DeRosa the Favorite at 3rd?

The Phillies have reportedly put free agent Mark DeRosa atop their wish list to fill the team's void at third base. Reports state DeRosa could sign with Philadelphia by the end of the week. The 9 year Major League veteran, grew up in New Jersey and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. He was originally a 7th round draft selection of the Braves in 1996.

DeRosa, a right handed batter, is a career .275 hitter with a .767 OPS. A versatile fielder, he has played 6 different positions in the majors, including all four infield spots. In 311 career games at the hot corner, DeRosa has a .955 fielding percentage.

Comparatively, the Phillies' previous third baseman Pedro Feliz had a .254 career batting average and a .715 OPS. He also had a .964 fielding percentage in 899 career games at third base. Great defense aside, Feliz's offensive production has been on a steady decline. Feliz's OPS has dropped in each of his past six seasons. Phillies management obviously saw an opportunity to improve the lineup and are seeking the right option with which to do so.

The price tag for DeRosa is also likely quite appealing to the Phillies. Other top options for the position like Chone Figgins and Adrian Beltre are sure to demand considerable deals. There's also been some talk of former AL MVP Miguel Tejada being prepared to make a move from shortstop to third base, and he should also come at a greater price than DeRosa. Figgins earned roughly $5.8 million in 2009 and is younger than DeRosa. Beltre has earned over $13 million each of the past 2 seasons. Tejada earned over $14 million this past year. DeRosa earned $5.5 million in 2009.

DeRosa recently underwent surgery to repair a torn tendon sheath in his left wrist. He is expected to be ready to resume baseball activities well before spring training.

------------------------------

Fairly big news for this site should be announced soon. If you keep up with PhoulBallz on Twitter, you'd know it involves a top prospect in the Phillies organization.

Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE!

Comments

ProspectNation 2011: #7 Jiwan James- OF

Switch-hitting Phillies prospect Jiwan James earned plenty of recognition last season, as he set the Class A Lakewood hitting streak record at 24 straight games and led the team in runs scored with 85. James, who will turn 22 years old in April, has reported early to Clearwater, well ahead of the March 1st report date for minor league spring training camp. Drafted out of high school as a pitcher in the 22nd round of the 2007 amateur draft, James made the switch to the outfield in 2009 where he played in 30 games with the short season Williamsport Crosscutters. As a member of the Cutters, James batted .264 with a homer and 13 RBI. The positional switch was necessary due to a lingering arm issue that James dealt with during 2008. In 2010, while helping the Lakewood BlueClaws lock down a second straight South Atlantic League title, James, who stands 6-feet-4-inches tall and weighs around 185 pounds, shined batting at the top of the order in manager Mark Parent's lineup. In the longes...

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...

Kendrick & LaGrossa- Second Phils/Survivor Marriage

On Saturday, Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick married 3-time Survivor contestant and former Flyers employee Stephenie LaGrossa. The couple exchanged vows in front of 105 guests at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Their special day featured many personalized aspects, including cocktail hour snacks modeled in the fashion of mini Philly cheesesteaks, as well as the couple's two dogs, Bebe and Champ, serving as flower girl and ring bearer during the ceremony. The pets wore a white dress and a tuxedo, respectively. Kendrick is now the second Phillies pitcher to marry a former contestant of the CBS reality competition program, as lefty Cole Hamels wedded Heidi Strobel, who appeared on the sixth season of Survivor, in 2007. _________________________________________________________________ Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE . Photos- People.com

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog