The Philadelphia Phillies just acquired yet another ace in Roy Oswalt, thus giving them a top 3 rotation of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt. Naturally, given that, the fact they have won the NLCS in the past 2 years, made the playoffs the last 3, and have a bunch of big names on their team now, the comparisons are going to come that the Phillies are the next, Mets and Yankees, at least in the mind of the casual fan. But the question remains, are the comparisons valid? Are the Phillies the 2nd coming of teams most casual fans hate?
I will answer this by comparing how the Phillies acquired the top players and starting pitchers and closer on their current roster in comparison to the top players and starting pitchers and closer on the other teams' current roster. Up first, how the Phillies acquired their players (yes, I am aware that there are more players than this on the teams; this piece concerns the big names and the regular starters when everyone is healthy, not the role players, bench players and the fill-ins for injury, i.e. Wilson Valdez).
Phillies
Carlos Ruiz: Signed as an amateur free agent in 1998.
Ryan Howard: Drafted in the 5th round of the 2001 draft.
Chase Utley: Drafted in the 1st round of the 2000 draft.
Jimmy Rollins: Drafted in the 1st round of the 1996 draft.
Placido Polanco: Signed as a free agent (for the 2nd time) in 2009.
Raul Ibanez: Signed as a free agent in 2008.
Shane Victorino: Drafted by the Phillies in the 2004 Rule 5 Draft.
Jayson Werth: Signed as a free agent in 2006.
Roy Halladay: Traded by Toronto to Philadelphia in 2009.
Cole Hamels: Drafted in the 1st round 2002 draft.
Roy Oswalt: Traded by Houston to Philadelphia in 2010.
Joe Blanton: Traded by Oakland to Philadelphia in 2008.
Kyle Kendrick: Drafted in the 7th round of the 2003 draft.
Brad Lidge: Traded by Houston to Philadelphia in 2007.
Phillies totals
Amateur Draft: 5
Amateur Free Agents: 1
Rule 5 Draft: 1
Free Agency: 3
Trades: 4
New York Mets
Rod Barajas: Signed as a free agent in 2010.
Ike Davis: Drafted by in the 2008 draft.
Luis Castillo: Signed as a free agent in 2007.
Jose Reyes: Signed as an amateur free agent in 1999.
David Wright: Drafted in the 2001 draft.
Jason Bay: Signed as a free agent in 2009
Angel Pagan: Traded by Chicago Cubs to New York Mets in 2008.
Jeff Francoeur: Traded by Atlanta to New York Mets in 2009.
Carlos Beltran: Signed as a free agent in 2005.
Johan Santana: Traded by Minnesota to New York Mets
Jonathon Niese: Drafted in 7th round of the 2005 draft.
Mike Pelfrey: Drafted in the 1st round of the 2005 draft.
R.A. Dickey: Signed as a free agent in 2010.
Hisanori Takahashi: Signed as a free agent in 2010.
Francisco Rodriguez: Signed as a free agent in 2008.
Mets totals
Amateur Draft: 4
Amateur Free Agents: 1
Rule 5 Draft: 0
Free Agency: 6
Trades: 3
New York Yankees
Francisco Cervelli: Signed as an amateur free agent in 2003.
Mark Teixeira: Signed as a free agent in 2009.
Robinson Cano: Signed as an amateur free agent in 2001.
Derek Jeter: Drafted in the 1st round of the 1992 draft.
Alex Rodriguez: Signed as a free agent in 2007.
Brett Garnder: Drafted by Yankees in 3rd round of 2005 draft.
Curtis Granderson: Traded by Detroit to New York Yankees in 2009.
Nick Swisher: Traded by Chicago White Sox to New York Yankees in 2008.
Jorge Posada: Drafted by the New York Yankees in the 20th round of the 1990 draft.
Andy Pettitte: Signed as a free agent in 2006.
Javier Vazquez: Traded by Atlanta to New York Yankees in 2009.
CC Sabathia: Signed as a free agent in 2008.
A.J. Burnett: Signed as a free agent in 2008.
Phil Hughes: Drafted by the Yankees in the 2004 draft.
Mariano Rivera: Signed as an amateur free agent in 1990.
Yankees totals
Amateur Draft: 4
Amateur Free Agents: 3
Rule 5 Draft: 0
Free Agency: 5
Trades: 3
I wanted to add the Red Sox in here, but frankly, I need to get up at 6 AM, and it is getting late and I am running out of time. Maybe sometime tomorrow after Oswalt's debut I will add them in here.
But as far as the straight up comparisons with the New York teams, I think the numbers speak for themselves. The Phillies main core of players consist of 3 free agents whereas the Mets have 6 and the Yankees have 5. Halladay and Oswalt were both acquired through trade, whereas Burnett and Sabathia were both signed directly through the dollar-dollar bills (though in fairness, the sticking point of the Halladay trade was the immediate contract extension the Phillies were able to offer him). And while it kind of looks like egg on the face of the Phillies that they got Jayson Werth through free agency, it should be known that when they signed him, no one knew he would end up being such a star that he is. Heck, in 2008 he started the season platooning with Geoff Jenkins in right field before winning the job outright towards the end of the season.
It should be noted that in addition to less free agents, the Phillies have more trades than each of the 2 New York teams and more draft picks than each of the 2 New York teams, though credit must be given as the Yankees really know how to score with the undrafted amateur free agents.
Again, hopefully I will be able to do the Red Sox tomorrow, but I am out of gas and in need of sleep before waking up at 6 AM to go to work for the whole day (I can taste the coffee from here). Unrelated to the Phillies and baseball, but the Eagles have signed their 1st round draft pick Brandon Graham late this evening. Just thought I should let you know before I go to bed.
Showing posts with label Brandon Graham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brandon Graham. Show all posts
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Taking A Look At The Rest Of The Eagles NFL Draft (WITH DIFFERENT FINAL GRADE)
See here for my analysis of Day 1 of the Eagles draft and here for my analysis of Day 2 of the Eagles draft.
I'll be honest, outside of the hot names from the first few rounds, I am not an expert on the players. Heck, most of them I've never heard of before. So instead of trying to look at each player and haplessly grade them, I will give my likes and dislikes of this draft based on overall trends.
Likes: The Eagles sured up their defense like none other in this draft, drafting CB Trevard Lindley, DE/SAM LB Ricky Sapp, and Jabar Chaney, a guy that most projected in the late 3rd/early 4th round with one projection going as high in the 2nd round, in the 7th round. That was a steal and a half.
The Eagles came into this draft needing to do nothing but add depth to RB, WR. They did exactly that to all three positions. Nothing fancy, no big coups, but pure solid depth. As mentioned earlier, they added competition for Hank Baskett's position as 4th receiver by drafting Riley Cooper, they drafted RB Charles Scott, likely signaling the end of Eldra Buckley's time in Philadelphia, and to top it off they got a developmental QB and their future back up in the form of Mike Kafka. He'll be 3rd stringer behind Vick this year but once Vick is gone at the end of the season, he'll be the solid #2 guy behind Kolb.
Dislikes: I have two big dislikes from today and this draft as a whole. The first one is some of the reaches. T'eo-Nesheim in the 3rd round and Keenan Clayton in the 4th round, both of whom could have been had in later rounds. That being said, I do know nothing about these players, so who knows, maybe Andy Reid and Howie Roseman see something the rest of the league does not. It would not be the first time Reid did that. Sometimes it pans out, other times it does not.
My only other dislike of this draft is no offensive linemen. With Jamaal Jackson likely out to start the year, it would have been nice to get an o-linemen or 2, if for no other reason, than just for depth. But the organization seems to be high on Mike McGlynn as well as Fenuki Tupou, so who knows. I still would have liked to have seen some depth, though, as offensive lineman is one of the best positions to have depth at. The Eagles may think they are fine Week 1, but what happens when people start getting hurt?
Overall draft grade: B. Graham and Allen will be automatic starters, with Graham beasting it up playing on the opposite of Trent Cole. Sapp will likely compete for a starting job, but seeing as he can play SAM and no other Eagle can, I am thinking he might be an automatic starter as well. The rest of the draft seemed to be a lot of depth. The Eagles traded down a lot on Day 2 and still got the guys they needed and supposedly targeted to begin with. The reaches and lack of an o-linemen bring this draft grade to a B, but other than, I do not have many complaints. It's not a flashy draft like last year's one was, but the Eagles did not have needs in flashy areas. I am confident that after this draft, the Eagles are a better team than they were on Wedensday. And that, my friends, is always a good thing.
Overall draft grade: A-. I thought it was a B draft until I saw exactly what the Eagles did with that 55th overall pick in the draft. They turned that one 2nd round pick in to 5 later round picks with 3 Day 2 trade downs and with those picks they got from those trade downs, they selected Clay Harbor, Ricky Sapp, Daniel T'eo-Neshaim, Mike Kafka, and Riley Cooper, and a 5th rounder in 2011. Sure they did not fill up the offensive line, but to turn one 2nd round pick into all of that? That my friends is how you work the NFL Draft. One 2nd roupd pick turned into a 2nd/3rd tight end (Harbor), a starting SAM linebacker (Sapp), a situational pass rusher (T'eo-Neshaim), a developmental and future backup QB (Kafka), and a 6'3" 4th/5th wide receiver who can run the ever-effective fade route (Cooper). My friends, if that is not an A+ draft clinic then I do not know what is. Bill Belichick would be in awe. Upon further reflection, the only knock I can give it is no pick was an offensive lineman. As far as the reaches go, well, considering some of the steals the Eagles got in the later rounds (Sapp could have easily been someone's 55th overall pick alone), it all cancels out. As much hell as I give Andy Reid for his gameday coaching decisions, when it comes to the draft, you can count on one hand the number of teams who know how to work the draft better than the Philadelphia Eagles.
I'll be honest, outside of the hot names from the first few rounds, I am not an expert on the players. Heck, most of them I've never heard of before. So instead of trying to look at each player and haplessly grade them, I will give my likes and dislikes of this draft based on overall trends.
Likes: The Eagles sured up their defense like none other in this draft, drafting CB Trevard Lindley, DE/SAM LB Ricky Sapp, and Jabar Chaney, a guy that most projected in the late 3rd/early 4th round with one projection going as high in the 2nd round, in the 7th round. That was a steal and a half.
The Eagles came into this draft needing to do nothing but add depth to RB, WR. They did exactly that to all three positions. Nothing fancy, no big coups, but pure solid depth. As mentioned earlier, they added competition for Hank Baskett's position as 4th receiver by drafting Riley Cooper, they drafted RB Charles Scott, likely signaling the end of Eldra Buckley's time in Philadelphia, and to top it off they got a developmental QB and their future back up in the form of Mike Kafka. He'll be 3rd stringer behind Vick this year but once Vick is gone at the end of the season, he'll be the solid #2 guy behind Kolb.
Dislikes: I have two big dislikes from today and this draft as a whole. The first one is some of the reaches. T'eo-Nesheim in the 3rd round and Keenan Clayton in the 4th round, both of whom could have been had in later rounds. That being said, I do know nothing about these players, so who knows, maybe Andy Reid and Howie Roseman see something the rest of the league does not. It would not be the first time Reid did that. Sometimes it pans out, other times it does not.
My only other dislike of this draft is no offensive linemen. With Jamaal Jackson likely out to start the year, it would have been nice to get an o-linemen or 2, if for no other reason, than just for depth. But the organization seems to be high on Mike McGlynn as well as Fenuki Tupou, so who knows. I still would have liked to have seen some depth, though, as offensive lineman is one of the best positions to have depth at. The Eagles may think they are fine Week 1, but what happens when people start getting hurt?
Overall draft grade: A-. I thought it was a B draft until I saw exactly what the Eagles did with that 55th overall pick in the draft. They turned that one 2nd round pick in to 5 later round picks with 3 Day 2 trade downs and with those picks they got from those trade downs, they selected Clay Harbor, Ricky Sapp, Daniel T'eo-Neshaim, Mike Kafka, and Riley Cooper, and a 5th rounder in 2011. Sure they did not fill up the offensive line, but to turn one 2nd round pick into all of that? That my friends is how you work the NFL Draft. One 2nd roupd pick turned into a 2nd/3rd tight end (Harbor), a starting SAM linebacker (Sapp), a situational pass rusher (T'eo-Neshaim), a developmental and future backup QB (Kafka), and a 6'3" 4th/5th wide receiver who can run the ever-effective fade route (Cooper). My friends, if that is not an A+ draft clinic then I do not know what is. Bill Belichick would be in awe. Upon further reflection, the only knock I can give it is no pick was an offensive lineman. As far as the reaches go, well, considering some of the steals the Eagles got in the later rounds (Sapp could have easily been someone's 55th overall pick alone), it all cancels out. As much hell as I give Andy Reid for his gameday coaching decisions, when it comes to the draft, you can count on one hand the number of teams who know how to work the draft better than the Philadelphia Eagles.
Friday, April 23, 2010
So After Thinking About It A Bit.....
I've decided the Eagles made the right move by drafting Brandon Graham. When Tom Jackson calls you the best defensive player in a draft consisting of Ndamukong Suh and Eric Berry, you're a stud defensive end.
This is nowhere near as bad a pick as I once thought it was, mainly because I hardly ever heard of the guy before, and we passed up 2 of the guys I had my eye on and wanted the most in this draft (Earl Thomas and Kyle Wilson). And all in the process, gave up 2 3rd rounders while keeping both of their 2nd rounders, one of which is the 37th overall pick in the draft. Not to mention this pick completely stuck it to the Giants who had their eyes on Graham and were a sure bet to take him. Instead they end up with Jason Pierre-Paul. Brandon Graham >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> JPP.
The Eagles have pressing needs at safety and there are still 2 really high rated safeties available, Nate Allen and, dare I say it, Taylor Mays. If Allen gets taken and the Eagles do not want to take a chance on Mays (something I won't fault them for at all), offensive tackle Charles Brown would be a helluva steal at #37 for the Eagles, as they need some offensive line help as well as help in the secondary.
Off-topic, but it must be said, FLYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOHOO!!!! 1ST TEAM TO ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND! HELLZ YEAH, BITCHES!
This is nowhere near as bad a pick as I once thought it was, mainly because I hardly ever heard of the guy before, and we passed up 2 of the guys I had my eye on and wanted the most in this draft (Earl Thomas and Kyle Wilson). And all in the process, gave up 2 3rd rounders while keeping both of their 2nd rounders, one of which is the 37th overall pick in the draft. Not to mention this pick completely stuck it to the Giants who had their eyes on Graham and were a sure bet to take him. Instead they end up with Jason Pierre-Paul. Brandon Graham >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> JPP.
The Eagles have pressing needs at safety and there are still 2 really high rated safeties available, Nate Allen and, dare I say it, Taylor Mays. If Allen gets taken and the Eagles do not want to take a chance on Mays (something I won't fault them for at all), offensive tackle Charles Brown would be a helluva steal at #37 for the Eagles, as they need some offensive line help as well as help in the secondary.
Off-topic, but it must be said, FLYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHOOHOO!!!! 1ST TEAM TO ADVANCE TO THE SECOND ROUND! HELLZ YEAH, BITCHES!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Eagles Draft Brandon Graham
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Okay, maybe not really. Here's the good and the bad real quick.
The good: Tom Jackson called him the best defensive player in the draft. That's high praise from a man who knows what he is talking about. Graham is a hybrid type player and can play either DE or OLB. Look for the Eagles to use him opposite Trent Cole.
The bad: The Eagles traded up for this pick and in doing so,ignored a glaring need in their secondary. They need a CB and they need a safety, and once they traded up, they had Earl Thomas and/or Kyle Wilson at their fingertips and they blew it. They had their guys and instead they took Graham. The opposite of this is a deadly pass rush can help the secondary out a bit, but it starts to become a bit of a problem when you don't have a physical body back there. And now the Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant. Yeah we're screwed this year.
Okay, maybe not really. Here's the good and the bad real quick.
The good: Tom Jackson called him the best defensive player in the draft. That's high praise from a man who knows what he is talking about. Graham is a hybrid type player and can play either DE or OLB. Look for the Eagles to use him opposite Trent Cole.
The bad: The Eagles traded up for this pick and in doing so,ignored a glaring need in their secondary. They need a CB and they need a safety, and once they traded up, they had Earl Thomas and/or Kyle Wilson at their fingertips and they blew it. They had their guys and instead they took Graham. The opposite of this is a deadly pass rush can help the secondary out a bit, but it starts to become a bit of a problem when you don't have a physical body back there. And now the Cowboys drafted Dez Bryant. Yeah we're screwed this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)