Post by tadontask on Jul 18, 2018 13:29:29 GMT -5
The Phillies are undergoing on off-season like few others in the history of their franchise. At the start of the 1981 season, they had seven players scheduled to be free agents at season's end, and decided to only re-sign two of them, Jose Cruz Sr and Jim Bethke. That means the Phillies will be saying goodbye to five of their own.
Fred Klages was a second round draft pick of San Francisco in 1962 and came to the Phillies along with Jim Bethke and Rusty Staub from the Mets in exchange for Dick Hughes. After three average seasons with the Phillies upon being called up, he broke through in 1972 with 17 wins and a 2.89 ERA over 302.1 innings. His ERA would never again finish above 3.28, and he's actually been getting better of late, with a 68-37 record and a 2.49 ERA over the past four seasons. Career highlights include making the 1972 All-Star team, striking out 15 Cardinals in a game and pitching a no-hitter against the Braves just this past season. He also started one postseason game for Philadelphia, giving up only three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in a complete game, but lost 1-0. Additionally, Klages was a two-time Pitcher of the Week and Pitcher of the Month winner. He finished his Philadelphia career with a 195-153 record and 3.02 ERA. "We would have loved to bring him back, but we have a group of young starters who are really hungry for a chance, deserving of a chance, and we didn't feel we could offer Fred the salary he deserved" said a front office spokesman. Klages is currently a free agent with interest from multiple teams and will continue pitching elsewhere.
Also leaving the Phillies is outfielder Nate Colbert, a powerful bat with an incredibly strong right-field arm. He was the 13th overall pick of Philadelphia in 1964 and debuted in 1968. He made four All-Star teams, hit 30 homeruns twice, and reached 100 RBIs in three seasons, leading the league in 1973 with 108. While not known for his speed, he also led the league in 1975 with 13 triples, reaching that total during a season in which he had no stolen bases. (IRL Note: The only player I could find with more triples and 0 steals in a season is Johnny Mize in 1938 with 16 (led the league as well), and again in 1939 with 14. Dale Long also had 13 triples and 0 steals in 1955. Technically, other players come up in the search, but they all played in the 1880s where steals weren't tracked.) Other accolades include five Player of the Week Awards, Batter of the Month for May 1973 and two Gold Gloves, in 1972 and 1976. The past two seasons Colbert became a platoon player, as the Phillies attempted to get Chet Lemon and Len Matuszek acclimated into the Majors. Like Klages, who finished just five wins short of the 200 milestone, Colbert will leave Philadelphia four homeruns shy of 300. He also leaves with 1,133 RBIs and a .759 OPS.
The other long-time position player Philadelphia is losing this offseason is Ron Cey, the 6th overall pick in the 1968 draft. He made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1972, but only had part-time at-bats in the four seasons after that before breaking out and becoming a starter in 1977. He was a three time Player of the Week winner and is known for his ability to draw walks. His career OBP is 90 points higher than his batting average. While Philadelphia liked his patience and veteran leadership at third, his OPS has declined for four straight seasons and the Phillies believe that by shifting Mike Schmidt to third base and plugging either Len Matuszek or Lloyd McClendon at first, they can be just as strong next season. Like Klages and Colbert before him, Cey plans to continue playing and is on the free agent market.
Every team needs a utility guy, and for fourteen seasons that guy in Philadelphia was Bobby Floyd. Capable of playing three infield positions and the outfield, Floyd was a 6th round pick of Philadelphia in 1964. He made his debut in 1968, and recorded his first hit the following season of off Ferguson Jenkins. While he twice played in 153+ games, he was mostly known for his defensive replacement work and batting eye. For eleven seasons in a row, he had more walks than strikeouts, despite not getting regular at-bats. Philadelphia was thrilled to re-sign Floyd last season, coming off a very strong .285/.391/.793 season in 144 at-bats, but his performance crashed in 1981, hitting only .181/.244/.205, and OPS drop of almost 350 points. He finishes with 41 homeruns, 386 RBIs and 172 more walks than strikeouts. Floyd is likely to retire, but will be reincarnated in this game in a few years under the alias Luis Sojo.
Finally, the last player the Phillies are losing from their 1981 season is closer Jim Roland. He was a free agent signing after the 1977 season, and after a season of setting up Tom Dukes, was promoted to closer a couple of months into 1979. His best season with Philadelphia came the following year, in 1980, when he made the All-Star team and finished with 37 saves and a 3.00 ERA, being named a finalist for NL Reliever of the Year. His 1981 season got off to a rough start, and by the second half of the season was demoted from closing in favor of Steve Bedrosian, who now takes over full-time.
These five players have been with the Phillies for a total of fifty-five seasons, so next year's clubhouse will feel like it's missing something. Nonetheless, the Phillies are optimistic that they can remain competitive. Roland and Floyd didn't contribute much to the 1981 season, and Colbert was only a part-time player. They feel Cey can be replaced easily and at a much lower cost. The biggest lost is Klages, and they Phillies fared just fine during the 6 weeks he missed with a torn bicep. Their starting pitching depth is very strong, and Klages will be replaced by a combination of Mike Norris and top pitching prospect Ed Lynch.
Fred Klages was a second round draft pick of San Francisco in 1962 and came to the Phillies along with Jim Bethke and Rusty Staub from the Mets in exchange for Dick Hughes. After three average seasons with the Phillies upon being called up, he broke through in 1972 with 17 wins and a 2.89 ERA over 302.1 innings. His ERA would never again finish above 3.28, and he's actually been getting better of late, with a 68-37 record and a 2.49 ERA over the past four seasons. Career highlights include making the 1972 All-Star team, striking out 15 Cardinals in a game and pitching a no-hitter against the Braves just this past season. He also started one postseason game for Philadelphia, giving up only three hits with no walks and eight strikeouts in a complete game, but lost 1-0. Additionally, Klages was a two-time Pitcher of the Week and Pitcher of the Month winner. He finished his Philadelphia career with a 195-153 record and 3.02 ERA. "We would have loved to bring him back, but we have a group of young starters who are really hungry for a chance, deserving of a chance, and we didn't feel we could offer Fred the salary he deserved" said a front office spokesman. Klages is currently a free agent with interest from multiple teams and will continue pitching elsewhere.
Also leaving the Phillies is outfielder Nate Colbert, a powerful bat with an incredibly strong right-field arm. He was the 13th overall pick of Philadelphia in 1964 and debuted in 1968. He made four All-Star teams, hit 30 homeruns twice, and reached 100 RBIs in three seasons, leading the league in 1973 with 108. While not known for his speed, he also led the league in 1975 with 13 triples, reaching that total during a season in which he had no stolen bases. (IRL Note: The only player I could find with more triples and 0 steals in a season is Johnny Mize in 1938 with 16 (led the league as well), and again in 1939 with 14. Dale Long also had 13 triples and 0 steals in 1955. Technically, other players come up in the search, but they all played in the 1880s where steals weren't tracked.) Other accolades include five Player of the Week Awards, Batter of the Month for May 1973 and two Gold Gloves, in 1972 and 1976. The past two seasons Colbert became a platoon player, as the Phillies attempted to get Chet Lemon and Len Matuszek acclimated into the Majors. Like Klages, who finished just five wins short of the 200 milestone, Colbert will leave Philadelphia four homeruns shy of 300. He also leaves with 1,133 RBIs and a .759 OPS.
The other long-time position player Philadelphia is losing this offseason is Ron Cey, the 6th overall pick in the 1968 draft. He made his MLB debut with the Phillies in 1972, but only had part-time at-bats in the four seasons after that before breaking out and becoming a starter in 1977. He was a three time Player of the Week winner and is known for his ability to draw walks. His career OBP is 90 points higher than his batting average. While Philadelphia liked his patience and veteran leadership at third, his OPS has declined for four straight seasons and the Phillies believe that by shifting Mike Schmidt to third base and plugging either Len Matuszek or Lloyd McClendon at first, they can be just as strong next season. Like Klages and Colbert before him, Cey plans to continue playing and is on the free agent market.
Every team needs a utility guy, and for fourteen seasons that guy in Philadelphia was Bobby Floyd. Capable of playing three infield positions and the outfield, Floyd was a 6th round pick of Philadelphia in 1964. He made his debut in 1968, and recorded his first hit the following season of off Ferguson Jenkins. While he twice played in 153+ games, he was mostly known for his defensive replacement work and batting eye. For eleven seasons in a row, he had more walks than strikeouts, despite not getting regular at-bats. Philadelphia was thrilled to re-sign Floyd last season, coming off a very strong .285/.391/.793 season in 144 at-bats, but his performance crashed in 1981, hitting only .181/.244/.205, and OPS drop of almost 350 points. He finishes with 41 homeruns, 386 RBIs and 172 more walks than strikeouts. Floyd is likely to retire, but will be reincarnated in this game in a few years under the alias Luis Sojo.
Finally, the last player the Phillies are losing from their 1981 season is closer Jim Roland. He was a free agent signing after the 1977 season, and after a season of setting up Tom Dukes, was promoted to closer a couple of months into 1979. His best season with Philadelphia came the following year, in 1980, when he made the All-Star team and finished with 37 saves and a 3.00 ERA, being named a finalist for NL Reliever of the Year. His 1981 season got off to a rough start, and by the second half of the season was demoted from closing in favor of Steve Bedrosian, who now takes over full-time.
These five players have been with the Phillies for a total of fifty-five seasons, so next year's clubhouse will feel like it's missing something. Nonetheless, the Phillies are optimistic that they can remain competitive. Roland and Floyd didn't contribute much to the 1981 season, and Colbert was only a part-time player. They feel Cey can be replaced easily and at a much lower cost. The biggest lost is Klages, and they Phillies fared just fine during the 6 weeks he missed with a torn bicep. Their starting pitching depth is very strong, and Klages will be replaced by a combination of Mike Norris and top pitching prospect Ed Lynch.
