kansas City.

Ricky Nolasco threw 7 scoreless innings to throw a wrench in Houston’s playoffs chances and the Angels shut them out 2-0.

They all owned baseball on September 22, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Who Owned Baseball July 27, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

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Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

 

Gerrit Cole pitched the first complete game of his career, allowing just 3 hits, 1 run and striking out 6 Mariners to lead Pittsburgh in a 10-1 laugher.

Freddie Freeman reached base 5 times, homered, drove in 5 and stole a base to highlight the Braves’ 9-7 victory over Minnesota.

Lance McCullers struck out 10 Yankees, allowing 1 run over 6 innings and earned the 4-1 decision for Houston.

Khris Davis went 3 for 4 with a pair of homers as the A’s held off Texas, 6-4.

They All Owned Baseball on July 27, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

In Memoriam Video For all baseball family who have passed since 2015 ASG.

Who Owned Baseball June 27, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

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JOE ROBBINS/GETTY IMAGES

Kris Bryant went 5 for 5 with 3 homers, driving in 6 and scoring 4 to lead the Cubs in a wild 11-8 slugfest in Cincinnati.

Jon Gray struck out 8 Blue Jays over 7 innings, walking none and worked around a pair of homers to get the 9-5 victory for Colorado.

Nick Franklin singled, doubled and homered, driving in 5 runs as the Rays snapped their losing streak, 13-7 over Boston.

Danny Duffy pitched 8 innings, allowing 2 runs, walking none and struck out 8 Cardinals batters to earn the 6-2 decision for the Royals.

They all owned baseball on June 27, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Who Owned Baseball June 26, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

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RICH SCHULTZ/GETTY IMAGES

Tyler Duffey did not allow a hit until the 6th and finished with 8 innings, 2 hits, 8 strikeouts and 1 run as the Twins clobbered the Yankees, 7-1.

Jose Fernandez struck out 13 Cubs and allowed just 4 hits and 1 run to earn the 6-1 decision for the red hot Marlins.

Lonnie Chisenhall collected 9 total bases with his 4 hits, including a homer and 3 RBI as the Indians continued to roll, 9-3, in Detroit.

Freddie Freeman reached base 4 times, including a homer and a pair of runs scored in the Braves 5-2 victory over the Mets.

They all owned baseball on June 26, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Who Owned Baseball June 23, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

 

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ROB FOLDY/GETTY IMAGES

Wei-Yin Chen threw 7 strong innings, walking none, striking out 7 and allowing just 2 runs. He did not factor into the decision but helped the Marlins defeat the Cubs, 4-2.

Kendall Graveman pitched into the 7th, allowing 2 runs and no walks as the A’s held on to top the Angels, 5-4.

Cesar Hernandez reached base 5 times, scoring 3 times to help the Phillies win 703 against Minnesota.

Dustin Pedroia reached base 4 times, drove in 2 and scored another as the Red Sox salvaged the final game of a 4 game set against the White Sox, 8-7 in extra innings.

They all owned baseball on June 23, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Who Owned Baseball June 4, 2016 (Daily #MLB AL/NL Pitcher + Hitter MVP’s) + 2016 #WOB Standings

 

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DAVID BANKS/GETTY IMAGES

Jason Hammel allowed 1 hit and 2 runs over 7 innings of work and drove in the go ahead run himself as the Cubs topped Arizona, 5-3.

Brandon Moss went 3 for 4 with a homer to help the Cardinals come from behind against the Giants, 7-4.

Josh Tomlin pitched into the 7th, finishing with 1 run over 6 1/3 innings as the Indians won against the World Champion Royals and advanced to first place.

Elvis Andrus reached base 3 times, including a homer, 3 RBI and 3 runs scored as the Rangers bested Seattle in an division showdown, 10-4.

They all owned baseball on June 4, 2016.

To view the Yearly Leaders for Who Owned Baseball Standings, plus see who gained 1/2 WOB’s – Click the READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY ICON OR SCROLL DOWN.

Top Ten Things We Learned About the National League On Opening Day 2016

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(Featured Baseball Website blogoffthebench.com) 

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Opening Day has come and gone. Sure the pageantry of Opening Day will still be there for some of the teams that Mother Nature has forced to wait a day, but the day that we circled on the calendar back in November is behind us.  

We’re about to enter the grind of daily baseball contests and there are a lot of things to learn in these first few weeks back in the fold.  Here are the top 10 things I picked up yesterday about the National League landscape while watching all (or parts of all) the games:

  1. Cedric Hunter is a baseball player.  Hunter started yesterday for the Philadelphia Phillies, which by definition makes him one of the top 30 baseball players to have started in left field on Opening Day 2016. Hunter is actually a really good story.  He made the Opening Day roster of the Padres back in 2011, and went 1 for 5 before being sent back down.  In the scuffle of authenticating the ball from his first Major League hit, Hunter lost the ball.  It’s been 5 years and Hunter is still looking for a ball that he hit for a Major League hit. He went 0 for 4 yesterday.
  2. The rebuilding Phillies seem to have a type.  They’ve paired Cedric Hunter in the outfield with Odubel Herrera.Toss in Cesar HernandezFreddy Galvis and Carlos Ruiz and you have 5 of the 8 position players listed at under 6′ tall.  They’re not all burners, but the Phillies seem to be cornering the market on sub-6 foot athletic baseball players.  It’s not a bad strategy, considering these guys could be undervalued by the other organizations.

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Philadelphia Phillies State Of The Union For 2016

The Phillies have not had a winning season since 2011 after putting forth a decade straight of them. A promising second half to the year - coupled with full seasons by Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco could have them inch closer back to achieving that mark in the next few years. The management finally started the rebuild halfway through the year - and the financial flexibility in going forward should really be shaped up in a few more years. Philadelphia has $110 MIL in approximate Team Salary already committed for next year. I would keep the course and build through the Draft. Spending money on any premiere Free Agents is a little premature right now. In addition, the club could really trade away anything not nailed down.

The Phillies have not had a winning season since 2011 after putting forth a decade straight of them. A promising second half to the year – coupled with full seasons by Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco could have them inch closer back to achieving that mark in the next few years. The management finally started the rebuild halfway through the year, have continued it so far this winter – and the financial flexibility in going forward should really be shaped up in a few more seasons.   It may be a tough campaign in 2016 for the win loss column, however the team has a lot of young players to watch and be excited about.

Chuck Booth (Owner/Lead  Analyst) 

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I was lucky enough to watch a record 224 MLB Games live last year – spread across all 30 MLB parks in every day of the campaign last season.

Unfortunately I saw the most home games (33 Games) in Philadelphia with my brother living close by.  There is nothing wrong with Citizens Ball Park, it was the team that was tough to watch.

When you have Jeff Francouer as your #4 hitter for half of the year, there is something wrong with that. I love the guy, and Frenchy had a decent year, it just said a lot about the depth of the Roster in 2015.

At the end of the year Philadelphia’s management started to trade away Veterans from the glory days of the World Series, and you can start to see the healing begin.

The dealing continued with Ken Giles sent to Texas for a bunch of stud arms coming back. Now the Phillies are looking forward to a bunch of young talent coming to the big leagues in the next few seasons.

The old guard is still there with Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz holding down the Starting First Base and Catcher respectively.  Howard is an average offensive threat only now that makes $25 MIL. Read the rest of this entry

The Philadelphia Phillies Prospects + Organizational Depth Charts For All Affiliates – 2014 (MLB + MiLB)

Among Amaro's staff of scouts and underlings, there must be some level of discomfort because no group of baseball men this large who evaluate talent for a living can make that many mistakes on a professional level. Unless, of course, these men are afraid to go against Amaro's will. If that's the case, it will be up to Phillies President and team ownership to hear that the citizens of Philadelphia have already figured out that the emperor has no clothes. It's time for Amaro to go.  It won't happen soon enough, and with Montgomery's latest proclamation, this club will set themselves back for a few more years by not selling off some players in a futile season.

Among Amaro’s staff of scouts and underlings, there must be some level of discomfort because no group of baseball men this large who evaluate talent for a living can make that many mistakes on a professional level. Unless, of course, these men are afraid to go against Amaro’s will. If that’s the case, it will be up to Phillies President and team ownership to hear that the citizens of Philadelphia have already figured out that the emperor has no clothes. It’s time for Amaro to go. It won’t happen soon enough, and with Montgomery’s latest proclamation, this club will set themselves back for a few more years by not selling off some players in a futile season.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): & Jeff Kleiner (Org Depth Chart + Payroll Expert – find his website here)

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TRADE DEADLINE CHAT/Build your system by trading veterans and regroup for 2015.

I have a newsflash for David Montomery (President, part -owner of the Phillies), your fanbase already hates the team right now, and it is not like you won’t spend money on the club in 2015.

The Boston Red Sox were smart enough to realize that 2012 was a lost season.  Instead of riding it out, they made huge changes to the roster.

Deals that led to numerous Free Agent signings in that winter, that helped them win the 2013 World Series..

A lot of the trades they did were based on the team dumping payroll, becoming younger, and also not having lengthy contracts plaguing their franchises for many years to come.

The “Phigtins” are 8.5 Games the NL East leading Braves, and 8 behind the playoff bar, but here is the problem…. Read the rest of this entry

Philadelphia Phillies State Of The Union For 2014

The club was one of the premiere franchises from 2007 - 2011, with 5 straight NL East Titles, 2 World Series Appearances, and taking home the big prize in 2008.  The Phightins have been battling old age, the injury bug, plus the management not knowing whether to pull the plug on the core talent of this squad - or to give it one more go at it.  Charlie Manuel was finally the fall guy last month when he was let go from his managerial duties.  Ryne Sandberg had the team playing better to end the year, but has had issues already with Veteran players.  Will it be enough for the organization to back him beyond this season.  Will the franchise play good enough for another kick at the can in 2014?  .

The club was one of the premiere franchises from 2007 – 2011, with 5 straight NL East Titles, 2 World Series Appearances, and taking home the big prize in 2008. The Phightins have been battling old age, the injury bug, plus the management not knowing whether to pull the plug on the core talent of this squad – or to give it one more go at it. Charlie Manuel was finally the fall guy last year when he was let go from his managerial duties. Ryne Sandberg had the team playing better to end the year, but has had issues already with Veteran players. Will it be enough for the organization to back him beyond this season. Will the franchise play good enough for another kick at the can in 2014? .

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner):

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Last year was the 1st losing campaign for the Fightins in over a decade.  It was a mediocre season to be sure, and followed the 3rd straight year of regression.

Since Ryan Howard went down in a heap of pain during the 2011 playoffs, it has ravaged through the fans perception of the club.

2013 wasn’t going to end nicely, however the aging veteran Chase Utley gave the brass and fanbase a nice exiting thought by inking a 2 YR deal.

Ryan Howard has not recovered to his former status, and now makes $25 MIL year. Read the rest of this entry

The Philadelphia Phillies Payroll In 2014 + Contracts Going Forward

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): & Jeff Kleiner (Org Depth + Payroll Expert – find his website here)

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The Phillies slide down the NL East Standings all started at the end of the 2011 NLCS.  Gruesomely, Ryan Howard pulverized his ankle running down to 1st, and the team has not been right since.

A late charge in 2012 preserved a 81 – 81 record – to extend a decade of .500 or better baseball, however 2013 held a cruel fate of a 73 – 89 final mark.

Injuries to ‘now retired’ Roy Halladay and Howard helped plague the team to its first losing season in 11 years.

Ruben Amaro Jr. and the brass steadfastly approach this season like every other campaign in the last few years, “we will be better in 2014, and still have enough to compete.” Read the rest of this entry

The Philadelphia Phillies Players In All Organizational Affiliates, Prospects + Depth Charts (MLB + MiLB) Fall 2013

The club was one of the premiere franchises from 2007 - 2011, with 5 straight NL East Titles, 2 World Series Appearances, and taking home the big prize in 2008.  The Phightins have been battling old age, the injury bug, plus the management not knowing whether to pull the plug on the core talent of this squad - or to give it one more go at it.  Charlie Manuel was finally the fall guy last month when he was let go from his managerial duties.  Ryne Sandberg has the team playing better.  Will it be enough for the organization to back him beyond this season.  Will the franchise restock for another kick at the can in 2014?  Here is the players they currently possess in the system.

The club was one of the premiere franchises from 2007 – 2011, with 5 straight NL East Titles, 2 World Series Appearances, and taking home the big prize in 2008. The ‘Phightins’ have been battling old age, the injury bug, plus the management not knowing whether to pull the plug on the core talent of this squad – or to give it one more go at it. Charlie Manuel was finally the fall guy last month when he was let go from his managerial duties. Ryne Sandberg has the team playing better. Will it be enough for the organization to back him beyond this season?  Or maybe  the franchise restocks for another kick at the can in 2014? Here is the players they currently possess in the system.

By Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst/Website Owner): and welcome Jeff Kleiner (Salary, Roster and Depth Chart Expert for the MLB) – visit his website  here  

The Phillies have posted winning records since 2001.  While the year may be getting away from them in 2013, there are some extremely encouraging signs for the future.’

Ben Revere was excelling at his position at CF and at the plate before he went down with a season ending injury.

The emergence of Domonic Brown in the 1st half, and 1B/OF Darin Ruf, have given the team a cost conscious alternative to combat huge salaries like Cliff Lee and Ryan Howard, that combine to be over $50 in the next 3 years, the latter, has been injured the most of the last 2 seasons.

You add high priced Veterans like Jimmy Rollins, and $22.5 MIL a year Cole Hamels, and you are talking about a lofty payroll for the next several years.

However, the team also extended franchise face Chase Utley, for 2 YRs/$25 – 30 MIL – that should see him possibly retire a Phillie.

The club has played much better since Ryne Sandberg assumed the helm as manager.

The team also has traded several veterans away in the last few years, to accrue Minor League Talent back in return.  Among the departed have been Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino and Michael Young.

The question going forward is to what this team will do with Roy Halladay and Carlos Ruiz.  Somehow, I think that Ruben Amaro JR, will find a way to re-sign these two guys for a limited years, and possibly incentive laden contracts this coming winter.

Whatever the case, it should be an interesting ride in Philly the next few years.

For a Full 3 year Salary Outlook plus last years Stats for every player in the Phillies Organization click here.

For the 3 Part Historical Series I did on the  Phillies organization, click here.

Chase Utley Highlights

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The Philadelphia Phillies Franchise Part 4 of 4: Team Payroll 2013 And Contracts Forward (Mar.1)

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Friday, Mar.01/2013

Since Roy Halladay missed almost 2 months of baseball in 2012, his 2014 (20 Million Dollar contract will only become exercised if he pitches 225 Innings in 2013) – Otherwise he becomes a Free Agent.

Chuck Booth (Lead Baseball Analyst Website Owner):  

The Phillies are top-heavy for their payroll in 2013.  I talked a lot about this in Part 1 of this series (The Franchise).  What they really need is for Domonic Brown, John Mayberry and  Ben Revere to improve in their role with the club and get as much production as they can out of their superstars.  2013 looks a lot  better than the years after.  Roy Halladay must return to form in 2013.  

I am predicting  the team will win at least 90 games in this year with the Starting Pitching having a bounce back season.  The fans should all come in droves to the park while this club is competitive.  The Phillies will age really fast after 2013, so there will undoubtedly be some rougher times ahead, as Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard all fade into the back half of their careers.

The New York Yankees are facing a similar dilemma.  You might even see a Yanks/Phillies World Series rematch in 2013.  I am sure the Dodgers, Angels, Tigers and Nationals will try to have their say about that as well.  

The smaller market teams might fight for another ring as well.  You are starting to see some distances set forth from the high-priced salaried teams to the lower payroll clubs with both Los Angeles teams and Detroit nearing or going over the Luxury Tax Threshold of 178 Million Dollars in Player Salaries.  

Again, I am thinking that MLB Baseball might have to realign soon-to make the divisions stack up for payroll and geography reasons.  I wrote an article about this some time ago here.  The Phillies have led the MLB in attendance for the last 3 years, so they will be able to keep the payroll at a high mark as long as the baseball revenue is able to match it.  It is the long-term contracts that won’t garner them much value at the end of these deals, that will ultimately set the Franchise back awhile.

Ryan Howard highlights are below.  He must return to his 40 HR self next year otherwise the Phillies will have a tough time competing.

For Part 1 of the Phillies Article Series: The Franchise click here:

For Part 2 of the Phillies Article Series: The Hitters click here:

For Part 3 of the Phillies Article Series: The Pitcher click here

For the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals Franchise 5 Part Series: click here

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