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Australian native Tim Kennelly has been enjoying some serious success thus far in the 2011-2012 Australian Baseball League season. The righty hitting utility man is tearing up opposing pitching while playing for his hometown club in the second season of this current incarnation of professional baseball down under. In the early going, the 25-year-old leads the ABL with a .529 batting average and has helped his club, the defending ABL champion Perth Heat, to a league-best 11-0 record, including an 8-0 mark on the road. Kennelly's 1.237 OPS is also tops in the league. Kennelly has been a multi-positional player throughout his career in the minors, spending plenty of time at catcher, third base and in the outfield. Such versatility has helped Kennelly earn playing time within the Phillies organization. With the Heat, Kennelly is valuable to his team in the same manner, splitting his time at various spots. Originally signed by the Phillies in 2003 at age 16, Kennelly has posted a .263...

The takeover has begun. As the holiday season approaches and winter becomes more imminent, January 2nd, the date of this season's NHL Winter Classic draws nearer. In 2012, Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park will play host to the annual regular season hockey contest that is broadcast on national television. The ballpark is otherwise home to Major League Baseball's Phillies. In the upcoming game, the Flyers will take on New York Rangers. It will be New York's first Winter Classic appearance, while the Flyers, who lost at Boston in 2010, will be seeing action in the annual event for the second time. This will mark the fifth year for the NHL's premiere regular season contest, which first took place in 2008 at Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL's Bills. The process to convert the baseball playing field into an ice rink, in time for the week of hockey events set to take place at CBP, began this week. In addition to the January 2nd regular season...

On Monday, the Phillies announced the return of Ryne Sandberg as manager of Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Sandberg, a Hall of Fame player, is back for his second season with the IronPigs after leading the club to its very first playoff appearance in 2011. Sandberg, who was originally drafted by the Phillies in 1978 and dealt to the Chicago Cubs in 1982, became a legend in a different city. As a member of the Cubs, Sandberg became a 10-time National League All-star, a 9-time Gold Glove Award winner and 1984 NL Most Valuable Player. Last season, he returned to the Philadelphia organization after 29 years away. The remainder of the Lehigh Valley coaching staff, Rod Nichols and Sal Rende, will return for the IronPigs as well. New additions to the developmental coaching ranks include former Phillies Andy Tracy and Aaron Fultz . Tracy will manage the short season Williamsport Crosscutters, while Fultz will serve as that club's pitching coach. Former Phillies second baseman Mickey Mo...

In a trade with the Colorado Rockies, the Phillies have acquired multi-positional veteran Ty Wigginton . A 10-year Major Leaguer, Wigginton is a .265 career hitter with 158 homeruns with six different teams. The 34-year-old first baseman/second baseman/third basemen/outfielder joins a Phillies team that was in need of a versatile offensive threat such as Wigginton that could fill in for the likes of Ryan Howard , Chase Utley and Placido Polanco and become a solid presence in the five-time defending National League East division champions' lineup. The right-handed hitting Wigginton, who stands 6 feet tall and weighs 230 pounds, is slated to earn $4 million in 2012 with a club option for the same amount in 2013, with a $500,000 buyout. In the deal, the Phillies are reportedly getting back $2 million, so essentially, Philadelphia will pay Wigginton $2 million in 2012. In return the Phillies will send back a player to be named later or cash. The addition is a very good one for ...

Russ Wrightstone was a utility player with the Phillies from 1920-1928. The lifelong Pennsylvania resident made his big league debut at the ripe age of 27 with Philadelphia. The Phillies teams of the 1920's were always near the bottom of the barrel. The club won as many as 68 games and finished within 27 games of first place only once during Wrightstone's tenure. A player such as Wrightstone who regularly batted over .300 and could field multiple positions proved valuable to a lowly club like Philadelphia. Although he wasn't exceptional at any one position, during his time in the Majors, Wrightstone manned first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field and right field. Managers would shift the 5-foot-10-inch 190-pounder around the diamond in an effort to keep his bat in the lineup. Wrightstone's best offensive season came in 1925 when he played in just 92 games. That year, the lefty hitting Wrightstone posted a .346 batting average with 14 homeruns and ...

The Arizona Fall League season wraps up today as the Salt River Rafters take on the Surprise Saguaros in the championship game in Scottsdale. The game will be broadcast live on MLB Network and on MLB.com at 3 PM Eastern. No Phillies prospects will be represented in the title contest, as their club, the Scottsdale Scorpions finished 14-22, placing last in the East division. Salt River features minor leaguers from the Astros, D-Backs, Dodgers, Rockies and Tigers, while Surprise includes players from the Braves, Marlins, Rays, Rangers and Royals. Despite Philadelphia farmhands missing out on the final game of the AFL season, let's take a look at their fall league performances, with some players shining and others just getting by. Lefty hurler Jake Diekman , who was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster on Friday, performed exceptionally for the Scorpions. The 6-foot-4-inch 190-pound reliever allowed just 1 earned run in 11 appearances (11 1/3 innings) while striking out 14 batte...

The Phillies announced on Thursday that they have re-signed catcher Brian Schneider to a one-year contract valued at $800,000. The veteran of 12 big league seasons, who turns 35-years-old later this month, returns to Philadelphia after serving as back-up to Carlos Ruiz for the past two seasons. Schneider can earn an additional $200,000 in performance bonuses, but don’t count on that happening as the reserve sported a .176 batting average in 41 games with the Phillies during the 2011 season. Clearly, Schneider is being brought back for his excellent guidance of the Philadelphia pitching staff, not because of his bat. Phillies pitchers posted a strong 2.85 ERA with Schneider behind the dish this past season. Pat Gallen of PhilliesNation.com writes that the Phillies went 28-8 (.777 winning percentage) in Schneider’s 36 starts in 2011, including 27-3 (.900) in his first 30 starts. From May 7 through September 6, the Phillies went 19-0 in Schneider’s starts. Through his career, the lefty h...

Throughout the off-season, we'll take regular looks at Phillies players participating in winter leagues around the world. Plenty of players contracted to the Phillies are still in action, despite the North American season being over for many weeks. In this post, the Caribbean and Australian baseball leagues will be covered. -Right-handed hurler Julio Rodriguez (pictured), an 8th round draft selection in 2008, has appeared in two games as a reliever for the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League. In his first outing, the 21-year-old threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, while he allowed 2 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning in his second appearance. Rodriguez had an outstanding regular season for the Class A Advanced Clearwater Threshers in 2011, going 16-7 with a 2.76 ERA and a .186 batting average against in 27 starts. -Shortstop Freddy Galvis has performed well lately for the Aguilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan league. After a considerably slow start and a wris...

Lakewood pitching coach Steve Schrenk watches David Buchanan get loose Selected by the Phillies in the 7th round of the amateur draft in 2010, righty hurler David Buchanan has quickly made a name for himself in the developmental ranks. The 22-year-old had an outstanding season this year, as he earned himself a spot as the starting pitcher for the north division team in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game while posting an 11-5 record with a 3.38 ERA through 20 starts with the Class A Lakewood BlueClaws. Buchanan's exceptional efforts in his first full season as a pro also earned him a promotion to High A level Clearwater, where he went 3-2 with a 3.90 ERA in 6 outings. A Georgia native, Buchanan grew up as a Braves fan, but is more than happy to be a part of the Philadelphia organization, home to several pitchers that he admires the same way he looked up to the famed Atlanta starting pitching staff of the 1990's. The 6-foot-3-inch 190-pound Buchanan sports a low-90's ...

Another week, another free agent Friday. The Phillies have signed former Boston hurler Jonathan Papelbon to a deal to become their new premiere relief pitcher. The deal is done, pending a physical examination and is reportedly worth $50 million over four years. The contract also has a vesting option to increase the length to five years and the value above $60 million. It would be the largest free-agent contract for a reliever in MLB history. Papelbon, who will turn 31-years-old later this month, has had a more than a solid career to date with the Red Sox. The 4th round pick from the 2003 amateur draft has a career regular season record of 23-19 with a .233 ERA, 219 saves and a .204 batting average against in his 7 year career. In 18 career postseason contests, Papelbon sports an exceptional 1.00 ERA with a 2-1 record and 7 saves. What's even more impressive is that the Mississippi State product has held the opposition scoreless in all but one of those outings. Comparatively, ...

Former Phillies outfielder Pat Burrell announced on Thursday that his playing days are likely over, due to a recurring right foot injury that limited his action in 2011. According to a report from the Associated Press, Burrell had previously declared that he would contemplate retirement if he was unable to return to full strength. This appears to be the case, however Burrell has not made a final decision. “I have not decided yet, but I don’t think I can play anymore,” Burrell stated. “It hurts me to say that.” The 35-year-old was the first overall draft choice by the Phillies in 1998. He was part of the 2008 club that locked down Philadelphia’s second ever World Series title. The University of Miami product ranks fourth all-time in Phillies history with 251 regular season homeruns. Burrell left Philadelphia as a free agent following the 2008 season, signing with Tampa Bay. He struggled through much of his time there, and after the Rays released him during the 2010 season, Burrell signe...

Plenty of Phillies players are staying in shape in the early going this off-season on the field and not just in the gym or in batting cages . Plenty of individuals contracted to the Phillies are playing ball down in the Caribbean winter leagues. Here's a run down of how various Philadelphia farm hands and a couple big leaguers are doing in the off-season leagues. -Right-hander Julio Rodriguez has made two relief appearances for the Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League. In his first outing, the 21-year-old threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings, while he allowed 2 earned runs in 2/3 of an inning in his second appearance. Rodriguez had an outstanding regular season for the Class A Adv anced Clearwater Threshers in 2011, going 16-7 with a 2.76 ERA and a .186 batting average against in 27 starts. -Shortstop Freddy Galvis hasn't looked too sharp lately for the Aguilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan league. In 10 games since returning from a right wrist injury, the 21...