Philadelphia Phillies Historic 2008 Regular Season (Part 1)
Dec 26, 2023 8:18:10 GMT -5
Spencer likes this
Post by Bish on Dec 26, 2023 8:18:10 GMT -5
Philadelphia Phillies Historic 2008 Regular Season
There have been many great teams throughout the years…many. I actually think Spencer said it best which was…
There have been many impressive seasons by many different teams.
I don't know how to quantify the best
I do know no season was better than this Phillies team. Maybe as good. But no way definitively better.
Appreciate it. Either way, this was literally a historic season. Let’s break down the numbers during the regular season. This will break into two parts with the offense and then the pitching/fielding. Here we go!
Team Hitting
Batting AVG: .268 (10th)
Home Runs: 196 (2nd)
Walks: 581 (5th)
Stolen Bases: 248 (4th)
Runs Scored: 928 (5th)
Let’s break down each batter and how they did respectively…
Batters
Catcher: Carlos Ruiz
Verdict: Ruiz is truly one of the best catchers in baseball. He calls a great game, and then he has a fantastic bat on top of it. Ruiz only played 119 games this year due to some injuries. His OPS was .858 which is actually down from the prior 2 seasons. Still…he had 54 extra base hits. Excellent backstop, but didn’t have as great a year.
Grade: B+
1st Base: Will Cordero
Verdict: Will Cordero was pretty much our 8th or 9th hitter throughout the year. He’s a decent bat who doesn’t really provide much defense. He hit 38 doubles, but doesn’t really provide too much. Probably our worst player that gets significant time.
Grade: D+
2nd Base: Chase Utley
Verdict: Mr. Utley really rebounded from an awful season a year ago. He had 37 doubles, 6 triples, and 28 dingers. He also stole 56 bases, and provided stellar defense as usual. His .859 OPS is his current best with us.
Grade: A
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Verdict: Hardy was our #2 hitter throughout the season, but he really didn’t live up to expectations from his MVP season a year ago. He still had a very nice season, but I definitely expected more from him. Either way, he was still well-rounded like Chooch was, and provided immense leadership. We are fortunate to have him on the team. He accumulated 67 extra base hits. He got on base at a .372 clip. Played good defense, etc.
Grade:B+
3rd Base: Scott Rolen
Verdict: Mr. Rolen got off to his typical slow start, but rebounded nicely after the all star break. He accumulated 57 extra base hits. He got on base at a .351 clip. His OPS just hit .800. He also plays strong defense as well. Underrated guy.
Grade: B
Left Field: Matt Kemp
Verdict: Kemp was our leadoff hitter from the jump. Now, he did get off to a really slow start, but in the 2nd half, he performed like a true MVP candidate. He accumulated 82 extra base hits! He accomplished a 30/30 season. He stole over 50 bags. He knocked in over 100 runs from the leadoff spot which many do not do. He also scored 120 runs. Kemp was our catalyst. His .904 OPS is a career high. Absolute stud who is now starting to play even better defense!
Grade: A
Center Field: Hideki Matsui
Verdict: Matsui is a stud. We are thankful his contract made him cheaper to acquire because this guy is a run producing machine. He had 77 extra base hits. He drove in 96. He scored 112 times. He even walked 100 times which only two other players can say. His OPS of .922 was our highest on the squad. He also plays ELITE defense. We love him.
Grade: A
Right Field: Curtis Granderson
Verdict: Granderson still isn’t performing to a high level, but we hope the recent bump to hits should do the trick. Even still…he still accumulated 68 extra base hits on top of the 51 stolen bases. He also drove in over 100 while scoring 95 times. He has the potential to be a true 5-tool player, but all eyes will be on his contract extension talks next season.
Grade: B-
DH: Brad Hawpe/Larry Walker
Verdict: Hawpe simply is a much better backup which is why the legend Larry Walker was acquired. Unfortunately, Walker only played about 15 or so games with us since he got injured right off the jump, and frankly he wasn’t very good. Need him to be better come playoff time. This was not a good year for us at this particular position.
Grade: F
Overall Hitting Grade: A-
Verdict: The bats were extremely good this season. This was by and large our best hitting season since I’ve been here. Talent throughout the lineup. A good mix of power, patience, and speed. Great balance, and pretty much everyone is coming back. Looking forward to seeing if these guys can get to an even higher level!
There have been many great teams throughout the years…many. I actually think Spencer said it best which was…
I don't know how to quantify the best
I do know no season was better than this Phillies team. Maybe as good. But no way definitively better.
Appreciate it. Either way, this was literally a historic season. Let’s break down the numbers during the regular season. This will break into two parts with the offense and then the pitching/fielding. Here we go!
Team Hitting
Batting AVG: .268 (10th)
Home Runs: 196 (2nd)
Walks: 581 (5th)
Stolen Bases: 248 (4th)
Runs Scored: 928 (5th)
Let’s break down each batter and how they did respectively…
Batters
Catcher: Carlos Ruiz
Verdict: Ruiz is truly one of the best catchers in baseball. He calls a great game, and then he has a fantastic bat on top of it. Ruiz only played 119 games this year due to some injuries. His OPS was .858 which is actually down from the prior 2 seasons. Still…he had 54 extra base hits. Excellent backstop, but didn’t have as great a year.
Grade: B+
1st Base: Will Cordero
Verdict: Will Cordero was pretty much our 8th or 9th hitter throughout the year. He’s a decent bat who doesn’t really provide much defense. He hit 38 doubles, but doesn’t really provide too much. Probably our worst player that gets significant time.
Grade: D+
2nd Base: Chase Utley
Verdict: Mr. Utley really rebounded from an awful season a year ago. He had 37 doubles, 6 triples, and 28 dingers. He also stole 56 bases, and provided stellar defense as usual. His .859 OPS is his current best with us.
Grade: A
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy
Verdict: Hardy was our #2 hitter throughout the season, but he really didn’t live up to expectations from his MVP season a year ago. He still had a very nice season, but I definitely expected more from him. Either way, he was still well-rounded like Chooch was, and provided immense leadership. We are fortunate to have him on the team. He accumulated 67 extra base hits. He got on base at a .372 clip. Played good defense, etc.
Grade:B+
3rd Base: Scott Rolen
Verdict: Mr. Rolen got off to his typical slow start, but rebounded nicely after the all star break. He accumulated 57 extra base hits. He got on base at a .351 clip. His OPS just hit .800. He also plays strong defense as well. Underrated guy.
Grade: B
Left Field: Matt Kemp
Verdict: Kemp was our leadoff hitter from the jump. Now, he did get off to a really slow start, but in the 2nd half, he performed like a true MVP candidate. He accumulated 82 extra base hits! He accomplished a 30/30 season. He stole over 50 bags. He knocked in over 100 runs from the leadoff spot which many do not do. He also scored 120 runs. Kemp was our catalyst. His .904 OPS is a career high. Absolute stud who is now starting to play even better defense!
Grade: A
Center Field: Hideki Matsui
Verdict: Matsui is a stud. We are thankful his contract made him cheaper to acquire because this guy is a run producing machine. He had 77 extra base hits. He drove in 96. He scored 112 times. He even walked 100 times which only two other players can say. His OPS of .922 was our highest on the squad. He also plays ELITE defense. We love him.
Grade: A
Right Field: Curtis Granderson
Verdict: Granderson still isn’t performing to a high level, but we hope the recent bump to hits should do the trick. Even still…he still accumulated 68 extra base hits on top of the 51 stolen bases. He also drove in over 100 while scoring 95 times. He has the potential to be a true 5-tool player, but all eyes will be on his contract extension talks next season.
Grade: B-
DH: Brad Hawpe/Larry Walker
Verdict: Hawpe simply is a much better backup which is why the legend Larry Walker was acquired. Unfortunately, Walker only played about 15 or so games with us since he got injured right off the jump, and frankly he wasn’t very good. Need him to be better come playoff time. This was not a good year for us at this particular position.
Grade: F
Overall Hitting Grade: A-
Verdict: The bats were extremely good this season. This was by and large our best hitting season since I’ve been here. Talent throughout the lineup. A good mix of power, patience, and speed. Great balance, and pretty much everyone is coming back. Looking forward to seeing if these guys can get to an even higher level!
