The Departed Don't Match Up

It is no secret that, right now, Raul Ibanez is making the Phillies look very smart. The Phils' phormer left fielder, Pat Burrell, is struggling in Tampa with a .238 batting average, 1 homer and 8 RBI, 6 runs scored with a .681 OPS. The new left fielder, Ibanez, is GD wrecking opposing pitchers with a .355 batting average, 7 homers, 17 RBI, 20 runs scores and a 1.142 OPS. Furthermore, Burrell's new club, the Rays, are 3-4 when Burrell drives in at least one run. Our Phillies are 9-2 when Ibanez has at least 1 RBI. Also, Burrell has hit safely in 12 of the Rays' 19 games, while Raul has hit in 16 of the Phillies 19 games.

There's no debate, at this stage, that the Phillies made the right call when they let Burrell go, and signed Ibanez to man left field. Hopefully, this will hold true throughout the rest of the season, all the way into the post season. Trends would perhaps suggest that Ibanez will cool off soon, as his career batting average in May is 45 points lower than in April (.293 career April avg. in 213 games, .248 career May avg. in 215 games). His drop off in career OPS in those same months is even more drastic- .844 in April, .713 in May. But, don't you fear, as Rauuuuul's career June OPS is .900 (his best month) in 193 career games. The bald basher bounces back, baby.

Ahead, we'll have a look around Major League Baseball and check out some departed Phillies' offensive statistics, so far this season, matched against the current Phillie in his position.

Aaron Rowand, CF- 17 games played, .283, .819 OPS, 2 homers, 9 RBI, 6 runs, 0 steals.

Marlon Byrd, CF- 15 games played, .328 avg, .858 OPS, 2 homers, 13 RBI, 8 runs, 0 steals.

Shane Victorino, CF- 19 games played, .291 avg, .800 OPS, 2 Homers, 14 RBI, 15 runs, 3 steals.

Jim Thome, 1B(/DH)- 15 games played, .218 avg, .772 OPS, 4 homers, 10 RBI, 11 runs.
Ryan Howard, 1B- 19 games played, .276 avg, .887 OPS, 4 homers, 15 RBI, 12 runs.

Placido Polanco, 2B- 19 games played, .268 avg, .725 OPS, 0 homers, 13 RBI, 9 runs, 0 steals.

Chase Utley, 2B- 19 games played, .357 avg, 1.142 OPS, 7 homers, 20 RBI, 18 runs, 2 steals.

Scott Rolen, 3B- 20 games played, .321 avg, .808 OPS, 2 homers, 8 RBI, 11 runs, 1 steal.

Pedro Feliz, 3B- 19 games played, .333 avg, .889 OPS, 2 homers, 14 RBI, 10 runs, 0 steals.

Bobby Abreu, RF- 19 games played, .301 avg, .864 OPS, 0 homers, 12 RBI, 9 runs, 8 steals.

Jayson Werth, RF- 18 games played, .261 avg, .827 OPS, 2 homers, 10 RBI, 15 runs, 2 steals.

The only position where the advantage goes to a former Phillie, is right field. Abreu appears to be more productive than Werth, so far in April. Center field performance is debatable, as Marlon Byrd is doing well this year, but Shane bests him with runs, steals and RBI. All other comparisons are easily won by the current P-Squaders.

Rappers in Phillies Caps

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Drabek Preparing For Next Step

The transition has been easy for Kyle Drabek. In December, he was part of a package of young prospects that was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for ace pitcher Roy Halladay. Now, as though nothing has changed, he's right back where he was last season...the star prospect on the pitching staff of a team in the Double A Eastern League. Drabek has often stated that he wanted to stay in the Philadelphia organization, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft. The 22-year-old thought after the midseason trade rumors, that surrounded him possibly going to Toronto last year, passed with no action that all the turmoil was over and that he could simply relax and focus on getting to the big leagues with the Phillies. That wasn't the case, as the deal eventually came to fruition over the off-season. In the Blue Jays system this season, Drabek doesn't have to worry about being dealt. He only has to concern himself with opposing batters and working on his secondary pit...

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