Sorry, but that’s all that time will allow for today (courtesy of scout.com)
Some Familiar Faces Likely To Exit  |
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Bye-bye, Jose. (photo: Drew Hallowell/Getty) |
After every season there are players who exit and this fall and winter will be no different in Philadelphia. With a number of free agents and some tough decisions to make, there could be a number of exits from the 2007 Phillies. |
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| Over the course of a 162-game regular season, the Phillies scored more runs than any team in the National League. But in getting swept in their best-of-five Division Series by the Colorado Rockies, their vaunted offense produced only eight in three games and batted just .172 (16-for-93) in the series.”Nobody wants to go home right now,” free agent-to-be center fielder Aaron Rowand said. “We ran into a team that was extremely hot. We didn’t hold up our end of it. We didn’t hit.”In the knockout game, the Phils were held to three hits by hard-throwing Rockies rookie right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. Shane Victorino’s game-tying solo homer in the seventh inning was their only big hit as the Phillies dropped their third straight game for the first time since September third.
The Phillies’ offense failure was profound. Utley went 2-for-11 (.182) with five strikeouts. Ryan Howard went 3-for-12 (.250) with seven strikeouts. Jimmy Rollins went 2-for-11 (.182). Rowand went 1-for-12 (.083). “We were chasing balls out of the strike zone, and we were getting overanxious,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “That’s the sign of a time that’s … I wouldn’t call it pressing, I would say we were anxious, like we wanted it too bad or tried too hard or whatever.” So, which of the 2007 Phillies are likely to be back and who are the ones likely to exit? Free Agents: Antonio Alfonseca, Freddy Garcia, Tadahito Iguchi, Jon Lieber, Kyle Lohse, Jose Mesa, J.C. Romero, Aaron Rowand. Arbitration Eligible: Geoff Geary, Ryan Howard, Ryan Madson and Jayson Werth. Options: Rod Barajas ($5 million or [BODY].5 million buyout), Julio Mateo ($1.5 million or [BODY].1 million buyout), Abraham Nunez ($2 million or [BODY].355 million buyout). To find out the contract status of your favorite Phillie, just check out our Player Contracts page. |
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Now we know that shortly after this article went to press, Barajas and Nunez had their contracts bought out by the team. Kane Davis was also DFA’d - presumably if he clears waivers, he’ll be back with the Lynx. Does the loss of Barajas open up a spot for Jason Jaramillo? Doubtful. Most of the experts think he needs another season at the AAA level. And speaking of the Lynx catcher, did you know:
Jaramillo has a solid background in baseball. His father has been a well respected hitting coach both in the minors and the major leagues. That didn’t help Jaramillo’s two older brothers too much though. Both played minor league ball and both sputtered when they reached the AA level. There are also a couple of interesting Phillies connections. Jaramillo was originally drafted out of high school by the Phillies. They took him in the 39th round of the 2001 Draft. Instead of signing with the Phillies, he opted to play for Oklahoma State, where he was coached by Robbie Wine, the son of former Phillie player, coach and scout Bobby Wine. If you need more of a Phillies connection; Jaramillo played in the Cape Cod League for the league champion Orleans Cardinals. Also on that team were Phillie farmhands Anthony Buffone, who was drafted in the 22nd round of the 2004 draft, and Myron Leslie, who the Phillies drafted in the 11th round of the 2003 Draft.
