After watching last night’s pathetic 3-hit performance by the Phillies, I couldn’t help but wonder who’s responsible for half the lineup being triple-A caliber players. Greg Dobbs, Ross Gload, Wilson Valdez. In fairness, this team is dealing with some injuries right now but watching the likes of Dane Sardinia is becoming hard to impossible.

While a decimated farm system may be adding to the Phils’ inability to replace Utley, Polanco and Ruiz, it is the GM of the team that has made the minor league system the bare cupboard it is. He’s also the one responsible for the fact that the best pitcher in the American League is no longer a Phillie. And he’s the one saddling the team with Raul Ibanez’s absurd contract for an octogenarian hitting under .250. He’s the guy responsible for Ryan Howard’s wildly over-market contract and its impact on the team’s impending unwillingness to resign Jayson Werth. Ruben Amaro is responsible for the Phillies’ awful bullpen, choosing to leverage the future of the team on Roy Halladay’s right shoulder while doing nothing to address an aging bullpen that trots out Mike Zagurski in extra innings. So other than the signing of Placido Polanco as a tally in the “good move” column, I ask: what has Amaro done for this team and if he were the GM of the Red Sox or Yankees, is there any way he’d still have a job?

News of Chase Utley’s arrival on the 15-day DL is hardly being received warmly by Phillies fans. To add insult to injury, Placido Polanco will be on the same list as Utley. This means that the Phillies now have 7 players on the DL (Utley, Polanco, Antonio Bastardo, Chad Durbin, J.A. Happ, Ryan Madson and Carlos Ruiz). Making matters worse is the Ruben-Amaro-talent-free-zone (aka the Phils minor league system) which will produce the two replacements for the holes generated by Utley’s and Polanco’s injuries: Greg Dobbs and Brian Bocock (currently hitting .179).

Just about simultaneously, the Boston Red Sox found out they’ll lose their MVP 2nd baseman, Dustin Pedroia, for weeks with a broken foot. Both the Red Sox and Phillies are mired in division battles involving more than 2 teams. And both Utley and Pedroia have won a World Series. So let’s take a moment and see how the Sox’ and Phillies’ heart-and-soul 2nd basemen stack up against each other.

Utley has played 8 Major League seasons to Pedroia’s 5. Utley’s career average is .294 whereas Pedroia’s is .305. Utley’s career OBP is .380 and Pedroia’s is .370 while Utley’s OPS is .898 to Pedroia’s .831. Utley averages 105 RBI per season to Pedroia’s 74 and has almost twice as many home runs as Pedroia, averaging 29 to the diminutive Pedroia’s 16. Both average 110 runs per season. Utley averages 39 doubles to Pedroia’s 49 and Chase averages 15 stolen bases to Dustin’s 16. So with the exception of average and doubles being in Pedroia’s favor and home runs and RBIs in Utley’s, they’re pretty similar hitters in terms of the numbers.

In the field, both are terrific. Utley’s career fielding percentage at 2nd base is .981. As terrific as that is, Pedroia’s is even better at .991. Utley aveages 10.6 errors per season with Pedroia averaging an infinitesimal 4.6 errors each year. And Utley will turn, on average, 73 double plays each year to Pedroia’s 68. So both are superlative in the field as well as at the plate, with Pedroia getting the slight edge statistically on the defensive side.

This season, of course, Robinson Cano of the Yankees is the class of MLB 2nd basemen. He’s hitting .359 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI in 75 games. And his fielding percentage is an unworldy .997. To add to his gaudy numbers, Cano has only committed one error in 2010.

But Cano isn’t injured like Pedroia and Utley are. And while he’s in the thick of a deep divisional race too, Utley and Pedroia are the leaders on their respective teams. Unfortunately for Boston, Pedroia figures to be out significantly longer than Utley will. Either way, the Red Sox and Phillies fates may likely be decided by the way their teams are able to hold down the fort while their leaders are out.

Last night marked the first time a Mets pitcher has allowed 10 runs and 4 homers in a single outing. On the hill for that disgraceful performance was none other than Mets’ ace, Johan Santana. Placido Polanco, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley homered, Jamie Moyer walked and Shane Victorino hit a grand slam off Santana last night. Sure, this is only one game but it was the rubber match of the series between two bitter rivals. 36 total runs were scored in the series and none of the 3 games was decided by less than a 6-run margin.

It’s early in the season but the Phillies ability to open up a collective offensive salvo after losing 9-1 on Friday was the confidence boost this team needed at the plate. The Phils scored 4-more runs in their last two games than they had in their previous 5 games combined. More importantly, they retook control of the N.L. East standings by winning the series against the Mets.

Up next for the Phils is the St. Louis Cardinals who open a 4-game set at the Park tonight. The Phillies will miss Chris Carpenter during the series, having instead to face Jaime Garcia, Adam Wainwright, Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse. They’ll then play two at home against Atlanta and then hit the road for a 3-game set in Denver. Including the Mets series, the Phils will have played 13 consecutive games once this brutal stretch is over. Beating the pants off the Mets was certainly the way to kick it off.

A day after signing a contract that could keep him in Philadelphia until 2017, Ryan Howard can comfortably look around and see only Alex Rodriguez in the same room. That’s because A-Rod is the only player in baseball with a contract that pays him more in terms of guaranteed annual salary, on average. As for Ruben Amaro (a GM who seems to relish big-ticket players), he’ll be able to make the claim that this team is serious about winning and serious about its future. But what is serious is the nature of the questions about this signing.

Anyone reading this can rattle off 10 players who are better than Ryan Howard. That is not to say that Howard is not a terrific player, but he’s not Albert Pujols nor is he Mark Teixeira, A-Rod, Hanley Ramirez or Joe Mauer. Most poignantly, he’s not Chase Utley. So why pay so much money for a big-framed 1st baseman that will be locking you down in 2015 to the tune of $25 million? We’ve seen plenty of cases of players like David Ortiz and Mo Vaughn whose big bodies have aged poorly; assuming that happens to Howard, the Phillies will have an untradeable commodity on their hands in a few years.

Furthermore, a front office that admittedly does not use statistical analysis in its decision making process seems to be living in the past with this one. While Ryan Howard’s average has been on a steady decline over his career, his HR and RBI numbers haven’t. And while it’s hard to argue with Howard’s home run totals, RBI is a number that’s the result of hitting in good position on a good offensive team. So why use them to forecast a huge investment in a guy who fits the model for rapid age-related decline?

I’m not going to sit here and argue that Ryan Howard is not a terrific player. But two things come to mind: the first is the fact that he’s going to make $10 million more money than the best player on this team. How does Utley feel about that and how will he feel after his contract expires in 2013? Secondly, why put yourself in a position to be overpaying a 34, 35-year old power hitter who fits the physical mold for mid-30s decline and fits the contractual mold of an untradeable player if that decline does come to pass?

This contract also portends the definitive end of Jayson Werth’s time in Philly. He’ll be looking for Jason Bay money in the offseason and the Phillies will now certainly not be paying him that.

Look, Ryan Howard is an excellent player whom you don’t want to get rid of. But there are very serious questions about how long he will be able to produce like he has been. And with a guy who doesn’t excel defensively (to be fair, he does deserve credit for becoming much better with the glove), you don’t get much for your $25 million if he stops putting 45 home runs over the fence each year. I’m not saying I don’t think Howard should be on this team or that I don’t love the way he hits but experience should tell Amaro that paying the kind of money he’ll be paying Howard in a few seasons is an incredibly risky proposition.

Looking ahead to the Phillies weekend series against the Marlins, I asked myself whether this team would be good enough to win a series (at home) against a real Major League team. Three games and two losses later the answer is a resounding no. Their stud #2, Cole Hamels, showed yet again that he can’t beat a quality team. While the offense looks great against teams like the Astros, Nate Robertson and Ricky Nolasco held the Phils’ bats to 1 run in 2 games. Hell, even in the Friday night win the bullpen did everything it could (but failed, of course) to lose a seemingly insurmountable lead.

This team is a shell of its former self. People in this town like to walk around and pretend their team is a contender. Still drunk off the intoxications of the past two seasons, fans overlook how awful this team really is. Reality check, folks: it’s been six months since this team played in the World Series. And a year and a half since they’ve won one. I don’t know about you but I’m not going to sit around and look at this team with good-ol’-days glasses on and I’m sure as shit not going to trick myself into thinking this playoff pretender of a team has a real shot at it this year.

With no young talent to speak of, the Phillies front office has dug itself into a hole by trading away 200 prospects for one spot in the rotation. And they’re trying to make up for it by marching out dinosaurs like Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the hopes that fans will keep coming to the park out of some kind of nostalgia. No thank you.

Sure, they’ve won twice as many games as they’ve lost. And sure, they have MLB’s best run differential at +29. But I’m not going to take the bait just because they’re first in the NL in batting average, runs scored, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and ERA. Yeah, that sounds nice, but they’ve only stolen 3 bases all year. Frauds.

So to all you Kool Aid drinkers, enjoy. You can keep riding high off of old glories on the baseball field but some of us refuse to live in the past. We’re now TWO SEASONS removed from a title. And with 2 consecutive losses under their belts, the Phillies are showing what a house of cards really looks like. I’ve had it with these bums.

Jayson Stark at espn.com has a good piece today about baseball players with winning mentalities. He focuses on three guys: Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Chase Utley. Stark writes at length about Utley’s intensity and his correct approach to the game. For good measure, Charlie Manuel weighs in on the topic of Utley’s play. Not sure what else to say about the article, so read it yourself.

If you’re like Ruben Amaro and you’re more interested in players in the farm system than the Major League club, then today’s your day. “Can’t Miss” prospect, Domonic Brown, has hit 2 dingers in today’s spring training game against the Detroit Tigers, one of them coming off Detroit ace Justin Verlander.

This should excite you to no end. When the Phillies part ways with Jayson Werth at the end of the season, there’ll be plenty of room in right field for D. Brown. What you’re seeing today is the future of this team’s outfield. And it looks pretty bright.

Not only does Brown’s promise please the fans, it pleases Ruben Amaro. If Brown does in fact make the 2011 big league roster, Amaro will find himself in his favorite position: able to claim that the farm system needs restocking. He can then justify trading one of his more expensive contracts like Chase Utley or Cole Hamels for 4 or 5 minor league catchers.

Game 1 starters have been announced for one of the most anticipated games in recent memory. Roy Halladay will take the mound tomorrow in Clearwater as the Phillies try to redeem themselves against C.C. Sabathia and the New York Yankees. This will be the first of 5 spring training games played between the two teams that fought for the World Series title last winter.

Look for Halladay to throw around 45 pitches in tomorrow’s game. Phils’ pitching coach, Rich Dubee, says he’ll be happy if his pitchers “pound the strike zone, work on tempo and find a fluid delivery.” It’s also being reported that Kyle Kendrick and Andrew Carpenter will pitch in tomorrow’s game.

C.C. Sabathia doesn’t seem too concerned about tomorrow’s start. As for the matchup with Halladay, Sabathia said “I’ll be in the dugout eating seeds and goofing off.” And is he worried about Chase Utley taking him deep tomorrow? “Come on” Sabathia said with a laugh, “it’s spring training.” Apparently Sabathia has no respect for the importance this game will have for callers to WIP. His ignorance of that is indicative of the reason we never wanted him here anyway.

Much is being made of the fact that Jayson Werth is in the last year of his contract with the Phillies. Werth is due $7.5 million this year, which will make him the 7th-highest player on a team that has a $138 million payroll for the 2010 season. Ruben Amaro has made a lot of noise about the fact that this team is not the New York Yankees, presumably meaning that the Phillies cannot afford to have more than 4 or 5 players making more than $15 million per season. How this relates to their ability to resign Werth is unclear at this point, so let’s take a look at some of the Phillies’ payroll commitments for the near future.

In the short term, the six Phillies who will make more money than Werth this season are Ryan Howard ($19 million), Roy Halladay ($15.75), Chase Utley ($15.29), Raul Ibanez ($12.17), Brad Lidge ($12) and Jimmy Rollins ($8.5). All six of these players are under contract for the 2011 season and only two of them, Howard and Halladay, are due raises in ’11 ($1 million and $4.25, respectively). This means that the Phillies are committed for about $88 million in 2011 for their top players and $133 million altogether.

Going a step further, Raul Ibanez’s advanced age and free agent status makes him a certain subtraction from the Phils’ payroll in 2012. Brad Lidge (who knows what he’ll be like in 2 years) is only due $1.5 million in 2012. Utley and Halladay are both under contract through the 2013 season so Jimmy Rollins will have to be renegotiated (2012 is the last year of his deal). With the bulk of the Phillies minor league talent existing in the form of outfielders, the need for Werth’s services past the 2011 season are questionable, which may make parting ways with him palatable for Amaro and the organization. But that all boils down to how much money Werth can expect from suitors in the free agency market.

Obviously, Ruben Amaro is better in touch with the mechanics of free agency than we are, so let’s just do a cursory look at what Werth, a career .265 hitter, can expect in the form of a raise. Statistically, Werth is coming off his most impressive season. He hit 50% more home runs in 2009 than in his next-most productive season (24 in 2008). He’s never tallied more than 100 RBI (max was 99 last season) and he’s never had an OPS better than .879. His career strikeout-to-walk ratio isn’t good (just about 1 BB for every 2 Ks) and while Werth does have good range in right field, his speed hasn’t translated that well to his stolen base totals: his best seasons were ’08 and ’09 where he stole 20 bases each season. For his career, he steals a base about once in every nine games he plays.

Let’s take Jason Bay’s signing by the Mets as a comparison. Bay’s contract will pay him $54.5 million over the next 4 years, plus a $17 million club option for 2014, meaning he’ll average about $13.63 million in his guaranteed years with the Mets. Considering Werth is making $7.5 million, should he expect a $6 million raise on par with a guy like Bay?

Like Werth, Bay has played 7 Major League seasons. His career average is .280. He hit the same number of home runs as Werth this past season (let’s consider Fenway Park and Citizens Bank Park to be washes in terms of their favorability to power hitters–two of the smallest lots in baseball). Bay has hit twice as many home runs in his career than Werth (185-93). Bay has tallied more than 100 RBI in 4 of his 7 seasons (119 in 2009) and has a career OPS of .896 which is better than Werth’s best single-season OPS. Bay’s SO-BB ratio is about 6% better than Werth’s. While Bay has a career best of 21 stolen bases (exceeding Werth’s best season), that was in 2005 and he only steals a base every 14 games.

We know the Mets are a relatively free-spending team when it comes to free agency. Considering they are spending less than $15 on Jason Bay (who has had a markedly better offensive career than Werth), can we really project that Werth will be able to command a contract that pays him in excess of $15 million per season? And assuming we can’t, how should we take Amaro’s argument that a likely parting with Werth will happen because the Phillies don’t want to overspend, on par with a team like the Yankees?

Jayson Werth is a very good outfielder who is coming off his best season. But it seems unlikely to me that Werth will command the kind of money that will prevent the Phillies from making him a competitive offer in free agency. So if the magic number is $140 million for 2011 and the Phillies are already committed to $133 million (with all the other top players under contract), it will be interesting to see how far over $140 Amaro will be willing to go to resign Werth.

Let me start by noting the obvious: the following discussion is trivial, premature and theoretical. If for no other simple reason that we still haven’t seen Game 6 of the World Series played yet, there’s no way to really say who the MVP of the Series is. But for the sake of illustrating just how great Chase Utley has been so far, let’s entertain the notion that he’s been the the most valuable (read: greatest impact on the Series of any player) participant in this year’s Series.

The Phillies’ second baseman has an OPS of 1.651. That is unheard of. He’s accumulated 22 total bases and his slugging percentage is 1.222. Through 5 games, these numbers are stratospheric. He’s reached base 43% of the time he’s been at the plate. And, as everyone knows by now, he’s tied Reggie Jackson’s mark of 5 home runs in a World Series. Most importantly, Utley’s produced 8 runs with his bat.

Who else has had an impact so significant? Well, Johnny Damon has been the definition of a professional hitter, having drawn-out at-bats in late inning situations. But Damon’s clutch hitting hasn’t resulted in the raw production Utley’s has. Damon’s OPS is .911, not anywhere close to Utley’s. His OBP is fantastic (.435, .006 better than Utley’s) but he’s only driven in 4 runs and has hit no homers.

Alex Rodriguez has also come alive in the past few games. But like Damon’s OPS, his is well under 1.000. To his credit, A-Rod has made himself into a intimidating figure at the plate and while the Phillies may be wise to simply put him on base every time he’s up, his numbers don’t shine as brightly as Utley’s. He has fewer RBI (6), less than half the total bases Utley has (10) and has an OBP .65 less than Utley.

Jayson Werth has (relatively) quietly put up number better than both Damon’s and A-Rod’s. He’s hit for 11 total bases, a .400 OBP and a 1.047 OPS. The only other reasonable contestant is Derek Jeter but his numbers are comparable to or worse than both his aforementioned Yankees teammates.

I don’t think a starting pitcher can be mentioned in this discussion if for no other reason the fact that they impact fewer than half the games. Unless a pitcher is single-handedly responsible for multiple wins, he shouldn’t be in the discussion, a big part of the reason I’m leaving Cliff Lee out of the conversation. For as great as he was in Game 1, last night’s performance should be best described as solid. None of the Yankees’ pitchers’ starts can be characterized as superlative, and while Mariano Rivera scares the pants off everyone, he’s only pitched 3 and 2/3 innings. I’m sorry but that just isn’t good enough when compared against a guy like Utley who’s played in 40 innings.

Chase Utley’s performance in this World Series is the only reason it’s still going on. If the Phillies find a way to get it to a Game 7 and Utley delivers a clutch hit, win or lose his performance in this year’s Fall Classic will be remembered as one of the great efforts of all time.