Phillies set to sign IF Juan Castro

The Phillies are set to sign their first free agent of the offseason: utility infielder Juan Castro! Wait, that doesn't get you excited? What's not to like about a 15 year MLB veteran who has a career .230 batting average?

Word has come out today that the Phillies and Castro have agreed to a one year contract pending a physical. Castro, who will turn 38 next June, will take over the Eric Bruntlett role on the team and fill in at second base and short stop whenever needed. While how much of an upgrade over Bruntlett he is is debatable as Castro does have plenty of experience as a utility player in his long career bouncing between the Dodgers, Reds, Twins and Orioles organizations but has rarely been a starting infielder. Castro did most recently spent 2009 with the Dodgers and hit pretty well, batting .277 with 1 homer in only 112 at bats but those numbers are higher than should be expected.

It's hard to drum up much excitement over this signing by the Phillies. Castro can't swing the stick and has no real speed. Really, he is nothing more than a marginal major league player at this point in his career, one who will basically be a minor upgrade over Eric Bruntlett. It will be the same story with Castro as it was with Bruntlett: the less we see of him the better off the Phillies will be.

Phillies news: five new free agents and the ROTY

Those guys over at Fire Eric Bruntlett will be happy about this one: the Phillies have non-tendered former World Series hero Eric Bruntlett, officially making him a free agent. Bruntlett, who can't hit a lick, will have to take his position versatility elsewhere if he hopes to continue his major league career. Bruntlett will forever be remembered for scoring a few big runs in the 2008 World Series and his unassisted triple play this season. For a guy who was basically useless, Bruntlett actually had quite the highlight reel. He was kinda like Forrest Gump in that he was always in the right place at the right time.

The Phillies also granted free agency to four other players: pitchers Tyler Walker and John Ennis, catcher Paul Hoover and infielder Andy Tracy. Walker had the biggest contribution of this group in 2009 but is just an expendable bullpen piece. Hoover's lone claim to fame with the Phillies was his walk-off hit in the final regular season game of the season.

In other news, the National League Rookie of the Year award was given today to Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan. Coghlan narrowly beat out Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ for the award, winning by a score of 105-94. Happ was a solid contender and likely would have taken home the award had he not been shuttled between the rotation and the bullpen at various parts of the season.

Bruntlett caps career day with triple play

(AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)

The guys over at Fire Eric Bruntlett can't like this. Bruntlett, who sports an ugly batting average and an equally ugly beard, entered today's game as a goat to many Phillies fans. Many wondered how he could possibly have a job on any major league team, let alone a team with championship aspirations. Well, at least for one day, Bruntlett silenced his critics with the game of his life in the Phillies 9-7 win over the Mets.

With Chase Utley needing some rest, Bruntlett got a rare start at second base against the Mets. Bruntlett then proceeded to have a great day at the plate, going 3 for 5 with 3 singles and narrowly missing a 4th hit in the 9th when Jeff Francouer made a diving catch that umpires initially ruled a hit and then overturned it. With the big game at the plate, Bruntlett's average "soared" to .154 on the season, the highest it's been since mid-June.

Bruntlett's day didn't end there, however, he had an even bigger impact on the field. In the 9th inning, with Brad Lidge going for the save, Bruntlett nearly single-handedly blew the game, botching a pair of grounders that allowed to Mets to get on base. He was only officially given an error on the first play, but a good fielder, like Chase Utley, would have made the second play as well. So, with two runners on base, no outs, and the Phillies clinging to a two run lead, Jeff Francouer stepped to the plate for the Mets and ripped a hit up the middle as both runners took off on a hit-and-run attempt. Bruntlett, clearly upset that Francouer had robbed him of a hit earlier, snagged the ball and then proceeded to end the inning by tagging second base and tagging the runner trying to steal second to win the game for the Phillies with an unassisted triple play.

Here is the video, via @jimmacmillan and Phillies Nation:


Bruntlett's unassisted triple play was the first to end a game since 1927 and the first for the Phillies since Mickey Morandini had one in 1992. While there is an extreme amount of luck that goes into a play like that, it was the perfect cap to an up-and-down game by Bruntlett that might go down as his best game ever.

Many Phillies fans want to get rid of Eric Bruntlett, and while I can't blame them at times, it's games like these that prove he belongs. No, his batting average is never going to look pretty, but he still has value for the team because he can fill in at multiple positions at any time. If he was given more consistent at-bats, you can bet his average would be at least 50 points higher, so couple that with the ability to play all over the field and you have a serviceable major league player. No, he isn't great or even above average, but Eric Bruntlett deserves his spot on the Phillies roster. At least until he screws up again.

What a win for your FIRST PLACE Phillies!

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The Phillies won a wild one late Tuesday night, overcoming a 7 run deficit in one of the greatest games in recent memory, an 8-7 victory of the Mets in 13 innings. This game had it all. An unlikely hero in the bottom of the 9th with two outs in Eric Bruntlett. Continued redemption by Jimmy Rollins. A near-complete emptying of the bench (only Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick didn't get on the field). A silly at-bat by Brett Myers. And, of course, a game winning single by Chris Coste in the 13 inning that drove in Shane Victorino, who tripled to lead off the inning.

This was a huge game that was made even bigger given that it was against the Mets, their biggest rival and the team they have now chased down and overtaken for first place in the NL East. This Phillies team is now starting to have some of the magic moments that last years team experienced. They are turning back into the team that you can never count out, a team that always finds a way to battle back. They will look for the sweep against the Mets tomorrow.

Webb shuts Phillies down, Rollins joins team on West Coast

(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

The Phillies were dominated by the best pitcher in baseball, Brandon Webb, in Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. Webb pitched a complete game, giving up six hits, to improve his record to 8-0 on the season. The Phillies were shut down most of the way but managed to scrape out two runs in the ninth to make the game seem a little closer than it was.

There is no shame in getting stymied by a pitcher like Webb. He needed 104 pitches to complete the game, and although he only registered 4 strikeouts, he was in control the entire way. Webb is on pace for 37 wins this season, a ridiculous pace, but it is also ridiculous that he nearly has double digits wins at this point of the season.

The Phillies will get a boost on their road trip with the return of NL MVP Jimmy Rollins. Rollins will rejoin the team in San Francisco on Friday, although the Phils are unsure as to when he will actually play. He needs to test out his ankle with the team trainers, but if everything checks out, we will see him thrust back to the top of the line-up ASAP. As Charlie Manuel so eloquently put it: "He's the MVP. He's the shortstop. He helps us, man." Well said, Charlie.

As Rollins returns, Eric Bruntlett will go back to his role as a bench player. While Bruntlett had a shaky start to his time as a starter, he has bounced back to be one of the more reliable all-around players the Phillies have. His defensive play has been solid and his bat has been better than advertised: he picked up 8 RBI's in the 4 game series with the Diamondbacks. Like Tadahito Iguchi last year, Bruntlett provided only a small drop-off in talent when a star player went down with an injury. He will be a valuable asset off the bench for the Phillies in the coming months. How lopsided does the off-season trade of Michael Bourn and Geoff Geary for Bruntlett and Brad Lidge look now?

The Phillies begin their three game series with the San Francisco Giants on Friday night. We were in line to see a re-match between the two young phenoms, Cole Hamels and Tim Lincecum, but the Giants moved their rotation around when they pulled Barry Zito back out of the bullpen and into a starting role again. That means that Hamels will pitch against Pat Misch on Friday and Lincecum will face Jamie Moyer on Saturday. The Phillies will unfortunately not get the opportunity to tee off on Zito in this series.

Mets outlast Phillies

Despite a valiant effort to fight their way back into the game, the Phillies fell to the Mets 4-3 in 12 innings. The Mets took the rubber game of the series after Angel Pagan singled in Jose Reyes for the winning run, although it was questionable as to whether Reyes actually touched the plate. The Phillies were behind most of the game until the offense came alive in the 7th and 8th innings. Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz both homered, and Feliz later drove in the run that forced extra innings.

Jimmy Rollins sat out again, causing yesterday's goat Eric Bruntlett to get another start at shortstop. Bruntlett was brought over from Houston in the Brad Lidge trade, and he was billed as a reliable defender and someone who does the little things that win games. Well, yesterday Bruntlett made two errors, and today he was anemic at the plate, stranding 7 runners on base. He even failed to execute a sacrifice bunt in the later innings that would have likely led to the Phillies taking the lead. Bruntlett hasn't won many fans in Philadelphia, and I fear for his life when the Phils return home tomorrow to face the Cubs.

The bullpen continues to be a bright spot for the Phillies. After Adam Eaton put in a respectable start, the bullpen took over and pitched 5 2/3 innings and gave up only 1 run on 4 hits. Take Tom Gordon out of the equation, and the 'pen was basically lights out. J.C. Romero, Brad Lidge and Rudy Seanez have all yet to give up an earned run this season, and with Steve Kline coming on the horizon, the bullpen appears to have turned from weakness to strength. If only Flash would get his act together, this would be a dominant group.

The Phillies come home for a three game series against the Cubs starting tomorrow. They leave New York knowing the Mets have the upper hand for now, but they should hardly hang their heads. If Jimmy Rollins plays in those two games, I guarantee the Phillies find a way to win another one. The difference between Rollins and Bruntlett is that significant. Let's hope J-Roll suits up soon.